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Today we’re excited to announce the public preview of Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization on Azure Red Hat OpenShift (ARO). This new capability brings you: 

• The best of both worlds – Run your virtual machines and containers on a single platform with unified management 

• Modernization at your pace – Keep critical VMs running while gradually moving components to containers when you’re ready 

• Maximum value from Azure – Leverage your existing Azure benefits and commitments while optimizing resource usage across all workloads 

This collaboration between Microsoft and Red Hat helps you simplify operations, reduce costs, and accelerate your cloud journey – all while preserving your existing VM investments. 

Why Organizations Need a Unified VM and Container Platform 

Organizations today face significant challenges managing disparate infrastructure platforms that include both virtual machines and containers. This fragmented approach creates substantial operational challenges for IT teams and businesses, typically resulting in higher IT operational costs and slower modernization timelines. For enterprises with substantial VM investments, maintaining separate management environments means increased spending on duplicate tools, specialized skills, and complex operational processes – costs that could be streamlined through consolidation.

Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization is a self-managed operator included with Azure Red Hat OpenShift that provides a unified platform for migrating and running traditional virtual machines alongside containers. It addresses the challenge of transitioning VM-bound workloads to containers by offering a flexible approach where VMs can leverage cloud-native management capabilities while organizations modernize at their own pace.  

Key Benefits for Your Business 

Azure Red Hat OpenShift offers unique advantages that make it the ideal platform for your VM and container workloads: 

Unified Management: Extend the Kubernetes control plane to VMs, providing consistent governance, security, and operations across all workloads. This consolidation eliminates the need for parallel management tools and specialized teams, streamlining operations and reducing complexity. 

Accelerated VM Migration: Using OpenShift Virtualization on ARO allows users to quickly migrate and scale VM workloads. Take advantage of powerful migration tools including the Red Hat Migration Toolkit for Virtualization (MTV) for streamlined VM migration and Ansible Automation Platform for orchestrating migrations at scale. These tools enable efficient, repeatable migrations while minimizing downtime and reducing manual effort, helping you accelerate your journey to a unified platform. 

Cost Optimization: Optimize cloud costs by right-sizing VM resources, leveraging Azure Hybrid Benefit for RHEL and Windows Server licenses, and applying Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC) benefits. A unified management platform helps reduce operational overhead by eliminating redundant tooling and consolidating management of both VMs and containers within a single environment. Calculate your potential savings with the Azure Red Hat OpenShift TCO Calculator. 

Enhanced Security: Improve your security posture with unified security policies and visibility across all workloads. Built on the KVM hypervisor and RHEL with proactive vulnerability monitoring, Azure security tools, and compliance with standards including PCI DSS, FedRAMP, and HIPAA. 

Path to Modernization: OpenShift virtualization on ARO provides a modern application platform, development processes and tools to VMs to accelerate modernization when needed. This approach allows you to: 

• Preserve existing VM investments while adding cloud-native capabilities  

• Modernize individual components when business value justifies the effort  

• Apply consistent DevOps practices across your entire application portfolio  

• Reduce the risk and complexity of your modernization journey 

Red Hat OpenShift on Azure Red Hat OpenShift in public preview value proposition slide

Implementation Pathway 

Getting started with OpenShift Virtualization on ARO is straightforward. The solution builds on your existing ARO investment with these requirements: 

• Prerequisites: Azure Red Hat OpenShift cluster running version 4.18 or higher with enterprise-grade networking enabled 

• Worker Nodes: DSv5 instance types with Azure Boost technology for optimal virtualization performance 

• Storage: OpenShift Data Foundation for advanced data management capabilities including cloning and snapshots 

• Installation: Simple deployment via the OpenShift Virtualization Operator utilizing the OperatorHub interface in the OpenShift console 

Note that OpenShift Virtualization is a self-managed operator, so customers are responsible for installing the operator and configuring their preferred storage class. 

Please see Microsoft documentation for more information. 

