IT Administrator at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
VMware Server: Still one of the best virtualization tool
What is most valuable?
VMware Server is a free, easy-to-use Windows and Linux application that provides a superior introductory experience to server virtualization for businesses to optimize utilization of their technology assets.
Below mentioned standout features explains why VMware is so popular among all virtualization software's:
•You don’t need to configure your hardware: VMware installs on top of existing OS, you don't really have to worry about configuring hardware to work with it.
• Simple and basic Installation: VMware has done a great job making it easy to install.
• Web-based management interface: Manage your VMWare installation via Web browser.
• Large support for guest operating systems: Every version of Windows and many Linux distributions are supported.
What needs improvement?
1. In January 2010, VMware announced the End of Support for VMware Server with support ending on June 30, 2011. Users are free to continue using VMware Server but are recommended to migrate to another VMware offering to gain the benefits of newer technologies.
2. Additional Layer affect performance: Machine's own operating system sits between the hardware and virtualization software- meaning it isn't one of those bare‐metal virtualization products that you install directly on the server. The result is that a portion of machines capability isn't available to your VMware server because it’s devoted to running the underlying operating system.VMware is also known for the below given features :
• Supports two-processor SMP systems and enables single virtual machine to span multiple processors: Allows you to take advantage of multiprocessing.
• Virtual state capture : Capture your virtual machine’s state so if a problem arises you can roll back to a previous state.
• Easy migration path to other VMWare products : upgrading to a different product is easy.
What other advice do I have?
All these features mean that VMware Server is a great platform for personal experimentation or light business use. I've personally had a VMware Server host with a couple guest machines running continuously since 2009.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Freelance, Automation Project Administration, DCS, I&E at Centennial Cayman Corp Chile S.A
The connectivity is good, and many functions can run together in one server
Pros and Cons
- "The connectivity is fantastic, and many functions can run together in one server. If you need to scale, we can continue to add components or modules. It's a beautiful virtual solution that has many advantages over physical hardware, where you have to use devices and wiring to connect all your projects."
- "I'm using vSphere at a high level. Sometimes, I find it challenging to integrate different networks, but I think it's just my lack of knowledge."
What is our primary use case?
vSphere is for virtualizing some real computers, and then they can be used as hot spares. Sometimes you need to complement some functions or perform some work on them.
What is most valuable?
The connectivity is fantastic, and many functions can run together in one server. If you need to scale, we can continue to add components or modules. It's a beautiful virtual solution that has many advantages over physical hardware, where you have to use devices and wiring to connect all your projects.
What needs improvement?
I'm using vSphere at a high level. Sometimes, I find it challenging to integrate different networks, but I think it's just my lack of knowledge. For example, some companies have private internal networks, so we must connect to external networks, routers, or switches.
And the backups are something we have to integrate with one of them because they are just running with what they have. And I don't know why it wasn't considered from the beginning because they believe that they can back up the whole computer, but it's not a good solution. I have taken measures like exporting critical databases that I normally modify and figure out, but I would prefer a centralized system.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I haven't had any problems with stability.
How are customer service and support?
I'm usually able to find solutions for my issues by logging into the blogs and searching for answers.
How was the initial setup?
When I first got involved with vSphere, I thought it was fantastic to use the default. Once it was deployed, I could check on the rail systems, and everything worked very well. The best thing is that the tests I run to understand the situation can also run parallel. So I found it all straightforward. However, primarily I'm working on a platform already built by the companies that provide them. I do some maintenance and modifications of the customer's applications. Setting up this solution isn't generally part of my job.
What other advice do I have?
I rate vSphere 10 out of 10. It's perfect. I know some people are very conservative and don't want to even mess with them, but I would argue that it's a way to avoid risking physical installations or making mistakes in real life. You can do all your testing virtually.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Buyer's Guide
VMware vSphere
March 2025

Learn what your peers think about VMware vSphere. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
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Founder at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees
Higher availability with excellent technical support and great stability
Pros and Cons
- "Technical support is helpful and always available."
