Name: Horizon 8
Brand: Omnissa
Rating: 4.0 (116 reviews)

it_user3573

Infrastructure Expert at a transportation company with 51-200 employees

Jan 9, 2013

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Review of VMware View

Pros and Cons

"Organizations who buy lots of desktops or laptops, call centers, military, and high security profile organizations can benefit from it."

"Expensive / ROI"

What is most valuable?

• Central Management • VMware vShield Endpoint • PCOIP (PC Over IP) Protocol • Linked Clones & ThinApps • Local Mode • VMware Knowledge

What needs improvement?

• Expensive / ROI • DR • 3D and graphics performance • Required some VMware skills

What other advice do I have?

Who can benefit from it? • Organizations who buy lots of desktops / laptops • Call Centers • Military • High Security Profile Organizations • Many more…

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

PatrickCiPaaSSenior Technical Product Marketing Manager at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees

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Mar 27, 2013

Lior, your blog on vSphere 5 Certification for Datacenter Administration was featured on the IT Central Station blog. Have you have some great advice for virtual geeks! Thanks.

it_user1068

Tech Support Staff at a tech company with 51-200 employees

Jul 1, 2012

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VMware’s view is one of the best virtual desktop software's that I have used so far

Pros and Cons

"View not only makes desktop management, storage, and provisioning easier, but also reduces the cost of management as well as automation of routine and storage duties performed by administrators."

"I had a few challenges when using VMware's View that included support for desktops that are offline and services at the terminal as well as their management."

Valuable Features:

View not only makes desktop management, storage, and provisioning easier, but also reduces the cost of management as well as automation of routine and storage duties performed by administrators.View easily allows for recovery of desktop systems in case of a disaster and enables end users to print universally using thin print, connect over the internet, and even create virtual desktop systems dynamically for them.

Room for Improvement:

I had a few challenges when using VMware's View that included support for desktops that are offline and services at the terminal as well as their management. Fortunately, the later versions of view have addressed these issues. This includes the view 3, 5.0 and 5.1 versions.

Other Advice:

View allows for remote desktop access on virtual infrastructure through a hardware device known as thin client and you can also keep your desktop offline and synchronize it again afterwards. View has many components that allow for these capabilities and includes Storage Accelerator, which ensures that virtualized shared storage capacities are optimized; USB connectivity that is upgraded improves support for USB devices, view manager, VMware vCentre Server, view client, VMware vSphere meant for desktops, view composer and a view administrator.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Buyer's Guide

Horizon 8

May 2026

Free Report: Horizon 8 Reviews and More

Learn what your peers think about Horizon 8. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.

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reviewer1613397

IT Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees

Nov 4, 2024

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Enhanced security and access with advanced protocol features

Pros and Cons

"I find the security of Horizon to be most valuable."

"It would be beneficial to see improvements in client-side functionalities, especially for some Linux clients."

What is our primary use case?

We are continuing to use Horizon 8 for remote work. Our company data, along with customer data, is stored in the private data center. Horizon is used for accessing the data center and data.

How has it helped my organization?

If you configure Horizon well and limit access solely through Horizon 8, it enhances security by reducing the entry points for accessing data.

What is most valuable?

I find the security of Horizon to be most valuable. The Vue protocol, which is VMware BaaS, and the new BaaS codec feature of this protocol are particularly beneficial. The implementation of Instant Clone Technology also provides utility.

What needs improvement?

It would be beneficial to see improvements in client-side functionalities, especially for some Linux clients. A better in-built multi-factor authentication solution would also be advantageous. While there are ways to achieve this through Microsoft Azure and Google, a more integrated approach within Horizon would be ideal.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been working with Horizon 8 for a long time and have continued with each version since its release.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability is becoming a bigger issue for many software products these days, not just Horizon 8. Security issues can sometimes arise, which impacts stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In terms of scalability, it is not a significant problem, suggesting that Horizon scales effectively.

How are customer service and support?

Our experience with VMware's customer service is limited. I would rate it a six out of ten due to possible transitions and product changes over recent years.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

We cater to small companies, typically around 50 to 100 users. For these sizes, the setup is manageable and not overly complex. However, implementing a high-level solution for larger companies can be more complicated.