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Cyber Security Analyst at Petrotrade
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Great deduplication with data conversion capabilities and very user-friendly
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is simple."
  • "We'd like to see more automation capabilities in the future."

What is most valuable?

The data conversion capabilities are very good.

Deduplication is excellent.

The initial setup is simple.

What needs improvement?

As of right now, I cannot think of any improvements, as it has been working very well.

It might help if there was more confidentiality between VxRail and the Data Domain for Backup. There are several issues with backup solutions. We'd like integration with Avamar.

We'd like to see more automation capabilities in the future. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for about one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is like a rock. It's extremely stable. We've had no issues. It doesn't crash or freeze. There are no bugs or glitches. 

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VxRail
October 2024
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We haven't tested the scalability and therefore I cannot comment on its capabilities. 

Currently, we have more than 1,000 users on the solution. They are basically working with the database.

Next year, we have plans to increase usage. e plan on getting more customers and therefore will need to bill for more storage. 

How are customer service and support?

For any phase-one issues, I would first go to the integrator. I can escalate straight to the vendor if I need to. So far, our experience with the integrator has been very good. We have no complaints. 

How was the initial setup?

We didn't have any issues with the initial setup. It was very straightforward and not overly complex. 

Our contract partner handles any maintenance tasks. 

What about the implementation team?

An integrator assisted us with the initial implementation process. They were very professional and the experience overall was positive. 

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

I can't speak to the licensing aspects of the solution. It's basically just a one-time purchase. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

There are very many competitors between the hyper-converged solutions, such as Nutanix and Dell, and so on. We also looked at VMware options. However, we are wanted to go with something that was more stable and we're generally attracted to Dell. 

What other advice do I have?

We're just a customer and an end-user.

It's a very stable system. It's very easy to use. You just need one desktop for control over all the items of the system. As of now, it's been problem-free.

I would rate the solution at a ten out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Shashedar Narayanamurthy - PeerSpot reviewer
Procurement, Information Technology, Infrastructure at Rgbsi
Real User
Top 20
Uses a plug-and-play concept to add nodes and supports straightforward scaling
Pros and Cons
  • "VxRail supports straightforward scaling, allowing you to add as many nodes as needed for upgrades and simplifying the upgrade process."
  • "There's a specific procedure to follow when shutting down a VxRail system."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use VxRail for small-scale deployments in our organization. Our virtual machines and AD servers run on it, utilizing no more than four nodes due to its high recovery capabilities. We rely on it exclusively for storage and computing needs.

What is most valuable?

VxRail uses a plug-and-play concept, so you can easily add nodes. While the initial implementation might be complex, you won't need a dedicated team to manage it once it's fully set up. VxRail supports straightforward scaling, allowing you to add as many nodes as needed for upgrades and simplifying the upgrade process.

What needs improvement?

There's a specific procedure to follow when shutting down a VxRail system. The process can be complex due to the system's configurations and load balancing. Because VxRail uses node-based configurations, handling shutdowns, restarts, or reboots might seem challenging. Simplifying this process could improve the overall user experience.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using VxRail for six to seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The device is stable.

I rate the solution’s stability an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a strong player in the cloud market. While it may sometimes be more expensive, it is well-suited for on-premises needs. 

400 users use this solution, but not everyone is deployed on the VxRail virtual machine because we migrate them to the cloud.

I rate it as ten out of ten.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of VxRail can be challenging for someone without a strong background in virtual machines. If a team lacking experience with these systems is tasked with the setup, seeking support from DirectTel for the implementation process may be beneficial. The deployment takes more than six to seven hours.

I rate the initial setup a five out of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy.

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

It's too expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend that Dell focus on extending the product lifecycle of VxRail to around eight years instead of frequently releasing new products. This approach could lead to a better return on investment.

When comparing large-scale and medium-scale companies to small-scale ones, VxRail is generally more suitable for medium to large enterprises. Small-scale businesses may not require the advanced features of VxRail and might find it less cost-effective for their needs. VxRail can be a good fit for medium and large companies, offering scalability and efficiency that align with their demands. It can be cost-effective in the long run, especially considering total lifecycle benefits.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Buyer's Guide
VxRail
October 2024
Learn what your peers think about VxRail. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2024.
814,763 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Team Lead of Senior Directors at National Engineers
Real User
Top 10
Provides integration with major products and monitoring capabilities

What is our primary use case?

