Citrix XenServer vs IBM PowerVM comparison

Citrix and IBM are both solutions in the Server Virtualization Software category. Citrix is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.3, while IBM is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.4. Citrix holds a 5.1% mindshare in SVS, compared to IBM’s 1.3% mindshare. Additionally, 81% of Citrix users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Citrix XenServer

Read 47 Citrix XenServer reviews

9,106 Views
6,440 Comparison Views

81% willing to recommend

IBM PowerVM

Read 34 IBM PowerVM reviews

2,140 Views
1,836 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Citrix XenServer

IBM PowerVM

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 6, 2024

IBM PowerVM and Citrix XenServer compete in the virtualization category. PowerVM seems to have the upper hand due to its advanced features like Live Partition Mobility and its strong reputation for stability and security.

Features: IBM PowerVM offers advanced capabilities such as Active Memory Sharing, Live Partition Mobility, and high security to efficiently manage resources and ensure compliance. Citrix XenServer, on the other hand, boasts ease of setup, management with Windows-based applications, and real-time performance monitoring, accommodating Windows and Linux OS compatibility.

Room for Improvement: IBM PowerVM is often criticized for its high cost and limited OS compatibility, which restricts it to IBM-approved systems. Users also call for improved cloud integration and a more user-friendly interface. Citrix XenServer needs better management tools, enhanced Linux support, and integration with third-party solutions. The free version's limitations often push users towards its paid support for full functionality.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM PowerVM is known for its effective technical support, characterized by responsive assistance, though some suggest improvements in complex cases. Citrix XenServer offers easy deployment, backed by average customer service and adequate technical support, which benefits from a broad user community.

Pricing and ROI: IBM PowerVM is priced at a premium, but users find its comprehensive licensing and reliability worth the investment, although cost remains a concern. Citrix XenServer's free edition is appreciated for its cost-effectiveness with available paid options. Despite significant cost savings compared to VMware, high licensing costs can deter budget-conscious buyers.

To learn more, read our detailed Citrix XenServer vs. IBM PowerVM Report (Updated: December 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Citrix XenServer vs. IBM PowerVM

December 2024

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Customer Service

Sentiment score

6.2

Citrix XenServer support is praised for expertise and quick resolutions, but some find it slower than VMware with limited direct access.

Sentiment score

6.5

IBM PowerVM customer service is highly regarded for responsiveness, knowledgeable support, and effective issue resolution, despite some service gaps.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Citrix XenServer report

IBM provides strong support.

Maximiliano Bosco

Drirector at a construction company with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the IBM PowerVM report

Room For Improvement

Sentiment score

4.5

Citrix XenServer faces challenges with usability, third-party integration, high-availability, and flexibility, needing better support and management tools.

Sentiment score

5.1

IBM PowerVM requires enhanced interface, automation, integration, and pricing to improve virtualization performance and operational efficiency.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Citrix XenServer report

We have a strong relationship with IBM, which aids decision-making in transitioning clients from mainframe to other platforms.

Maximiliano Bosco

Drirector at a construction company with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the IBM PowerVM report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

8.0

Citrix XenServer offers scalability, supports diverse business sizes, seamless upgrades, and user-friendly management despite some storage concerns.

Sentiment score

7.9

IBM PowerVM is scalable and flexible, supporting large deployments but configurability may depend on initial investment and model.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Citrix XenServer report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the IBM PowerVM report

Setup Cost

Sentiment score

6.8

Citrix XenServer offers a free solution with optional paid features, viewed variably as affordable or costly, yet competitive.

Sentiment score

4.3

IBM PowerVM's high pricing, lack of transparency, and negotiation needs are offset by performance, reliability, and unlimited usage benefits.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Citrix XenServer report

Pricing is a concern in Argentina due to the higher cost of mainframe solutions.

Maximiliano Bosco

Drirector at a construction company with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the IBM PowerVM report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

7.6

Citrix XenServer is praised for strong stability, with minimal issues, good support, and reliability, especially with regular updates.

Sentiment score

8.4

IBM PowerVM is highly stable and reliable, outperforming competitors in handling secure, critical data operations with minimal maintenance.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Citrix XenServer report

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the IBM PowerVM report

Valuable Features

Sentiment score

8.4

Citrix XenServer offers robust virtualization with strong security, easy management, cost-effectiveness, and supports various operating systems and storage.

Sentiment score

8.1

IBM PowerVM offers efficient resource management, ensuring reliability with 99.999% availability and supports dynamic allocation with minimal downtime.

No quotes available

For more quotes and insights, download the Citrix XenServer report

PowerVM excels in efficiently managing all systems and environments, including development, UI, and production.

Maximiliano Bosco

Drirector at a construction company with 201-500 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the IBM PowerVM report

Categories and Ranking

Citrix XenServer

Ranking in Server Virtualization Software

10th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM PowerVM

Ranking in Server Virtualization Software

11th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Server Virtualization Software category, the mindshare of Citrix XenServer is 5.1%, up from 3.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM PowerVM is 1.3%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Server Virtualization Software

Featured Reviews

Siva Kuppala

Enterprise Architect at Wipro Limited

Allows us to allocate CPU, memory, storage, and network resources across VMs and minimizes downtime in case of hardware failure or maintenance

It is a scalable product and provides great benefits for virtualization needs. However, there are a few considerations: * Cost: Citrix Hypervisor can be fairly expensive. * Complexity: There's a learning curve, especially for those coming from a Microsoft background. Setting it up and managing it can introduce some complexity. * Hardware Support: Not all major hardware vendors fully support Citrix Hypervisor. * Third-party Integration: Integrating Hypervisor with other technologies within a large ecosystem can sometimes be challenging. * Community Support: Compared to solutions like Microsoft Hyper-V, the community support for Citrix Hypervisor is somewhat less extensive. It is not vast. If there are any issues or errors, the community support is not that good. Those are definitely important disadvantages.

