Vblock [EOL] Reviews

We are a solution provider and we specialize in data center-centric, high-end enterprise-level infrastructures. We deal with a variety of things including hyper-converged infrastructure, and Vblock is one of the products that we implement for our clients.

The most valuable feature is that it is centrally managed, as it is quite easy for our customers to manage everything, end-to-end.

There is a different platform and there are different interfaces for different parts of the product. Although there are some centralized components, you still manage each component using its own set of tools. There is definitely room for improvement in this regard.

I would like to have a catalogue like menu where you simply define your end computing needs and the rest would be taken care of internally.

The initial setup could be unified to make it simpler.

I have been working with Vblock for between five and six years.

This is a stable product, which is the primary reason that a customer purchases it. It is guaranteed that it is going to work as it should.

Vblock can be scaled, although it is better to know how big it will need to scale ahead of time. It can become complex very quickly and the whole model is rigid. So, you generally chose which model works best in the environment and you have to stick with it.

With respect to the technical support, there is room for improvement. Because of the model that they are adopting, you are dealing with different departments in the backend. The initial impression you get is that you're dealing with a single group because you're getting one product. However, in the background, you are dealing with different teams who may not necessarily be communicating with each other.

I have experience with several similar solutions by IBM and Dell EMC. VxBlock is the higher-end version of Vblock.

The initial setup is taken care of by DELL EMC, but you're dealing with different teams because of the nature of the product as opposed to a hyper-converged offering. 

DELL EMC teams are very well trained and offer very high level of expertise and support. 

Vblock is priced at a premium because people don't want the headache of managing and deploying different products. When people buy Vblock, they buy it for a specific reason.

In summary, this is a good product but having a more seamless, unified product management, deployment, and support would definitely help.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten. 

The primary use case of this solution is as a virtualization host for everything and anything we can run on it.

Centralized virtual hosting platform in a cohesive system with a bundled verified combination of known hardware, firmware, virtualization

The most valuable features are reliability and high availability.

It's difficult to think of anything that needs to be improved because it's a good stable system, but paid support is expensive so the cost of operation could be lowered.

In the next release, I would like to see a smaller footprint in the data center and have improvements to disk performance.

I have been using VBlock's for over ten years.

This is a highly stable solution.

This solution is scalable if needed to be expanded. 

We've never expanded beyond our initial purchase.

All company employees can be using it, so that would be well over seven thousand. 

The technical support is good. Tt's only a single phone call for any problem.

Previously, we used standalone VMware on separate hosts.

We switched for the consolidation of equipment into a single system that included storage, host, and compute. All of that improved reliability.

The initial setup was pretty straightforward and it took less than a week.

The seller included installation and the initial configuration.

The paid support for Vblock is expensive.

We looked at other options, but at the time it was the best solution that fit at that time. Ten years ago there were not that many choices, besides building your own.

It is probably due for a replacement because of its age. Usage-wise, we are trying to move things to a cloud installation in place of the on-premises, so it's probably going to be phased out in some form, eventually.

Work with your local representatives from Dell EMC to see if it fits your needs. They have multiple options and versions.

It's been very reliable, the support is very good, and it fit our needs very well, but our needs are constantly changing.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

It's an integrated box Mac solution, so it's a plug and play. The deployment and build is pre-made and ready to deploy. It makes it easy to apply. 

The user control could be more advanced. They should work to improve this in future releases.

I'd like a hypervisor to be added to the solution.

Upgrading should be easier. It should just be a click of a button to upload, enter calls or enter systems.

I've been using the solution for six or seven years.

Scalability is limited. Storage, for example, has a limit. Right now, we have 4-5,000 people using the solution.

Technical support is critical for us. Once you contact support, there may be a follow-on of vendors that will pitch in and help. We can reach out for any technical issue and find assistance.

We did use a different solution, but it was at the end of its life cycle and policy, which is why we switched.

