We use the solution for security and authorization services. It also works as an antivirus backup for the data center.
Senior Information Technology Engineer, Datacenter Administrator at GAFI
Provides security and authorization services with easy management
Pros and Cons
- "We must create a VIN on each node. You want to make the VIN ten times if you have a thin host. We mostly create VMs, and the vCenter publishes the template on all hosts."
- "The process of creating VLANs or any similar tasks requires following a specific procedure, which must be executed accurately to ensure successful deployment. That's the main concern."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
The point of management is the best advantage.
What is most valuable?
We must create a VLAN on each node. You want to make the VLAN ten times if you have a thin host. We mostly create VMs, and the vCenter publishes the template on all hosts.
What needs improvement?
The process of creating VLANs or any similar tasks requires following a specific procedure, which must be executed accurately to ensure successful deployment. That's the main concern.
Buyer's Guide
VMware vCenter
January 2025
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For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware vCenter for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool is stable.
How are customer service and support?
Support is satisfactory.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy. The field must have a clear meaning. One person can install the solution.
What was our ROI?
The focus is on the data center in business development. You must do so if you want to renew your license or purchase a new one for continuous business continuity.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is expensive. Earlier it costs around 50K dollars. They changed the license policy from perpetual to subscription.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have opted for Hypervisor from Microsoft AHV and Nutanix.
What other advice do I have?
It is integrated with the Nutanix platform, Dell, and HP. I recommend the solution because it is easy to manage virtualization.
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jul 1, 2024
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Administrador TIC at Cementos Molins
Enables users to move workloads between different servers and manage the infrastructure
Pros and Cons
- "We manage practically everything using the solution."
- "The monitoring features are limited."
What is our primary use case?
We use the product to manage the internal infrastructure. We use it in the cement division of a construction company.
What is most valuable?
VMware vCenter is a well-known tool. The tool is absolutely necessary. It helps manage our server. We have more than 200 servers. It would be very difficult for us if we did not have VMware vCenter. We extensively use automatic Distributed Resource Scheduler and migration tools to move workloads between different servers. The solution has defined virtual infrastructure management. It provides a single pane of glass to manage the infrastructure. We manage practically everything using the solution.
What needs improvement?
The monitoring features are limited. We need extra features from third-party products. We can do basic management with vCenter. The vendor needs to be more proactive. VMware sells other products to improve its capabilities. However, it would be good if the tool included proactive management to enable users to manage the virtual infrastructure better.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for 15 years.
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?
The solution scales well. It is our central point of contact. We need only one vCenter to manage different servers. It’s a good solution. We have four users.
How are customer service and support?
We use the support portal. Sometimes, finding what we need takes time. We can find it after some time, though.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
I rate the ease of setup an eight out of ten. The deployment can be done quickly. The deployment process is very straightforward. The vendor publishes the versions, and they can be deployed without any special knowledge or effort. The deployment takes less than an hour.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is affordable for now. With the acquisition of VMware by Broadcom, the policies are changing. It seems like the product will become more expensive. The solution costs us EUR 2000 to EUR 3000 per year.
What other advice do I have?
The main purpose of the tool is managing. Performance must be accomplished by correct sizing and analysis of vCenter hosts. I recommend the tool to others. It is not a luxury. It is a mandatory product. Overall, I rate the product 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.
Buyer's Guide
VMware vCenter
January 2025
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Learn what your peers think about VMware vCenter. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2025.
837,501 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Network manager admin at Yamaha
Helps host the entire set of production and development servers used in an organization
Pros and Cons
- "I can say that the product is stable because we have been using the tool for the last fifteen years in our company, and there has been no issue."
- "There have been some ongoing conflicts since VMware was taken over by Broadcom."
What is our primary use case?
I don't directly use VMware because I am in charge of the network side, and there is a server team that uses it. However, I use the solution in my company for the servers, local development, and production, as well as for managing all the servers.
What is most valuable?
