I use Hyper-V for virtualization.
Low-maintenance solution with good capacity
Pros and Cons
- "Hyper-V's technical support is good - they're responsive and sort cases based on criticality and category, so they get dealt with quickly and by the correct team."
- "We've had many issues with Hyper-V's stability, including resource crunches and memory leakage."
What is our primary use case?
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Hyper-V since 2012.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We've had many issues with Hyper-V's stability, including resource crunches and memory leakage.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's straightforward to scale Hyper-V, but the automation isn't great. Hyper-V doesn't understand 80%/20%, so you need another technical resource to work on the coding voice, and we had to deploy a script for that.
Buyer's Guide
Hyper-V
February 2025
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How are customer service and support?
Hyper-V's technical support is good - they're responsive and sort cases based on criticality and category, so they get dealt with quickly and by the correct team. The only thing I didn't like was that we had to send them log collections from our data center to review.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward as the deployment was done through the SCVM Manager. This allows the user to create virtual machines without any need for IT support. Deployment is nothing but installing the operating system on one physical server, so it takes between an hour and a half and two hours, and altogether, the project takes a month to a month and a half.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Hyper-V is included in the Microsoft Azure license for no extra cost. However, they charge for technical support calls on an hourly basis.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend Hyper-V to others because it has good capacity and requires little maintenance. I would give Hyper-V a rating of eight 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.
Technical Manager at OAK integrated System Pvt Ltd
Easy to implements with familiar features and easy to expand
Pros and Cons
- "The implementation process is simple."
- "Sometimes there's a bit of slowness in the VMs."
What is our primary use case?
We have a project for disaster recovery. We are using an arc server. We have to use the basic server, each biometric server, in the virtualization environment. In the virtualization environment, we are using Hyper-V. In the software, in the arc server, they get the image from the metal and put it into the Hyper-V environment.
What is most valuable?
It is familiar. It's very comfortable with Windows. I can configure it easily, with no hassle. That's the main thing I have seen is that the licensing, when we talk about the standard version, they're giving the rule license for free. That is a good benefit for assembly companies.
We can use the solution for free when you want to try it out.
The implementation process is simple.
What needs improvement?
We haven't had any difficulties with the solution. We're happy with it.
Sometimes there's a bit of slowness in the VMs. The performance could be a bit better.
We'd like to see a bit more done with the migration capabilities.
The solution needs to offer better local or regional support.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've dealt with the solution for five or six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We'd like to see the performance improve a bit.
In our experience, for the most part, the solution is reliable. We haven't experienced any bugs or glitches.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are five people directly using the solution. I'm not personally using the solution on a daily basis.
It is scalable and easy to expand.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support has been a bit slow for us. Sometimes, due to regional time changes, there are issues. Therefore, when I raise a ticket for an issue, it takes time. We are in Sri Lanka, and there is no regional support here. We'd like them to have more regional support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We've also worked with VMware and Sangfor. The main difference is that the Hypervisor should be not at the OS level. It should be at the hardware level. That's the main thing Microsoft has to improve.
In VMware, we saw they have VMotion. In the Hypervisor, that feature is not there. We didn't manage to transfer some images, We would have to do it manually. It should be automatic. That would be added to Hyper-V.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty straightforward. It's not overly complex.
The deployment was quick. It took 15 to 20 minutes.
I'd rate the solution five out of five in terms of ease of setup.
We don't really need any maintenance to be done on the product. Once a month, Microsoft may provide us patches, and we tend to implement those, However, that's it. We put those in place to protect us from security issues.
What about the implementation team?
We did have help in the sense that we searched the internet for assistance and answers to our questions. We did not engage with a vendor. We handled the setup ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I'm not sure of the exact pricing of the solution. The cost may be a bit higher than VMware, however.
What other advice do I have?
We are service integrators.
We are working with the latest update.
I'd advise that a potential new user should look into their requirements. It's difficult to change a product once it has been issued. You need to know what you want.
