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MarcMermuys - PeerSpot reviewer
ICT System Administrator at College of Europe
Real User
Quality desktop and app virtualization product that allows for a centralized environment. Could use more support for master template optimization
Pros and Cons
  • "I appreciate the ability to have a more centralized environment."
  • "In the next release, I would like to have more support when optimizing the master templates for PDI. There are tools that are available to be used but they are not supported at the moment and are more, "use at your own risk.""

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for virtual servers and virtual desktops. Our whole environment is on VMware combined with Nutanix.

What is most valuable?

I appreciate the ability to have a more centralized environment.

What needs improvement?

In the next release, I would like to have more support when optimizing the master templates for PDI. There are tools that are available to be used but they are not supported at the moment and are more, "use at your own risk."

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for more that fifteen years.

Buyer's Guide
Horizon 8
September 2024
Learn what your peers think about Horizon 8. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2024.
802,829 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The performance was lacking a bit in the beginning due to the old infrastructure with SAN and having everything separated. Now that we use this in combination with Nutanix, it is quite stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are easily able to add another house to the Nutanix farm which would result in more resources for VMware.

What was our ROI?

As a result of using VMware, we have to buy less hardware and do not need to replace thin clients.

What other advice do I have?

I would advise potential users to create a template to test if the performance is good enough for your client level.

I rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
ENGINEER IT at SYAC
Real User
Offers good performance and scalability with a nice remote virtual desktop interface
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution's most valuable aspect is the VDI - the remote virtual desktop interface."
  • "The solution is quite expensive. They should work to lower the costs if possible."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for developer access within the company.

What is most valuable?

The solution's most valuable aspect is the VDI - the remote virtual desktop interface. We really enjoy using the remote desktop.

The solution can scale.

The product has been quite stable so far. The performance is very good.

What needs improvement?

The solution is quite expensive. They should work to lower the costs if possible.

The deployment of the product can sometimes be difficult. It would be ideal if the whole process was more simplistic.

There needs to be more documentation. If there was, it might help make the initial setup a bit easier. They need to provide users with more manuals.

The technical support could be more responsive.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for about five years at this point. It's been a while. We have quite a bit of experience with it internally.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is quite stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution scales. A company could expand it if they needed to.

We have about 20 users on the solution currently.

We do not have plans to increase usage at this time.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support could be better. They take too long to respond right now. We aren't quite satisfied with the level of support they provide to our organization.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did previously use Hyper-V by Microsoft. We had issues with its performance and stability and decided to move to this product instead.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not always straightforward. It can be a bit complex, a bit difficult. We struggle with some aspects of the configuration which slows things down during the implementation. We have two companies and we've found that the configuration has been a real challenge for them.

In general, the deployment took us about two days to complete.

We have three people that handle the deployment and maintenance process.

What about the implementation team?

We used a reseller that assisted us with the implementation. They were quite knowledgeable and it helped to have them during the process.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is pricey. The cost of it is high.

That said, I do not have the full details on the exact cost to our organization.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did look at a few other options before ultimately settling in with this product. I do not recall all of the names. The stability and the response to backups are what sold us on this product.

What other advice do I have?

We are customers and end-users of the solution.

We're always using the latest version of the solution. For VMware, we're on version 7.7.

I'd recommend the solution. I'd rate it at an eight out of ten overall. For the most part, it's worked well for us and the performance is quite good, however, I'd rank it higher if it had more documentation and manuals that could assist with configuration and the initial deployment.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Horizon 8
September 2024
Learn what your peers think about Horizon 8. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: September 2024.
802,829 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user320616 - PeerSpot reviewer
Process Control Network Manager at Georgia-Pacific LLC
Real User
We now have full visibility across all our sites from one pane of glass, although I'd like I/O acceleration within VMware instead of having to use a third party.

What is most valuable?

Being able to centrally manage our environments from one pane of glass.

How has it helped my organization?

Before we virtualized it was stand alone systems, now I can see all ten sites we manage, and manage the systems. If we need to make changes, we can do it with a snapshot. It's much easier than before, plus we now have visibility into everything going on.

What needs improvement?

