This winter, it's not only the birds that need to migrate.

If you're using NSX-V for network virtualisation, you need to know that VMware is ending support in January 2023.

What does this mean in practice? Well, at present users of NSX-V are given technical guidance and support by VMware. But from next year, any issues will have to be dealt with in-house.

General support already came to an end at the beginning of this year – and technical guidance is going the same way soon.

The software will continue to work but, without the guiding hand of VMware, you'll essentially be overseeing a crumbling firewall – creating holes in your security for wily cyber thieves to climb through.

Not only that, but you'll be flushing resources down the pan as your IT team is turned into firefighters for NSX problems, with no recourse to official guidance.

We don't want to sound melodramatic, but the risks are real. The countdown has begun. Are you ready to migrate?

What is NSX-T?

We've no wish to patronise anyone, but it's fair to say that NSX software is far from being a household name. Even if your company uses it, you might be a little hazy about what it actually does.

In the plainest language we can muster: NSX is VMware's network virtualisation platform.

OK, that's still a little cryptic – let's try again.

NSX is the filling in a technological sandwich. On the bottom, you have physical servers and on top, the virtual machines that run your applications. NSX sits in the middle, providing a tasty virtual network that links these virtual machines with your on-premise PCs.

What does it stand for? While it may sound like an early-noughties pop-punk band, it's just a futuristic-sounding brand name. The "T" stands for "transformers" – this is to sell the point that the new version can transform networks with more speed and ease than its predecessor.

NSX-V is good – but NSX-T is better. And honestly, a paid actor with "virtualisation software" written on her forehead is better than NSX-V without support from the manufacturer. (Maybe.)

How does migration work?

Cloud migration is complex – if you're not an old hand it can quickly give you a headache. Cloud consultancies like us exist to make that headache go away.

So we're well experienced in choosing the best method for V2T migration. There are two main options:

• Lift and shift. This requires new hardware. You run two environments side by side, one running NSX-V, the other NSX-T. As time goes on, you gradually "lift and shift" workloads from the old environment to the new.
  
  
• In-place migration. This happens in software, so no extra hardware is required. Rather than pouring one jug of data into another, in-place migration works via an NSX-T component called NSX Migration Coordinator.

The difference is subtle – and while you may have a preference, you may instead want to let a cloud consultancy decide for you.

But whichever method you go for, you'll be reaping the rewards in no time.

The benefits of NSX-T

NSX-T boasts a raft of new features that make it worthwhile as well as necessary.

It's not just an upgrade – more a full makeover. A new dawn in which your cloud is sailing through a shining blue sky.

But enough of the poetry. Once deployed, NSX-T will give your company increased flexibility, scalability, security and streamlinability.

So what exactly does it offer?

• Multi-cloud networking

More and more businesses are turning to multiple clouds for better security and round-the-clock access. But managing, scaling and securing them all can be a pain.

So it's no surprise that multi-cloud networking is NSX-T's headline feature. However many cloud environments you need to configure and monitor, NSX-T has got you covered. And its automation features turn an uphill struggle into a walk in the park.

• Airtight security

You don't need us to tell you how important security is. NSX-T takes the micro-segmented approach of its predecessor to a whole new level of detail.

We've compared it elsewhere to splitting £1 million between a million different safes, each with its own unique passcode. But unlike our paranoid piggy bank fantasy, NSX-T works with minimal setup and maintenance.

Stick with NSX-V and your security will be compromised. Upgrade and you'll receive regular security patches and bug fixes from the brains at VMware.

• Cloud-native apps

Where many legacy applications need tweaking before their ascension into the cloud, cloud-native applications are in their element. This means scaling, adapting and repurposing them is easier than ever before.

How can we help?

Migrating to NSX-T isn't an easy job. A quick skim of the VMware manual will tell you that.

It's tempting to think that an IT technician will be able to take on the challenges of cloud computing – and maybe yours is. But they may find themselves in at the deep end without a float.

Training is an option – but it's an expensive one, and it won't give you the years of experience that we can offer.

Don't let knowledge and resource gaps get in the way of a smooth upgrade.

If you partner with us here at Ascend Cloud Solutions, we can promise bucketloads of expertise that will ensure a smooth and speedy migration. It's our mission to achieve this with as little disruption to your day-to-day operations as possible.

We've been working with this software since day one and we know it inside out. Why take half-measures when you can hand the reins to an expert?

So don't let your migration journey be a stressful one. Let us help you future-proof your business with our proven five-step process:

1. Discover
2. Design
3. Plan
4. Build
5. Execute

Partner with us and we'll execute a migration strategy that's tailored to your business and nobody else. See you in the cloud!

At Ascend Cloud Solutions we have decades of combined experience with the VMware software suite. We've handled more than 400 successful cloud migrations – and counting. If you need help migrating from NSX-V to T, please don't hesitate to get in touch.