On 4 November 2026, Broadcom introduced VMware vSphere Express — a new, lower-cost virtualization offering aimed at small and mid-sized IT environments that need powerful, reliable virtualization without the full VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) stack.
It sits as an entry tier below VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) and VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), and is widely seen as Broadcom's response to demand for a simpler, standalone option after the post-acquisition shift toward bundled VCF licensing.
What is VMware vSphere Express?
vSphere Express runs on VMware vSphere 9 and is built for organisations that want core enterprise virtualization on a smaller footprint. It supports up to 128 CPU cores.
Key capabilities
- VMware vMotion — live migration of running virtual machines with no downtime
- vSphere High Availability (HA) — automatic VM restart on healthy hosts after a failure
- vSphere Distributed Switch (VDS) — consistent, centralised virtual networking across hosts
- vCenter Quick Patch — faster, lower-disruption vCenter patching (a vSphere 9 capability)
- TPM 2.0 & vTPM 2.0 support — hardware-rooted trust for hosts and virtual machines
- Zero-trust security posture
As an "essential" tier, vSphere Express focuses on core virtualization. Higher-end features (for example DRS, memory tiering and GPU/vGPU passthrough) are not part of this tier — plan your design accordingly.
Availability and pricing
Broadcom says vSphere Express is available now across all regions. Broadcom has not published an official public price; it is positioned as significantly lower-cost than VVF or VCF. Confirm exact licensing, eligibility and pricing with an authorised Broadcom / VMware partner before you plan a purchase.
Why it matters for IT teams
vSphere Express makes enterprise-grade VMware virtualization accessible again for smaller data centers, labs and growing businesses — the kind of environments that found the full VCF bundle too large or too costly. For IT professionals, it reinforces one thing: core vSphere skills — ESXi, vCenter, vMotion, HA, networking and storage — remain central to the VMware platform, from Express all the way up to VCF.
Build the skills behind it at INFOTICS
Whatever tier an organisation runs, the underlying skills are the same vSphere 9 fundamentals we teach hands-on at INFOTICS Academy:
- VMware vSphere: Install, Configure, Manage and VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF) — the core ESXi, vCenter, vMotion, HA, networking and storage skills vSphere Express is built on.
- VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) — for teams building a full private cloud.
Explore our VMware training at infotics.edu.pk/training/vmware. A new batch starts 14 November — live online or on campus in Karachi.
Sources: Broadcom VMware Cloud Foundation blog (4 Nov 2026); TechTarget; Network World; StorageReview; SDxCentral. "VMware" and "vSphere" are trademarks of Broadcom; INFOTICS Academy is an independent training provider and is not affiliated with Broadcom.