- "If they improve on the knowledge base and documentation, it would be extremely helpful."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for the virtualization of the environment. We've converted more than 90% of our environment from physical to virtual.
What is most valuable?
The higher availability and the vMotion, I would say, are what makes it very interesting as you avoid systems being down. It provides, if you cluster, high availability, and your services can move from system to system to avoid downtime.
The solution is stable.
The scalability is great.
Technical support is helpful and always available.
What needs improvement?
There are certain issues that can be improved. No solution is perfect, even though it's working for most of us most of the time. There are certain issues that crop up and some of them are not due to VMware. It could be due to the hardware it is running on. Therefore, it would be ideal if they could provide more knowledge on the fault tolerance and the high availability as some things are just assumed and then users find later that the use cases are different. Sometimes you may assume something applies to a use case only to find that it doesn't. If they improve on the knowledge base and documentation, it would be extremely helpful.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution since 2012. It's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the product is good. I haven't dealt with bugs or glitches. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is scalable. You can increase the number of servers. You can increase the number of computer resources, storage, CPU, memory. It's up to you how huge you want your clusters to be.
This is an enterprise solution. It is not used by users. It is an enterprise technology solution. Therefore, we won't be adding more users.
Almost all the engineers in the organization are using the solution. I would say maybe 15 engineers are actively using it.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is always there. They're always available. When you have an issue, you just log a call with them and set up a service request. They assist you directly. An engineer will be assigned to assist.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have other tools, such as Oracle VM, which we are using in other areas, however, VMware is used more than the Oracle VM.
How was the initial setup?
For the initial setup, you need to do design work with someone who understands VMware, who is actually certified by VMware. You need someone certified to do it.
Deployment is not a problem. As long as you take time doing your design, the deployment will not take long. You can do it within a week.
If you have one certified engineer, the implementation will go fine.
In terms of the management of the solution, we have about four engineers who are looking after it.
What about the implementation team?
You cannot do it by yourself. You need a certified engineer. That's a requirement from VMware and it's so that the environment is stable to avoid unnecessary scraping.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You do need a license. Most of these vendors also offer what they call the free version of the software. If you want more support, more features, you have to go for the paid versions. That said, you can still get the free or community version of it.
What other advice do I have?
I'd recommend the solution to other users. It's a good technology. They're pioneers in the industry.
I'd rate the solution at 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.
System support engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Easy to install with good stability and great scalability
Pros and Cons
- "The product is very easy to install."
- "The reporting could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for real-time backups. It can create new VMs.
What is most valuable?
The solution is stable.
I don't have a problem with scalability.
The product is very easy to install.
What needs improvement?
The reporting could be improved.
We'd like to see better monitoring. There should be better alert systems in place.
For how long have I used the solution?
We['ve been using the solution for two to three years at this point. It hasn't been too long.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The product has been stable so far. The performance and reliability are good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product can scale. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so.
We have two people using the solution at this time.
We have basically updated the hard disk size of VMware servers so that to accommodate the data of the existing clients. I can't say if we will scale beyond this.
How are customer service and support?
We have called VMware regarding Microsoft Cloud integration.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were using a third-party utility product. Now, events are being pushed through VMware.
How was the initial setup?
The installation process is quite straightforward. It's not overly complex. I wouldn't say it's difficult. A company shouldn't have any issues with the setup process.
While we have an integrator handle our deployment we manage the solution by ourselves, in-house.
You only need two people for deployment or maintenance tasks.
What about the implementation team?
We had an integrator with us through the process and they assisted with the setup initially.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have a yearly subscription that we pay for this product.
What other advice do I have?
While we are currently using the on-premises deployment, our plan is to move completely to the cloud.
We are using the latest version of the solution at this point. I can't speak to the exact version number.
I'd rate the solution at a ten out of ten overall. It's a very useful product.
I would recommend the solution to other users or other companies.
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.
Senior System & Security Administrator at a legal firm with 51-200 employees
Good application and services
Pros and Cons
- "VMware vSphere has very good applications and services."
- "Here in Egypt, we would like everything free. So if you give us the license for free, we would be thrilled."
What is our primary use case?