One thing is I'd like to be able to see I/O acceleration within VMware instead of having to use a third party, like VMTurbo.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We haven’t had any issues – its worked really well.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

With virtual environments, we are highly scalable. Before, when we had a physical environment adding a server was a whole process, now we have a base VM, and we just add it, provisioning servers is nothing. Now it takes two to three hours, instead of two to three weeks.

How are customer service and technical support?

I haven’t had any issues. They're easy to get hold of, and they're able to help with all our issues.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

There was no other solution in place.

How was the initial setup?

It was fairly straightforward. It took getting used to the new technology but it wasn’t too difficult.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
AGM at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Low maintenance and works with both physical and virtualized systems
Pros and Cons
  • "It has a lot of features and they are similar to what we have seen in any environment management solution."
  • "More ready-to-deploy templates should be available. Because they are not included, a lot of configuration is required."

What is our primary use case?

We are a solution provider and this is one of the products that we implement for our clients. I am a solution engineer and I work on end-user virtualization and related infrastructure solutions. I with VMware, Citrix, and Nutanix.

This solution is used for managing end-user workstations, or settings related to applications or Windows, as well as other things. For example, it can put policies in place for applications or the operating system.

This is not a product that I work with regularly.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is that it works with virtualization and works with physical systems as well.

It has a lot of features and they are similar to what we have seen in any environment management solution.

What needs improvement?

Many improvements to this product are needed.

More ready-to-deploy templates should be available. Because they are not included, a lot of configuration is required.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

VMware User Environment Manager is scalable. Most of our customers are running VMware Virtualization solutions, and they are used to having this to work with it.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is based on the type of subscription that you have. Generally, it is enterprise customers that have technical support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

In addition to VMware, I work with Citrix and Nutanix. Currently, most of the work I do is with Citrix and VMware products.

How was the initial setup?

A consultant is definitely required because a lot of configuration is needed. The deployment takes at least two weeks to complete.

Once it is deployed, one or two resources are all that are required for maintenance.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

The choice of which solution to use is not made by us. It's a customer decision and whatever they choose, whether it is Citrix, VMware, or otherwise, we will work with it.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Engineer at a government with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Stable, good technical support, and secure
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of this solution has been security."
  • "The initial setup was not difficult but there is room for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We are using VMware Horizon View for workstation replacement. We are mostly still in the development stage.

What needs improvement?

The most valuable feature of this solution has been security.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using VMware Horizon View for approximately one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability has been good.

How are customer service and technical support?

Whenever I had to use the technical support from VMware I had a good experience.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was not difficult but there is room for improvement.

What other advice do I have?

I rate VMware Horizon View an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Automation & Instrumentation Expert at a construction company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
highly reliable, stable, and priced well
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of the solution is its reliability."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use this solution to maintain the existing ESXi that we have.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable feature of the solution is its reliability.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using this solution for a few months.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    I have found this solution is stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is scalable.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We have not had any issues with the service from the technical support team.

    How was the initial setup?

    The installation is straightforward.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    The price of the solution is affordable. However, there are extra fees for support.

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate VMware User Environment Manager an eight out of ten.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    PeerSpot user
    Manager at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
    Real User
    Top 10
    An easy initial setup with a good unified gateway and very good technical support
    Pros and Cons
    • "VMware is a hyper-converged infrastructure model. Therefore, for scaling it you just add more servers to it in the inputs. It's rather straightforward."
    • "I would love to see so they can actually allow the use of Linux, from a hosting environment as well as from a VDI client environment."

    What is most valuable?

    Horizon actually has been working well in the current pandemic situation. Originally, we had clients deployed in our infrastructure. Now, once working from home or remote working has been imposed, we deployed a Unified Gateway. It's simply one more component of Horizon, and it allows us to give access over the public IP so that those people at home get the same environment itself as they work from their home without causing any user experience problems. There were no additional licenses required for that job either, which was nice.

    What needs improvement?

