Federal agencies running VMware vSphere 7.x and vSAN 7.x environments have less than eight months to prepare for a significant infrastructure transition. Broadcom has confirmed that general support for these virtualization platforms will officially end on October 2, 2025.

The bottom line: Agencies must upgrade to vSphere 8, evaluate alternative platforms, or risk FISMA compliance violations. Federal procurement timelines typically require 6-12 months, making immediate planning essential.

The deadline represents more than a routine technology refresh. For government IT professionals, this transition carries substantial compliance and security implications that demand immediate strategic attention.

VMware vSphere 7 and vSAN 7 support officially ends on October 2, 2025. After this date, customers still running vSphere 7.x and vSAN 7.x will lose access to product support, security patches, and updates.

• No security patches or updates after October 2, 2025
• No technical support from Broadcom
• Potential FISMA compliance violations
• Increased cybersecurity risk exposure
• Access to existing patches only through download portals

What will still be available after October 2025: Federal agencies can still download patches and updates that were released before the end-of-support date. These files remain accessible through Broadcom's customer portals, but no new patches will be created for newly discovered vulnerabilities.

What will NOT be available after October 2025:

• Phone or email support from Broadcom technical teams
• New security patches for vulnerabilities discovered after October 2025
• Product updates or feature enhancements
• Bug fixes for issues discovered after the deadline

Customers will not be able to engage with Broadcom Support for these releases after the deadline. This means no technical assistance for troubleshooting, configuration questions, or problem resolution.

Broadcom originally scheduled this transition for April 2025 but extended the timeline by six months to provide customers greater flexibility in planning future upgrades.

Running unsupported VMware vSphere 7 after October 2025 violates FISMA requirements. Government agencies operate under cybersecurity frameworks that make end-of-support transitions particularly complex.

FISMA compliance requirements for federal agencies:

1. Maintain supported software versions - NIST develops standards and guidelines for FISMA compliance that emphasize current, supported software
2. Continuous security monitoring - Required for all federal information systems
3. Annual compliance reviews - FISMA requires federal agencies to develop, document, and implement agency-wide information security programs
4. Risk management framework - Must address confidentiality, integrity, and availability

The compliance stakes are high. Agencies that don't comply with FISMA requirements must submit reports to the OMB explaining non-compliance and providing corrective action plans. Private contractors working with federal agencies face even greater consequences, as they can lose funding if deemed noncompliant.

Critical security vulnerabilities will no longer receive patches for VMware vSphere 7 after the end-of-support date. The security patch landscape presents one of the most pressing concerns for federal agencies.

VMware security patch policy for end-of-support products:

Broadcom announced that all customers, including those with expired support contracts, will have access to patches for Critical Severity Security Alerts for supported versions of VMware vSphere. This protection only applies to supported versions, meaning vSphere 7.x will lose this coverage after October 2025.

Critical security alert definition: Broadcom defines zero-day security patches as patches or workarounds for Critical Severity Security Alerts with a Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSS) score of 9.0 or higher.

Recent VMware security vulnerabilities affecting federal agencies: CVE-2024-38812 and CVE-2024-38813 received CVSS scores of 9.8 and 7.5 respectively, with Broadcom confirming exploitation has occurred in the wild. Federal environments, which face sophisticated threat actors regularly, cannot afford to operate without access to these critical security updates.

Federal agencies have three primary paths for addressing VMware vSphere 7 end of support:

Federal IT leaders must begin comprehensive planning immediately. The six-month extension provides valuable but limited time for strategic decision-making and implementation.

Start with a complete inventory of vSphere 7.x and vSAN 7.x deployments. Federal environments often contain complex, distributed infrastructures spanning multiple versions across different security enclaves. Document:

• Each environment's criticality level
• Data classification requirements
• Compliance obligations
• Hardware compatibility status

NIST provides guidelines in its SP 800-60 publication for mapping information types and systems to security categories. This assessment should align with these guidelines to help agencies properly classify their systems based on potential impact levels.

Analyze how continuing to run unsupported VMware infrastructure would affect your agency's overall compliance posture. FISMA compliance requirements encompass hundreds of security controls covering everything from technical details to program-wide decisions affecting funding and personnel security.

Agencies must monitor systems to detect abnormalities and perform security impact analyses, ongoing assessment of security controls, and status reporting. Running unsupported infrastructure makes meeting these ongoing obligations significantly more difficult.

The transition carries significant budgetary implications that federal agencies must address through standard procurement processes. Broadcom's shift from perpetual licensing to subscription-based models creates new cost structures requiring careful analysis and planning.

Federal procurement timelines often extend several months or years, particularly for large-scale infrastructure changes requiring approval through complex acquisition processes. Starting procurement planning now is essential to ensure solutions are in place before the October 2025 deadline.

Immediate actions for federal IT leaders:

Weeks 1-2: Assessment and Stakeholder Engagement

• Inventory all vSphere 7.x and vSAN 7.x environments
• Engage stakeholders early - Include your agency's chief information security officer, compliance team, and acquisition specialists in planning discussions
• Document current state - Maintain detailed records of current environments, dependencies, and compliance requirements

Month 1: Strategic Planning

• Evaluate migration options - Compare vSphere 8 upgrade costs vs. alternative platforms
• Assess compliance gaps - Document how unsupported infrastructure affects FISMA obligations
• Develop preliminary timeline - Account for federal procurement and testing requirements

Months 2-3: Procurement Initiation

• Start federal procurement processes - Begin acquisition planning for chosen solution
• Request vendor demonstrations - Evaluate solutions in controlled environments
• Build business case - Document security, compliance, and operational benefits

Months 4-6: Pilot Implementation

• Implement pilot programs - Test compatibility and performance in lower-risk environments before migrating mission-critical systems
• Plan for extended timelines - Federal environments often require additional testing, security reviews, and approval processes

Months 7-8: Production Migration

• Execute production cutover - Complete migration before October 2025 deadline
• Validate compliance - Ensure new environment meets all FISMA requirements

The October 2, 2025 deadline represents a critical transition point for federal agencies. Success requires more than technical expertise - it demands comprehensive understanding of federal compliance requirements, procurement processes, and security frameworks.

Essential next steps for federal IT leaders:

1. Start planning immediately - Federal procurement timelines require 6-12 months
2. Prioritize FISMA compliance - Unsupported infrastructure violates federal requirements
3. Evaluate all options - Consider vSphere 8 upgrade vs. alternative platforms
4. Engage procurement teams - Begin acquisition processes now
5. Document everything - Maintain audit trails for compliance reporting

This deadline should be viewed as an opportunity to modernize virtualization infrastructure while strengthening overall security and compliance capabilities. Agencies that begin planning now will be better positioned to maintain their security posture and compliance obligations throughout this transition.

Ready to strengthen your agency's virtualization strategy and ensure compliance continuity through the vSphere 7 transition? Contact our team for strategic guidance tailored to federal requirements.

Schedule a discussion with our federal infrastructure experts to explore solutions for your specific environment.