Allstate accuses Broadcom of auditing it because it quit VMware, CA
Allstate accuses Broadcom of auditing it because it quit VMware, CA
Allstate 指控 Broadcom 因其终止 VMware 和 CA 合同而对其进行审计
Allstate Insurance Company has accused Broadcom of haphazardly issuing audits against it because the insurance firm decided not to renew its contracts with VMware and CA Technologies. The allegations were made in relation to a lawsuit that VMware filed against Allstate in December 2025, according to The Register. 全美保险公司（Allstate Insurance Company）指控 Broadcom 对其进行随意审计，原因是该保险公司决定不再续签与 VMware 和 CA Technologies 的合同。据《The Register》报道，这些指控与 VMware 于 2025 年 12 月对 Allstate 提起的诉讼有关。
In the complaint, Broadcom alleges that Allstate failed to comply with license audits, which Broadcom claims its contract with Allstate requires. In a June 12 filing, Allstate suggested that Broadcom issued the audits in response to Allstate deciding to end business with its companies. Allstate’s statement reads: This case is about VMware’s decision to initiate a haphazard “audit” of Allstate, once it was aware that Allstate did not intend to renew its contracts with VMware or its sister company, CA. 在诉状中，Broadcom 声称 Allstate 未能配合许可审计，而 Broadcom 称其与 Allstate 的合同中对此有明确要求。在 6 月 12 日提交的一份文件中，Allstate 表示 Broadcom 发起审计是为了报复 Allstate 决定终止与其旗下公司的业务往来。Allstate 的声明写道：“此案的核心在于，VMware 在得知 Allstate 无意续签其与 VMware 或其姊妹公司 CA 的合同后，决定对 Allstate 发起一场随意的‘审计’。”
The statement reveals that Allstate is one of thousands of companies that have migrated or plan to migrate partially or completely from VMware after Broadcom’s takeover. Other sizable companies include T-Mobile, Tesco, and Western Union. The Register reported that “the relationship between Allstate and Broadcom has not been good for quite some time, and that the insurer decided to move away from both VMware and CA at around the time Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware closed” but was unable to provide any comment from Allstate. Broadcom declined to comment to Ars Technica for this article. 该声明透露，Allstate 只是在 Broadcom 收购 VMware 后，成千上万家已部分或全部迁移（或计划迁移）出 VMware 生态系统的公司之一。其他大型企业还包括 T-Mobile、乐购（Tesco）和西联汇款（Western Union）。《The Register》报道称，“Allstate 与 Broadcom 之间的关系早已不睦，该保险公司在 Broadcom 完成对 VMware 的收购前后，就决定弃用 VMware 和 CA”，但该媒体未能获得 Allstate 的置评。Broadcom 则拒绝就本文向 Ars Technica 发表评论。
Broadcom sues Allstate
Broadcom 起诉 Allstate
According to the filings, Allstate and VMware have been in business since 2008. In its complaint (PDF) against Allstate, VMware claims that it issued a formal audit notice to Allstate in March 2025. Despite reportedly acknowledging receipt of the audit materials on May 7, 2025, and multiple communication attempts from VMware and audit partner Connor Consulting, Allstate “continued to stonewall and withheld the requested materials.” VMware claims. 根据法庭文件，Allstate 与 VMware 自 2008 年起便有业务往来。在针对 Allstate 的诉状（PDF）中，VMware 声称其于 2025 年 3 月向 Allstate 发出了正式的审计通知。VMware 称，尽管 Allstate 据悉已于 2025 年 5 月 7 日确认收到审计材料，且 VMware 及其审计合作伙伴 Connor Consulting 多次尝试沟通，但 Allstate “持续推诿并扣留了所要求的材料”。
The complaint reads: On September 12, 2025, Allstate informed VMware’s consultant that it had “removed VMware from all devices,” and therefore Allstate was no longer able to “execute the Scripts provided by Broadcom as the scripts are dependent on having VMWare components running in the environment.” Allstate reportedly followed up in October to tell VMware that “all VMware instances have been terminated and removed from Allstate’s VMware ELA environment” and that its audit obligations were fulfilled, per VMware’s complaint. 诉状写道：2025 年 9 月 12 日，Allstate 通知 VMware 的顾问，称其已“从所有设备中移除了 VMware”，因此 Allstate 无法再“执行 Broadcom 提供的脚本，因为这些脚本依赖于环境中运行的 VMware 组件”。据 VMware 的诉状称，Allstate 随后在 10 月告知 VMware，“所有 VMware 实例均已终止并从 Allstate 的 VMware ELA 环境中移除”，并声称其审计义务已履行完毕。
Allstate’s story differs. In the June filing, Allstate claimed that after it decided not to renew its VMware and CA contracts, Broadcom “simultaneously and unreasonably initiated four separate audits of Allstate’s use of its licensed CA and VMware software.” “With respect to VMware, Allstate substantially and in good faith complied with the audit and reporting requirements set forth in its contracts with VMware, and Plaintiff’s claims to the contrary are unfounded,” the statement reads. Allstate 的说法则截然不同。在 6 月提交的文件中，Allstate 声称在决定不再续签 VMware 和 CA 合同后，Broadcom “同时且不合理地针对 Allstate 对其授权的 CA 和 VMware 软件的使用情况，发起了四项独立的审计”。声明写道：“就 VMware 而言，Allstate 已实质性且真诚地遵守了其与 VMware 合同中规定的审计和报告要求，原告对此提出的相反主张是毫无根据的。”
Broadcom has a separate case against Allstate under CA Technologies (PDF). In the lawsuit filed in May 2025, CA accuses Allstate of copyright infringement and breach of contract by selling Allstate’s Employer Voluntary Benefits business and the Symantec products that the business used to Oregon-based insurance company StanCorp Financial Group. CA alleges that Allstate initially “sent a letter to Symantec (a company no longer in existence)” about the decision, but “did not send a similar notice letter addressed to CA.” Broadcom 还以 CA Technologies 的名义对 Allstate 提起了另一起诉讼（PDF）。在 2025 年 5 月提起的诉讼中，CA 指控 Allstate 侵犯版权并违反合同，原因是 Allstate 将其“雇主自愿福利业务”及该业务所使用的 Symantec 产品出售给了总部位于俄勒冈州的保险公司 StanCorp Financial Group。CA 声称，Allstate 最初“就该决定向 Symantec（一家已不复存在的公司）发送了一封信函”，但“并未向 CA 发送类似的通知函”。
In both cases, the parties have until May 17, 2027, to file dispositive motions seeking to resolve each case without a trial. The cases demonstrate Broadcom’s litigious side and a willingness to battle disgruntled VMware customers. Allstate hasn’t said how reliant it was on VMware or what virtualization tech it uses now. But it’s notable that the insurance firm has joined a growing list of known, enterprise-size firms that have decided to move away from VMware and dispute its owner’s business practices in court. 在这两起案件中，双方均需在 2027 年 5 月 17 日之前提交处置动议，寻求在不经过审判的情况下解决案件。这些案件展示了 Broadcom 好诉的一面，以及其与不满的 VMware 客户抗争的意愿。Allstate 并未透露其对 VMware 的依赖程度，也未说明目前使用何种虚拟化技术。但值得注意的是，这家保险公司已加入了一个日益增长的知名企业名单，这些企业均决定弃用 VMware，并在法庭上对其所有者的商业行为提出质疑。