Cisco Targets VMware Dependency With Narrowly Focused Hypervisor
Cisco, Monday, February 16th, 2026
Cisco is preparing to introduce its own hypervisor, offering customers a path away from VMware as licensing changes under Broadcom prompt disgruntled customers to seek alternatives.
The product, called NFVIS-for-UC, is designed specifically to run Cisco's unified communications applications, including its call management software. For years, Cisco required these applications to operate in virtual machines, most commonly on VMware's ESXi platform. That long-standing dependency now appears set to loosen.
After Broadcom acquired it, VMware has shifted its commercial focus toward VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF), a bundled private cloud stack.