I'd rate the solution ten 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: Integrator
Buyer's Guide
Hyper-V
February 2025
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Learn what your peers think about Hyper-V. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
837,501 professionals have used our research since 2012.
CTO at BE.iT SA
Has a tight integration with Azure
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup of Hyper-V is far easier than VMware."
- "Hyper-V could benefit with improvements to their management interface."
What is our primary use case?
We are partners with Microsoft. We install 50% of VMware and 50% the solution from Hyper-V, depending on the customer's request.
Mid-level businesses who want to create their own data center, and they are using other Microsoft systems.
What is most valuable?
Hyper-V and VMware are similar. However, Hyper-V is less expensive. Hyper-V also has a tight integration with Azure. This means that you can have some VM on Azure and some VM on premises, and you can move a VM from Microsoft data center to a local data center on the customer's side.
What needs improvement?
Hyper-V could benefit with improvements to their management interface. Also, there are some features that are better on other solutions. For example, VMware is easier to create 3D acceleration than on Hyper-V.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Hyper-V is quite stable. I do not have any issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The biggest cluster we have in the field is a node cluster.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Hyper-V is far easier than VMware. You can deploy the solution in a matter of hours.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Our customers consider other options, however for mid-level businesses who want to create their own data center, Hyper-V is easier and less expensive than using both VMware and Microsoft Windows server for VMware for Veeam.
VMware has some features that are better. It is easier to create 3D acceleration, however the licensing model is not good.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Hyper-V an 8 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Deputy Manager at Arya Omnitalk Wireless Solutions Private Limited
An easy-to-manage solution that improves VM management
Pros and Cons
- "The product is easy to manage. It improves our VM management."
- "The solution should be compatible with different systems."
What is most valuable?
The product is easy to manage. It improves our VM management.
What needs improvement?
The solution should be compatible with different systems.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the tool's stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Hyper-V's scalability is good. I rate it a nine out of ten. My company has two users.
How was the initial setup?
The tool's deployment is straightforward. We have five resources to manage its deployment and maintenance.
What about the implementation team?
Hyper-V's deployment is in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is not expensive, and the subscription is annual.
What other advice do I have?
I rate Hyper-V an eight 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.
Owner at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Easy to set up with good baseline pricing however can get expensive
Pros and Cons
- "My understanding is it's easy to set up."
- "The only negative thing I heard was that the baseline price is very, very attractive relative to VMware, however, the vCenter counterpart, the thing that brings it all together, is quite pricey."
What is most valuable?
What I understand from our people is that it's certainly better now than it was a few years ago. They keep improving.
The pricing is pretty good.
My understanding is it's easy to set up.
What needs improvement?
The only negative thing I heard was that the baseline price is very, very attractive relative to VMware, however, the vCenter counterpart, the thing that brings it all together, is quite pricey.
We could probably live without it since we are a relatively small operation, however, vCenter is very convenient. vMotion and so forth are nice to be able to do. However, in order to be able to do the counterpart to that in the HyperVision world, suddenly the cost differential diminishes dramatically. We're not considering a change anytime soon, yet things have changed even from the last two years ago when we last looked at this.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I don't have many insights on stability. I have read a few things, however, it's not really my space.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Across all of our clients, we probably have a few hundred in use, however, the number of instances of our application that are operating on those virtual servers, I don't know.
How was the initial setup?
The only data point I have there in relation to the initial setup is a conversation with a guy who spends 90% of his time supporting VMware organizations. He's had some Hyper-V experience. He says, "It's straightforward and I see it growing." That's somebody who's in that who space telling me that just the last week.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is a function of how many cores you have or how many processors you have. Since we're a Microsoft partner and use tools to create and maintain the software that we sell subscriptions to, we get very attractive pricing. If whatever their counterpart to the vCenter licensing weren't an issue, it would probably be 20% of what we pay for VMware.
