We are using this solution to build the AD database for the server.
Flexible, feature rich, and improves business operations
Pros and Cons
- "I have found the solution to be flexible, and the vCenter and vMotion useful."
- "This solution has kept our business operating and has saved us money."
- "There was a time we lost the password for the ESXi and we had to do a hardware reset. At this point, we had to fill up the ESXi from the bottom up. I am not sure if there was another solution to this problem but it took a long time."
- "The technical support agents are not clear about the issues that are being discussed; they cannot address the problem or estimate the time correctly."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has been very helpful to our organization. For example, if we need to run 10 servers there is a high cost attached if we buy the physical server, but if we use this solution we can buy a very large server then control everything. The most valuable feature has been the ability to utilize the vMotion when we have a problem. It has been invaluable for us when we had a problem with a broken host that we were able to redirect our traffic to a different host to keep the business operational.
What is most valuable?
I have found the solution to be flexible, and the vCenter and vMotion useful. When we have a server that is down we can use the vMotion to use another host. Additionally, the backup feature and graphics are very good. The documentations are clear and easy to understand.
What needs improvement?
There was a time we lost the password for the ESXi and we had to do a hardware reset. At this point, we had to fill up the ESXi from the bottom up. I am not sure if there was another solution to this problem but it took a long time. We were told it would only be a few hours to resolve but in fact, it took one day. Having to explain this downtime to management was not the best experience.
In an upcoming release, there could be a better ability to manage and control the synchronization of the power in the vSphere.
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VMware vSphere
March 2026
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For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good for everything we have been using the solution for. We have three IT users using this solution, if we upgrade our hardware we might increase usage.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support agents are not clear about the issues that are being discussed. They cannot address the problem or estimate the time correctly. In one particular issue, we needed to raise our ticket to the management level because they told us it would take two hours to be operational but the downtime was one day and one night. They should have first checked the vSphere technical aspects.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is very easy. It was not complicated at all.
What was our ROI?
This solution has kept our business operating and has saved us money.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is an annual cost for the use of this solution.
The price is a little high in developing countries. If they were able to reduce the price they would receive more customers now and even more in the future.
What other advice do I have?
I rate VMware vSphere an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Solution Architect at a educational organization with 11-50 employees
Built to provide redundancy and flexibility and can be scaled without any impact on production availability
Pros and Cons
- "It is a very stable solution. It performs well for our requirements. It has been running for a long time, so we are very knowledgeable about this solution. It is a very well-supported solution, and it is very flexible. The expansion of its functionality is dynamic."
- "It is a very well-supported solution, and it is very flexible; the expansion of its functionality is dynamic."
- "Its cost needs to be improved. It is very expensive as compared to other solutions."
- "It is very expensive as compared to other competitive hypervisor solutions in the market today."
What is our primary use case?
Currently, our whole infrastructure stack is residing on the VMware hypervisor. Everything we use is running on VMware. We have multi-site vCenter data centers. We have four sites, but they are two separate pairs of sites that provide redundancy. We will shortly also use VMware Site Recovery Manager for the two to four hours disaster recovery strategy.
We are on version 6.5 or 6.7, and we are moving to version 7.0 shortly.
What is most valuable?
It is a very stable solution. It performs well for our requirements. It has been running for a long time, so we are very knowledgeable about this solution.
It is a very well-supported solution, and it is very flexible. The expansion of its functionality is dynamic.
What needs improvement?
Its cost needs to be improved. It is very expensive as compared to other solutions.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been around VMware and vSphere for the last ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In terms of stability, it is very well-established and very stable. For any problems or issues that we've encountered in the past, their support was quite dynamic. We've had very good success in resolving any issues or problems. None of these issues or problems had a direct impact to live services. They have built it in a way so that it provides redundancy and flexibility. It ensures that your production environments remain available at all times, even in the case of problems or issues that could be encountered. I would give it an A for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is easily scalable, and it can be scaled without any impact on the availability of the production environment.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their support is very good. I would give them good grades. For any problems or issues that we've encountered in the past, their support was quite dynamic. We've had very good success in resolving any issues or problems. Because there are many different products in the stack, you need to ensure that you reach the right person for the product you're looking at, but it is always fairly simple and easy to reach the right person.
