New research reveals that despite widespread intent to change, almost no organization is operationally prepared to execute. The barriers are structural, and the window to address them is narrowing.
HPE and Futurum Research released findings in February 2026 that should give infrastructure leaders pause. Despite nearly two-thirds of enterprises planning major changes to their virtualization strategy within the next two years, only 5 percent describe themselves as fully prepared to execute those changes.
That gap between intention and readiness is not a motivation problem. It is a structural problem, and understanding what is driving it is the first step to closing it.
What Is Actually Blocking Organizations
The HPE/Futurum research identifies four primary barriers: budget constraints (28%), technical complexity (24%), migration risk (21%), and skills gaps (20%). What makes these findings particularly striking is the question of motivation. The Futurum analysis found that only 4 percent of respondents cite cost as their top driver for change. The real motivators are AI readiness, hybrid cloud complexity, and regaining operational control.
The Readiness Gap Has Consequences
Organizations that attempt major virtualization change without readiness in each dimension typically encounter one of two outcomes: a migration that stalls after early waves, or a migration that completes technically but fails operationally because the new environment cannot be managed with the same confidence as the old one.
The HPE survey captures this risk precisely. The readiness gap is not a prediction about future risk. It is a description of present reality.
The Four Readiness Dimensions
Financial readiness means having a realistic business case that accounts for hardware, licensing, professional services, internal labor during migration, training, and post-migration operational overhead.
Technical readiness means having completed a thorough inventory and dependency analysis of the current VMware estate, with compatibility flags for end-of-life operating systems and complex dependency chains.
Operational readiness means validating that monitoring, backup and DR, change management, compliance reporting, and stakeholder communication workflows are in place for the new environment before production workloads arrive.
Skills readiness means having a realistic assessment of the proficiency gap between current VMware expertise and the skills required to operate the target platform. Most estimates via Network World put the Nutanix AHV learning curve at 3 to 6 months for experienced VMware administrators.
Building a Readiness Assessment
A structured readiness assessment does not need to be lengthy. The objective is to surface the specific gaps that will become blockers during migration execution, so they can be addressed before they cause delays.
The ReadyWorks VM Accelerator provides the technical readiness foundation: a normalized, current inventory with dependency flags, EOL OS indicators, and compatibility assessments. VirtualReady builds operational readiness by mapping stakeholder requirements, maintenance window constraints, and DR dependencies before wave planning begins.
READY TO ACT?
Assess your readiness before your migration program reveals it. Download the ReadyWorks VM Accelerator free for 45 days and build the technical readiness foundation your program needs. Learn more about VM Accelerator
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Why does only 5 percent of enterprises feel fully ready for a virtualization change?
Readiness requires simultaneous financial, technical, operational, and skills capability. Most organizations are deficient in at least one of these dimensions. Budget constraints affect 28%, technical complexity 24%, migration risk 21%, and skills gaps 20%, per HPE/Futurum February 2026 research.
Is the primary driver of VMware migration really AI readiness rather than cost?
According to the HPE/Futurum February 2026 survey, only 4 percent of organizations cited cost as their primary motivation. AI readiness, hybrid cloud complexity, and operational control were the top drivers.
How long does the skills transition typically take for a VMware to Nutanix migration?
Most estimates put full operational proficiency on Nutanix AHV at 3 to 6 months for experienced VMware administrators. Productivity reductions and higher support ticket volumes are common during this period.
How does ReadyWorks address the readiness gap?
The VM Accelerator addresses technical readiness with normalized inventory and dependency analysis. VirtualReady addresses operational readiness with stakeholder outreach, DR dependency mapping, and wave planning.
