Roopesh Mohabeer - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Systems Support Analyst at WARWYCK PHOENIX PCC
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
An easy-to-install and stable tool that supports virtualization platforms with deployments
Pros and Cons
  • "The product's deployment phase was easy."
  • "The dashboards in vCenter Configuration Manager are an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required."

What is our primary use case?

My company uses vCenter Configuration Manager for our virtualization platforms to do deployments.

What is most valuable?

I still use an older version of vCenter Configuration Manager for deployment, and because of this, I don't get the most out of the solution right now. I am not sure what features are available in the solution's latest version. I can say that it is not very complex in terms of deployment.

What needs improvement?

The dashboards in vCenter Configuration Manager are an area with certain shortcomings where improvements are required.

Some functionalities in vCenter Configuration Manager are lacking regarding how it can be automated.

Someone told me that the latest version of the solution has some automated configuration and compliance management in place. I should probably try and get the solution's latest version to get the most out of the solution.

With vCenter Configuration Manager in my company, we still cannot deploy anything else apart from Linux and Windows. There are limitations in the solution, and because of this, I cannot deploy anything else, like with regard to VMware infrastructure using vCenter Configuration Manager. There is also an issue in the solution with regard to the utilization of other available resources. The aforementioned details can be considered for improvement in the solution.

It would be good if vCenter Configuration Manager's technical support team could provide a response to the issues faced by its users as soon as possible.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using vCenter Configuration Manager for five to six years. I don't use the product's latest version.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a six out of ten.

Initially, there were some scalability issues with the product, but my company did get assistance from vCenter Configuration Manager with regard to deployment and administrative areas.

Three people in my company use vCenter Configuration Manager.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support team of vCenter Configuration Manager is knowledgeable and tends to give good advice. Sometimes, the response time can be long, which may be because my company and the technical support team of vCenter Configuration Manager do not operate in the same time zones.

I rate the technical support a seven out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

I have experience with Hyper-V and ESXi. The solution, vCenter Configuration Manager, was already installed in my company when I joined it. In our company, we were trying to upgrade our infrastructure, and we just carried on with the same solution.

How was the initial setup?

The product's deployment phase was easy.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises.

The solution can be deployed in a matter of minutes to an hour.

What about the implementation team?

Initially, one of my company's in-house teams did the solution's deployment process. Still, our company approached vCenter Configuration Manager for better assistance when we met some difficulties.

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

Price-wise, the product is an affordable one. The additional expenses, apart from the licensing costs of the solution, are attached to the support a user wants to receive from vCenter Configuration Manager's end.

What other advice do I have?

The basic maintenance processes related to vCenter Configuration Manager are taken care of by one of the in-house teams in our company. Getting some of the features of the solution up and running, at times, can become very cumbersome. Though the initial deployment is easy, when it comes to the process to get the solution's functionalities and features working, it can be tricky. In short, you need to have some fine knowledge of the solution to deploy some of its features, but there are a couple of places or blogs where you can get some information.

I recommend the solution to those who plan to use it.

It is a good product that remains stable.

I rate the overall tool an eight 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.
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Panomporn-Meesangeam - PeerSpot reviewer
Presales at Lenovo
Real User
A centralized and extensible platform for Managing Virtual Infrastructure
Pros and Cons
  • "The management of vCenter Configuration Manager can support the UI interface. It helps in monitoring, logging alert and performance, forecasting the system to provide services in the environment."
  • "We would like to improve the UI interface and customer experience in vCenter Configuration Manager. We need a speed-based system, which is methodology checked. The migration functions, from one hardware to another and the nodes must be a partner of four nodes, which acts as a weakness. They should have advanced training and course material for vCenter solutions."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for our customers who are end-users.

What is most valuable?


The management of vCenter Configuration Manager can support the UI interface. It helps in monitoring, logging alert and performance, forecasting the system to provide services in the environment.

What needs improvement?

We would like to improve the UI interface and customer experience in vCenter Configuration Manager.