How was the initial setup?
The learning curve to actually get used to the product and know the product properly is fairly steep. I have been working with this solution for the last ten years, so it is not a new solution for me. I couldn't speak to today's onboarding process because I haven't onboarded in the last year. It has been many years.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is very expensive as compared to other competitive hypervisor solutions in the market today. Its competitors are actually more aggressive. Even though most of them are less established solutions, they have started to catch up in functionality and capacity, and their pricing is extremely aggressive.
What other advice do I have?
If someone is starting new with VMware, it is important that you either onboard someone who has experience with it or you ramp up the knowledge of your IT operations staff. It is far-reaching and complex and requires a good understanding to manage it properly. If you don't have a good understanding at the beginning, you could find yourself in situations where you're not getting the actual return on the solution because you're not managing it properly. The knowledge gap at the beginning has to be covered quite thoroughly.
I would rate VMware vSphere an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
VMware vSphere
March 2026
Learn what your peers think about VMware vSphere. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2026.
885,444 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Manager at SSMS
Easy to use and straightforward to implement with a nice dashboard
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very straightforward to implement."
- "The product offers a very nice single dashboard for complete management."
- "Technical support could be faster in terms of response times."
- "Technical support could be faster in terms of response times."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is primarily used for management. It offers easier control at multiple branches.
What is most valuable?
The product is stable.
The flexibility of the solution is very good.
The product is very easy to use.
The product offers a very nice single dashboard for complete management.
The solution is very straightforward to implement.
We found the scalability to be very good.
What needs improvement?
The solution doesn't seem to be missing any features currently.
It would be ideal if the integration capabilities were a bit more robust.
Technical support could be faster in terms of response times.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for about five or six years. It's been a while at this point.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's very reliable in terms of performance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is very good. We haven't seen any issues with expanding it if we need to.
There are about 15 to 20 users on the solution at this time.
While we don't have current plans to increase usage, if the business grows, we likely will.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is quite good. They are helpful and knowledgeable. That said, their response times need to be better. We would like them to respond faster to queries.
Other than that, we are satisfied with their level of service.
How was the initial setup?
The product is not overly complex to set up. It's very simple and straightforward. A company shouldn't have any issues with the implementation.
We have an admin team that can handle any maintenance required.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are looking for opportunities with Nutanix. We are looking at it now.
That said, we did not evaluate any other products before choosing this solution. However, many years back, we did look into Citrix.
What other advice do I have?
We are using the latest version of the solution at this point. I cannot speak to the exact version number off-hand.
We are not integrating the solution at this time.
I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. I would recommend the solution to other companies.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Head Of Infrastructure & Cloud ops at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Helps with large scale deployments and maintenance
Pros and Cons
- "Also, the automated builds are being done through it, and we don't have to manually do it anymore. All of my AIS platforms are completely automated now with the VM suite."
- "VMware vSphere gives us a complete landscape to manage the infrastructure in one view, and with REDOPS automation in place, it is easy for us to manage our VMs on top of it."
- "It could be more composable. At present, a fluid pool is not available to us. It would be great to have the flexibility."
- "It could be more composable. At present, a fluid pool is not available to us, and it would be great to have the flexibility."
What is most valuable?
VMware vSphere gives us a complete landscape to manage the infrastructure in one view. With the REDOPS automation in place, it is easy for us to manage our VMs on top of it.
Also, the automated builds are being done through it, and we don't have to manually do it anymore. All of my AIS platforms are completely automated now with the VM suite.
What needs improvement?