VxRail is a suitable solution where more transactions are required and the TPMs exceed the standard requirements. For example, we have sold VxRail to a government weather company. This company runs extensive simulations to predict upcoming weather, analyzes images, and employs AI for analytics. These tasks demand significant computing power. Considering the budget, they need solutions that offer this level of performance. Typically, banking, education, and manufacturing customers opt for VxRail servers. 

What is most valuable?

VxRail integration with multiple products is among the best key points for selling to any end customer.

The main feature of VxRail is its integration. VxRail integrates with almost all major products. Another key feature is its monitoring capabilities. VxRail provides detailed monitoring from the application level, making it easy to troubleshoot issues. Additionally, their CloudIQ software suggests best practices automatically. For instance, if you are taking snapshot backups on VxRail, CloudIQ will inform you in advance if there are any issues. For example, if you planned to take ten snapshots in one day but only eight were successful due to a receiver issue, CloudIQ will help you identify the problem and suggest best practices to resolve it. It provides comprehensive data and information without consulting different websites or people.

What needs improvement?

The solution is expensive.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using VxRail for ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is excellent.

I rate the solution’s stability a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

You can have over 64 nodes in one cluster. It's plug-and-play. You just need to add the load to the cluster.

It is suitable for telcos and enterprises. If you have a university with two hundred campuses, then it is not recommended for them.It is the best solution for one of the departments, such as the electronics or business departments, that are running simulations. 

I rate the solution’s scalability a ten out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

Support is wonderful. You email them, and they come to Webex and take the session.

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

The price of VxRail is a bit higher. However, they focus on general specifications when selecting products in the environment sector.

When we compare VxRail with Cisco HyperFlex, Lenovo, Nutanix, and HP, we find it to be more cost-effective. Additionally, VxRail offers integrated backup and application support. In contrast, HP often lacks application support and relies on third-party solutions like Veeam or NetBackup. This can sometimes cause issues with smaller or in-house applications that may not be compatible with these backup solutions, leading to problems. On the other hand, if we decide to go with VxRail, they provide Avamar and NetWorker. Additionally, we can integrate it with a dedicated domain if we want to use separate storage.

How was the initial setup?

When providing VxRail solutions to customers, they bring their own system engineers or system administrators with one or two years of experience in servers and VMware. We do not just hand over the hardware as a simple plug-and-play solution. Instead, we provide a comprehensive solution that requires some level of expertise. Ideally, the person should have two to three years of experience in VMware and server administration.

For instance, a six-node installation can be completed in two hours, given the proper preparation. The system doesn't work automatically for the engineer; they need to be proactive. It is crucial to prepare around four or five key points before deployment. This proactive preparation ensures a smoother installation and deployment process. This is one of the strong points of VxRail solutions.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

VxRail competes with Cisco HyperFlex, HPE SimpliVity, and other major players in the HCI market. Locally, there is limited market penetration, which keeps them relatively safe. Apart from Dell EMC's VxRail, other significant providers include HPE with SimpliVity, Lenovo with Nutanix, and Cisco with HyperFlex.

What other advice do I have?

We have repeatedly asked the R&D team about external storage and how we can improve it for CI. Previously, there was an issue with FCI traffic, which was not supported. However, it is now supported on FCI with external storage.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Information Technology Division Director at Ethiopian Roads Administration
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Provides ease of managing a virtualization environment and has efficient technical support services
Pros and Cons
  • "It supports VDI deployment, enabling easy use for running different platforms in similar environments."
  • "The product has high pricing. This particular area needs improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use VxRail as a hyper-converged infrastructure service within our virtualization environment. We utilize it to run various applications, including virtual infrastructure, Microsoft SharePoint, Citrix solutions, and internally developed applications. These applications serve diverse purposes and are essential components of our environment.

How has it helped my organization?

The product has significantly improved our organization. It is highly stable and supported by an excellent support team, ensuring reliability and assistance whenever needed, regardless of time or location. The self-deployment feature is easy to use.

What is most valuable?

One of the most valuable features we have found is the ease of managing our virtualization environment. The management interface makes overseeing various resources and tasks within our infrastructure simple. Additionally, managing different kinds of hardware and platforms through the same interface is highly valuable.

