What is most valuable?
The vSAN technology is clearly the big game changer here. VMware's software-defined storage finally enables us to build a private cloud solution that scales much easier than we are used to.
We wanted to be able to grow much more dynamically than what we have been able to until now. Instead of big investments and complex storage installations, we now have an infrastructure where expansion is a lot easier because we can just buy four more new servers, plug them in and add them to the pool of resources.
How has it helped my organization?
We are moving faster every day and are developing new systems and services all the time. We expect the amount of projects this year to be 4-5 times as many as last year and we will be able to support that growth with this solution.
What needs improvement?
We did plan on using deduplication in our original specification, but during the planning of the configuration, we were advised against it by VMware.
It was a brand new feature, so it was, at the time, perhaps, too early to use it. I am expecting that we will use it in the future when it has matured.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used vSphere for seven months for the latest installation, but we have been running VMware for the last 10 years.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We haven't had stability issues that have affected our running servers. However, that is partly because we pay attention to new releases and what they contain, and we don't update just because a new version is available.
Some updates that we chose not to install had bugs that could have caused instability. Also, because we run such a wide range of products from VMware, one has to look at the support matrix before updating/upgrading software, as it may take some time before all products support each other.
We have had a few alarms and alerts in the system, but they have been resolved without any downtime.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is one of the major advantages of this new installation.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is no better or worse than what we have seen from other vendors. Usually it works well, but once in a while there are cases that seem to run in circles where you need to get in touch with your account manager and have them escalate the case to get progress.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used VMware for virtualization and NetApp for storage for about 10 years.
We stayed with VMware and decided to switch to vSAN because they have had a good track record here with stable products and we could save money (and grow more gradually) by running vSAN instead of a traditional storage system.
How was the initial setup?
I would say initial setup is complex. But we decided to go with best practices and we had consultants from VMware designing and planning the configuration for us, so it wasn't an issue.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Make sure your designs are complete so you can buy all the licenses and products you need as one purchase to get the best deal.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not look into alternative solutions for the virtualization part. But for storage, we looked at other vendors. For example: NetApp, Tintri, and Nimble.
What other advice do I have?
Start from scratch. Reject all your old dogmas about how things should be and what is right and embrace the functionality that is available.
We designed our system so we can use NSX and all the other features VMware has to offer, even though we didn't plan on using it in the beginning.
If you are putting constraints on your design because of ties to old legacy systems and designs, then you will never get the full benefits.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.