It could be more composable. At present, a fluid pool is not available to us, and it would be great to have the flexibility.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with VMware vSphere for more than eight years.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support has been good. On a scale from 1 to 5, with 5 being the best, I would rate technical support at 4.5.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
VMware vSphere helps with large scale deployments and maintenance. On a scale from one to ten, I would rate it at nine.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Logistics and product Manager at a security firm with 11-50 employees
A highly stable cloud computing virtualization platform
Pros and Cons
- "VMware vSphere is a stable platform. We never had any issues with VMware vSphere. Once you deploy it with a stable version of the server or the hardware, there's no issue at all."
- "VMware vSphere is a stable platform; we never had any issues with VMware vSphere, and once you deploy it with a stable version of the server or the hardware, there's no issue at all."
- "I know VMWare has this Operations Manager. I know that it comes at a price because VMWare normally wants to charge for everything in the software. But I'm not seeing all the features of the Operations Manager. I only see a few features. If all the features can be included in one package, that would be good."
- "I know VMWare has this Operations Manager. I know that it comes at a price because VMWare normally wants to charge for everything in the software."
What is our primary use case?
Our clients have a lot that they want to be deployed in an environment. What they normally do is buy two or three boxes, and then it's virtualized. We make the VM sit on those boxes. Within three boxes, they can have at least ten or 20 servers working for them. They have less power, less racking space, less cabling, and all that. That's how we use VMware.
What is most valuable?
VMware vSphere is a stable platform. We never had any issues with VMware vSphere. Once you deploy it with a stable version of the server or the hardware, there's no issue at all.
What needs improvement?
A little automation would help. VMs normally use CPU resources. Let's say that a particular host or a server has ten VMs. Out of that, five VMs are performing, and the others aren't performing at the best level. It would help if VMware automatically learned that, and the suit itself came down to that level. When you normally give a VM four CPUs and the entire GB memory, then memory and the CPU belong to that VM.
But let's say that the VM is not using four CPUs. It's just using two CPUs. Then automatically at the VM level and without the client or the customer knowing, it should just use it at the backend. It would be better this way instead of telling the customer that they are going to reduce it. For them, it's always four CPUs, but at the backend, it's always working with two CPUs or something like that. That would have been a cool feature.
I know VMWare has this Operations Manager. I know that it comes at a price because VMWare normally wants to charge for everything in the software. But I'm not seeing all the features of the Operations Manager. I only see a few features. If all the features can be included in one package, that would be good.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
VMware vSphere is a stable platform.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
VMware vSphere is a scalable platform.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is fantastic.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. It takes a normal amount of time to install the operating system.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Normally our clients go for a one-time cost because that's easier for them. They don't want to go for recurring costs. But some clients prefer to go for recurring costs. It depends on the client and doesn't depend on us.
Once you pay for the standard license, that's it unless you want another feature to be activated. That's a different thing.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten, I would give VMware vSphere a 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
Head of enterprise systems at Fidelity Bank Plc
Good dynamic resource scheduling and fault tolerance capabilities
Pros and Cons
- "Its dynamic resource scheduling and its fault tolerance capabilities are two features that I've found to be valuable. I also like that VMware vSphere is stable, scalable, and easy to install."
- "Its dynamic resource scheduling and its fault tolerance capabilities are two features that I've found to be valuable."
- "I would like to see improvements in simplifying automation, cloud native deployment, administration, and fault resolution."
- "I would like to see improvements in simplifying automation, cloud native deployment, administration, and fault resolution."
What is our primary use case?
It's used as a private cloud, and currently, we operate the original enterprise infrastructure. For VMware, a majority of the workload is posted on VMware, and it's posted on the HCI solution.
What is most valuable?
Its dynamic resource scheduling and its fault tolerance capabilities are two features that I've found to be valuable. I also like that VMware vSphere is stable, scalable, and easy to install.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see improvements in simplifying automation, cloud native deployment, administration, and fault resolution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using VMware vSphere since 2008.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
My impression is that it's a very stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I believe that VMware vSphere is scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
The customer service and technical support were fine.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used Hyper-V, which is a Microsoft product.
How was the initial setup?
It was easy to install. We performed a complete deployment because it was a full MCI, so it required some architecture. I believe it took about a month.
What about the implementation team?
I used consultants for the implementation process because it was a refresh project.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I currently use the yearly licensing option, and I think that the pricing is fine for this solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution at 9, on a scale from one to ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Software Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
A straightforward setup with good stability and the capability to scale
Pros and Cons
- "The solution can scale well."
- "The solution is stable, with no bugs or glitches, and it doesn't crash or freeze, providing reliable performance."
- "The solution is quite expensive."
- "The solution is quite expensive."
What is our primary use case?
We are primarily using the solution as our virtualization platform.
We procure some licenses for vSphere Standard and we are using it to replicate to VM so that we can have at least that level of redundancy. On the upcoming project for VxRail, we'll be using it for a hyper-converged platform, where you can have high availability and failover capability in real-time.
What is most valuable?
The solution has been quite stable.
The solution can scale well.
We found the initial setup to be pretty straightforward.
What needs improvement?
The solution is quite expensive.
I haven't evaluated or looked at any other solutions for the most part and therefore can't speak to any aspect that is really lacking compared to what else is on the market.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for about five years at this point. It's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. The performance is good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is quite scalable. We ordered a solution where the initial number of nodes is just three, however, after the design, it can grow up to 64 nodes.
If it's deployed on a hyper-converged solution, yes, it will be scalable.
Only the system admins use the solution. There are around not more than 10.
We plan to continue to use the solution and to scale it up, as we build out our infrastructure.
How are customer service and technical support?
We bought the solution through a Dell partner and we get support through them if we need it. We don't deal directly with VMware. I can't speak to how their technical support services are. Our Dell partner connection acts as a middle man between our company and VMware, therefore, they deal with VMware directly.
How was the initial setup?
The solution is pretty simple to set up if it's a stand-alone.
We have two departments that have technical teams that can handle maintenance on the solution.
What about the implementation team?
We used an integrator that was a VMware partner and they assisted us with the implementation process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are currently buying some more licenses to be able to move to version 7.
The solution is expensive, however, due to the criticality of the features on offer, for us, it's worth the cost.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I haven't really looked at too many other solutions, other than Hyper-V. VMware seems to be way better overall if you compare just those two.
What other advice do I have?
We are currently in the process of moving to version 7 of the solution.
I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. We've been mostly quite satisfied with the solution overall. I'd recommend it to other companies.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior System Engineer at a comms service provider with 201-500 employees
Feature-rich, easy to install, stable, with good support
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to use."
- "It is easy to use and the features are very rich."
- "They have multiple components required for the setup. It would be better to integrate it into one solution, especially for small business companies."
- "They have multiple components required for the setup. It would be better to integrate it into one solution, especially for small business companies."
What is our primary use case?
We are resellers of VMware products. We sell both VMware vSphere and VMware vSAN.
This solution is used for infrastructure virtualization. It is deployed to get the most benefits of our hardware or for the user's hardware.
What is most valuable?
It is easy to use.
The features are very rich.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see it more open to working with other platforms.
They could improve the pricing. The license could be cheaper.
They have multiple components required for the setup. It would be better to integrate it into one solution, especially for small business companies.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been acquainted with vSphere for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable solution. We have between 10 and 20 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is fine.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
Depending on the environment, it can take a couple of days to complete the installation and configuration.
We have a team of two engineers to complete the entire setup.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It's a perpetual license paid on a yearly basis.
A customer can buy a license and support on a yearly basis.
The pricing should be more flexible and more affordable for the customer.
What other advice do I have?
I can recommend vSphere to other users who are looking into implementing it.
I would rate VMware vSphere an eight 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. Reseller
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