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Rob Moore - PeerSpot reviewer
Systems Administrator at Saint Tammany Parish Hospital
Real User
A solution with an easy setup and provides flexibility to end users
Pros and Cons
  • "We have found the link loans for desktops most valuable."
  • "The customer service and support team could be better."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for the solution is to give end users clone desktops, and they can use their applications. So instead of providing a desktop, we give them a computer with just a client, and everything is loaded in that VDI session and not directly on that workstation. We deploy the solution on-premises.

How has it helped my organization?

The solution has provided flexibility by allowing an end user to remote in, log in, and get their VM. VDI session and have all the icons and applications they need to use and retain the same booking view regardless of location.

What is most valuable?

We have found the link loans for desktops most valuable.

What needs improvement?

The customer service and support team could be better.

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Horizon 8
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Horizon 8. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
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For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution for approximately six years and are currently using version 7.0.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. Approximately 800 users are utilizing the solution in our organization.

How are customer service and support?

I rate customer service and support a six out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

We did not previously use other solutions.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward, and two people were required for deployment and maintenance.

What was our ROI?

We have seen a return on investments.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution a nine out of ten. The solution is good, but the technical support team can be improved. My advice to new users considering the solution is that it is a good option. It is easy to set up and not that difficult to implement.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Systems Engineer at a university with 201-500 employees
Real User
Modern, integrates well, and highly stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The benefits of this solution are that it is modern and it works perfectly well with the rest of the VMware environments we have. Having this vertical integration is what matters to us as an organization and this solution excels in this area. You deploy it and it works without much hassle."
  • "The multimedia playback is not very good and they could improve it by increasing the quality."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for delivering virtual desktops and applications.

Currently, we are using version 2006 which has an older model of provisioning and there are some compatibility issues that we are going to solve in the coming months. The latest version is 2103. However, there is not much difference between 2006 and 2103 it is almost the same.

The small differences are in adjunct functionality and regarding the transference relationship between domains. 

What is most valuable?

The benefits of this solution are that it is modern and it works perfectly well with the rest of the VMware environments we have. Having this vertical integration is what matters to us as an organization and this solution excels in this area. You deploy it and it works without much hassle.

What needs improvement?

The multimedia playback is not very good and they could improve it by increasing the quality.

In an upcoming release, there could be more integration support for Linux and better Linux user profile management. This is a feature we use in the universities but most other normal businesses will not be interested in Linux. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for approximately six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

95% of the features work without any issues and 5% of them have issues that are normally difficult to pinpoint. However, since these small issues can normally be corrected by support, this solution's stability rating is high.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have 5,000 users on the system but only 200 of them are using it together at the university. Scalability was not ever an issue.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have contacted technical support and they have been responsive.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is a moderate level of difficulty.

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation of the solution.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

In my organization, we use a lot of VMware solutions for vertical integration and have evaluated other solutions, such as Citrix.

What other advice do I have?

I would have said this solution needs to improve in profile management a couple of years ago because VMware does not have profile management that works out of the box. However, this issue was solved by Microsoft by releasing a solution that works very well with VMware Horizon.

Those who are wanting to implement this solution should consider the Cloud offerings for VMware Horizon. There is a possibility it could cut the time for delivery and it is more scalable. You will not have scalability issues.

I rate VMware Horizon 7 an eight out of ten.

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.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Horizon 8
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Horizon 8. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
System Administrator at a media company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 20
Comprehensive support and documentation are readily available to aid in setting up the environment
Pros and Cons
  • "VMware offers a friendly environment, and it's easy to provide the user with the package. It is a bundled solution that is readily deployable. The advantage lies in its simplicity, it requires minimal expertise."
  • "The primary concern lies with licensing. There’s confusion regarding licensing terms following the new management’s takeover. Consequently, our resellers and distributors are confused."

How has it helped my organization?

In VDI, the primary benefit is providing users with a better environment than their endpoint machine by hosting their virtual machines in the server environment, improving performance. However, application virtualization becomes more appealing if specific resource requirements exist for the endpoint. Multiple users can benefit by using dedicated GPU resources, saving resources compared to individual dedications in VDI setups. VMware resources can be efficiently shared among various users in application virtualization, offering significant advantages over traditional VDI implementations.

What is most valuable?

VMware offers a friendly environment, and it's easy to provide the user with the package. It is a bundled solution that is readily deployable. The advantage lies in its simplicity, it requires minimal expertise. There are instances where Microsoft RDP outperforms due to its integration with the backend operating system. Yet, deploying and managing a Microsoft environment necessitates a specific skill set, typically that of a knowledgeable system administrator. 

On the other hand, Horizon offers a more user-friendly experience; you can quickly deploy applications, access simple documents, and navigate without needing specialized expertise. Additionally, comprehensive support and documentation are readily available to aid in setting up the Horizon environment.

