This is a fantastic product, it is easy to deploy and to manage, and it suits our requirements.
Network Manager at Bank of Abyssinia
Extremely easy to deploy and manage; suitable for our requirements
Pros and Cons
- "Easy to deploy and manage."
- "This is quite an expensive solution."
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
It is quite an expensive solution for us and I would like to see some improvements on the backup side of the solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for three years.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
Buyer's Guide
VMware vSAN
March 2025

Learn what your peers think about VMware vSAN. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
842,690 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is quite expensive for us.
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.

System Administrator for virtual platforms at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
A stable storage solution that we have come to trust
Pros and Cons
- "It is more stable now than it was before. It's not like it was in the first year. Now it is stable, and we trust it more."
- "Disaster recovery needs to be improved, when there is a crisis, there is a problem with what is the quickest way to get out of it."
What is our primary use case?
We use this as storage solution for specific VMware services and for backup solution.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is stability.
What needs improvement?
Disaster recovery needs to be improved, when there is a crisis, there is a problem with what is the quickest way to get out of it. This should be done automatically, not manually.
If we have a power failure then you have to find your way manually. There 's no way to automatically fix it. So there should be an automatic way to repair such crises from disaster recovery.
In the next release, I would like to see more clarity on where the files are. the details of the files, for example, where the owners of the files are, and more audits.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have beeing using VSAN for the last three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is more stable now than it was before. It's not like it was in the first year.
Now it is stable, and we trust it more.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We don't want to enlarge the environment. If we have a new need, we will separate and start a new system.
We don't want to have a general-purpose infrastructure. It's not a good idea for our purposes.
We value less scalability more accurate assessment as it is not the way in our environment. We don't want to add more nodes to the same cluster, it's not a good idea. We separate it.
How are customer service and technical support?
We get immediate response from the vendor on phone. For tasks onsite its not sufficient.
of course its a matter of service level, no complaints.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
No, software solutions from VMware based on VMware platforms no migrations.
What about the implementation team?
The integrator "vendor team" had good experience at the last project. level of expertise was very good.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this 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?
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
VMware vSAN
March 2025