When you add the vCenter, counterpart back in, however, it comes to be probably 80%-85% of what you actually need. The last 10% or 15% is where it gets pricey. That's a lot to cover for us to do unless there's some other serious functional advantage - and our guys haven't seen that yet.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate Hyper-V a five out of ten. I'm not a user of it, so I'm not sure I'm qualified to rate it, however, the part of it that I was most interested in was the pricing notion. Microsoft does all sorts of interesting pricing things. I'm sure they have a good reason for doing it, however, to say, "We'll give you 80% of what you need for almost nothing and if you want the last 20%, you got to give us your left kidney" seems a little unusual.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Engineer, System Admin at ebm
Stable, works on almost all hardware, and easy to deploy
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup is simple. There's not much to do. We input one command or just one or two clicks on the UI. Initial setup in the Windows environment for any software is not that difficult."
- "I would like Microsoft to put more effort into the Admin Center interface and make it much easier. It is customizable, but you have to be a PowerShell expert to customize these things. That is a limitation."
What is our primary use case?
We are mainly using Hyper-V for VMs. The primary business is biscuit manufacturing, so we have 70 different types of sales-related software, some Windows-based SAP, and VMs running on Hyper-V. All VMs are running on Hyper-V. So indirectly, everyone is using it because it's our primary production system. We have maybe 650 employees at the moment. About 200 of these are computer users who are connected with Hyper-V in one way or another. Either they are using some of its services in a virtual machine or they're the IT guys directly involved with it. The non-IT people are using finance software or SAP-related software that they access through the web. Some servers are standalone Hyper-V, and there are two clusters of Hyper-V.
What is most valuable?
We have a cluster with storage space direct in Hyper-V, and we have virtual networking as well, so we are using all of the features except for Credential Guard, Host Guardian, and a few other things. We are not using these types of Hyper-V solutions because we don't need them.
What needs improvement?
Microsoft has developed a Windows Admin Center to manage its servers. I would like Microsoft to put more effort into the Admin Center interface and make it much easier. It is customizable, but you have to be a PowerShell expert to customize these things. That is a limitation. Microsoft could also do more modules related to servers and add administration features for that. I like Admin Center, and I want to deploy it in my organization, but the role-based access control feature is limited as we have to give a complete administrative right to other users as well. So these are some limitations that are blocking us. The Admin Center needs to provide a consolidated management interface that is easy to configure and provide a role-based access control so that we can give certain rights to our other users enabling them to administer the servers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I joined the organization where I currently work in the last year, and the organization has deployed Hyper-V since 2012. So, in this organization, I have used Hyper-V for one year. But before that, I was a Microsoft instructor teaching about Microsoft products, including Hyper-V.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would say that Hyper-V is pretty stable. But when it updates, we must restart all Windows systems. So if Microsoft can fix this thing so that the packages install restarting, then everything would be heaven for us. This means some downtime on our business side.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Yeah. It's easy to scale cluster features like Microsoft or Hyper-V. We can add as many servers—a maximum of 64—so it can handle a lot and it's easy for us to add to it. But there is one requirement, which is that the servers have to be identical in hardware specs. So that is one of the limitations.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support was good. We didn't require Hyper-V technical support, but we have some issues with our Exchange online and email. So, for that, we opened a ticket with Microsoft, and they provided us with good and excellent support.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple. There's not much to do. We input one command or just one or two clicks on the UI. Initial setup in the Windows environment for any software is not that difficult. Installing Hyper-V takes five to 10 minutes, including two server restarts. And then, we have to make the VMs, so that depends on how many we are making. That's the other factor, not the initial deployment. Migrating VMs is easy. It does not require any specific configurations because it runs on most hardware. And Windows Update comes with automatic updates. We use the WSUS server to update our servers to have controlled update patches. We keep our servers up to date, so it's easier, and it does not require any specialized hardware.
What other advice do I have?
I rate it eight out of 10. I recommend Hyper-V because it's easy to install and supports most hardware. It runs on almost everything. I'm also recommending my company go for Azure Stack because it also uses Hyper-V, so we will not have to convert our VMs. But the top management in our organization is considering Nutanix or VMware solutions. I don't know why they're doing this.