We use vSphere to create virtual machines, connect them with centralized storage, and manage the vSphere servers. Many of our customers use vSphere. It's famous in Egypt.
What is most valuable?
VMware vSphere has very good applications and services.
For how long have I used the solution?
We've been working with vSphere for about three years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
VMware vSphere is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
VMware support is very helpful. Their team is very knowledgeable and useful.
How was the initial setup?
Setting up vSphere is very easy. It takes about three or four technicians to implement, including one manager and three admins.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay for an annual subscription. We recommend users pay for VMware support because you might need it. We cannot use it without the support license. Here in Egypt, we would like everything free. So if you give us the license for free, we would be thrilled.
What other advice do I have?
I rate vSphere 10 out of 10. I would recommend it to others.
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
Chief Technology Officer at perfekt
Stable, scalable, easy to install and has good tech support
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup is very simple."
- "The integration with containers should be addressed."
What is our primary use case?
While we work with the latest version, we also support customers when it comes to backing up their older versions, meaning we work with a variety of different ones.
Many of our customers have their core infrastructure on vSphere platforms. They make use of the solution for their virtual environments when it comes to their educational and healthcare institutions.
What is most valuable?
We consider the virtualization of CPU and storage resources to be a valuable feature.
What needs improvement?
The integration with containers should be addressed. While they have started to integrate with Tanzu, the integration is not that good at the moment.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware vSphere for 15 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
As the solution has been around for a while, it's quite stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is easy to scale.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have take advantage of technical support. It is very good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very simple.
Its duration depends on how big the environment is. Huge ones may take several weeks for implementation, while smaller ones would take several days.
What about the implementation team?
Once the solution is deployed, there is a need for specific maintenance, as there are security vulnerabilities which must be considered, or new features or versions that may be put out.
We provide all the maintenance for the customers. As we also have services organizations, we manage some of these environments on the customers behalf.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
As the vSphere platform allows for a variety of additions, it is quite good. There is enterprise plus, enterprise and standard, so the pricing is not too bad.
What other advice do I have?
The solution is mostly deployed on-premises, although we also have cloud deployments.
This product is suitable for a company of any size.
The solution rates competitively against Nutanix and Microsoft. Overall, I feel it to be a pretty proven platform, although the underlying platform, or the management and features that surround it, are of secondary importance. BDI is the main focus.
I rate VMware vSphere as an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
IT Infrastructure Specialist at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
A cloud computing virtualization platform that's pretty stable
Pros and Cons
- "It's a very useful solution. It's easy to set up, and it's pretty stable."
- "It could be more scalable."
What is our primary use case?
We use VMware vSphere for virtualization, especially server virtualization.
What is most valuable?
It's a very useful solution. It's easy to set up, and it's pretty stable.
What needs improvement?
It could be more scalable.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware vSphere for about ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
VMware vSphere is pretty stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
VMware vSphere can be scalable. We can scale it as much as we want, but it could be more scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is pretty good. It took us about an hour to implement this solution.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented VMware vSphere. We need about two people to set up and maintain this solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We pay for our license.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to new users.
On a scale from one to ten, I would give VMware vSphere a ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Head Of Network & Technical Support at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Excellent virtualization, high performance, and simple installation
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is easy to use, has high performance, and good virtualization."
- "The solution is stable. However, it could improve by being more secure."
What is our primary use case?
We are using this solution for a lot of proposes, such as in production environments.
What is most valuable?
The solution is easy to use, has high performance, and good virtualization.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. However, it could improve by being more secure.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have found the solution scalable.
We have approximately 500 people using the solution in my organization.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have been satisfied with the technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used another solution previously.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward and is easy to manage. It took approximately two hours to install.
What about the implementation team?
We did the implementation of the VMware vSphere and we have a team of 15 that does the implementation and maintenance of the solution. The team consists of managers and heads of departments.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a standard license required for this solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate VMware vSphere a nine out of ten.
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.

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Updated: March 2025
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Alin
kb.vmware.com
OVF is a full VM so there is a number of links so check them all OVF work with ESX the kb goes into how to work with ESXI