The initial setup is straightforward. It's already applied, so it's very easy to connect the system. The time it takes to deploy depends on the model used. On average, deployment at the factory will take slightly less than five days. It will take another three to four days to do configurations and qualifications and everything but just to set it up it's probably only a couple of hours.

We use the on-premises deployment model.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. There are, however, many new solutions coming to the market that have much more advanced features.

The system has performed very well with the workload we throw on it.  It runs large SQL servers, little MS Windows License key application servers, SharePoint servers, some Linux application servers, and a few specialty VDI guests. 

The original pair of VBlock’s were purchased to replace a hodgepodge of small VM clusters of 3 to 4 VM hosts and an outdated SAN, in addition to moving from an old data center to a new data center. Moving the VM’s from the old systems to the new VBlock --which had more shared resources and a newer VMware version-- was a big win. Once in place, we virtualized as many servers as could be converted from freestanding servers to a VM. The only exception was when the licensing of an application was cost prohibitive; we keep these on stand-alone hosts. This was mainly due to application licensing bias, rather than limits on virtualization.

This solution has rock-solid reliability. When a problem does occur, you can call the service number or support site to initiate a service request.

We are approaching 3 years of operation with little problems with hardware.  Had one 5K switch fail some ports and replaced that under service.  The VCE Matrix of knowing what software, drivers, firmware and ESXi bundles all work together is a big relief in not having to dig through each and every part of the hardware and software updates to be sure they are all compatible.

Currently, there is some uncertainty about the future of the product line with regards to Dell's takeover of EMC. Because VBlock is so closely wrapped around the Cisco Blade converged infrastructure environment, I am concerned that Dell may end the relationship and kill the VBlock line, pushing their other VCE products that can run on Dell servers. Initial indications from VCE were that this was not going to happen, but I am concerned that Dell may not really know what they have taken on when they took over the EMC / VCE / VMware companies.

In general, stability is rock solid. VCE responds and reacts to security related issues quickly, but it is not on the bleeding edge of every last upgrade / VMware release, as it takes them time to bundle together and test out a set of new software packages, firmware, drivers, VMware patch levels, etc. into a matrix release bundle.

Our systems, both old and new, were not purchased totally loaded. We have open slots to be able to add more compute blades and, in our old system, we added both blades and upgraded RAM for more VM resources.

In most instances, we've had good support with quick resolutions. One incident occurred during an upgrade to a SAN related item. We had a major problem that took longer to ultimately resolve, but once the problem escalated to higher-level support, they were finally able to resolve the problem.

Our original VMware environment was a hodgepodge of rack mounted servers, a FC SAN which used an older EMC SAN, and inexperienced admins piecing it all together. Once this was deemed insufficient and the SAN needed a replacement, the VCE VBlocks came along and it was the best combination of an all-in-one virtual data center in a box with SAN, Network, and Compute that used VMware to drive the whole package.

• From what I remember, the first VBlock landed and the installation techs were still working out some bugs when it turned up. The second of the original pair arrived a week later and connected with fewer problems. The new pair of VBlock 340’s came in with much less trouble. The initial installation was well coordinated: we had the LAN connections ready and the deployment team came in and configured them per the preconfigured checklist of IP addresses, Server Names, SAN settings and VMware setup.

We had assistance with VCE in the new implementation via a 3rd party consultant that had assisted in migrations like this in the past.  The consultant was very helpful, knowledgeable and flexible on scheduling.

Although I am not directly involved with the cost / expensing but I expect we will run this system for at least 4 years.  We are in year 2 and already looking at costs for renewal with the vendor or doing hardware maintenance 3rd party but that has yet to be determined.

Get your best deal and press for everything. We already had our VMware licensing, but we had to upgrade to Enterprise Plus to implement the full features of the VBlock and the VDS, rather than using the normal enterprise or standard level licensing from VMware. Plan for room to grow the system in the future. We have expanded SAN capacity much more than the compute capacity, as databases and data files continue to grow and eat more data space.

When we came to the point of looking at upgrading our original VBlock to the new generation we have now, we did look at other options. But due to our experience with the VBlock and how well it fit our needs, we decided to replace the older version with the new version.

We considered hyper-converged solutions and building block solutions, but none were as good a fit as the VBlock-- or possibly a FlexPod, which is a VBlock with a different Storage Solution. But no single source for support and ongoing maintenance upgrade tested the way VCE did.

The FlexPod solution is a general idea with building block solutions. But once it is assembled, you are on your own to maintain the upgrades. If something does not conform, you would have to be on Cisco to work out why your VMware does not like the drivers, etc. The building block solutions like Nutanix and SimpliVity, the EVO solutions, and even other solutions using the VCE offerings like the VXRail and VXRack systems did not fit our large data / disk capacity needs. These solutions may work for smaller sites and offices, but not for our centralized way of running VMs.

Currently we are approaching our 3 year renewal and are challenged with continuing support via VCE / EMC or go 3rd party support for hardware but not have any upgrade / VCE matrix validation updates.  

Size it right. Get the connectivity to your core switches established and have good admins, ones who know the storage side and who know the compute and network side.

Converged data centers in hosted facilities in many locations.  The ability to roll in a solution and have it function right out of the box is key.

It's a little bit easier to maintain and easier when an upgrade needs to take place, since the vendor is handling the integration aspects usually for a fee.

The integration between components, so that we don't have to worry about technology mismatches.   Not having to worry about the firmware integrations with the software infrastructure components has been grand.

The integration with other vendors' products needs to be looked at. It's not as flexible as we would like it to be.

We haven't had any stability issues, but we have had compatibility issues with third-party packages.

There are no issues from a scalability standpoint, except sometimes it gets to be on the costly side.

We switched because we thought it was going to be less troublesome, in the end, for us.

The upgrades seem to take longer than we would like. Then again, it really all depends on the complexity of the environment. We're in a pretty complex environment, so some of the upgrades were not straightforward, even though we were told they were going to be straightforward.

I think the pricing is on the higher end of the spectrum. There could be some adjustments that could be made there.

Regarding licensing, watch compatibility with external products that you run on Vblock. It has got to be properly architected, otherwise, you will run into licensing issues.

If your environment is a very stable environment, this solution is a great fit. If your environment isn't a very stable environment, I would make sure that you install it in such a way that it allows you to be flexible.

I would mark it as an eight out of 10. There haven't been very many issues with it, it seems to be well maintained and, the only thing that comes to mind is, again, some of the cost factors that are associated with it. It could be a little bit more cost-effective, otherwise, it would be a 10.

While IT evolved from a back-office business process, it is now in such rapid digital and mobile world that the data center is the first, most frequent point of contact with customers.

• Dealing with multiple vendors can be tricky in multi-vendor setup. Having one vendor to deal with from a support perspective is a huge potential benefit when it comes to reliability and avoiding wasting time and money. 
• Finding a fully bundled, deployed, and configured solution with a short delivery time and unique support is really attractive.
  
• As far as customer satisfaction, it will meet and surpass your needs.

1. The infrastructure is converged, but the teams, not so much. It is so complex that the converged infrastructure needs converged management.
2. While most public clouds are deployed on Linux, there is current no certified Vblock working on KVM hypervisors.
   

1. Slow, old delivery times are surprising, so forget about collecting, computing, storage, and networking components separately as this process takes a long time. Vblock products are fully engineered and are delivered up to work (D.C. in a box) in less than 45 days, which means that you have a fully working solution into your data center quickly.
2. Since the box is integrated under ex-VCE vendors and employees. It is deployed after a logical design and survey, so all you need after delivery is to power up your Vblock and work with your apps.

The initial setup is done in the factory following the LCS documents. 

You do not have to have all of these high experience teams of network, storage, and compute. All you need is one engineer to develop the LCS documents.

It is not cheap. However, if you have a storage/network/virtualization experts on your team who can combine a similar storage/compute/network to match performance to Vblock then you will find that you will be saving money. Calculate your total ROI and cost of ownership to determine if it is the right fit for you.

Vblock appears from the first while to be very expensive. There are more items you cannot see in the BOQ: customer service, support, delivery short time, and highly experienced VCE engineers.

Internal IT services.

We used to have different departments, each with their own IT section. Everybody was making their own IT investments, and every department had their own little bits of applications here and applications there. Now, it's all coordinated, all synchronized. That reduces the risk of equipment and costs as well. We no longer have people running different applications, different tools, in a multi-vendor environment. Now, we have one synchronized solution.

• Ease of operation. 
• Access, without constraining actions. The tool is available to actually move things around, do things quickly quickly.
• The speed.
• The support behind it as well. There is always quite good support around the box. Any fixes and updates are done pretty quickly.

As the technology changes and comes down in price as well, we're looking at VDI, having a virtual desktop infrastructure, so instead of using client, using a virtual environment, a thin client.

Also, I would like to see them improve their switching infrastructure and rely on Cisco configurations. They are a bit more complex and technical, but result in a slightly reduced cost in terms of switching on the network side of it. It's a very complicated process, our configuration, from the network side.

It's stable.

It is scalable. But the cost is quite expensive, so scalability is not as cheap as you think, when you initially get it. It's quite expensive.

Tech support is very good. They're always responsive. We have built a relationship over the years.

We use to use HPE but the monitoring side of it and the different tools you needed to buy, invest in... This system is much better, including the storage, which is much better as well. And the speed, compared to the different tools HPE was using, we found this is much better.

It takes a bit of time. It's a bit long because of the configuration, to be set up to your requirements specifically, takes a bit longer than you think. The initial set up is complex and needs to be studied, the details. It took longer than expected.

I would not say the pricing is not good value. It is still on the expensive side, near the top-end of cost compared to what's available now.

The licensing has to be improved. There has to be a clear definition of the licensing from the initial set-up so the customer knows what they are paying for, without being hit later on with extra licensing. The licensing definitions should be clearer and, perhaps, have one set of licenses rather than multiple licenses.

We looked at IBM and HPE.

My advice is that you should look at the licensing in more detail, as well as compare the cost, because the technology has changed quickly. When you're investing, you need to make sure to invest well.

I would rate this solution at seven out of 10. I think it still lacking: First in terms of cost, as well as regarding an up-front explanation.They need to give more details to the customer regarding licensing.

Wholesale infrastructure upgrade of aging hardware and virtualization software.

We have seen measurable increases in our system performance. Those increases have been directly measurable in application performance and the delivery of critical business information to our users.

A unified platform of support, which expands easily and frees the staff to focus on our business and less on the complexities of a mixed hardware/software environment.

Due to the complexity of the complete solution, there are many groups involved in delivering the complete solution. Tighter alignment could simplify and speed up the configuration and delivery process.

We are very satisfied with the solution and the benefits that we have received from it. We have been using it in production for over a year.

The primary use case is for virtualized Linux databases and an application server using Oracle 11g/12c. The primary reason for Vblock is for the performance and deduplication that we are getting across our production, test, dev, and training environments.

It has improved system performance, batch times for off-hours processing, and reliability with production applications.

The XtremIO All-Flash array delivers performance, reliability, and deduplication.

• The patching process
• Timeliness of updates/releases
• Compatibility with current ESX versions

I would have given it a higher rating except for how the patching and updates are applied.

Consolidation of physical and virtual server pockets in the data center across different OEMs.

• Access to VMs is now faster due to the centralized management console.
• Navigation is easy and self-explanatory.

• The high redundancy of components has minimized frequent service degradation/failure.

Management solution ViZ: UCS.

• User interface
• More customer/client involvement in back-end management.