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.
System Architect at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Microsoft Hyper-V 3.0 from a vSphere lover's perspective.
Microsoft is making claims that Windows Hyper-V Server 2012 is the best virtualization platform for Windows. I have to say that they have caught my interest with Windows Server 2012, Hyper-V version 3 and Systems Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2012. So I have been hard at work getting deep into the products, first by updating all my lab systems. Unfortunately Windows Server 2012 is not in general release yet so all my setup and testing is being done with the release candidate and/or technical preview software. In saying this, you can’t really compare the software solutions to the current release versions of VMware vSphere, vCenter Server, etc as I may tend to do. And if you don’t know, VMWorld 2012 is right around the corner and I expect there to be additional product updates. Especially since VMware has been an industry leader and innovator in this space for many years now.
Let’s skip past the details of the features that one or the other offers and outline my findings and my opinions of Hyper-V. The first thing most people will ask is whether Hyper-V better than vSphere' Well the answer is “Yes” and “No”. I would still say that I like vSphere better but that’s because I’m a bit bias having used it for so long. But I do see the great potential that is to be had by implementing Hyper-V and System Center VMM, especially for enterprise clients that are primarily using Microsoft Windows Server along with System Center solutions.
Here’s what I think so far about what Microsoft is bringing to bare for virtualization.
CONS:
- I found Hyper-V to be a bit more complex to configure some of the features that vSphere seems to make really simple like High Availability (HA) which requires the Failover Clustering feature.
- There are features that I haven’t found yet in Hyper-V like Enhanced vMotion to aid in dong Live Migrations between different processor families.
- I did not see a comparable solution to Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS) or Storage DRS. These are two features that yield great returns by automatically balancing VM workloads across multiple host resources using vMotion and Storage vMotion.
- There’s a lot going on with SCVMM which mean you have a bit to wrap your head around. But some may say the same thing about vCenter.
PROS:
- My first Pro is the last Con. There is a lot going on with SCVMM. While it was a little overwhelming once you do get your head wrap around it you’ll see that you can do more than just server virtualization. You can build a private cloud with self service and all. VMware offers vCloud Director which is a separate solution with additional licensing and cost.
- With Datacenter Edition of Windows Server gives you can virtualize an unlimited number of virtual machines. This also includes the virtual machines operating system licenses if your running Windows Server. VMware can’t even offer that since Microsoft owns the OS.
- If your already licensed to use System Center 2012 you will get SCVMM and more at no additional cost. This is because Microsoft has decided to bundle many of the management products and change their licensing model. More details can be found here. If you have a previous version of the management software an upgrade path could be available and worth it giving the additional software you’ll gain.
- Oh and I can’t forget the fact that SCVMM will let you use Hyper-V, vSphere, and Citrix virtualization host servers as platforms to build on. This is not available with vCenter since it only supports managing VMware virtualization hosts.
The new version of Windows Hyper-V does not have 100% feature parity with VMware vSphere 5 and vCenter combo but you get so much those additional features might not matter much. Microsoft is clearly going to give VMware some serious competition when it’s released.
Microsoft Hyper-V 3.0 from a vSphere lovers perspective. originally appeared on theHyperadvisor by Antone Heyward
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
IT Specialist at IPIC
A highly scalable and stable solution, but the technical support needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is highly scalable."
- "The pricing and technical support can be improved."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is used as a hosting database.
What is most valuable?
The solution is highly scalable.
What needs improvement?
The pricing and technical support can be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Hyper-V for a few months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is satisfactory.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is highly scalable. Fifty eight users are using the solution.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is moderate.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
Hyper-V's initial setup is straightforward. The deployment takes a day.
What about the implementation team?
The solution can be implemented in-house.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Hyper-V is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the overall 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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kapilmalik1983 ... there are different versions and their prices.... if you go with unlimited VMs then it will cost you around 5000 UDS