What needs improvement?

The product has high pricing. This particular area needs improvement.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The platform is stable. Once you deploy any workflow or virtual machine within the environment, it operates without encountering issues. There are no significant downtimes or interruptions in monitoring. Stability remains consistent unless constraints are due to specific errors.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product has good scalability. We can connect the required nodes automatically. Deploying VxRail is relatively cost-effective in increasing the number of users. We currently have a low demand for increased user capacity. However, if such demand arises, the process would be straightforward. Adding additional nodes is intuitive and seamless. Connect the new nodes, and the system will automatically update within the centralized management model.

How are customer service and support?

We have only needed to utilize support services once or twice. We have not encountered any major issues. Additionally, when we did require support, the response was immediate, and our requests were promptly addressed.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward as it was deployed with the help of product management partners. As for requirements for deployment and maintenance, no additional software is needed. Basic skills and general knowledge are sufficient for deploying and managing this solution.

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

The licensing costs can vary depending on the number of processors and specific requirements, which may result in considerable expenses.

What other advice do I have?

The platform has enabled us to reduce the physical machines required to run large-scale services. It supports VDI deployment, enabling easy use for running different platforms in similar environments.

Integrating VxRail with our IT infrastructure has been relatively straightforward, particularly from the network perspective. However, we encountered some challenges regarding firewall integration. Overall, the process has been facilitated by the platform's compatibility with various vendors.

I rate the platform a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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System administrator at a mining and metals company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Good interface, useful documentation, and excellent support
Pros and Cons
  • "I have found the vSAN is highly flexible. The documentation is good and the interface of the solution is responsive and fast. The interface has everything you need to manage the solution, such as the VxRail and VMware integration. You can manage the hardware from within the VMware plasma pan."
  • "The configurations of VxRail can be difficult. However, it has improved in the newer version. From version 6 to 7, there has been a lot of changes."

What is our primary use case?

We use VxRail for the promotion of all our infrastructure VM services.

How has it helped my organization?

VxRail has helped us by increasing the performance and capacity of our workload. 

What is most valuable?

I have found the vSAN is highly flexible. The documentation is good and the interface of the solution is responsive and fast. The interface has everything you need to manage the solution, such as the VxRail and VMware integration. You can manage the hardware from within the VMware plasma pan.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using VxRail for approximately four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

VxRail is stable because it has redundancies. VxRail is our standard system for the deployment of HR environments.

We have one person for the maintenance of the solution and one person for the backups.

We use the solution on a daily basis.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have found VxRail highly scalable. You are able to add more nodes and increase the hardware to scale. It is flexible.

We have thousands of people using the solution. However, it is difficult to know for sure since many different business units use it.

How are customer service and support?

VxRail comes from Dell and they have a one-stop service. You can work with Dell to get everything solved. Any issues in hardware or in software, whether it be VMware related or Dell related, everything is done by one team from Dell. The support aspects of the solution are good but it carries a price. We're happy to pay the price if we get that level of service.

One of the most valuable aspects of the support is the knowledge of the people and the speed at which they respond. If you have a problem and you phone them up, they immediately have the experts at the end of the phone to assist. If there is a problem they come in and fix the problem quite fast. If it is more difficult they will spend the time that is needed to solve it. They have helped us out of some heavy situations we caused ourselves. The support is very good.

The support that they offer us is why we purchased the solution.

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

We have previously used Hyper-V-based systems, StarWind, and Nutanix. We have mostly done testing of the other solutions and have not fully introduced them. Out of all the solutions we tested, we settled on the VMware-based VxRail. 

We switched from the others solutions because the support from Dell VxRail was excellent.

How was the initial setup?

The configurations of VxRail can be difficult. However, it has improved in the newer version. From version 6 to 7, there has been a lot of changes.

The initial setup of VxRail was straightforward because they get handled by Dell themselves. There is a one-stop-shop for all your needs. They gather the information on what you require in your environment and how you want to set it up, such as what local IT information networks are required. They do a good job and the whole process took them a couple of hours to half a day.

What about the implementation team?

Dell did the implementation of the solution for us.

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

VxRail is expensive because it's based on VMware and V-SAN. The price is not the cheapest. The technical support is expensive, but it is a good service.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to others would be not to attempt to fix issues yourself and let Dell look after them.

