Cisco Simplifies Hypervisor Migration with Unified NFVIS Platform
Organizations are facing a significant challenge due to VMware’s licensing changes and the upcoming end of ESXi 8 support in October 2027. These factors are pushing companies to reevaluate their hypervisor strategies and edge architectures. Staying on outdated ESXi environments could lead to higher costs, increased support risks, and operational disruptions. The focus has shifted from whether to migrate to where to move edge workloads without adding cost or risk.
Cisco has developed a unified, resilient platform to address these issues. The company leveraged its KVM-based Network Function Virtualization Infrastructure Software (NFVIS) on UCS C-Series servers. This platform consolidates routing, security, observability, and collaboration workloads into a single system, simplifying management and enhancing digital resilience. NFVIS supports ESXi Open Virtual Appliance (OVA) images and offers APIs for lifecycle automation, making migration easier.
The platform includes compliance features like FIPS 140-3 and integrates ThousandEyes for network observability. It also supports collaboration workloads such as Unified Communications Manager, Meetings, and Contact Center applications. By consolidating workloads on NFVIS, organizations can reduce fragmented support and lifecycle management overhead common in ESXi environments.
Since NFVIS became generally available for collaboration workloads in March 2026, customers have started migrating from ESXi. Early deployments have shown benefits such as fewer support handoffs, faster issue resolution, and lower migration risk. The unified Cisco support model has been particularly valuable in addressing security issues across the stack, minimizing downtime and operational disruption.
Cisco’s journey began with proven NFVIS deployments in large retail routing environments. Over time, support expanded to ThousandEyes and collaboration workloads, with key migration feature gaps addressed. The company emphasizes the importance of unified visibility, integrated security, and automation in achieving digital resilience. Looking ahead, Cisco continues to expand NFVIS capabilities and ecosystem integrations, empowering customers to build resilient, future-proof edge environments.