What is our primary use case?
Horizon basically protects you're VMware and your Bring Your Own Device (BYOD). BYOD connecting to your network and these can be secured using VMware Horizon.
With COVID there is a very big impact. There is a hybrid kind of workforce model now. People will be able to connect using their own devices. If it is BYOD case, the number of assets is going to increase. It will almost double the number of the secured assets out there. This means that as the asset size grows, there's a lot of traffic. If you talk about the Horizon it is Zero Trust Architecture plus Micro-segmentation. It has to level both into one platform.
You then need to physically test that your endpoints are all secured so that there is no way for somebody connecting from their own device or laptop to accessing the network with any kind of malicious code. You're protected.
What is most valuable?
The solution is quite stable. The performance is good.
The scalability has been very good. It's easy to expand it to more endpoints.
The initial setup is pretty straightforward.
What needs improvement?
The solution could be more secure. Horizon is a recent addition in the sense that, due to COVID, we're working from home and those off-network devices also have to get secured. It's not only on-premises and the cloud infrastructure anymore. Your connectivity from the endpoints from the employees who are logged in from home also has to get brought in.
The solution isn't quite mature yet. It needs more time to mature and to get more market recognition.
The solution needs to work on its pricing. Compared to VMware Workspace ONE it should not be more in terms of cost.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for more than four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. It offers good performance. There aren't crashes and it doesn't freeze. there aren't bugs or glitches. It's been good overall.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is excellent. If you need to extend it to more endpoints, it's possible to do so, and it's not difficult in terms of a process. If a company needs to expand the offering, it can do so with ease.
We have a hybrid workforce, with 8,000 or so users who likely have both their work and home devices on the system.
We do plan to continue to use the product going forward. We have no plans to move away from it.
How are customer service and support?
Our end-user support is our level end-user computing, EUC. EUC is a separate kind of support model, and there is dedicated support if we run into issues. So far, we have been satisfied with the level of support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
VMware worked with Workspace One, which has been upgraded into Horizon.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not overly complex. It's easy. It's a part of the VMware Workspace segment which makes it quite simple. A company should have no issues with the implementation.
Normally, the process from beginning to end only takes a couple of hours. It's a pretty quick process.
For maintenance, we have a team called EUC - End User Computing - that inspects all the upgrades and handles all the maintenance.
What about the implementation team?
I handled the process of implementation myself. If did not need an outside consultant or integrator. We were able to manage everything in-house.
What was our ROI?
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We do have a licensing fee that we need to pay. Horizon is expensive if you were to consider EDR. I cannot speak to the exact cost of the product, however.
EDR itself is a big investment. If you're investing in EDR be prepared to pay a bit. There are two platforms that we are using - Windows and Linux. In the Windows platform, basically, we can secure it using the Windows Defender. In the case of Windows Defender, we don't need any separate EDR. For Linux, however, we need it. That said, mostly the users are all Windows users. More than 60% to 70% of the users are Windows users and so we don't need the EDR product across the board. That saves some costs for us.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I did evaluate multiple EDRs before choosing this solution.
What other advice do I have?
We use the latest version of the solution at this time. It's the most up-to-date option.
From the COVID impact, the number of vulnerabilities has gone up. That means there are other challenges of coping with the security in recent times due to the deluge of more assets, basically, made on one level because people are bringing their own devices into the mix. So far, we've been able to secure everything, and we've been able to stand back and say that we're fine and, even with this new hybrid work model, we are secure and back to normal, so to speak.
The solution is a recent edition that is not been fully adopted and it is still slightly immature. It's not reached a stage where it is saturated. For that reason, I'd rate the solution at a seven out of ten.
I would recommend the solution.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.