We need a speed-based system, which is methodology checked. The migration functions, from one hardware to another and the nodes must be a partner of four nodes, which acts as a weakness. They should have advanced training and course material for vCenter solutions.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using vCenter Configuration Manager for one-two years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product performance is good and the capacity is also reasonable. But the product is very slow. According to the money invested, the performance is not worth it. I would rate it seven out of ten. 

How are customer service and support?

The technical support by vCenter is not good because the instructions are not clear. The responses are delayed and they can support us in multiple cases. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. 

What about the implementation team?

 It was deployed by the vCenter

What was our ROI?

The Return on Investment is good. The cost is not expensive for enterprise systems. In the long term, it should be having better support .

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


We have to pay for the whole bundle and individual pricing is not available. One license costs us almost $200 every year

What other advice do I have?


I would rate the overall solution five out of ten, however, I don’t know all of the features.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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vCenter Configuration Manager
March 2024
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Information Technology Consultant at HighLine
Consultant
Top 20
Cloning via live migration is a useful feature
Pros and Cons
  • "Configuration Manager simplifies management. Cloning via live migration is a useful feature."
  • "Configuration Manager's reporting could be better. I need to use a third-party reporting solution to get the details. They could add reporting features similar to RVTools."

What is our primary use case?

We use Configuration Manager for our production servers. We only have two users, and they're both admins.

How has it helped my organization?

Configuration Manager has allowed us to reduce the number of admins needed from three to one.

What is most valuable?

Configuration Manager simplifies management. Cloning via live migration is a useful feature. 

What needs improvement?

Configuration Manager's reporting could be better. I need to use a third-party reporting solution to get the details. They could add reporting features similar to RVTools. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We've used vCenter Configuration Manager for one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Configuration Manger is highly dependable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We haven't faced any limitations so far. We have a large footprint, with around 35 servers, so it's used extensively. Right now, we're in the process of consolidation, so the usage will likely go down a little bit. Right now, we're using it for around 10 hours a week.

How are customer service and support?

I rate the technical support eight out of 10.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I previously used Microsoft Hyper-V. We switched to this because it has more features for managing enterprise-level infrastructure.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Configuration Manager was pretty straightforward. It took a couple of months to get everything squared away. It required two people to set up. 

What about the implementation team?

I used a consultant, but he decided not to make it. He doesn't want to be included in it.

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

We pay a monthly subscription, but I don't have the numbers. The only cost besides the license is the expense of maintaining the servers. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate vCenter Configuration Manager nine out of 10. I recommend it to others. Don't waste time with other solutions. Just use this.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Ravikumar Korada - PeerSpot reviewer
Technical Recruiter at Covalense
Reseller
Top 10
Offers simple-to-use patch management features
Pros and Cons
  • "The tool's scalability is good and easy, especially when compared to Microsoft Hyper-V."
  • "Some of the migrations are difficult to manage since the solution is not compatible with a few of the operating systems, which poses a challenge during the physical to virtual migration process."

What needs improvement?

The product's ability to support memory should be increased in the future as it is currently an area of concern in the solution.

Some of the migrations are difficult to manage since the solution is not compatible with a few of the operating systems, which poses a challenge during the physical to virtual migration process.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using vCenter Configuration Manager for five years. My company recommends the solution to our customers.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The tool's scalability is good and easy, especially when compared to Microsoft Hyper-V. Scalability in vCenter Configuration Manager can be used from the hardware itself. Hyper-V's scalability options can be used only with the help of Windows OS.

How are customer service and support?

I rate the technical support an eight out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The product's initial setup phase was okay, and there were no issues.

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

The product price and licensing fees are reasonable, especially when compared to other products in the market.

What other advice do I have?

The product provides very good visibility. With vCenter Configuration Manager, you can manage any kind of all these features of VMware vSAN, VMware vSphere Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS), and VMware vSphere HA along with hyper-converged systems. The product is also helpful in the VMware vSphere live migration area.