Strategic Business Applications 

VM Migration: Move VMs from legacy environments to ARO with minimal downtime using the Red Hat Migration Toolkit for Virtualization. This enables you to: 

• Map the source and destination infrastructure to create a comprehensive migration plan 

• Use an easy-to-use interface to quickly connect to existing VMs and create migration plans 

• Migrate workloads without disrupting critical business services 

Application Modernization: Maintain VM-based components while gradually refactoring others into containers at your own pace. This approach allows you to: 

• Target modernization efforts where they deliver the most value 

• Reduce risk by modernizing incrementally 

• Maintain business continuity throughout your transformation 

Cloud-Native Development: Create comprehensive environments that include both containers and VMs for better testing and integration. This unified approach helps you: 

• Accelerate development cycles 

• Improve collaboration between traditional and cloud-native teams 

• Create more realistic test environments that match production 

Who Should Consider This Solution 

Organizations across industries can benefit from OpenShift Virtualization on ARO, but it’s particularly valuable for: 

• Financial Services: Run legacy banking applications alongside modern microservices while maintaining strict compliance and security requirements 

• Healthcare: Modernize patient care systems incrementally while ensuring continuity of critical services 

• Manufacturing: Connect traditional OT systems with modern IoT and analytics workloads in a unified platform 

• Retail: Bridge the gap between traditional inventory systems and modern e-commerce platforms 

Pricing and Availability Timeline 

There’s no additional fee for OpenShift Virtualization during public preview or general availability. Because OpenShift Virtualization is an included operator with ARO, standard ARO pricing for worker nodes applies – no separate licensing or fees are required to use the virtualization capabilities. 

The public preview is available now and is intended for non-production workloads, proof-of-concepts, testing, and migration planning. General availability is targeted for Q4 2025. 

Join us at Microsoft Build and Red Hat Summit, May 19-22

Join us at upcoming events to see OpenShift Virtualization on ARO demonstrated live: 

Red Hat Summit:  

•  “Modernizing VM Workloads: OpenShift Virtualization on Azure Red Hat OpenShift for Hybrid Cloud“ (Wed, May 21st, 11:10AM-11:30AM EST, Summit Discovery Theater #2, Expo Hall)- Session Link 

•  “OpenShift Virtualization on Azure Red Hat OpenShift” (Wed May 21st, 1:40 EST, Red Hat Dev Zone) - Session Link

Microsoft Build:  

• Catch the news at “Deploy AI Applications on Azure Red Hat OpenShift: Connecting OpenAI Services”. Tuesday, May 20 at 2:50 PM – 3:05 PM Pacific Daylight Time – Session Link

Take the Next Step 

Ready to explore how OpenShift Virtualization on ARO can benefit your organization? 

1. Contact your Microsoft or Red Hat account team to get onboarded to the public preview program and receive immediate access 

1. Review the Microsoft documentation for OpenShift Virtualization on ARO to understand implementation requirements and procedures 

1. Schedule a guided evaluation session with your account team’s technical specialists to help plan your unified VM and container strategy 

The public preview is available now and is intended for non-production workloads, proof-of-concepts, testing, and migration planning. 

Conclusion 

With Red Hat OpenShift Virtualization on ARO now in public preview, organizations have a powerful opportunity to unify their VM and container management, accelerate their modernization journey, and maximize their Azure investments. This solution addresses the critical challenge of managing disparate infrastructure while providing a clear path forward that respects your timeline and business priorities. By bringing VMs and containers together on a single platform, you can reduce operational complexity, control costs, and build a foundation for future innovation. We invite you to engage with your Microsoft or Red Hat representatives today to begin exploring how OpenShift Virtualization on ARO can transform your hybrid cloud strategy. 

Resources 

• Press Release: Red Hat OpenShift virtualization is now on Azure Red Hat OpenShift 

• Azure Red Hat OpenShift website 

• Teranet saves millions moving to Azure Red Hat OpenShift 

• The Total Economic Impact of Azure Red Hat OpenShift 

• Microsoft documentation: Red Hat OpenShift virtualization on Azure Red Hat OpenShift