    I would love to see so they can actually allow the use of Linux, from a hosting environment as well as from a VDI client environment. If I can actually host Linux instances as VDIs with the same features as what I get on Windows and have all the key components, like the Composer, database, or the connection services, that would be ideal. Often, ransomware and attacks usually target Windows, therefore, if I'm on Linux, at least I'll have some level of comfort or a buffer against danger.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    VMware Horizon was deployed around one and a half years ago in my infrastructure.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    We do not have any problems with the stability part of it. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's not buggy and it doesn't have any glitches. It's reliable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    VMware is a hyper-converged infrastructure model. Therefore, for scaling it you just add more servers to it in the inputs. It's rather straightforward. 

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We've had a couple of calls with technical support. They're very good, from what I have experienced. We are quite satisfied with their level of knowledge and responsiveness.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is somewhat okay. They're not too complex. There are various components that have to be installed and configured, and therefore a little bit of expertise is required. It's not dead simple. You do need some background.

    Ours was a smaller deployment and it's supposed to host around 800 different current virtual instances. Starting from the backend stack to going live, it took approximately two weeks overall.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    It is more economical than purchasing each license individually. If you purchase vSphere Enterprise plus vSAN, then vROps, and then Horizon, it's going to be a large cost. If you do this logic, it will be very cheaper, because they did not charge us separately for the vSphere or vSAN or vROps with this. You buy the number of seats irrespective to how much hardware you run on, they will not charge you more. That's the benefit.

    What other advice do I have?

    We aren't on the latest version of the solution. We're at minus one right now. The final upgrade has not been done due to the pandemic situation.

    In our kind of environment, it's just more of a media use case, so we used it and it made sense. If you have variable workloads, not a uniform workload, then it might not go under the licensing for just VDIs, asVDIs specifically cover your operating system instances as well as uniform with the VDI clients. If it is a uniform VDI client, such as all Windows 10 systems for users to log in, like on host environment, or it's all a server farm, etc., for those kinds of environments, Horizon is a no brainer. 

    A company should go for it. I'd recommend it. It is a good solution to work with.

    Overall, I would rate the solution eight out of ten. For the most part, we've been quite satisfied with the results.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Manager - Technical Services at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
    Real User
    Handles graphic-intensive applications well, and it's easy to scale
    Pros and Cons
    • "VMware Horizon 7 has its proprietary Elastic streaming protocol, which is very good for delivering VDI."
    • "I would like to see seamless integration with the cloud because right now, the dependency is on the cloud providers."

    What is most valuable?

    VMware Horizon 7 has its proprietary Elastic streaming protocol, which is very good for delivering VDI. It helps with graphic-intensive applications.

    The experience is seamless for graphic-intensive applications using this particular protocol.

    What needs improvement?

    It's difficult to recall any areas that need improvement. 

    They are growing now, in particular with this VDI domain. VMware is now introducing new products and features, and they are onboarding new customers.

    There are many competitors in the market. All of the Media in Apple products delivery is seamless. 

    They need to advertise the product well and focus on their core features. 

    They need to market accordingly and they will have a good future and a good experience for the end customers.

    I would like to see seamless integration with the cloud because right now, the dependency is on the cloud providers. I would like to see them have their own cloud environment on any public cloud. Right now, it is split between the public cloud and the VMware cloud environment. If they could deliver a solution that integrated all of the components then it would be great. They would not have to manage two different consoles but rather, a single implementation and a single console.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been working with VMware Horizon 7 for more than one year.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It's a stable solution.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It's easy to scale. Once you have it in your environment it's can be easily scaled.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    Technical support is good.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is straightforward.

    If the customer already has a VMware virtualized platform then it's a seamless deployment.

    Even the ordering and packaging is simple because it can be combined with the server virtualizing platform. You just order a one-part code that includes everything in that solution, including the VDI platform.

    It can take approximately one week to deploy if it is on-premises, and if on the cloud, depending not the workload, it can take a day or two.

    What other advice do I have?

    They have both options of deployment models. If it is on-premises, it's as per their proprietary prerequisite. With the cloud, they have AWS and Microsoft Azure.

    I would recommend VMware Horizon 7 if the customer already has the VMware virtualized environment in place.

    I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Hybrid Cloud
    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Horizon 8 Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: September 2024
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Horizon 8 Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.