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VMware migration can be a starting point for broader AWS modernization when a workload can move and its storage requirements still matter. AWS announced general availability on September 3, 2026, for using AWS Transform to migrate block storage directly to Amazon FSx for NetApp ONTAP (FSx for ONTAP) alongside compute and networking. That does not make FSx for ONTAP the default destination: the fit depends on the workload’s storage interface, data-management needs, recovery objectives, and operating model.
What AWS’s direct migration path does—and what it does not establish
AWS’s September 3, 2026 announcement describes AWS Transform for migrations as able to move block storage directly to FSx for ONTAP, with Amazon EBS also identified as a target. The documented regional condition is that both AWS Transform migration and FSx for ONTAP must be supported in the target Region. Check the current supported-Region list and service-specific prerequisites before planning a wave; general availability does not establish that every VMware estate, guest, or storage layout is eligible.
In an AWS Storage Blog walkthrough published the same day, AWS describes deploying a replication agent inside each source virtual machine, completing an initial replication followed by continuous incremental replication, then progressing through testing, cutover, and finalization. This is AWS’s described workflow, not an independent validation of every configuration. Confirm agent, guest, network, security, and workload requirements in the current service documentation before treating the sequence as an executable runbook.
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First decide which VMware-to-AWS architecture you mean
Move workloads to EC2 for AWS modernization
With an EC2-based migration, AWS Transform coordinates a move of workload compute, networking, and storage to AWS. The direct FSx for ONTAP path belongs to this architecture. It may suit workloads whose block data needs to land on an ONTAP-backed file service, but target selection still requires validating how the application accesses data and whether its guest and storage configuration are supported.
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Keep VMware on VMware Cloud on AWS
This is a different design: VMware Cloud on AWS runs VMware workloads, while FSx for ONTAP can provide supplemental datastore capacity. AWS’s 2022 integration announcement described scaling that storage separately from SDDC hosts. The announcement was later corrected on October 20, 2023, regarding earlier claims about GovCloud availability, so it should not be used by itself to establish present regional support.
AWS Prescriptive Guidance states that AWS stopped reselling VMware Cloud on AWS as of April 30, 2024, and directs customers to Broadcom for details. That dated reseller notice does not settle current commercial availability for every geography or account. Confirm terms with the provider before making this the target architecture.
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What FSx for ONTAP contributes as a data foundation
FSx for ONTAP is an AWS-managed file-storage service built on NetApp ONTAP data-management software. AWS documents access for Linux, Windows, and macOS compute in AWS or on premises, along with SSD primary storage, a capacity-pool tier, and automatic data tiering. A file system is placed in a VPC and configured with one or more high-availability pairs, depending on the design.
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AWS also documents snapshots, clones, replication, shared file access, and submillisecond latency as service capabilities. These are not guarantees that a particular application will meet its latency, availability, or recovery targets. Validate the required protocols, access patterns, capacity and performance needs, failure behavior, and recovery process against the intended configuration.
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The case for using it is strongest when ONTAP data-management capabilities, shared file access, or continuity with existing ONTAP operations are valuable to the workload. It is not a universal landing zone for every workload simply because the source environment uses VMware.
Choose storage by the workload’s access pattern
AWS Prescriptive Guidance distinguishes persistent block storage, shared file storage, and object storage as different workload needs. The services below are not interchangeable; application compatibility and operating requirements determine the suitable target.
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| Workload need | Candidate service | What to validate |
|---|---|---|
| Persistent block volumes attached to EC2 or containers | Amazon EBS | Application and guest compatibility, performance profile, availability and recovery objectives, and the operational model. AWS’s 2026 Transform announcement also identifies EBS as a block-storage migration target. |
| Shared file access across compute or on-premises servers | Amazon EFS or an appropriate Amazon FSx service, including FSx for ONTAP | Required file protocols, sharing pattern, application behavior, ONTAP features, and fit with existing operations. FSx for ONTAP is one shared-file option, not the only one. |
| Object-based data access | Amazon S3 | Whether the application can use an object-storage access model rather than block or shared-file semantics. |
Compare candidates against the same requirements: storage interface, shared access and protocol, guest compatibility, availability and recovery objectives, performance profile, data-management features, operational familiarity, migration method, regional support, and total cost. AWS’s category guidance helps identify candidates; it does not establish workload-specific performance or cost superiority. Those conclusions require workload requirements and current pricing or benchmark evidence.
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- Inventory the workload. Record storage protocols and layouts, data volumes, dependencies, required operational features, and recovery targets. Identify which systems need shared access and which use persistent block or object data.
- Choose the destination architecture. Decide whether VMware remains on VMware Cloud on AWS or workloads move to EC2. Do not treat supplemental FSx datastores for VMware Cloud on AWS as the same migration path as AWS Transform moving workloads to EC2.
- Select storage per workload. Map the application’s access pattern to block, file, or object storage. Consider FSx for ONTAP where ONTAP capabilities, shared file access, or operational continuity are relevant; validate alternatives rather than assuming a single target for the whole estate.
- Validate eligibility and the Region. For AWS Transform, check current target-Region availability for both the migration service and FSx for ONTAP, then verify the workload-specific prerequisites. Confirm that the guest-level replication-agent workflow fits the source environment.
- Design the target foundation. Plan the file system’s VPC placement, high-availability configuration, SSD primary capacity, capacity-pool use, and tiering behavior. Define identity, network, and security controls for the source, replication path, and target.
- Test before cutover. Follow the documented initial and incremental replication stages, test the migrated workload, and validate application behavior and recovery requirements before production cutover. Schedule the migration window around the dependencies and recovery plan.
- Finalize the operating model. Assign responsibility for storage administration, monitoring, protection, recovery, and ongoing capacity decisions. Confirm current commercial terms for any VMware Cloud on AWS design.
Decision checklist before choosing FSx for ONTAP
- Is the destination EC2 modernization or VMware Cloud on AWS?
- Does the workload need ONTAP capabilities, shared file access, or continuity with existing ONTAP practices?
- Are the storage interface, protocol, guest configuration, and application access pattern supported by the proposed target and migration method?
- Are AWS Transform migration and FSx for ONTAP available in the target Region, and do the current prerequisites cover this workload?
- Do the target design and migration plan satisfy availability, recovery, and performance requirements?
- Are data volume, dependencies, migration window, identity, network, and security controls accounted for?
- Are the support responsibilities and current commercial terms clear for the chosen architecture?
Use FSx for ONTAP where its data-management and shared-file capabilities solve a defined workload need. If the workload instead calls for persistent block or object storage, assess EBS or S3 on those terms; make the choice workload by workload rather than treating VMware migration as a reason to standardize on one storage service.
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