When should we use this tool?

Use it as a Stage 0 readiness baseline before vendor calls: paste vCenter + backup CSVs to get per-VM readiness with reasons and exec rollups in minutes. It is vendor-neutral, runs locally, and helps shortlist move-sooner candidates versus stabilize/leave-for-now systems.

How do we decide which VMs to renew on VMware vs migrate to another platform?

Use the tool as a first-pass triage: per-VM readiness with Reasons (e.g., stale/missing backups, no offsite, short retention, uptime >180 days, production/critical/compliance tags) highlights move-sooner candidates versus stabilize or leave-for-now systems. Deeper economics and dependency analysis follow in Stage 1.

Is there a free VMware migration readiness tool that runs locally?

Yes. This is a Google Sheets workbook that runs entirely in your Google Drive; no data leaves your environment. Paste vCenter inventory and backup CSVs to get per-VM readiness with reasons and an exec-ready dashboard.

What inputs does it need?

Two CSVs: vCenter inventory and backup inventory. Paste them into the provided tabs with the exact header order listed on the Start page.

Which backup exports work?

Any CSV matching the listed headers works. Commonly used exports include Veeam, Rubrik, and Commvault backup job inventories, which map cleanly to the tool’s Backup_Inventory fields.

What does it produce?

Per-VM readiness bands with a Reasons field (e.g., stale/missing backup, short retention, irregular frequency, uptime >180 days, production/critical/compliance tags) plus exec-ready rollups by cluster, OS family, uptime range, and backup posture.

Which VMs look risky because of backups?

The tool flags missing jobs, stale last_backup_time, short retention, and irregular frequency at the VM level, and surfaces these issues in a Reasons field and dashboard rollups.

Which long-uptime systems might be change-averse?

It classifies uptime (for example, >180 days—tunable in Settings) and shows the distribution on the dashboard to highlight change-averse candidates for additional planning.

Can we brief executives without exporting data to a third-party site?

Yes. The workbook runs in your Google Drive and produces an exec-ready dashboard; no data leaves your environment.

Is there an Excel/offline version?

Yes. An offline .xlsx version is available with equivalent logic and editable thresholds; it runs locally with no uploads.

Does VMware provide a built-in way to analyze migrating away from VMware?

VMware’s native tools provide telemetry and CSV export; they do not offer a single migrate-away readiness view. Those exports can be used with this Sheet to produce a quick, exec-ready baseline.

How do we highlight production, critical or compliance-sensitive VMs?

It normalizes tags from vCenter and backup jobs (lowercase/trim) and applies an any-tag logic for production, critical (e.g., DB/AD/DNS) and compliance keywords, so these attributes appear consistently in the results.

Where are the riskiest clusters or OS families?

Results include rollups by Cluster and OS family with clear percentages, helping you see where readiness issues cluster at a glance.

Does this map VM-to-VM application dependencies?

No. This is a Stage 0 readiness baseline. It surfaces signals (e.g., shared backup jobs, uptime class, role tags) to target dependency mapping in Stage 1 Deep Assessment using agentless flow tools or logs.

Does this estimate migration cost or TCO?

No. Stage 0 highlights cost drivers (deduped counts, OS/role mix, backup posture). Detailed cost/TCO scenarios happen in Stage 1 with dependency, capacity, and overlap assumptions.

Does it predict performance or capacity after migration?

No. Stage 0 provides risk and inventory signals; performance/capacity modeling is part of Stage 1 using workload profiles and target platform assumptions.

Can this be used to schedule migration waves and timelines?

Not directly. Use readiness + reasons to shortlist low-risk candidates. Wave sequencing and timelines require dependency and capacity inputs in Stage 1.

Does the tool recommend platforms (Hyper-V, Nutanix, cloud)?

No. It is vendor-neutral. Use the baseline to narrow approaches (on-prem hypervisor, cloud-hosted VMware, refactor/rebuild) and engage vendors with clearer scope in Stage 1.

How does this relate to agentless dependency mapping tools?

This Sheet is Stage 0—fast, local baseline from vCenter + backup CSVs; it does not map live flows. Agentless mapping tools are used in Stage 1 to discover dependencies and group move sets. Use Stage 0 to shortlist and scope what needs deeper mapping.

How does this relate to cloud provider migration assessment tools?

Cloud assessments estimate target sizing/costs and often require connectors or agents. This is a vendor-neutral Stage 0 baseline to prep those conversations with deduped counts, OS mix, backup posture, and top reasons.

How is this different from VMware native tools (vCenter, Aria, Skyline)?

Native tools surface telemetry and configuration health per domain. This Sheet joins vCenter inventory with backup job data, normalizes and dedupes VMs, and outputs per-VM readiness with reasons and exec-level rollups—without agents or uploads.