Speaking about the product's ability to manage virtual environments, I feel that the migration from a physical to a virtual environment is a bit difficult. Virtual to virtual, live migrations, storage migrations, and the use of the snapshot in VMware vSphere replication are all great features of the tool.

The product can be easily integrated with Windows Hyper-V.

The product's automation capabilities benefit our company's daily operations since it supports Windows PowerShell Commands along with many other commands, including ESXCLI Commands.

The product's patch management area is very simple to use. VMware vCenter Server 6.5, 7.0, and 8.0 are okay for patch management.

I recommend the product to those who plan to use it. Nowadays, Hyper-V is implemented in most organizations since VMware is considered to be too old.

I consider vCenter Configuration Manager to be one of the best options in the market.

I rate the tool a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
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Ronald D'Souza - PeerSpot reviewer
Presales Consultant for CA Southern Africa at Hyperion Holding Pty Ltd
Real User
Top 5
Simple provisioning, reliable, but lacking free training
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of vCenter Configuration Manager is the ease of provisioning."
  • "Acquiring certifications often require extensive training and successfully passing an exam, which can be costly and time-consuming, particularly if you already possess experience in the domain. As a result, this can increase the overall cost of obtaining certification and may present a challenge that requires addressing."

What is our primary use case?

I use vCenter Configuration Manager when I need to provision a VM.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of vCenter Configuration Manager is the ease of provisioning.

What needs improvement?

Acquiring certifications often require extensive training and successfully passing an exam, which can be costly and time-consuming, particularly if you already possess experience in the domain. As a result, this can increase the overall cost of obtaining certification and may present a challenge that requires addressing.

We would like to see free certification or notification of free training programs.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using vCenter Configuration Manager for a few years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

vCenter Configuration Manager is scalable. There is a lot of flexibility.

How are customer service and support?

There are a lot of technical documents if we ever face issues. Their knowledge base is good. We never had to use the technical support.

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

In the past, I utilized Hyper-V, but I find vCenter Configuration Manager to be more favorable due to its advanced features and flexibility, which were not readily available when the environment was initially established. Moreover, other virtualization competitors attempted to enter the market, but vCenter Configuration Manager had already captured a niche market. Overall, both virtualization solutions are well-developed.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of vCenter Configuration Manager is straightforward. We normally do basic installations.

What was our ROI?

I have not seen an ROI using the solution.

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

There is a free license for the standard version. Their enterprise version is expensive. I would advise starting with one server and working your way up as you go. The enterprise version provides support.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

There are a lot of open-source solutions on the market.

What other advice do I have?

I rate vCenter Configuration Manager a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Cyber Security Analyst at Petrotrade
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Offers flexibility in virtualization and can be easily installed
Pros and Cons
  • "Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
  • "The product's high price is an area of concern where improvements are required."

What is our primary use case?

I use the solution in my company for the virtualization of our environment.

What needs improvement?

The product's high price is an area of concern where improvements are required.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using vCenter Configuration Manager for a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a very scalable solution since it allows users to add a few more nodes and have all the detections.

Around 500 people in my company use the product. My company manages 90,00,000 endpoints of our clients who use the product.

How was the initial setup?

The product's initial setup phase is straightforward.

For the deployment, I followed some of the same procedures that I had followed for Cisco since my company had to seek help from a third party from our country, which is Egypt. The deployment was done in a day.

The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.

The technical team for the product's deployment consists of managers, developers, and some end users.

I haven't faced any challenges with the implementation of the product since it is very simple and straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

My company had implemented the solution with the help of a third party.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

My company chose vCenter Configuration Manager since it offers the easiest configurations and management. My company took a few VMware courses. One needs to take the courses to understand and handle VMware and to know how to use it.

What other advice do I have?

I would use vCenter Configuration Manager for patch management across our company's virtual infrastructure by creating virtual machines for my workloads, VM servers, Linux, and to deal with other such related areas.

A project or scenario where the solution improved the compliance part was related to the fact that it was meant for Oracle DB, and now our company uses it for SAP-based implementations.

