VxRail Reviews

Name: VxRail
Brand: Dell Technologies
Rating: 4.3 (129 reviews)

Vendor: Dell Technologies

4.3 out of 5

129 reviews
93% willing to recommend

4,496 followers

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What is VxRail?

VxRail is a hyper-converged appliance based on VMware virtual SAN Software and is jointly engineered and built with VMware, for VMware, to enhance Vmware. VxRail software-defined architecture simplifies compute, storage, virtualization, and management. It will safeguard performance, reliability, and flexibility across your organization with a broad range of workloads and applications from business-critical to next-gen. With VxRail, you are covered.

Get the VxRail Buyer's Guide and find out what your peers are saying about VxRail, VMware vSAN, StarWind Virtual SAN and more!

VxRail is the #1 ranked solution in HCI Software. PeerSpot users give VxRail an average rating of 8.6 out of 10. Based on the analysis of the 129 most recent VxRail reviews, the overall sentiment is positive, with a sentiment score of 7.3. VxRail is most commonly compared to VMware vSAN: VxRail vs VMware vSAN. VxRail is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 60% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 15% of all views.

Helped 823,951 peers since 2012

Featured reviews

Sushil MIshra

AG at SIS.

I like the caching mechanism. Frequently used data is stored, so it definitely improves performance. VxRail's integration with VMware environments is very good. Our VxRail is built on VMware, and the integration is seamless. We haven't faced any challenges. We can migrate VMs between servers in real-time and replicate them to our DR site without any problems.

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Christian Schulte

Leiter IT at Deutsche reihenhaus ag

While any other server deployment system could have achieved similar results, VxRail's key benefit has been simplifying the process for our team, reducing their management and update workload. It offers a hassle-free, complete package, comparable to what a traditional storage-plus-server solution of similar size would provide. Considering our organization's size and comparing VxRail's manageability for VMware to traditional approaches, I'd rate it a nine out of ten. It eliminates concerns about update dependencies, offering a significant improvement over conventional solutions for us. While I'm aware of VxRail's energy consumption, I lack a direct comparison to other systems. That said, I'd characterize its power usage as surprisingly low. This became evident during our move to a new building with a dedicated server room last year. Planning for air conditioning and power supply, considering VxRail's needs, turned out to be much simpler than anticipated. However, I wouldn't be able to quantify this observation without comparing it to other systems' power consumption. Our production environment differs from traditional setups, and we fortunately have ample time windows for maintenance. This makes it difficult for me to definitively say whether VxRail has reduced unplanned outages. However, the update process itself is a significant improvement. Compared to the traditional infrastructure I'm used to, which often involved extended periods of downtime, VxRail has streamlined the process, allowing us to schedule maintenance within manageable timeframes. Compared to the traditional approach, I'd rate the impact VxRail has had on our business flexibility as a nine out of ten. This translates to no longer worrying about dependencies. Updates no longer require fretting about order or compatibility; instead, I receive a comprehensive package ready for application. The improvement over conventional solutions has been significant. While VxRail's impact on our core business is minimal due to our size, it has significantly improved the IT team's flexibility and efficiency, indirectly benefiting the overall organization. Our current needs don't necessitate rapid scaling or high flexibility.

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JillurRahman

Head Of Information Technology at Islamia Eye Hospital

The tool is an HCI. We use it in our organization. We have implemented the product in our DBC environment The solution is good. The solution has simplified our operations. It integrates everything into the same place. All our network, storage, and computing tools are integrated together. It is…

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VxRail mindshare

As of December 2024, the mindshare of VxRail in the HCI category stands at 21.0%, down from 21.3% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

HCI

PeerAnalyst reports

Type	Title	Date
Category	HCI	Dec 18, 2024	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	Dec 18, 2024	Download
Comparison	VxRail vs VMware vSAN	Dec 18, 2024	Download
Comparison	VxRail vs Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI)	Dec 18, 2024	Download
Comparison	VxRail vs StarWind Virtual SAN	Dec 18, 2024	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
VMware vSAN	4.2	16.7%	87%	229 interviews Add to research
StarWind Virtual SAN	4.8	2.3%	100%	189 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

VxRail offers users valuable features like easy upgrades, seamless integration with VMware, high performance, and centralized management. Users appreciate its scalable, hyper-converged infrastructure with simple management, rapid deployment, and consolidation capabilities. The system's lifecycle management and automation streamline operations significantly. VxRail's integration with vSAN enhances storage efficiency. The platform provides robust support, cost-effective scalability, and ensures minimal downtime. Organizations find its one-click updates, manageability, and flexibility noteworthy.

"The product is very stable, and I rate its stability as nine out of ten."
"The hyper-converged infrastructure simplifies software and hardware upgrades."
"VxRail supports straightforward scaling, allowing you to add as many nodes as needed for upgrades and simplifying the upgrade process."

Room for Improvement

VxRail users find the installation default datacenter name unchangeable, causing issues in multi-location deployments. Compatibility with VMware vSphere and slow security patch deployment are concerns. Fragmented initial setup, limited hypervisor support, expensive licensing, and complex upgrades are highlighted. Users desire better integration with VMware tools, other hypervisors, and family products. Improved sales, support, and scalability are needed as high costs, complex lifecycle management, and challenging migration create frustrations. Enhanced automation and documentation are requested.

