OpenStack introduces Epoxy to facilitate VMware migrations
- The Open InfraFoundation has released a new OpenStack version named Epoxy.
- This version includes features like integration with Prometheus and hardware drivers from major vendors to aid VMware migrations.
- Despite these improvements, analysts warn that migrating from VMware remains a complex and risky process.
In April 2025, the Open InfraFoundation announced the release of its latest version of OpenStack, named Epoxy. This update is designed to offer better alternatives for organizations considering transitioning from VMware. Key features of this release include enhanced integration between OpenStack's Watcher component, a resource optimization tool, and Prometheus, a monitoring and alerting solution. This integration is aimed at allowing users to effectively monitor migrations and identify bottlenecks during the transition process. Additionally, the inclusion of drivers for storage hardware from vendors such as NetApp, Pure Storage, and Hitachi in the Cinder block storage module is anticipated to ease access for users. Nevertheless, industry analysts from Gartner have expressed doubt about the likely challenges, costs, and risks associated with such migrations. It remains to be seen how many VMware users will be motivated to switch, especially considering the recent revenue increase reported for VMware by Broadcom and its positive reception among existing customers. Further, significant upgrades to OpenStack’s compute service, Nova, allow virtual machines to directly utilize GPUs, which is crucial for performance-critical AI workloads. Updates to the Octavia load balancing service are also noteworthy, providing better security for virtual IP ports. OpenStack's commitment to enhancing user experience through seamless integration and reducing complex deployment processes has been underscored with additions to Ironic, its bare-metal provisioning service. With over 450 developers contributing to this 31st version, the release stands out as a significant milestone in the open-source cloud technology journey. The subsequent release, Flamingo, is planned for October 1, 2025, reinforcing OpenStack’s consistent development timeline.