Sheetz, a convenience store chain, has migrated 838 stores off VMware, citing "too much uncertainty" created by Broadcom's acquisition. The company utilized automation and Sv HCI’s VM Import Utility to minimize disruption in its 24/7/365 retail environment, a process that required meticulous planning and execution.

While many organizations find migrating off VMware daunting due to cost, time, and staffing, Sheetz successfully navigated the transition. This move highlights Stor Magic's ambition to attract enterprise clients, particularly those with many distributed locations similar to Sheetz. "A distributed enterprise with hundreds or thousands of retail... locations actually faces similar IT challenges at each site as a local SMB," explained Scott Mann, Stor Magic’s SVP of global sales.

Mann noted that large enterprises previously tolerated the "VMware tax" but are now facing significant budget increases due to industry shifts, especially Broadcom's changes to VMware's licensing model. Other notable companies also migrating off VMware include Allstate, T-Mobile, and Tesco. Gartner estimates that 35 percent of VMware workloads could migrate elsewhere by 2028.