I rate VxRail a nine 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.
PeerSpot user
Technical Solution Architect at HCL Technologies
Real User
Top 20
Offers zero-day deployment along with excellent lifecycle management and monitoring features
Pros and Cons
  • "Offers zero-day deployment"
  • "Lifecycle management (LCM) should be enhanced"

What is our primary use case?

At our company, we work as consultants and offer the VxRail environment to our customers. Sometimes, we work on small remote sites where we propose and escalate a few hosts, like two or three-node blasters. Otherwise, our company uses the solution for handling native HCI capability without VCF. 

What is most valuable?

One of the solution's most valuable features is its zero-day deployment. The deployment is extremely fast, which our company's customers find very interesting. The lifecycle management feature makes the VxRail environment function quicker than other traditional, discreet environments.

For daily operations, VxRail has a great direct monitoring feature. The solution also offers seamless support to track issues through ESRS premises. 

What needs improvement?

At our company, when we manage the lifecycle for upgrading from one version to another, sometimes the upgrade gets stuck or the solution doesn't support online upgrades and compatibility.  

The solution's lifecycle management (LCM) should be enhanced. Multiple issues arise when dealing with the LCM feature on hand. The VMware feature can be included in the solution's software layer. Like Nutanix, VxRail should bring some competitive features like inbuilt DR capabilities and cloud hosting. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

VxRail provides an easy-to-scale environment. However, there are some limitations when the product is considered from the VMware perspective. The feature of HCI mesh functioning with Dell EMC VxRail further helps manage the compute-only nodes when needed. At our company, we never faced any challenges while scaling the VxRail environment. 

How are customer service and support?

At our company, whenever we face a challenge or issue with VxRail, we easily resolve it by contacting customer support. Immediate support is available from Dell for any hardware issues. But in some instances, for virtualization issues, there is some dependency on VMware, which leads to a delay in support. 

At our company, we believe VxRail support is proactive and their response metrics are smoother than Nutanix's. I would rate VxRail's customer support an eight out of ten. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The product offers easy and fast deployment. 

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

The hardware cost associated with the tool usage is a bit high. But when a user has been using VxRail for three to five years, the overall hardware cost reduces due to a reduction in orchestration cost. When we compare the CapEx and OpEx costs of VxRail together, they are always lower than those of another type of rack server adoption. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

At our company, we also work with Nutanix. Some of our customers prefer to adopt Nutanix for a few special use cases. Nutanix's performance and underlying operations are sometimes better than VxRail's. But personally, as a tech architect, I would say VxRail is better than Nutanix in terms of daily operations. 

For some technical issues, reaching out to Nutanix support is difficult, whereas similar issues can be easily resolved by reaching out to VxRail support. Troubleshooting articles are not easily available with Nutanix. From the disaster recovery perspective, when a user adopts the Dell EMC VxRail, some dependency on third-party tools like SRM and Hyper-V is required. For Nutanix, a user does not need to bear the cost of external tools as Nutanix holds internal DR capabilities.

Nutanix also offers its own public cloud, where the tool can be used with AWS or Azure to develop a hybrid cloud environment. But VxRail has only an on-prem offering that can be used for discrete HTC and VCF environment operations. 

What other advice do I have?

Users are usually very comfortable executing the workload of data center operations on VxRail. But when a user has to manage heavy workloads for storage, such as HeavyDB and database servers, they prefer to use external storage facilities to gain the maximum benefits of the computed nodes. 

At our company, one of the customers is leveraging around 8,000 servers of VxRail, out of which 50% is native VxRail without VCF, and the rest of ESXi is utilized with VCF. The solution has also helped our company's customers grow their businesses. 

The monitoring tool of VxRail helps improve efficiency. The tool easily integrates with VMware, vSphere and other logging tools. VxRail also allows hardware monitoring and tools within the Dell EMC VxRail are presented as a plugin within the vCenter. Any monitoring executed for hardware failure environment can be easily managed through the operations tool. VxRail also effortlessly integrates with ITSM tools. 

Due to the automation features, cluster scalability, and number of operational days of the tool, VxRail is able to reduce 30-40% of our company's operational costs. Our company's customers' preferences vary depending on factors like quality, cost, and features, choosing VxRail or another competitive solution. Overall, I would rate VxRail an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Linas Adamonis - PeerSpot reviewer
Head of Cloud and Servers Technologies at JSC "Lithuanian railways"​
Real User
Simplified management, fast performance, and reasonable price
Pros and Cons
  • "We are very happy with the purchase, and it works well. It is fast. We went with the full-flash version, meaning that we have SSDs. So, we can build a Windows virtual machine in two minutes. We were surprised when we first tried to do that."
  • "We have some issues, but they are possibly out-of-the-box issues. There was a host that was dead on arrival, and there were some file issues on other hosts. We're currently working actively with Dell to resolve all these issues. Once they are resolved, the product should be stable."

What is our primary use case?

I'm not a direct user. I'm a team manager, and we are using it in our company. We are using it as our new-generation virtualization platform. Currently, we are just building the environment, and we still have things to do directly with Dell.

How has it helped my organization?

We are very happy with the purchase, and it works well. It is fast. We went with the full-flash version, meaning that we have SSDs. So, we can build a Windows virtual machine in two minutes. We were surprised when we first tried to do that. So, currently, we are very happy with it.

What is most valuable?

The best features of HCI are the reliability and no need to have additional storage models and storage administrators. All the things—such as virtualization models, storage models, and networking—are in one environment. So, a single hardware administrator can access and support everything. I like HCI because of being able to have all components of virtualization in one cluster and in one place. There is no SAN and storage. It brings simplicity to hardware maintenance.

What needs improvement?

We have some issues, but they are possibly out-of-the-box issues. There was a host that was dead on arrival, and there were some file issues on other hosts. We're currently working actively with Dell to resolve all these issues. Once they are resolved, the product should be stable.

In terms of the additional features, we still need to adopt what we have. It has lots of features, and we need to start using it heavily. I might have something to add in a year or so, but currently, I don't have anything.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution since December. It has been two full months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We are having some out-of-the-box issues, and we're actively working with Dell to resolve those issues. Once those issues are resolved, it should be stable, but as a virtual environment, it has never failed. These are only single-node or single-component issues that don't affect the whole virtual environment, which is great and which is why I love HCI.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. Currently, we have 12 people who are working with this solution, but there will be more.

What about the implementation team?

A vendor did the whole implementation. We have purchased it as a service. So, we had a third-party vendor who installed and configured everything. My technicians were watching and learning. So, we were not the ones who were primarily responsible for configuring things. The process took some time, but the result is very satisfying.

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

It is reasonable. Compared to the legacy hardware that we had so far, we are not paying way more, but we have very good performance. Its price is good.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it a nine out of 10 because of those out-of-the-box issues. They are a bit annoying, but I believe we will be able to resolve them quickly, and then it would be a 10.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior Engineer at ENPPI
Real User
Bundles all components into one package
Pros and Cons
  • "We enjoy the ease of management since all of the resources are located on one box — one single point of support."
  • "I would prefer it if each cell had a tool geared toward billing clients."

What is our primary use case?

We use VxRail for VDI and for our production environment hosted on VMware. Within our organization, there are roughly 3,000 employees that use this solution.

What is most valuable?

We enjoy the ease of management since all of the resources are located on one box — one single point of support. 

What needs improvement?

I host a lot of other clients on my premises, the ACR, and I need to charge them for the services I provide. I would like it if there were tools that provided the billing costs. In other words, this infrastructure or this resource will cost you X amount of dollars. In short, I would prefer it if each cell had a tool geared toward billing clients.

The initial setup for the VxRail economy requires a minimum of three nodes. We might consider building a new cluster with a minimum of four, as not all customers can sponsor for the sub-training number of nodes. In short, to implement VxRail, you need a minimum of three nodes for the initial setup; and the initial setup isn't cheap. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using VxRail for two and a half years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

VxRail is very stable — it scales up and spins out.

How are customer service and technical support?

I am very satisfied with the customer support.

How was the initial setup?

For the HCI it's quite straightforward; however, in regard to the switches, there is no GUI implemented with the top-rack switches which can make things difficult. Overall, deployment took one week.  

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated HyperFlex and NetApp. The best part aboutHyperFlex is that it operates on the CDM layer to integrate the VM-ware reports which need an extra 20% of the resources that the box or the production data needs. However, I would say that HyperFlex is more complicated to install than VxRail.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give this solution a rating of nine.

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