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it_user321669 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Systems Engineer at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Vendor
Its hardware abstraction allows us to refresh easier. There are, however, some networking changes, storage integrations, and leverage features that aren’t available.

What is most valuable?

  • Hardware consolidation
  • Easy provisioning
  • Speed to get environments out to business units

How has it helped my organization?

  • Hardware abstratction (lets us refresh easier)
  • Storage
  • DRS

What needs improvement?

There are some networking changes, storage integration, and leverage features that aren’t available.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's pretty solid, there's a few bugs, but nothing detrimental.

Buyer's Guide
VMware vSphere
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about VMware vSphere. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's very scalable and easy to deploy.

How are customer service and support?

It's got pretty good tech support, quick answers, and they integrate well with certain key partners (Cisco, NetApp, etc.).

How was the initial setup?

It was very straightforward.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Five years ago I used vSphere in a small data center that needed to go virtual. vSphere was more mature than other solutions, and I did a lot of test devs with it and it proved its stability.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend it, as it's very stable and robust. Make sure you stay current, and up to date.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Senior System Engineer at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Vendor
From compute and storage perspectives, we use our resources more efficiently. But although I wasn't involved in initial setup, they should apply consistent policies and have them function singularly.

Valuable Features

It gives us flexibility in deploying infrastructure. With vMotion, we're able to move critical VMs around our cluster infrastructure, which we manage with DRS.

Improvements to My Organization

From a compute and storage perspective, we're able to use our resources much more efficiently.

Room for Improvement

it’s so simple that it’s idiot proof.

Stability Issues

We never have a problem. It’s almost set it and forget it. Once configured, it takes care of itself. Usually any issues are with hardware, which can’t be helped. With vSphere running on UCS, we’re thrilled.

Scalability Issues

We’ve needed to scale and have had no problems in deploying nodes into clusters and getting their profiles. It’s very simple.

Customer Service and Technical Support

We've not had to engage them in some time. In the past, we never had a bad experience. We had complex tech issues which we worked through the night and they stayed with me on the phone.

Initial Setup

I was not involved, but it would be simple to apply consistent set of policies and get them to function as a single entity.

Other Advice

It’s incredibly mature and simple. It’s one of those things where you say “why not?”

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
VMware vSphere
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about VMware vSphere. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user333873 - PeerSpot reviewer
Director of IT at a engineering company with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
We're able to use less hardware and consume less power, although the performance manager needs improvement.

What is most valuable?

vMotion, which lets us migrate from one server to another, is a really beneficial feature.

How has it helped my organization?

We are using

  • less hardware and
  • less power

as a result of this solution.

What needs improvement?

Improvements need to be made in the performance manager.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used it for over 10 years.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

No issues encountered.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No issues encountered.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No issues encountered.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

5/10.

Technical Support:

5/10.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I didn't use any other solution.

How was the initial setup?

Setup was very easy.

What about the implementation team?

We used a vendor team who were 5/10.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I advise that you take your time and get the most you can for the money.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

This was the only solution we looked at.

What other advice do I have?

Spend time learning the product before going into production. Buy the vCenter software. That is a must.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
it_user320466 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network/Systems Administrator at South Plains Electric Co-Op
Vendor
We were able to scale up from 10 to 80 machines, something we couldn't have done with physical servers. Training, however, should be made more available.

What is most valuable?

  • Ease of upgrading
  • Ease of backups
  • Ease of deployment

How has it helped my organization?

We now have a quicker deployment of machines, as it’s been far more cost effective than our physical servers with a smaller footprint.

What needs improvement?

It’s pretty good the way it is, I can’t think of anything else I need.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It’s very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We started with maybe 10, we’re up to 80, and it’s been very easy to add them all on.

How are customer service and technical support?

I’d say they were very good, they’re very quick and responsive, I can’t think of them ever not being able to an issue.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We were running physical servers, the industry was headed that way, and we knew that we had to. Furthermore, 80 physical servers is too much to fit into one room.

What about the implementation team?

I didn’t set it up, but I think they had a consultant come in.

What other advice do I have?

Probably the availability of training is the most important thing to look at when choosing a vendor. It’s not perfect but it’s pretty good, and VMware is great.

Peer reviews are pretty important, it’s an easy way to look at hands on market research that you don’t have to pay for, to be honest.


Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user320667 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Infrastructure Engineer at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
We're able to accept every request to build new VMs and can leverage it with the API's, although it still requires programming experience as the process isn't fully automated.

Valuable Features

It's flexibility is most valuable, as we're able to move things around without downtime.

Improvements to My Organization

We now have 200 virtual machines because building a machine is so easy that anyone can do it. Now, our answer is "yes" for any requests for new VMs.

