VMware plays Let's Make A Deal; Rolls out server savings guarantee

Technology vendors are increasingly dishing out deals to spur spending. First, it was the cheap financing---Dell, HP and Microsoft have offered zero percent financing deals---and now it's VMware's turn. 

VMware's deal: It will guarantee at least 50 percent savings on server hardware. The catch: Customers will have to use VMware's professional services group and look to virtualize between 200 and 750 servers. 

Under the promotion (statement), customers won't have to pay for design and implementation services until they see at least 50 percent savings. VMware will also assist in a server buyback referral program via a third party. 

Here's a look at some of the fine print of VMware's deal, which expires June 30:

• VMware will assess your infrastructure to figure out whether you could achieve 50 percent savings.
• Customers in the program have to "use the server hardware configuration recommended by VMware Professional Services."
• If the savings mark is hit, the customer has to pay for VMware's services.
• All of the servers to be consolidated need to reside in one data center.
• Servers must be running at 50 percent utilization or less. 
• VMware has six months to check evidence, extend the engagement or modify the project to hit its savings objective.