"During code upgrades, VxRail can be sensitive. It requires a very clean environment to proceed without issues."
"During code upgrades, VxRail can be sensitive."
"There's a specific procedure to follow when shutting down a VxRail system."

ROI

Organizations utilizing VxRail have achieved significant cost savings in space, power, and administrative manpower. The system's ease of use leads to reduced staff workload and increased efficiency. Integration with existing data centers and scalability options enhance flexibility. Users report improved application uptime and decreased power consumption. Despite challenges with VMware resource usage, VxRail consistently delivers a positive return through reduced physical footprints, allowing faster infrastructure upgrades and optimization without heavily increasing operational costs.

Pricing

Enterprise buyers often find VxRail pricing relatively high, with costs ranging from $200,000 for initial setups, including hardware and necessary VMware licensing. While some perceive it as expensive compared to competitors like Nutanix, pricing can sometimes be negotiated favorably. Although users appreciate its long-term value and integrated licensing, its suitability often leans towards larger organizations. The cost-effectiveness is generally debated, with smaller SMBs finding the expenses challenging despite the comprehensive solution offering.

"VxRail does raise the price, but overall, it's well-priced. It's not more expensive than other similar solutions. If you were to create an in-house, tailor-made solution, you could potentially do it at a lower cost. However, I think a fully integrated solution like VxRail should be priced appropriately."
"The solution is on the higher end of the price range."
"The product is expensive compared to other solutions."

Popular Use Cases

VxRail is used by companies primarily for storage and compute expansion, virtualization, and consolidation of their IT infrastructure. It simplifies IT management with its hyper-converged design, integrates well with VMware, and supports various applications, including VDI, SAP, and database workloads. Organizations find it scalable, easy to deploy, and suitable for SMEs and large enterprises seeking to modernize infrastructure, reduce costs, and achieve better performance. It's popular in sectors like banking, manufacturing, and education.

Service and Support

VxRail's customer service is praised for having dedicated representatives who maintain regular contact. Technical support is often described as responsive and knowledgeable, though experiences may differ based on personnel and regions. Some users comment on the effectiveness and quick response, while others mention challenges with escalation and international support. The support is centralized, addressing hardware and VMware issues efficiently. Ratings from users vary widely, indicating a range of satisfaction levels with Dell EMC's support.

Deployment

Initial setup of VxRail is typically straightforward, though complexity depends on factors like infrastructure and technical expertise. Many report an easy configuration process, aided by pre-installed software and professional services. While some encounter network-related challenges, others experience smooth deployment with assistance from Dell support. Deployment duration varies, with most installations completed within days. Maintenance generally requires minimal effort, with thorough planning and preparation minimizing potential hurdles.

Scalability

VxRail is praised for its scalability, supporting various nodes from small to large setups. Users highlight ease of scaling by adding nodes and components. Some mention limitations, like configuration challenges, but express satisfaction with its ability to meet diverse needs. There's also recognition of its capacity to support extensive workloads without requiring significant effort. This adaptability makes VxRail appealing for expanding enterprises and various user environments, despite some configuration considerations.

Stability

Users have consistently praised VxRail for its exceptional stability, highlighting minimal bugs and minimal operational disruptions. It is often described as highly reliable, with some noting significant improvements over previous iterations. Many rely on VxRail for critical applications and report that it maintains performance even during hardware failures. Regular updates and a responsive support team contribute to its robustness. Ratings frequently place its stability between eight and ten out of ten.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our VxRail Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Healthcare Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Retailer

Educational Organization

University

Comms Service Provider

Construction Company

Insurance Company

Media Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Non Profit

Hospitality Company

Transportation Company

Legal Firm

Wholesaler/Distributor

Performing Arts

Pharma/Biotech Company

Outsourcing Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Aerospace/Defense Firm

Consumer Goods Company

Engineering Company

Logistics Company

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Learn more about VxRail

VxRail is a single turn-key appliance that is a validated, fully integrated, pre-configured, pre-tested solution and offers non-disruptive scaling. Every node includes compute storage and IO. All-flash configurations can contain between 12-28 cores per node. The storage capacity options run from 7.6 TB to 19TB with either 256 GB or 512GB of memory. Hybrid appliances may have 6-20 cores per node, 3.6 TB to 10 TB of storage capacity, and 24GB to 256 GB of memory.

VxRail offers high availability fail-over, an active/active stretch cluster, and VSan Kernal integration. VxRail is a power-edged server with APIs built on automation. There are over 15 million different combinations of hardware available with VxRail. VxRail provides a simple, cost-effective solution that solves a large range of use cases. Additionally, you also get a mixed workloads automated system that is backed with fully automated system updates, and complete end-to-end lifecycle management all in a single two-rack appliance.

VxRail is a value-added suitable solution for distributed small to mid-sized enterprises, remote offices, private clouds, and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). You choose the deployment option that best suits your organizational needs, from appliance to integrated rack offerings, with or without networking, and it will be delivered to you, ready to deploy out-of-box.

If you know VMware, you know VxRail.

VxRail Features and Benefits