Learn what your peers think about VMware vSAN. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
842,690 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Senior Systems Administrator at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
We can set up storage policies and assign them at the disk level.
What is most valuable?
I find that vSAN allows for very easy administration. The fact that you don't have LUNs to set up and assign is great. The ability to set up storage policies and assign them at the disk level is also a great part of this product. You can allow for different setups for different workload requirements.
How has it helped my organization?
vSAN allowed for the expansion of our Public Library Patron computer environment into a three-node VMware cluster using commodity servers. This eliminated the need for expensive disk arrays and controllers while providing greater reliability and performance.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using vSAN in one environment for about eight months and another environment for about four months.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
The only issue I encountered during deployment was with the hardware and not with vSAN itself. The disks in the new servers were installed at the factory as RAID disks. I had to mark them as non-RAID disks, so that vSAN would be able to see them correctly for addition to disk groups.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have had no issues with stability.
How are customer service and technical support?
Fortunately, I have not had to contact support for any issues with my implementations.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have a Nutanix environment running in production as well. We chose VMware vSAN for several reasons. First, the vSAN solution is part of the ESXi kernel. This allows for the product to be very fast with little overhead. Secondly, vSAN is included in the Enterprise Plus version of ESXi which, compared to competing products, provides a great cost savings.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward, as was learning the vSAN environment. The complexity comes in setting up and managing the storage policies. These can be simple or complex depending on the environment. When using VMware Horizon View, there are several storage policies that are auto-created and -managed. Creating and managing your own policies and rule sets depend on your needs and workloads.
What was our ROI?
VMware vSAN is included in the Enterprise Plus level of software that we purchase. Our cost savings is in buying commodity server hardware with local hard drives instead of investing in large SAN hardware.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Software Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
It is scalable, and I have observed no stability issues when deployed as instructed.
What is most valuable?
The reduction in cost of storage: In my most recent deployment, we reduced cost from around $20,000 per TB (CapEx) to less than $1,000 per TB (CapEx). This is not taking into account deduplication/compression or the ability to add disks and scale vertically, not incurring licensing costs, which would drive the cost down further.
Traditional SANs require large up-front costs, and with "forklift" upgrades, you end up spending a very large amount of money initially and then expect to recoup the costs over the lifetime of the array. This is not how vSAN – or any other HCI (hyperconverged infrastructure) product – works. The idea is to have a small initial investment and, with horizontal/vertical scaling, you can grow into the needs of your environment. This can be accomplished several ways, by either adding more disks to each host (vertical scaling) or by adding more nodes to the cluster (horizontal scaling). This allows for much greater flexibility with your storage. Before HCI, you were required to guess how much storage you were going to need, and were stuck with what you guessed at.
Upgrades are also much simpler. Because the system is software-defined, you simply upgrade the software rather than the entire hardware stack. If you want to upgrade the hardware, you would then simply add nodes in, and remove older nodes. It is also possible to create a new cluster and do a swing migration; however, this is similar to older-style upgrades. The point is that there are a lot of options available with HCI systems.
How has it helped my organization?
Management of the environments is overall simpler, allowing for during-hours patching with no downtime and little risk; also allowing us to stay more current with patching, reducing the overall risk of the environments.
What needs improvement?
The worst part of vSAN, as with most VMware products, is that you need to use the vSphere Web Client to interact with it. The vSphere Web Client is slow and clunky, making interacting with the system difficult and often times painful. I have been told that the new version of the web client will be significantly better, but do not have personal experience with it. Other than being difficult to work with, it can cause outage scenarios to take significantly longer to troubleshoot because you waste a lot of time waiting for the client to load information, or just load in general. It is a huge drawback for an otherwise very good product.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used it in various deployment scenarios since 2015, or about 1.5 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I have observed no stability issues when the product is deployed as instructed. It can and will have stability issues if you do not follow the hardware compatibility list (HCL) or the vSAN Deployment and Sizing Guide.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product scales easily, up easier than down, due to the need to remove the disks and migrate the data from the nodes you wish to remove from the cluster.
How are customer service and technical support?
Actual support engineers are excellent; however, opening cases is often difficult/frustrating.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In my current project, the customer previously used EMC VMAX arrays. As detailed elsewhere, the CapEx savings were incredible.
How was the initial setup?
During my current project, initial setup was very complex, though this was by our own choosing and was needlessly complex. In the past, setups were often very straightforward, though you need to verify your design properly, as mentioned.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
VMware licensing is per socket for VSAN, like everything else. The platform is very flexible, so be sure to look at all your options.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I was not part of the evaluation process but cost was a major factor, as well as high availability.
What other advice do I have?
Discuss the deployment with VMware sales; I've met several of them and they are generally smart people looking to help get you the best deployment possible.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Field Support Administrator at a energy/utilities company with 1,001-5,000 employees
We now have the ability to virtualize across multiple data centers and to consolidate more workloads on different types of storage.
How has it helped my organization?
Previously, we couldn’t consolidate more workloads on different types of storage. Now with VSAN, we have the ability to virtualize across multiple data centers.
What needs improvement?
It's currently doing everything we've ask of it and it meets all our needs right now. To be honest, I don’t think too much about the future of the product or what we might need it to do as our requirements change.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's got good stability - 10/10.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's got good scalability - 10/10.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
N/A
Technical Support:They are good – the response time is quick. You pay for it, but they are good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
No previous solution was used.
How was the initial setup?
It was simple and straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We've implemented it both on our own and with a vendor team, and it's straightforward with both.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No other options were looked, but peer reviews are important. My peer reviews are usually on social media channels, but it's important.
Product knowledge is the most important criteria we look for when selecting a vendor.
What other advice do I have?
Try it and evaluate it – it's not a fit for every company, but you should at least do an evaluation to see if it is a fit.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Has good Data management and recovery process features
Pros and Cons
- "Data management and recovery processes are the most valuable features."
- "Improvements are also needed as per the customer's requirements."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for our entire architecture. They have removed the storage part. We used to use IBM and NetApp for storage solutions.
What is most valuable?
Data management and recovery processes are the most valuable features.
What needs improvement?
Unless there is some network issue, everything is fine.
Improvements are also needed as per the customer's requirements.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware vSAN for six years.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Implementer
Solution Specialist at Dotcad Pvt Ltd
Great option for network security and integration of NSX technology
Pros and Cons
- "Easy-to-use, and easy-to-scale product."
- "The upgrading process could be simplified."
What is our primary use case?
Our customers use this product when they don't want to deploy an expensive storage device but they're looking for good storage technology. I'm a system integrator.
What is most valuable?
This is a mature, easy-to-use, and easy-to-scale type of technology. When a customer wants network security and integration of NSX technology, vSan is a good solution.
What needs improvement?
I'd like to see a simplification of the upgrading process. For now, I have to verify each and every component before upgrading. If there were a technology to check the compatibility without the complexity, it would be helpful to users.
For how long have I used the solution?
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.
How are customer service and support?
Whenever I need support from VMware, I get very good support from the team.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is somewhat complex. It involves checking hardware compatibility before buying it and installing the VMware components. One person can deploy an entire environment in a day.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing costs are more or less on par with other similar products.
What other advice do I have?
It's important to check the compatibility before deploying. This is a good solution and I rate it nine out of 10.
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
Senior System Engineer at VAKIFBANK
Straightforward and easy to use, but requires data services like remote replication
What is our primary use case?
Virtual environment.
How has it helped my organization?
It helped to reduce storage costs.
What is most valuable?
Straightforward and easy to use.
What needs improvement?
Data services like remote replication.
For how long have I used the solution?
Trial/evaluations only.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

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Updated: March 2025
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