What needs improvement?

The primary concern lies with licensing. There’s confusion regarding licensing terms following the new management’s takeover. Consequently, our resellers and distributors are confused. The SKUs have been altered. We had planned to include budgetary prices in our upcoming budget, which ends in June. However, during the budget repricing process, the resellers faced difficulties due to their inability to obtain responses regarding the budgetary code. The SKUs have changed due to the transition from one principal to another. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using VMware Horizon for two to three months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There has been no downtime in the last four months. Some administrative complexities exist, but they were resolved after learning from the documentation.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution’s scalability is good. We require hardware that can scale accordingly. We are beginning with 50 users and scaling out over the next two years.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup takes a couple of hours, maximum. Everything requires a little knowledge. When it comes to deploying VMware Horizon, some understanding is necessary. Initially, I was confused about which documentation tool to use. I studied by myself and found the documentation provided very good and clear. Then, I deployed it.

When I found the documentation, learning and deploying VMware Horizon took a couple of days.

Initially, I had to test VMware vSphere, configure a Windows Virtual Machine and deploy the Horizon server. After that, we connected, integrated, and tested vSphere and vCenter with Horizon.

I have one vSphere server installed. On that server, I have configured virtual machines for application publication. Additionally, I have two Windows 10 virtual machines for endpoints, which will be provided to the end users. They will log in to the Windows 10 virtual machine, where the published applications will be installed. Initially, we'll start with three users at a time.

What other advice do I have?

According to the technical documentation, they are apparent and easily accessible.

From one point of view, VMware Horizon uses virtualization configurations deployed on Microsoft servers, necessitating compliance with Microsoft's rules. It relies on Microsoft RDP services in the background. One beneficial feature is publishing applications installed on a Windows 10 machine.

You should check whether they aim to provide a VDI environment, and then the VDI option is best. However, GPU usage becomes crucial if they intend to centralize application solutions to conserve server resources. If assigned to a single-user PC, GPUs are hardware resources that might need to be more utilized when the user is not actively using them. Therefore, the optimal approach would be to install all the applications on a server, allocate the necessary hardware resources, and then share them using application virtualization.

There are only two or three products that meet this requirement. It is a very reliable and stable product. On the contrary, there is Microsoft Remote Desktop. These two are the best, both in terms of reliability and finding documentation.

Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

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.
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RuiAlves - PeerSpot reviewer
Director at Proindustrial, Lda.
Real User
Top 5
Enables us to have access gateway to enter VMs from outside
Pros and Cons
  • "It's centralized management, and you have access gateway to enter the the VMs from outside."
  • "The issue now with VMware is that we don't know the future of the solution. Because if you follow the news, it was acquired by another company, and they are changing the old product line."

What is our primary use case?

The use case is remote access to VMs. It allows us to remote access the VMs and our servers.

What is most valuable?

It's centralized management, and you have access gateway to enter the VMs from outside.

What needs improvement?

The issue now with VMware is that we don't know the future of the solution. Because if you follow the news, it was acquired by another company, and they are changing the old product line. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using VMware Horizon View for 34 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is highly stable. I rate the stability eight out of ten. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. The deployment took a few weeks time. I would rate the setup an eight out of ten. 

What about the implementation team?

The deployment was done in house with two people. One person is required for maintenance.

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

The solution is expensive. 

What other advice do I have?

Overall I rate the solution a nine out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Khalid Shaikh - PeerSpot reviewer
Associate Vice President at Emirates National Bank of Dubai
Real User
Top 10
An easily scalable solution with flash provisioning features
Pros and Cons
  • "VMware Horizon View is easily scalable. Its onboarding is easy and comes with flash provisioning features."
  • "We would like to see better performance with the product."

What is most valuable?

VMware Horizon View is easily scalable. Its onboarding is easy and comes with flash provisioning features. 

What needs improvement?

We would like to see better performance with the product. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the tool's stability an eight out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate VMware Horizon View's salability a nine out of ten. My company has more than 3000 users. We continue to onboard around 20-30 percent of new users. 

How was the initial setup?

I rate the tool's initial deployment an eight out of ten. Deployment takes two to three hours to complete. It is a simple OEM SOP. You need around two resources to complete the deployment. 

What about the implementation team?

We did VMware Horizon View's deployment in-house. 

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

VMware Horizon View pricing is high compared to other solutions. I rate it two out of ten. Its licensing costs are monthly. 

What other advice do I have?

It is better to go for AVD on a private cloud than a public one since private clouds are expensive. I rate the solution a five out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
System Administrator Senior at KV Zürich Business School
Real User
Top 10
Software updates are easier to roll out and has good performance
Pros and Cons
  • "I like VMware Horizon's ability and performance."
  • "VMware Horizon needs to integrate with Azure, Teams, and Zoom."

What is our primary use case?