I can say that the product is stable because we have been using the tool for the last fifteen years in our company, and there has been no issue. It is a very good product.
What needs improvement?
Nowadays, there are some problems with the product, especially after VMware was taken over by Broadcom. People face some challenges since Broadcom does not share any licenses with customers. The tool's licensing cost has increased too much compared to what it was in the past. Our company needs to check all the hardware to see if we need to buy VMware. To get some more details regarding the challenges faced, I will have to contact my company's server team. There have been some ongoing conflicts since VMware was taken over by Broadcom.
The tool's price and the hardware compatibility are areas of concern where improvements are required.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware vCenter for fifteen years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a very stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
As of now, there are no scalability issues with the product. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
My company uses SolarWinds for monitoring purposes.
How was the initial setup?
The product's initial setup phase is easy and not very complex.
The solution's initial setup phase takes three days.
What about the implementation team?
During the installation process, my company contacts the OEM and support and not the consultant's support. My company already has a technical team, so we take care of the tool, and if any issues arise with the product, we only talk to the OEM.
What was our ROI?
The tool's ROI is good since the last fifteen years my company has been using it, and there have been no issues. I know the tool has a very minimum number of issues. The entire production and development servers are hosted on VMware vCenter, so there is good ROI experienced by the organization.
What other advice do I have?
Speaking about the disaster recovery capabilities, my company has two data centers, one in Delhi, and the other one in Chennai. If there is a need to use the disaster recovery capabilities, our company can go for the failover.
I recommend the product to others who plan to use it, but before that, I would also suggest that they need to understand that VMware has been taken over by Broadcom and that they can face some price and hardware compatibility issues.
All of our company's development servers and production servers are hosted under VMware vCenter, which is valuable for our business since it allows our business to continue without any downtime. Not just the user communication but everything else is hosted on the vendor server.
I rate the tool an eight or nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jun 10, 2024
Flag as inappropriateCEO at BazTech
Offers centralized control over virtual machines and helps to reduce server costs
Pros and Cons
- "The tool is helpful because it gives us excellent control, maximizing server usage and resources. We can create numerous virtual machines and servers that host many services. Overall, we have had a very good experience. The most valuable feature for us is its elasticity. We can easily ramp up resources and bring in more processes for specific workloads, which was a nightmare earlier. This ability to extend resource availability for virtual users is particularly beneficial."
- "The support for the Linux operating system wasn't great when we used it."
What is most valuable?
The tool is helpful because it gives us excellent control, maximizing server usage and resources. We can create numerous virtual machines and servers that host many services. Overall, we have had a very good experience.
The most valuable feature for us is its elasticity. We can easily ramp up resources and bring in more processes for specific workloads, which was a nightmare earlier. This ability to extend resource availability for virtual users is particularly beneficial.
We were able to save data on at least ten on-prem servers. Using VMware vCenter, we reduced our server costs. We could utilize many resources by maximizing the usage of minimal servers.
The tool gave us centralized control over all our virtual machines, which was incredibly helpful. We could easily check our services and had fine-grained control over the environment. This saved us a lot of hassle and ensured we never had any major problems. It’s such a good product that I highly recommend it.
What needs improvement?
The support for the Linux operating system wasn't great when we used it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product since 2014.
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?
I am impressed with the solution's scalability. I rate it a ten out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
VMware vCenter's deployment is easy. It was pretty quick because we were looking at an enterprise deployment. It took us two or three days to configure all the virtual servers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
VMware vCenter is not expensive.
What other advice do I have?
We have Software Assurance, which helps our licenses get updated and upgraded. We never had to deal with outages or restore backups, as we took backups and never needed to restore any data from the tool.
I would recommend it to anyone and rate it a ten out of ten. It is highly recommended that they use the tool for proof of concepts and then opt to virtualize their environment. They will not regret it.
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.
