Have you been considering moving from VMware ESX or vSphere to either Citrix® XenServer™ or Microsoft® Windows® Server 2008 Hyper-V™ – but been concerned about exactly how to go about it? Knowing what tools to use to make the migration go smoothly is often a major concern. Also, what kind of support can you get during the transition? And structured training on a new platform is not inexpensive, either. Now Citrix is trying to eliminate these obstacles with a new promotion that runs through March 31, 2010.

On October, 14, 2009, Citrix announced a new program called Project “Open Door”. Customers who switch existing VMware servers to XenServer or Hyper-V, and add Citrix Essentials™ for advanced virtualization management, will receive additional technical support, training, and conversion tools from Citrix at no additional cost.

The Project Open Door promotion will be effective worldwide from October 1 – March 31, 2010. Customers who decommission five or more VMware vSphere 4 or VI3 servers and replace them with XenServer or Hyper-V plus the Citrix Essentials solution, receive the following:

• A free five incident support pack (5 by 8 hours) for every five servers converted
• A voucher for six hours of online training for every five servers converted
• Free migration tools for seamlessly transferring virtual machines from VMware to XenServer or Hyper-V

Check out http://www.citrix.com/opendoor for more information on the program. If you’re seriously considering making the switch, this just might be the time to do it.