VMware Overhauls Its Partner Program, Reducing Authorized Partners Significantly

VMware has announced a major overhaul to its partner program, informing partners that the current channel program will be discontinued. The new system will be invitation-only and significantly reduce the number of authorized partners. Partners not invited to the VMware Cloud Service Provider program received non-renewal notices on July 15, 2025, and will only be able to continue transactions until October 31, 2025. After this date, these partners will only be able to service existing contracts under their current terms. Additionally, VMware is ending its White Label program by October 31, 2025. This change marks the second major partner program restructuring in just 18 months, following Broadcom’s January 2024 decision to terminate VMware-powered clouds with fewer than 3,500 processor cores. The latest move has drawn criticism, with some viewing it as a strategic shift towards larger, more profitable partners, potentially sidelining smaller players in the industry.