Case Study: Migrating from VMware Cloud on AWS (VMC-A) to Native AWS Architecture

The Challenge

A global product development and contract manufacturing company was operating both production and disaster recovery environments on VMware Cloud on AWS (VMC-A) and faced the prospect of escalating licensing costs under Broadcom’s updated commercial model. With a tight deadline ahead of contract expiry, the organisation needed to migrate their critical virtual machines, including some running legacy Hyper-V, into a secure, scalable AWS-native environment. The business required a fully validated AWS Landing Zone, modernised network design, and a future-ready platform, delivered quickly, securely, and in alignment with AWS Well-Architected principles.

The Solution

Expert Thinking led the engagement through a phased, outcome-focused approach. The project began with an AWS-funded Optimisation and Licensing Assessment (OLA) and a Modernisation Viability Assessment (MVA), providing a clear technical and commercial case for migration.

Expert Thinking supported every phase, from initial assessment through to testing, cutover, and technical handover, ensuring the internal team was fully equipped to operate the new platform.

A multi-account AWS Landing Zone aligned to best practices.

A secure, scalable hub-and-spoke network using AWS Transit Gateway and VPN.

Deployment of AWS Application Migration Service (MGN) to seed and migrate workloads.

Automated conversion of legacy Hyper-V VMs to native EC2.

A full AWS Well-Architected Review, identifying key risks and remediations.

The Outcomes

This engagement helped the customer move quickly and securely, reducing operational risk, improving resilience, and freeing them from restrictive legacy infrastructure, all while leveraging AWS funding to cover the full cost of delivery.

VMware VMs migrated to AWS.

Fully funded project through AWS migration programs.

Delivered in 4 weeks, avoiding costly VMware contract renewal.

4x improvement in platform resilience via multi-account design and DR capability.

Implementation-ready Well-Architected Review to guide next-stage improvements.

Modern DR foundation enabled, including native Veeam restore compatibility.

Scalable AWS-native architecture now ready for ongoing innovation.

The Business Impact

Our tailored approach delivered transformative results:

Cost savings of approximately 50% on database operations.
Enhanced operational visibility and modernised skillsets within the IT team.
Reduced risk of data centre failure through cloud-based disaster recovery.
Increased agility and scalability to support future organisational growth

Next Steps

With a secure and efficient AWS environment in place, the customer is well-positioned to continue its cloud transformation journey. As a trusted partner, Expert Thinking remains committed to providing ongoing support to ensure seamless scalability and alignment with evolving business objectives.