When Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware shook up the virtualization world in 2023, it left many service providers looking for alternatives. One of them was Voyager, a New Zealand-based telecommunications and cloud provider known for its straightforward pricing, strong local support, and commitment to data sovereignty. They were looking for a platform that could support their growth without compromising performance, control, or the customer experience they’re known for.
We spoke with Todd Bryant, Chief Information Security Officer at Voyager, about why the company turned to Virtuozzo, how they evaluated their options, and what benefits they’re already seeing from the change.
A Local Cloud Provider with a National Footprint
Founded in 2010, Voyager quickly became one of New Zealand’s leading ISPs. The acquisition of Net24 in 2012 brought them into the hosting space, and today they operate data centers all over New Zealand, delivering broadband, VoIP, domain registration, and cloud hosting services to a wide variety of clients.
From digital agencies to enterprise IT teams, Voyager’s customers rely on local infrastructure, clear pricing, and personalized support — especially in a market where larger hyperscalers can feel distant and nontransparent.
What Drove the Shift from VMware
As Todd explains, the shift away from VMware was driven by necessity:
“We’d built everything around a VMware stack — hyper-converged storage, software-defined networking, Cloud Director. After Broadcom came in, everything changed: licensing, pricing, support models. We needed something that could do what VMware did, without the complexity or cost.”
Voyager evaluated multiple alternatives, from OpenStack providers to Nutanix and Hyper-V-based platforms. But many of them fell short on functionality or ease of use.
“What stood out with Virtuozzo was how complete the platform felt — self-service, hyper-converged infrastructure, high-performance storage, and support for sovereign cloud — all without the overhead and complexity of bigger stacks,” Todd said.
“But it wasn’t just the tech. Virtuozzo matched the way we work as a business — flexible, transparent, and collaborative. That made it easy to build not just a platform, but a real partnership.”
Virtuozzo: Empowering Local Providers with Sovereign Cloud Freedom
One of Voyager’s top priorities was keeping customer data onshore — and Virtuozzo’s model made that easy.
“Data sovereignty is a huge issue for our customers. Being able to run a fully-featured cloud platform in New Zealand, on our infrastructure, was a big win.”
Virtuozzo Hybrid Infrastructure enabled Voyager to provide compute, software-defined networking, and storage with a user-friendly customer portal. And unlike other platforms, Virtuozzo was built to be managed by providers like Voyager — not by a global hyperscaler with its own agenda.
“With Virtuozzo, we control the infrastructure, the pricing, the customer experience,” Todd said. “We’re not locked into someone else’s roadmap.”
What Customers Are Saying
Traditionally, Voyager’s customers included web hosting companies and VoIP service providers. Since introducing Virtuozzo into their stack, they’ve seen an increase in interest from enterprise customers — particularly those facing steep price hikes under new VMware terms.
“We’ve quoted multiple private clouds recently. A lot of companies are coming up for renewal, seeing 200%+ increases, and looking for alternatives,” Todd said.
Customers have praised the clarity and simplicity of the new platform.
“One even told us, ‘It’s like you took all the problems with AWS and just simplified them.’”
The built-in OpenStack API has also helped customers automate more easily, and the straightforward billing model eliminates unexpected surprises.
“Our offerings now appeal to a broader range of clients seeking reliable and cost-effective cloud solutions.”
What Sets Voyager Apart
Voyager isn’t just about infrastructure — it’s about trust and transparency. Their platform is designed for customers who want predictable costs, direct support, and the ability to call a real person when things go wrong.
“If something breaks, our customers know they can pick up the phone and talk to our network or infrastructure architect. That just doesn’t happen with the hyperscalers.”
Being a New Zealand-based provider also means that Voyager offers local hosting and support. With locally hosted infrastructure, customers benefit from low latency, data sovereignty, and the assurance that their data stays within the country.
Voyager’s clear, all-inclusive pricing stands in contrast to the complex, usage-based billing models of AWS and Azure. And for customers already using their network services — like SIP or broadband — the latency and performance advantages of staying on-net are significant.
What’s Next for Voyager
Virtuozzo Hybrid Infrastructure already delivers the core capabilities Voyager needs, so now they will focus on expanding the ecosystem around it, with enhanced management, security, and self-service features tailored to their customers.
Voyager is also exploring other solutions from the Virtuozzo portfolio, including the Virtuozzo Application Platform, which could offer streamlined application deployment and automation for digital agencies and SaaS providers.
“We’re actively looking at adding things like PaaS, database-as-a-service, and security offerings like MDR and EDR,” Todd explained. “The goal is to give our customers more value on top of the core infrastructure.”
As demand grows for local, sovereign cloud services that are easy to manage and competitively priced, Voyager is gearing up to deliver a broader, integrated ecosystem— with Virtuozzo playing a central role in that vision.
Rethinking Your Cloud Strategy? Keep Your Options Open
Voyager’s shift from VMware to Virtuozzo isn’t just about switching platforms — it’s about having control, flexibility, and a future-proof strategy. In today’s uncertain landscape, it’s not always about abandoning one platform entirely, but about not keeping all your eggs in one basket.
Whether you're ready to move now or just want a reliable alternative in your back pocket, Virtuozzo gives you the freedom to diversify, reduce risk, and build cloud services on your terms.
Talk to us to explore how Virtuozzo can fit into your long-term strategy — whether you're making a move or just preparing for what’s next.