The most valuable aspect of the tool for maintaining the system security posture in our company stems from the fact that the virtualization offered by the product is very flexible. For any other products, the virtualization offered by vCenter Configuration Manager is flexible. I think it is a very good solution. With the tool, I haven't faced any issues or had to do any troubleshooting until now.

The automation and configuration management tasks by the solution have impacted our company's team's productivity since automation is a very important issue for our organization. My company uses Dell VxRail, which is a very huge solution for us. My company uses VMware vSphere vMotion and some other features from VMware. Suppose the product is down or my company has to deal with some troubleshooting. In that case, we can transfer all our VMs to other nodes without thinking, especially since it can be done through automation and not by any human intervention.

The scalability feature of the product is very good in supporting our company's growing IT environment since I haven't faced issues with the product, especially since I always get help from technical support, who responds right away to any problems attached to the solution. Once a ticket is opened with the technical support team, you get a response in six or seven minutes. If a tech support person is unable to handle an issue, then they try to find an experienced and professional IT person in-house to help the customer.

I recommend the product to others who plan to use it since it is a good solution.

There are many benefits to the use of the product since my company uses it in several environments.

I rate the tool a ten 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.
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Solutions Architect at BAE Systems
Real User
Reliable, reasonably priced, and capable of spinning up virtual machines from images
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is stable and reliable."
  • "The VxRail configuration is very complicated and a little bit too difficult to guess what the final product is going to be."

What is most valuable?

What I like is the ability to spin up a virtual machine from an image, which makes my backup policy much easier.

The solution is stable and reliable. 

What needs improvement?

There is always room for improvement. The VxRail configuration is very complicated and a little bit too difficult to guess what the final product is going to be.

The product needs better integration with security tools. It's a feature that you wouldn't need to have for something like Cisco or that type of thing. Something of that magnitude would already be built into the product.

For how long have I used the solution?

I don't use it myself. I'm just designing the system. My specialty is SIEM and analytics tools. I don't really touch that.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good. It does what it is meant to do without issues. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

How was the initial setup?

I can't speak about the process involved in the initial setup. It's not really my job to spin it up and make it work, so to speak. I'm just there to use it and help people to configure it. If need be, there are infrastructure people for that.

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

The pricing goes back to the configuration. Sometimes for weeks, to work, you need to buy your machines - and those are pretty reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

We do work for government entities. We are not really a reseller. We just say, "This is what you need to build. This is what we advise you to build in." Eventually, whichever government organization we are working for is going to decide what they're going to take according to which country it is. I'm the Solutions Architect.

For what is currently being used in our organization, I would rate it an eight out of ten. We're mostly happy with its capabilities. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Project Manager at Swakop Uranium
Real User
Top 20
A straightforward platform with great features for SRM, HA, and DRS
Pros and Cons
  • "The platform is straightforward and user friendly."
  • "The solution needs to add its own backup system because it has issues integrating with third-party solutions."

What is our primary use case?

Our company uses the solution to check our sites and control machines. We have two separate systems and 100 users. 

What is most valuable?

The solution has great SRM, HA, and DRS features. 

The platform is straightforward and user friendly. A large knowledge base is not required to begin using it. 

Knowledge-based tests are offered and are useful in building skills.  

What needs improvement?

The solution needs to add its own backup system because it has issues integrating with third-party solutions. 

Chinese-owned companies that do not align with the solution's American systems are blocked. Some companies have a few Chinese-owned shares so struggle to obtain licenses.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for seven years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution itself is stable but we have issues when using a third-party products for backups. We get many snapshot errors when connecting with IBM Spectrum Protect. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

I have occasionally used technical support and rate it a nine out of ten. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

My company had the solution in place when I joined the team. 

How was the initial setup?

The setup is straightforward and deployment takes about 30 minutes. 

What about the implementation team?

Our environment includes two systems. I set up one and a consultant set up the other.

Maintenance is easy for two of our system engineers. 

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

The pricing is mid-range so I rate it a six out of ten. 

What other advice do I have?

I have used many different platforms during my career but the solution has always stood out. 

I rate the solution 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.
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