Not For Resale (NFR) Licenses for VMware Professionals

Update (2016/05/18): I’ve created an NFR License page, so that it’s easier for people to find the list and easier for me to update it. The table below may no longer be accurate, so please visit the page for the latest information.

I’ve recently come across a few vendor blog posts about free NFR licenses for VMware professionals. Not For Resale (NFR) licenses are a specific license that vendors use to make sure software or products are not (re)sold. They’re usually given to people to use the products for testing, evaluation and education.

Vendors recognize value in letting IT professionals have hands on experience with their products. In an educational setting, such as a test lab or home lab, these pros can learn the ins and outs of a solution. Sometimes IT pros don’t have access to products as they’re not available from work or too expensive. NFR licensing can help overcome these limitations.

Here I will list all the NFR licenses I’ve found that are available to VMware professionals. A vendor usually recognizes someone as a VMware professional if they are VMware certified or are a VMware vExpert. Membership or leadership in your local VMUG is sometimes enough as well.

The (NFR) Goods

The product name will link to the product page or blog post (and in some cases social media post!) that references the vendor’s NFR offer, including license and conditions. Make sure you read the vendor’s EULA for specific product usage, conditions and restrictions.

NFR Licenses for VMware Professionals

VendorProduct(s)VCPvExpert
AOMEI Various AOMEI Products
ControlUp ControlUp
Devolutions Remote Desktop Manager
Wayk Now
EasyVirtDC Scope (1 yr., 50 VMs)
Liquidware Labs Liquidware Labs Essentials
(25 users & 1 Flex-IO NFR)
NAKIVO NAKIVO Backup & Replication
Nexenta NexentaConnect for VMware Virtual SAN
(1 yr, 8 CPU)
Royal Apps Royal TS/X & Royal Server
Runecast Solutions Runecast Analyzer
StarWind StarWind Virtual SAN
Symantec Backup Exec 15 Capacity Edition Lite
(1 TB & 12 months support)
Synergy Synergy
Veeam Veeam Backup for Microsoft Office 365
Veeam Availability Suite
Vembu Vembu BDR Suite
VimalinVimalin for Fusion & Vimalin for Workstation
ZertoZerto Virtual Replication
(available to anyone with business contact info)

*Link is only available to current vExperts.

If you have any updates let me know in the comments or on Twitter.

Dee Abson

Dee Abson is a technical architect from Alberta, Canada. He's been working in the field of technology for over 20 years and specializes in server and virtualization infrastructure. Working with VMware products since ESX 2, he holds several VMware certifications. He is a 9x VMware vExpert. You can find him on Twitter and Mastodon.

16 Responses

  1. Dee Abson says:

    Edit: I’ve added Veeam ONE to the list. Turns out when you request your NFR license for Veeam Backup & Restore you also get a Veeam ONE NFR license.

  2. Dee Abson says:

    Edit: Thanks to Chris Colotti and Jeramiah Dooley, vExperts can try out vCHS free for 30 days.

  3. RT @jasonboche: Not For Resale (NFR) Licenses for VMware Professionals http://t.co/bN1Sk8xL4r

  4. RT @empiricvirtual: “Not For Resale (NFR) Licenses for VMware Professionals” via @deeabson – http://t.co/mblXau4zyx – #vExpert #vmware

  5. @The_vMonkey says:

    RT @empiricvirtual: “Not For Resale (NFR) Licenses for VMware Professionals” via @deeabson – http://t.co/mblXau4zyx – #vExpert #vmware

  6. @AvramWoroch says:

    RT @empiricvirtual: “Not For Resale (NFR) Licenses for VMware Professionals” via @deeabson – http://t.co/mblXau4zyx – #vExpert #vmware

  7. Dee Abson says:

    Revello recently announced free Ravello Lab Service for vExperts. 1,000 hours of service per month, use-it-or-lose-it, for one year. See the link in the post for details.

  8. Dee Abson says:

    Big update!

    • Kemp – New offer for an NFR license of LoadManager
    • Liquidware Labs – New offer of their Lab Essentials bundle
    • Nexenta – New offer for a one year license of NextentaConnect for VMware Virtual SAN
    • Opvizor – New offer for Opvizor Health Analyzer
    • Proximal Data – Offer no longer available (since acquisition)
    • StarWind Software – Offer has expired
    • Synergy – New offer for an NFR of their Synergy product
  9. @deeabson says:

    Congrats to @vExpert 2015 2nd class! Our VMware pro NFR license list has been updated, check it out. http://t.co/9pTNAnVlJO #vExpert

  10. Dee Abson says:

    No sooner had I gotten an update out the door than another item shows up to add to the list!

    • Xtravirt – New offer for an NFR version of SONAR (register via the link and use the promo code above)
  11. RT @deeabson: ICYMI: Not For Resale (NFR) Licenses for VMware Professionals http://t.co/HHGPmMHINt < Major update!

  12. Dee Abson says:

    Update time:

    • Thycotic – New offer for 1 year, 10 user NFR license of Secret Server Professional Edition.
    • Royal Applications – Updated offer for an NFR license of Royal TS/X for personal use (new URL & company name).
    • ControlUp – New offer to join the ControlUp Expert Program for a ControlUp license.
    • DoubleCloud – New offer for a license of DoubleCloud ICE.
    • SMS PASSCODE – New offer for an NFR license of SMS PASSCODE.
    • AOMEI – New offer for NFR license across AOMEI’s product lineup.
  13. Dee Abson says:

    Updates:

    • Runecast Solutions – Fill out the form for a trial of Runecast Analyzer, entering “vExpert” as the company name and you’ll receive an NFR license.
    • VMware – vCloud Air offer was removed as it’s no longer valid.
  14. Dee Abson says:

    Quick update:

  1. August 21, 2015

    […] Josh and Daniel happened to retweet Jason Boche‘s tweet of our Not For Resale (NFR) Licenses for VMware Professionals post. So I thank you Jason, and I’m sure Josh and Daniel do […]

  2. August 25, 2015

    […] let me know in the comments or on Twitter and I’ll add them to the list. Also check out our Not for Resale (NFR) Licenses for VMware Professionals article, where you can find other offers available to vExperts, VCPs, VMUG members and […]

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

%d bloggers like this: