What is our primary use case?
The use cases were around being able to have virtual desktops that were deployable to the public cloud, specifically where customers had a burst type of environment, which means that they needed more virtual desktops in a particular timeframe. It might be at tax time for accountants.
Another use case was being able to take an on-prem interface and bring it into the cloud so that a customer is able to have all of the goods. They could have their management infrastructure, deployment, and all those things. This was done so that the technical teams would have one less thing to manage and would be able to deploy across clouds, whatever that cloud is. It is a SaaS tool, and the target can be on-prem or a cloud, such as Azure, VMware, or AWS. The great thing about it is that you can deploy it anywhere. We are using its latest version and the previous version.
What is most valuable?
Its advanced management features are the most valuable, especially power management. One of the really important things was to be able to have power management in a consumption world. This means that unlike a Microsoft environment, you could actually turn off virtual desktops or have them start up and shut down. If you're consuming resources in the public cloud, you want to be able to do that because when you're not using those, such as at the weekend, you want to be able to turn them off. So, the advanced options for managing the BDIs are very important.
What needs improvement?
There should be more emphasis on the Workspace One access part of the solution. This is essentially identity management provided with Horizon. There needs to be some kind of integration because you are able to have all of these desktops on any device, but you have to have this other component to make it easier from a single sign-on perspective. That's why there should be an emphasis on Workspace One access. It actually comes free with the product, but people don't really know how powerful it can be.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for the last two or three years.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is really scalable. It is using the Horizon backbone or the components of Horizon. Even with the basic setup, which has essentially very few components, you can run 10,000 desktops straight off the bat. From the scalability perspective, that's one of the great things. You really are scaling due to the consumption. In other words, you don't have to worry about Horizon components. All you have to worry about is how much money you're spending on the hyperscale or how many resources do you have on-prem. The hyperscalers themselves have plenty of resources.
In terms of the number of users, we have a thousand users. They are a mix of task workers. There are some who just needed desktops, and then there are those who needed a little bit more juice. We weren't using virtual GPU (VGPU), but there were a lot of task worker profiles. It was essentially for a standard Windows 10 desktop that normal people would use with Office and stuff like that.
How are customer service and support?
I have used them. VMware's GSS is good. They have a very skilled set of individuals in the VMware center. They're good. I would rate them a nine out of ten. I would give them a ten, but sometimes, they get busy like everybody else.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
They switched from Microsoft to Horizon because you can manage Microsoft by using the Horizon cloud. It also had some of those advanced features that the customer wanted.
How was the initial setup?
Its initial setup is really simple. It is cloud-based. It requires very little setup. After you talk to VMware, you get your own environment up in the VMware cloud. It is all set up for you by VMware, and then from there, you can just log in. When you're in the interface, you can just point to the destination in which you want to deploy, and then you just manage it. It is very simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
For what you get, it is very compelling. You've got to look at the total cost of ownership of this type of piece of software in terms of being able to utilize it as a cloud service. I don't have to run everything on-premises. When you look at the total cost of just being able to use it and then being able to point it to any public or private cloud, it is very compelling. You have one less thing to manage.
What other advice do I have?
I would say give it a go. It is very easy. You can get a free trial. There is a lot of help and information out there.
I would rate VMware Horizon Cloud a ten out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
