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VMware vSphere Foundation Reviews

Vendor: VMware
4.3 out of 5
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What is VMware vSphere Foundation?

VMware vSphere Foundation is designed for businesses seeking virtualization management capabilities. It offers essential features to optimize IT operations and improve server utilization, providing a solid infrastructure for managing virtual environments.

Get the VMware vSphere Foundation Buyer's Guide and find out what your peers are saying about VMware vSphere Foundation, VMware vSphere, Proxmox VE and more!
VMware vSphere Foundation is the #12 ranked solution in best Server Virtualization Software. PeerSpot users give VMware vSphere Foundation an average rating of 8.6 out of 10. VMware vSphere Foundation is most commonly compared to VMware vSphere: VMware vSphere Foundation vs VMware vSphere.
Buyer's Guide
VMware vSphere Foundation
August 2025
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VMware vSphere Foundation mindshare

As of September 2025, the mindshare of VMware vSphere Foundation in the Server Virtualization Software category stands at 0.3%, up from 0.0% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Server Virtualization Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
VMware vSphere Foundation0.3%
Proxmox VE16.7%
VMware vSphere16.5%
Other66.5%
Server Virtualization Software

PeerResearch reports based on VMware vSphere Foundation reviews

TypeTitleDate
CategoryServer Virtualization SoftwareSep 9, 2025Download
ProductReviews, tips, and advice from real usersSep 9, 2025Download
ComparisonVMware vSphere Foundation vs Proxmox VESep 9, 2025Download
ComparisonVMware vSphere Foundation vs VMware vSphereSep 9, 2025Download
ComparisonVMware vSphere Foundation vs Hyper-VSep 9, 2025Download
Suggested products
TitleRatingMindshareRecommending
VMware vSphere4.416.5%94%456 interviewsAdd to research
Proxmox VE4.316.7%98%62 interviewsAdd to research
 
 
Key learnings from peers

Valuable Features

VMware vSphere Foundation excels in scalability, reliability, and ease of management. Its virtualization capabilities enable efficient server consolidation and high availability, reducing downtime and enhancing stability. Users appreciate features like VMotion, HA, and vCenter for seamless workload management. The platform supports large virtual environments with excellent performance. It offers a user-friendly interface and strong security features. VMware provides valuable management tools, making it ideal for enterprise virtualization and private cloud setups.
  • "The product includes disaster recovery features; the disaster recovery capability is quite good and the security features help to protect critical applications in general."
  • "VMware vSphere Foundation is positioned in the top right quadrant in a Gartner chart and offers the best virtualization solution to help manage enterprise components."
  • "We save substantial money from using VMware vSphere Foundation because previously, we needed to provision all new applications with new physical servers, such as app servers, DB servers, and license servers."

Room for Improvement

VMware vSphere Foundation needs improvement in accessibility for purchasing, licensing complexity, and cost efficiency. The Broadcom acquisition has led to confusion around procurement and pricing, especially in regions like Latin America. Enhancing language support and streamlining management of multiple cloud environments are also vital. Users have expressed that better support for core licensing, particularly for Oracle databases, is necessary. Improved task logging and user interface changes, such as annotations, are additional areas for enhancement.
  • "Regarding the scalability of VMware vSphere Foundation, there are questions about whether it is completely scalable or if there are limitations."
  • "The biggest issue is pricing due to the Broadcom acquisition."
  • "I have concerns regarding VMware's strategy, particularly about how it manages multiple cloud environments since clients and my company need to navigate multiple clouds."

ROI

Companies experience organizational value after upgrading since many features are unexplored, promising future benefits. Server consolidation enables multiple workloads on one server, enhancing scalability and recoverability. Manageability without extra staff is advantageous. ROI is evident, especially in environments needing constant infrastructure for tasks like water plant monitoring. VMware vSphere Foundation reduces costs through optimized physical infrastructure and faster provisioning. It enables running numerous on-prem VMs efficiently instead of relying on cloud solutions, supporting multi-mode architectures.

Pricing

Enterprise users found VMware vSphere Foundation's pricing, licensing, and setup costs to be notably high, particularly post-Broadcom merger. Pricing complexities arose with increased costs, impacting budget planning and prompting exploration of cheaper alternatives like open-source solutions. Licensing changes, especially the end of perpetual licenses, have led to increased expenses and challenges in maintaining or upgrading existing setups. High costs are justified by its reliability but still seen as an area requiring improvement.
  • "It is expensive."

Popular Use Cases

VMware vSphere Foundation is primarily used for virtualization in data centers, including enterprise-level setups. Organizations deploy it for testing, workload hosting, VM management, and private cloud creation. It supports environments transitioning to virtualized infrastructures and facilitates cloud-native architecture migration. Companies leverage it for manageability, high availability, and resource optimization, serving industries such as telecommunications, banking, and government via distribution channels, enhancing production and QA environments across varied sectors.

Service and Support

VMware vSphere Foundation customer support varies. Previously strong, support ratings have experienced a decline with Broadcom's involvement, dropping from high levels to lower due to delayed responses and technical difficulties. Some users experience reliable, global support, while others resort to self-help or community resources. Enterprise support is available but rarely used due to system stability. Language support improvements could benefit Latin American and Mexican clients. Certified, competent support is reported in emergency scenarios, though price concerns persist.

Deployment

Users find VMware vSphere Foundation easy to set up, with ratings between 7.5 and 10 for ease. Deployment can be quick, taking as little as 45 minutes, though some find initial setup medium difficulty, requiring virtualization knowledge. Complex environments may need more preparation time and resources. Often, no dedicated staff is needed for maintenance. Setting up involves configuration of elements like server and storage, with some users managing without support.

Scalability

VMware vSphere Foundation offers high scalability, allowing for seamless vertical and horizontal expansion. Users find it straightforward to add hosts and licenses, integrating with third-party providers. While some rate it as ten, others see potential limitations, indicating variability in experiences. It's utilized in both cloud and on-premises environments, suiting various architectures including hyperconverged systems. Organizations plan to increase usage, noting the platform's ease in handling both simple and complex scenarios.

Stability

VMware vSphere Foundation is considered stable, with many rating it highly for its reliability and low management needs. It performs well across environments, though some mention frequent updates due to security issues. Most feedback highlights its dependable performance in identifying system issues and managing architectures. While some see room for improvement, many find its stability optimal, elevating confidence in its usage.
These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.
Download our VMware vSphere Foundation Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

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Learn more about VMware vSphere Foundation

VMware vSphere Foundation supports efficient resource management in virtual environments, delivering a robust platform for businesses to streamline their IT processes. It enhances system reliability and offers scalable options for growing business needs. By leveraging virtualization, it reduces hardware dependency while ensuring consistent system performance.

What are the key features of VMware vSphere Foundation?
  • VMware vCenter Server: Centralized platform for managing VMs and hosts.
  • High Availability: Ensures minimal downtime for critical applications.
  • Data Recovery: Provides backup and restore options for enhanced data protection.
  • Resource Manager: Allocates resources efficiently between VMs to maximize performance.
What benefits or ROI should users consider?
  • Cost Reduction: Decreases hardware expenses by maximizing server usage.
  • Improved Scalability: Facilitates easy expansion of IT infrastructure.
  • Enhanced Reliability: Offers consistent uptime and minimized outages.
  • Efficiency Gains: Streamlines operations, reducing manual IT management tasks.

VMware vSphere Foundation is implemented effectively across industries like healthcare, finance, and retail. It supports crucial workloads, allowing these sectors to maintain operational efficiency while handling sensitive data. Its flexibility and robust capabilities make it suitable for diverse operational demands.

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VMware vSphere Foundation Reviews Summary
Author infoRatingReview Summary
CIO and Chief Digital Officer at Reliance Industries Ltd4.0I primarily use VMware vSphere Foundation for migrating from physical to virtual infrastructures and transitioning to cloud-native architectures. Its intuitive interface and responsive support are valuable, despite needing better multi-cloud management and improving feature awareness.
System and Cloud Deployment Engineer at Safaricom Ethiopia plc5.0We deployed VMware vSphere Foundation in our telecommunication company, leveraging tools like vRealize Operations Manager and VMware ESXi to enhance management and resource utilization. Despite challenges with pricing and licensing, we resolved these issues without switching providers.
Consultant at Tenaga Nasional Berhad4.5I use VMware vSphere Foundation for virtualization, appreciating features like VMotion and HA to consolidate physical machines and reduce downtime. The primary concern is pricing, particularly after Broadcom's acquisition, though support remains satisfactory.
Enterprise Virtualization Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees5.0We use VMware vSphere Foundation for data center virtualization and appreciate its high resilience and efficient infrastructure management. Although Broadcom's acquisition has affected support management, server consolidation and scalability improvements enhance our return on investment. Previously, we used VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus.
Senior System Administrator at Interactive Group4.5I work as a system administrator in a data center, and we host our workloads on VMware due to its reliability and extensive feature set, including vCenter's virtual stack and high availability. However, VMware's licensing model could be streamlined.
Quality Engineer at KML3.0I use VMware vSphere Foundation to manage multiple servers effectively, thanks to its user-friendly interface. However, Oracle's licensing issues prompted my transition to an Oracle kernel-based solution, despite vSphere's excellent server manageability and cost-effectiveness regarding personnel needs.
Product Manager at MSiT Technology3.5I have been selling VMware vSphere Foundation to companies and government entities, mainly for backup systems. Its valuable feature is seamless file system distribution in a hyperconvergent setup, though pricing issues arose post-Broadcom acquisition. We're considering alternatives like Proxmox.
Technology Solution Consultant at DWP Technologies4.0No summary available