Room for Improvement

More automation would be good. You can leverage CLI or vSphere with the API’s so that allows you to do anything, but if you don’t have programming experience you are limited.

Stability Issues

Pretty solid, like any technology there are gonna be some pitfalls, nothing is perfect, but there is no clear disadvantage for making it virtual.

Scalability Issues

Very scalable, I don’t think we’ve hit a limit. Were running 2000 virtual machines on 50 hosts and that’s one data center, and we haven’t nearly hit our ceiling.

Customer Service and Technical Support

I haven’t used it that often – they are responsive. It's pretty standard, not above average.

Initial Setup

Pretty straightforward, I've installed vCenter dozens of times, and I've run into a few issues, but other than that its pretty easy.

Other Solutions Considered

We've looked at Hyper-V, Citrix, Openstack, but we continue to use vSphere, because it’s a market leader – it’s a stable company, not going anywhere.

25% of the server costs are now going to VMware; it's expensive. The stability of the company is always important to look at though.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user321078 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at a retailer with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
We're able to virtualize hundreds of servers at as low a cost as possible, with planned implementation of Operation Management and, perhaps, VSAN as well.

What is most valuable?

  • The ability to virtualize hundreds of servers
  • Hardware cost

How has it helped my organization?

We are a small company so having a solution that bring the costs as low as possible is the most valuable thing.

What needs improvement?

Right now, I’m looking to implement v6 with Operation Management so that would be the next step, and maybe VSAN as well.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's pretty stable, coupled with good performance.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Really high.

How are customer service and technical support?

Luckily we have never had to use them – that says a lot.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have always been using vSphere.

How was the initial setup?

Setup was very straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented on our own.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

To be honest, I didn’t try Microsoft, or Citrix, so it's difficult to compare, but I'm used to it and it works – works great.

What other advice do I have?

Compatibilities with software, with OS, we have some applications that are only running on XP and 32 bits. You need to do some research to make it work.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user320298 - PeerSpot reviewer
Technology Services Manager at Oden
Vendor
It saves me time when spinning up machines for dev environments, is stable, and scales well.

What is most valuable?

The ability to spin up machines when we need a test and dev environment for client work.

How has it helped my organization?

It saves me time, and at the end of the day, that’s it for me.

What needs improvement?

It fits my needs right now, I honestly don’t need anything else.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It’s stable – no crashes, no bugs, knock on wood, but it’s been great.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have scaled, from about one server to three now. Its very easy to just scale up.

How are customer service and technical support?

I've used them just once. They were responsive, quick, somebody got on the phone and it worked to a resolution quickly.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We were limited on space in our data center, with physical servers, and we needed more.

How was the initial setup?

It was very straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

I did it, and it was easy.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Just VMware, my previous job we used it, and it was great. I’ve been a customer for a long time now. I just want something to work, and I know VMware does.

What other advice do I have?

It’s been great. I would recommend it all the time, it’s great. Peer reviews are quite important, as I need to know what others are experiencing before I do.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user275226 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Director with 501-1,000 employees
Vendor
We needed to reduce the number of physical servers and maximize CPU usage.

Valuable Features

  • Redundancy
  • Speed
  • Security

Improvements to My Organization

I had 300 physical servers, but now I need only six. It’s less noisy, much cheaper, and has less of a tendency to get hot.

Room for Improvement

I want to see a better hypervisor.

Use of Solution

I've used it for five years, since.

Deployment Issues

Deployment requires a special proficiency.

Stability Issues

The product has good stability.

Scalability Issues

The stability is perfect, as long as you can afford it.

Customer Service and Technical Support

Customer Service:

We work with a company that provides this service.

Technical Support:

We work with a company that provides this service.

Initial Setup

It was complex as we have many sites. Therefore, we needed to decide if we should put them all together in a single data center, or to use one instance of vSphere for all our data centers.

ROI

It's the best product on the market. I have never had anything that saved me more money than vSphere. I had 300 servers, each one cost us 15 thousand dollars, but now it’s much cheaper. Moreover, thanks to dynamic distribution I am able to maximize the servers' CPU usage.

Pricing, Setup Cost and Licensing

It requires one person to manage it on a full-time basis.

Other Solutions Considered

We tested Hyper-V, and it was awful.

Other Advice

It costs a lot. You should go to a VMware 6 course.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Dan Gillman - PeerSpot reviewer
Dan GillmanSenior System Administrator at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees
LeaderboardReal User

Please tell us a little more information. The review is very general and doesnt tell us anything accept you really like the product. Are you using vmotion? Did you pool the resources and does it provide more CPU or memory for your applications? Is everything running on one virtual switch? Did you use ISCSI or a NAS type solution? What made Hyper-V "Awful" ?

Buyer's Guide
Download our free VMware vSphere Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: October 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free VMware vSphere Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.