vCenter Configuration Manager Reviews

We use vCenter Configuration Manager primarily for managing virtual machines on our servers.

The product's price could be lesser.

We have been using vCenter Configuration Manager for eight years. At present, we are using the latest version.

It is a stable product.

We have 300 vCenter Configuration Manager users in our organization.

The product's initial setup process is very simple. It takes two days to complete. We require three executives from the IT department to deploy and maintain it.

We take help from a third-party vendor to provide technical support to the users while deploying individual machines on the server.

The product generates a good return on investment for us.

It is an expensive product. We have a permanent license for it. We pay for upgrades.

I recommend vCenter Configuration Manager to others and rate it a nine out of ten.

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

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.

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

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

The solution is stable.

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

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.

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.

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

I have not seen an ROI using the solution.

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.

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

I rate vCenter Configuration Manager a seven out of ten.

We use the tool as a centralized configuration and management tool for large ESXi clusters. Additionally, it offers plugins for storage management. For instance, there's a plugin for NetApp storage that integrates with it. Consequently, you can now manage storage directly from within the product. It has compliance and monitoring features as well. 

My experience managing virtual environments using vCenter Configuration Manager has been quite smooth. Over time, I've observed that there's been a significant local competency built around the product, especially in India, where ESXi and VMware dominate the market. It's evident that vCenter Configuration Center is the preferred management tool in this context, and it's relatively easy to find expertise in the market.

The tool has automation capabilities that extend to overall IT infrastructure automation. This functionality is not limited to a specific area but can encompass various aspects of IT operations, including storage configuration.

The licensing model has shifted from socket-based to core-based licensing, resulting in increased customer costs. Moreover, if a customer utilizes software like VMware, which integrates seamlessly with ESXi, it becomes even more challenging to consider replacing ESXi. Hence, many customers, particularly in India, are actively exploring alternatives.

In terms of scalability, our experience has been quite positive. The solution is highly scalable and capable of supporting up to 64 nodes in an ESXi cluster.

Most partners in India are skilled in VMware, and we're one of them. We have good expertise in VMware. We rarely need to contact them for tech support, but when we do, their support is good, and we haven't had any complaints.

Positive

I rate the tool's pricing an eight out of ten. The product has increased its cost by at least two to three times its previous cost. 

I rate the overall product an eight out of ten. 

I use it for configuring systems in the food industry.

It's challenging to pinpoint the single most valuable feature since there are several that I find highly important and interesting. I particularly appreciate the reporting capabilities, as they allow for in-depth analysis of logs and the ability to interpret alerts effectively, enabling informed responses.

The primary global issue that I've encountered during my many years working in IT, both in basic implementations and operator-level tasks, is a universal challenge and it evolves around the user interface, or more precisely, the lack of user-friendliness in IT systems. The speed at which technology evolves, new categories emerge, and customer expectations, especially in cybersecurity, are exceptionally high. Many major industry players like VMware, Microsoft, and Oracle often fall short in software coding and the smooth release of new versions. The second significant challenge relates to automation features and reports. These elements should be more consolidated and should transition from text-based to graphical representations to make them more understandable for decision-makers and eliminate the need for administrators to scour the internet for best practices and knowledge.

I have been working with it for twelve years.

It offers exceptional stability capabilities. I would rate it ten out of ten.

It's highly scalable, and I would rate it ten out of ten in that regard. It is suitable for organizations with well over a thousand employees, which qualifies as a large-scale deployment.

The initial setup was a relatively smooth process, and I'm generally satisfied with it. I would rate it nine out of ten.

The basic deployment typically takes around two days, and after making necessary adjustments and some minor modifications, it extends to about a week.

While the pricing is reasonable for large corporations, it presents a substantial financial challenge for medium-sized businesses. This high cost can deter smaller enterprises from acquiring the product, even if they are interested in it. I would rate it five out of ten.

Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

Its purpose is to manage virtualization environments.

vCenter alone is enough for me because vCenter is a cluster environment and cluster solution for virtualization environments. So, vCenter is enough.

There is room for improvement in operating and managing cluster environments and maintenance. And hardware environment visibility.

I have used this solution for ten years. 

It is a stable product. 

It is scalable enough for our company.

The customer service and support are good. The recommendations given by support are good.

Neutral

I used Hyper-V. We opted for vCenter because of its scalability, competency, and trust in VMware software.

The initial setup is easy. 

Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. 

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

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

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. 

We've used vCenter Configuration Manager for one year.

Configuration Manger is highly dependable.

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.

I rate the technical support eight out of 10.

Positive

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

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. 

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

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. 

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

My primary use case is for this solution is for server administrator management. This solution is deployed on-premises. 

This is the best solution for management for the server administrator. VMware has been on the market for many years, so they have a lot of solutions. For on-premises, VMware is the best available solution. 

I expect VMware to move to cloud technology soon, so I have no changes to suggest. 

My company has been using this solution for over ten years. 

This solution is stable. Compared to Hyper-V, this solution is a completely stable and independent hypervisor solution. Windows always has a bug, security issues, everything. So Hypervisor tops Hyper-V. 

There are about 500 to 1,000 people in our organization using vCenter. Our environment contains around 200 servers. 

We rarely contact support, but when we do we usually contact the 24-hour support. 

I haven't explored anything regarding installation, but I assume it's a straightforward process. 

I implemented through an in-house team. We have a team of seven people who are VMware certified engineers to manage the servers. 

This product is not cheap. I have a yearly license for vCenter and the license is not cheap. 

I rate vCenter a ten out of ten and recommend it to anyone who is looking into implementing it. However, if you have less than 10 servers, you don't need to go for the vCenter, you can just use the Hyper-V. It depends on the company staff. 

Everything is going to the cloud, so I think this version 6.5 will be the last on-premises version. 

The MBRS is very useful. 

It's been very stable and reliable. 

We can scale the solution as needed. 

It is a very easy to set up product.

Their licensing needs to be improved. They used to provide business licenses for smaller businesses. I'm not sure if that is the case any longer. 

I've been using the solution for the last ten years. 

The solution is reliable. It is stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.

We can scale the solution as needed. It's not a problem.

I've never dealt with technical support in the past. I can't speak to how helpful or responsive they are to those that need assistance. 

It's not covered. The issue may be the license. 

The initial setup is very simple and straightforward. It's not overly complex or difficult. 

I'd rate the process five out of five in terms of implementation. 

The pricing varies. There are different types of licenses you can get, including standard, professional, or professional plus.

I'd rate the cost four out of five in terms of affordability. 

For the data center, for a VM user or workflow, it's excellent software. If you want to use Nutanix or the SimpliVity it is good as well. 

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.