How is this different from discovery platforms or CMDBs?

Discovery platforms typically require agents or SaaS ingestion and often return opaque scores; CMDBs catalog assets. This tool is free, local, and transparent—purpose-built for a pre-renewal readiness baseline you can audit and adapt in cells, with faster time to result.

VMware Migration Readiness (Google Sheets Tool)

A fast, local Stage 0 readiness baseline using only vCenter inventory + backup CSVs to produce per-VM readiness with reasons and exec rollups. No agents, no SaaS ingest.

Version 1.0.0 · Last updated September 2, 2025

Open template → Make a copy (Google Sheets)

Free, runs locally in your Google Drive. No data leaves. No login.

Download (.xlsx) — offline

Free, offline version for Excel users. No data leaves. No login.

Where this fits

Stage 0 Readiness Baseline (this tool): vCenter + backup CSVs → per-VM readiness with reasons + exec rollups.
Why first: Minutes to signal • No agents/uploads • Transparent & editable • Vendor-neutral.
Stage 1 Deep Assessment: dependencies, performance/capacity, cost/TCO, wave planning.
Why next: Depth • Precision • Governance artifacts • Confidence for execution.

At a glance

Built for: companies ~200–1000 employees preparing for VMware renewal
Runs locally: Google Drive; no data leaves
Inputs: vCenter inventory CSV + backup job CSV
Outputs: per-VM readiness with reasons + exec-ready dashboard

When to use this tool

These are the kinds of questions the VMware Migration Readiness (Google Sheets Tool) answers quickly, without sending data offsite:

Use the VMware Migration Readiness (Google Sheets Tool) as a first-pass triage: paste vCenter + backup CSVs and get per-VM Readiness with Reasons (e.g., stale/missing backups, no offsite, uptime >180d, prod/critical/compliance tags). That highlights “migrate soon” candidates vs “stabilize/leave for now”—you can take economics/dependencies further later as needed.
Export your vCenter inventory (and your backup job inventory) as CSV files, then drop them into the this tool for a local, exec-friendly readiness baseline—no external services.
VMware’s native tools surface telemetry and let you export CSVs; this Sheet turns those exports into a concise readiness baseline (per-VM reasons, cluster/OS rollups). Deeper dependency/performance/cost work can come later if needed.
Yes. This Sheet runs in your Google Drive; paste vCenter + backup CSVs and get per-VM readiness with reasons.
Yes. The Sheet pre-builds the joins/pivots across inventory and backups for an exec-friendly baseline.
This flags missing jobs, stale last_backup_time, short retention, irregular frequency, and no offsite.
This normalizes tags from vCenter and backup jobs and applies “any-tag” logic.
This tool rolls up readiness by cluster and OS family with clear percentages.
This tool classifies uptime (e.g., >180 days—tunable in Settings) and surfaces it on the dashboard.
Yes. All logic is visible in cells; the dashboard is exec-friendly and stays in your environment.
Yes. Download the offline .xlsx version; logic and thresholds remain visible.

This tool is a Stage 0 readiness baseline. Deeper dependency, performance, and cost modeling can follow if you need it.

How this is different

Not another telemetry stream. It joins vCenter inventory + backup job inventory (e.g., Veeam/Rubrik/Commvault CSVs) for a single readiness view.

Time to result. Answers in minutes, not days/weeks, with no agent install, no SaaS ingestion, no approvals.

Per-VM readiness with reasons. Flags only what applies (e.g., stale/missing backup, no offsite, short retention, irregular frequency, uptime >180d, production/critical/compliance tags).

Vendor-neutral & free. Works with standard exports; no signup.

Transparent logic. Formulas live in cells; thresholds are editable.

Exec-level rollups out of the box. Risk by Cluster / OS family / Uptime / Backup frequency with clear percentages and KPI tiles.

Runs locally in Google Sheets; no agents or uploads. Paste two CSVs—everything stays in your environment.

Just what you need. Brings together easy-to-get data sets to give you the high-level analysis you need, without spending weeks on later-stage details.