I work in a public school where some teachers and staff work from home. We use the product in the home office. 

How has it helped my organization?

I like the tool's security. It is also easier to roll out the software updates. 

What is most valuable?

I like VMware Horizon's ability and performance. 

What needs improvement?

VMware Horizon needs to integrate with Azure, Teams, and Zoom. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the product for five years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate VMware Horizon's stability an eight out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate the tool's scalability a nine out of ten. My company has over 150 users. 

How are customer service and support?

We contact our partner for first-level support. 

How was the initial setup?

I rate the tool's deployment a nine out of ten. It can be completed in a few hours. 

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

VMware Horizon is expensive. It should provide a special price for more user licenses. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate VMware Horizon a nine out of ten. 

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
Mihai Dinca - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Consultant at Eta2u
Real User
Top 10
Flexible and secure access to virtual desktops and applications, enhancing productivity and enabling remote work with high performance, centralized management, and robust security features
Pros and Cons
  • "It offers great flexibility, allowing us to access it as a complete virtual machine or even just as individual applications."
  • "There is room for a more cost-effective pricing structure, as it could be more affordable."

What is our primary use case?

We use it to gain access to our organization's applications.

What is most valuable?

One of the most valuable aspects is that I can connect from home, and the system operates seamlessly. It offers great flexibility, allowing us to access it as a complete virtual machine or even just as individual applications.

What needs improvement?

There is room for a more cost-effective pricing structure, as it could be more affordable.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using it for approximately four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability capabilities eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rates its scalability abilities eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

Whenever we submit a ticket, there is a productive exchange of information, and more often than not, they manage to address our needs effectively. While there may be occasional challenges, the support is generally quite reliable. I would rate it nine out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We use a combination of Citrix, Horizon, and Microsoft for virtual apps and desktops based on specific requirements and customer needs.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

The deployment was managed by our team, and I handled the installation. The client only had to perform the minimal configuration, such as setting the server's IP. It was highly adaptable and user-friendly, and it took approximately a couple of days.

What was our ROI?

We observed a return on investment in data protection, resulting in a time savings of around twenty five percent.

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

It falls on the more expensive end in terms of cost.

What other advice do I have?

You can consider using Microsoft Remote Desktop sessions, which provide a more basic set of features if you don't require all the advanced features offered by Horizon, such as speed optimization, visual enhancements, desktop printing, image resolution, and a seamless user experience. Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer2310093 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Architect at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Used for application delivery and data security, but it should have an easy configuration
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of VMware Horizon is the VDI service, which helps externals use their own devices while keeping the data inside our data center."
  • "The solution should provide easy configuration."

What is our primary use case?

I use the solution for application delivery and data security for external people.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of VMware Horizon is the VDI service, which helps externals use their own devices while keeping the data inside our data center.

What needs improvement?

The solution should provide easy configuration.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using VMware Horizon for around one and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the solution’s stability an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Since the solution is on-premises and we are moving to the cloud, scaling down is very easy. On the other hand, if we would deploy a lot of new VIs, it would be very easy to just add them. VMware Horizon is very flexible when scaling up and scaling down. Around 2,200 users in our organization use VMware Horizon to deploy the main applications.

I rate the solution’s scalability a nine out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support is very good. When we face issues with VMware Horizon, the support team creates patches in less than three weeks. If there are issues, the support team is very involved in finding out what's happening and solving the issue.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We previously used Citrix. We switched to VMware Horizon because Citrix was not as flexible as VMware Horizon was for us. The supplier that won the contract was in favor of using VMware. So, VMware Horizon came with the supplier we selected.

How was the initial setup?

Delivering legacy applications and overall stability was challenging while setting up the solution.

On a scale from one to ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy, I rate the solution's initial setup a five out of ten.

What about the implementation team?

The solution's actual deployment before we got into the pilot phase took about six months. The solution's deployment process included design, implementation, testing, and distribution to the end user. We had five people, including two from the supplier and about three internal people, to deploy the solution.

What was our ROI?

We needed to keep our legacy applications running because the business is reliant on them. If the applications stop, the business stops. In that case, we had no choice but to choose a technology like VMware Horizon.

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

We paid a lot of money for software that is not really fully operational out of the box. We had to have patches from VMware to get it into production. Hence, we lost a lot of time implementing the solution. We have a three-year contract, for which we pay about ten euros per user per month.

On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

I am using the latest version of VMware Horizon. I think one person from the supplier does the maintenance for VMware Horizon. We can implement our zero-trust strategy using VMware Horizon. It's a big part of our zero-trust solution. So, external people only have access to Horizon instead of having direct access to our company data with their devices.

Users should make a good comparison between cloud solutions Azure VDI and VMware Horizon, especially now that the company has been sold to a private investor.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

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.
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PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Horizon 8 Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: November 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Horizon 8 Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.