Which feature should a company use to leverage new processor features for VMs while keeping some VMs on a specific CPU type?

Using Per-VM Enhanced vMotion Compatibility (EVC) allows a company to take advantage of new processor features for virtual machines while maintaining compatibility for others that depend on a specific CPU type. This feature enables the organization to set compatibility settings at the individual VM level, rather than at the cluster level. This flexibility is essential in heterogeneous environments where different VMs might have different hardware requirements due to the applications they support or performance characteristics they need.

With Per-VM EVC, a virtual machine can utilize the latest features of a newer CPU while ensuring that other VMs that require older CPU types can continue to operate without issues. This approach is particularly beneficial in dynamic environments where the operational needs of workloads can change frequently, allowing organizations to efficiently utilize their resources without compromising on compatibility for mission-critical applications.

While Cluster-Level EVC provides a way to enforce compatibility across all VMs in a cluster, it does not offer the granularity needed to adjust for individual VM requirements. Options like vSphere High Availability and vSphere vMotion serve different purposes related to availability and workload migration, respectively, and do not specifically address the need for tailored CPU feature utilization per VM. Thus, Per-VM EVC stands out as the right choice for this scenario.