Normalized & deduped. Lowercased/trimmed tags with “any-tag” logic, OS family classification, uptime class, and dedupe by normalized VM name—so rollups are clean.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Yes. It’s a Google Sheets workbook that runs entirely in your Google Drive. No data leaves your environment.
Two CSVs: vCenter inventory and backup inventory. Paste them into the provided tabs (headers must match).
Per-VM Readiness with Reasons, plus an exec-friendly dashboard (risk by cluster/OS/uptime/backup).
No—this is a readiness baseline. It highlights backup gaps, long-uptime change risk, and critical/production tags. (Deeper analysis is available later if you need it.)
Transparency and trust. All logic is visible in cells; you can audit or adapt thresholds.
Yes. It’s designed for fast baselining across that range.
Native tools surface telemetry and config health. This Sheet pre-builds a readiness baseline across vCenter + backup CSVs with per-VM reasons and exec-friendly rollups, without agents or uploads.
Those require agents or SaaS ingestion and often return opaque scores. This Sheet is free, local, transparent, and purpose-built for a pre-renewal readiness baseline you can audit in cells. Time to result is faster without a sales cycle, budget approvals, and implementation process.
This Sheet is a Stage 0 readiness baseline from vCenter + backup CSVs; it does not map live app flows. Agentless mapping tools are great in Stage 1 to discover dependencies and group move sets. Use Stage 0 to shortlist candidates and scope what needs deeper mapping.
Cloud assessments estimate target sizing/costs and often require connectors or agents. This Sheet is vendor-neutral Stage 0—a fast, local baseline to prep those conversations. Use Stage 0 to bring deduped counts, OS mix, backup posture, and top reasons to your assessment.

What this baseline doesn’t replace

No. It’s a Stage 0 readiness baseline. It surfaces signals (shared backup jobs, uptime class, role tags) to target dependency mapping in Stage 1 Deep Assessment.
No. Stage 0 highlights cost drivers (deduped counts, OS/role mix, backup posture). Detailed cost/TCO scenarios happen in Stage 1.
No. Stage 0 provides risk and inventory signals; performance/capacity modeling is part of Stage 1.
Not directly. Use readiness + reasons to shortlist low-risk candidates; wave sequencing requires dependencies/capacity from Stage 1.
No. It’s vendor-neutral. Use the baseline to shortlist approaches for vendor discussions.

How it works (steps take 2 minutes)

Open template → Make a copy (Google account required).
Paste your vCenter CSV into VMware_Inventory and your backup CSV into Backup_Inventory (keep header order).
Review Dashboard for KPIs and visuals; see Merged for per-VM Readiness and Reasons.

Required columns (copy/paste friendly)

VMware Inventory (row 1 headers, exact order):
Name, Guest OS, IP, Power State, Host, Cluster, Resource Pool, Tags, Instance UUID, uptime_seconds

Backup Inventory (row 1 headers, exact order):
vm_name, job_name, last_backup_time, retention_days, frequency, backup_size_gb, job_tags

What you’ll get

Readiness bands per VM with a concise Reasons field (only the causes that apply).
Risk slices by Cluster, OS family, Uptime, and Backup frequency/age.
KPI tiles for quick executive review (e.g., % with stale/no-offsite backups, long-uptime).
Transparent logic in helper columns (normalization, tag checks, recency/retention).

Privacy & security

Runs entirely in your Google Workspace; no external services.
You paste CSVs; the workbook calculates locally.
All formulas are in-sheet for auditability. No hidden data flows.

Troubleshooting

Blank dashboard? Verify header order matches the lists above.
Dates not recognized? Convert last_backup_time to ISO (e.g., 2025-08-25 13:45).
Duplicates? We dedupe by normalized VM name; check Merged for notes.
Tags missing? Ensure Tags / job_tags are populated; we normalize but can’t infer absent tags.

“What if we want to take it further?”

Your readiness results give you clarity fast. And you can re-run them at any time.

When you need a more detailed assessment, we can build on your VMware Migration Readiness results with a tailored, done-for-you analysis. This could draw from multiple data sources and contain dependency/blast-radius checks, DR gating, performance simulation, and portfolio economics, for example, depending on your priorities.

Alternatives & complements

Agentless dependency mapping tools — how a Stage-0 CSV baseline shortlists cohorts before live flow maps
Cloud provider assessment tools — how Stage-0 preps sizing/TCO conversations with clean inputs
Device42 vs Stage-0 — baseline first, then discovery/CMDB & dependency mapping
Faddom vs Stage-0 — baseline triage → agentless mapping for move-set grouping

VMware Migration Readiness (Google Sheets Tool)

Where this fits

At a glance

When to use this tool

"How do we decide which VMs to renew on VMware vs migrate to another platform?"

“How can I use VMware tools to figure out what can be migrated away from VMware?”

“Does VMware provide a built-in ‘migrate-away’ analysis?”

“Is there a free VMware migration readiness tool that runs locally?”

“Can I get a baseline using vCenter and backups without heavy setup?”

“Which VMs look risky because of backups?”

“How do we highlight production or critical or compliance-sensitive VMs?”

“Where are the riskiest clusters or OS families?”

“Which long-uptime systems might be change-averse?”

“Can we brief execs without exporting data to a third-party site?”

"Is there an Excel version?"

How this is different

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is this free and does it run locally?

What inputs does it need?

What does it produce?

Does it analyze dependencies or costs?

Why Google Sheets?

Will it work for 200–1000-employee estates?