Read full review

Atif Najam

Chief Information Officer and Program Lead at Gatron Industries Ltd

A stable system for high-end data processing with a great support structure

The only problem with the IBM system is improving its hardware licensing model. For example, when you procure a server with 40 physical codes, you must also procure licenses to activate the codes. In Dell or any system, you procure the hardware and have the full right to use the hardware. For IBM, it's different because when you procure a 40-code processor and have 40 physical codes, you only have a license to use 20. As a result, the 20 alert codes will always be in activated mode. Hence, the hardware licensing model could be improved because the licensing model is a bit different from the standard hardware procured.

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Comparison Review

Thang Le Toan (Victory Lee)

CIO at Robusta Technology & Training

Jan 13, 2015

vSphere vs. RHEV vs. Hyper-V vs. XenServer

We have used the following functions: 1. Hypervisor: to ensure that the virtual server provide web and email services to the company, thus providing a stable operation a with single sign-on integration of an AD server and vCenter. 2. Network and Storage: centralized data server…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

53%

Computer Software Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

20%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Citrix Hypervisor?

The core function enables multiple virtual machines to run on a single physical server. This maximizes hardware utilization and efficiency.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Citrix Hypervisor?

I would rate the pricing an eight out of ten, with one being very inexpensive and ten being very expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Citrix Hypervisor?

It would be very helpful if I could browse the data store directly in the GUI, similar to VMware and Hyper-V. This feature would be particularly useful when something goes wrong with a virtual mach...

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What do you like most about IBM PowerVM?

Managing other operating systems is also straightforward with IBM PowerVM.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM PowerVM?

Pricing is a concern in Argentina due to the higher cost of mainframe solutions. This becomes a significant factor in migration decisions.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM PowerVM?

The pricing is expensive, which poses a financial challenge, especially in Argentina. We have a strong relationship with IBM, which aids decision-making in transitioning clients from mainframe to o...

See all answers

Comparisons

Proxmox VE vs Citrix XenServer

Compared 36% of the time

VMware vSphere vs Citrix XenServer

Compared 24% of the time

Hyper-V vs Citrix XenServer

Compared 21% of the time

KVM vs Citrix XenServer

Compared 7% of the time

Nutanix AHV Virtualization vs Citrix XenServer

Compared 6% of the time

More Citrix XenServer Competitors

VMware vSphere vs IBM PowerVM

Compared 61% of the time

KVM vs IBM PowerVM

Compared 12% of the time

Hyper-V vs IBM PowerVM

Compared 8% of the time

Proxmox VE vs IBM PowerVM

Compared 7% of the time

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs IBM PowerVM

Compared 4% of the time

More IBM PowerVM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Citrix XenServer

December 2024

Download Citrix XenServer product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM PowerVM

December 2024

Download IBM PowerVM product report

Also Known As

Hypervisor

PowerVM

Learn More

Citrix

IBM

Overview

Citrix XenServer is a virtualization platform used in industries such as banking, automotive, and data applications for cloud automation, server virtualization, and VDI scenarios. It supports infrastructure management, virtual machine hosting, and enterprise software deployment, reducing costs by migrating from other platforms.

As a virtualization tool, Citrix XenServer stands out for its ease of maintenance, support, scalability, and centralized management. Commonly deployed on-premises and in data centers, it provides real-time monitoring, live migration, and strong security features. With compatibility across many operating systems, users benefit from a Windows-based management interface that is easy to install and navigate. Integration capabilities with active directory, storage, and load balancing contribute to resource optimization and reliability.

What are the key features of Citrix XenServer?

Cost-effectiveness: Reduces operational expenses across IT environments.
High Performance: Real-time monitoring and live migration support high efficiency.
Security: Strong safeguards protect data and processes.
Management Interface: Windows-based, offering user-friendly controls.
OS Compatibility: Works with a range of operating systems for flexibility.
Advanced Integrations: Active directory, storage, and load balancing maximize resources.

What benefits should users consider in Citrix XenServer reviews?

Scalability: Easily adapts to growing demands.
Ease of Deployment: Streamlines the installation process for quick setup.
Comprehensive Virtualization: Offers extensive capabilities for seamless operations.
Centralized Management: Facilitates control through XenCenter.

Implementation in banking, automotive, and data applications leverages Citrix XenServer's strengths in cloud automation and virtualization. Organizations manage resources, deploy services, and ensure stable operations within their infrastructure. The platform is used both on-premises and in data centers, aiding in areas such as cost reduction and maintenance efficiency.

Power is server virtualization without limits. Businesses are turning to PowerVM server virtualization to consolidate multiple workloads onto fewer systems, increasing server utilization and reducing cost. PowerVM provides a secure and scalable server virtualization environment for AIX, IBM i and Linux applications built upon the advanced RAS features and leading performance of the Power Systems platform.

Sample Customers

U.S. Army Shared Services Center, SoftLayer, Educational Services of America, Independent Bank, and SK Telecom.

Sto, Soitec, SNO, Bundesrechenzentrum GmbH, Al Mansour Holding, Baptist Health of Northeast Florida, Huhtamaki, ELK Group, IT-Informatik, Arkansas Tech University, Pneuhage

Buyer's Guide

Citrix XenServer vs. IBM PowerVM

December 2024

Free Report: Citrix XenServer vs. IBM PowerVM

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