Last updated: May 28, 2024
Flag as inappropriateDirector Of Technology Operations at Kutleng Engineering Technologies
An easy-to-use product that helps with virtualization
Pros and Cons
- "VMware vCenter has significantly improved our infrastructure management by enabling virtualization. We can virtualize our infrastructure, eliminating the need to access servers physically. Everything can be managed remotely."
- "One area where VMware vCenter has room for improvement is its transition to Broadcom. The change in licensing structure and pricing, particularly the shift from perpetual licenses to subscription-only models, is a significant drawback."
What is our primary use case?
We don't use VMware vCenter daily. It's installed and runs our servers, which we use daily but don't actively interact with it.
What is most valuable?
VMware vCenter has significantly improved our infrastructure management by enabling virtualization. We can virtualize our infrastructure, eliminating the need to access servers physically. Everything can be managed remotely.
The tool's most valuable feature is virtualization. It has positively impacted our operational efficiency by offering remote management capabilities through a user-friendly web interface. Its ease of use, as it doesn't require qualified personnel to operate, was a factor in our decision to purchase it.
What needs improvement?
One area where VMware vCenter has room for improvement is its transition to Broadcom. The change in licensing structure and pricing, particularly the shift from perpetual licenses to subscription-only models, is a significant drawback.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the product since 2016.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I would rate the VMware vCenter's stability as an eight out of ten. It's very stable, but after a long period, it started generating a lot of log files, which caused some server issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In our organization, only one administrator, myself, manages and uses VMware vCenter. No other users access the vCenter management console.
How are customer service and support?
I haven't contacted technical support yet.
How was the initial setup?
The tool's deployment is very easy. Our deployment of VMware vCenter took approximately two to three weeks. Due to the software's large size, it couldn't be completed in just a few hours or days.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed the product in-house. Two resources were needed to complete it.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The tool used to be worth the money, but after Broadcom acquired it and changed the pricing structure to subscription-only, it became too expensive for us to continue using. Unfortunately, we haven't found any alternative solutions that meet our needs, so this is a significant drawback for us as we explore other options.
What other advice do I have?
I wouldn't recommend VMware vCenter to others, especially since Broadcom acquired it. I rate the overall product 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.
VMware Administrator at Ingram Micro Saudi Arabia
Provides high avaibility and efficiently manages patch updates
Pros and Cons
- "The product's emphasis on high availability and DRS aligns with our priorities, making vCenter an integral component in our virtualized environment."
- "They could provide an easier way to learn NSX and troubleshooting processes for the product."
What is our primary use case?
We use the product for managing a large-scale virtualized infrastructure, specifically overseeing ten ESXi hosts. It helps us upgrade the databases for all the hosts through one console. It includes virtual machine creation to packet updates, and with additional tools like vCenter Lifecycle Manager, we can effortlessly handle patches and host migrations.
What is most valuable?
The product's emphasis on high availability and DRS aligns with our priorities, making vCenter an integral component in our virtualized environment.
What needs improvement?
They could provide an easier way to learn NSX and troubleshooting processes for the product.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The platform is 200% stable.
How are customer service and support?
We have not contacted the technical support team thus far. We have not encountered any significant issues or bugs in our production environment. We have been managing the product easily over the past six to seven years.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy. If someone were to approach me for guidance, I am confident that, given their interest and willingness to learn, I could teach them how to install and manage the product. It would probably take around typically within one or two days for the process.
However, learning and troubleshooting NSX may be more complex due to a perceived lack of proper educational materials and documentation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The product is expensive. From my experience, the per-core licensing model adds to the overall cost. They offer different licensing packages, including standard and enterprise. One notable aspect is the potential hidden costs associated with a few features. Using distributed switches or advanced tools may incur unexpected expenses. It's essential to thoroughly understand the licensing structure to avoid such hidden costs and ensure alignment with the organization's needs.
What other advice do I have?
I advise others to create an account on the VMware Partner Portal, where they can access trial versions of vCenter. Utilize the 60-day trial period to explore and test the hypervisor. Later, make a purchase decision depending on the budget and business use cases.
I rate it a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
System Administrator at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Has a valuable process cloning feature and manages virtual infrastructure efficiently
Pros and Cons
- "The product has improved our system's proactive support for in-built AI tools."
- "One notable area for enhancement revolves around cost considerations, as introducing features such as DDoS protection or data compression could reduce expenses."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case for VMware is in our IT environment, specifically within our data center for our Enterprise Application Testing (EAT) server.
How has it helped my organization?
The product has improved our system's proactive support for in-built AI tools. It automatically identifies potential issues and helps customers with feedback.
What is most valuable?
The product's most valuable feature is the ability to clone and snapshot the process for POC.
What needs improvement?
vCenter's demo functionality needs enhancement. One notable area for enhancement revolves around cost considerations, as introducing features such as DDoS protection or data compression could reduce expenses. We have an infrastructure comprising around 200 VMs that require approximately 20 terabytes of storage for efficient data management. The deduplication and compression features help organizations manage large numbers of servers, streamline operations, reduce storage requirements, and navigate capacity upgrades more seamlessly.
Nowadays, all the products have cloud functionality. Thus, they could introduce a hybrid cloud system and a unified licensing model. We have to buy several SLM licenses for different components, including a demo. Instead, they could include all functionalities in one license.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using VMware vCenter since 2010.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the platform's stability an eight out of ten. Whenever we encounter any technical issues, the support team resolves them.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
VMware vCenter is suitable for medium enterprises. We use the product for user acceptance testing and for providing cyber security for product and test environments. Thus, we are using a substantial number of 18 servers in our business infrastructure.
However, Nutanix is more scalable than VMware. We can host as many clusters as required using it.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple. However, Nutanix has a simpler process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The platform is highly-priced. It is suitable for medium enterprises. We use the product for user acceptance testing and for providing cyber security for product and test environments. Thus, we are using a substantial number of eighteen servers in our business infrastructure.
However, Nutanix is more scalable than VMware. We can host as many clusters as required using it.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We have evaluated Microsoft Hyper V, Nutanix, and other vendors along with VMware vCenter. Among them, Nutanix is more preferable.
What other advice do I have?
VMware vCenter provides excellent flexibility in terms of managing virtual infrastructure. We can provision services anytime. We can easily create a distribution suite and manage networks. I rate the platform's efficiency for multicluster operations an eight out of ten.
I rate the overall product an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
System Engineer at TARGET Integrated Systems
Optimizes resource management and an easy initial setup
Pros and Cons
- "I integrated with VMware products, which makes integration easy."
- "I usually use the DRS, distributed resource scheduling, to balance resources between mini ESXi and CPU."
- "The protocol interface or web page is not easy to use, and the personal portal is difficult to navigate."
- "The protocol interface or web page is not easy to use, and the personal portal is difficult to navigate."
What is our primary use case?
I installed VMware vCenter and ESXi. I use vCenter to manage the several ESXi under it. I have used the DRS, high availability, and fault tolerance in my vCenter.
What is most valuable?
I usually use the DRS, distributed resource scheduling, to balance resources between many ESXi. I also use SDRS to balance storage. High availability so if an ESXi server is down, the VM is started on another ESXi. This feature helps eliminate downtime. Additionally, I integrated with VMware products, which makes integration easy.
What needs improvement?
The performance is well, however, i didnot use different products to say my opinion.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used it for about two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If I use a critical system requiring zero downtime, I utilize vCenter and its features.
How are customer service and support?
After replacing the license with the new one on Broadcom for VMware, I faced some problems, however, I tried to solve them.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
Setting the solution up is easy.
What about the implementation team?
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I searched for the differences between automation tools like Morpheus and other features. I don't know if I may migrate to hyper-v or Nutanix, which are famous, or AWS, or Azure.
What other advice do I have?
I used the product extensively and didn't work much with different products, so I can't comment on that.
Overall, I rate this product 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.
Last updated: Jan 17, 2025
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