Assistant Manager System at Pro-Technic Machinery Ltd
Real User
Makes it easy to manage VMs, reasonably-priced, and the technical support is helpful
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is how easy it makes it to manage the VM."
  • "When the SSO certificate needs to be renewed, the upgrading and testing are quite complicated."

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is how easy it makes it to manage the VM. In our case, that is quite good.

What needs improvement?

The product is not quite easy to use and needs improvement in that regard.

When the SSO certificate needs to be renewed, the upgrading and testing are quite complicated. We faced this issue just three months ago.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with vCenter Orchestrator for between three and four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

For what we use it for, it has been quite stable.

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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable product and we have between 60 and 70 end-users. We do not plan to increase usage within the new few years.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is quite good and quite helpful.

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

Prior to vCenter Orchestrator, we did not work with a similar solution.

How was the initial setup?

There are a lot of steps that have to be done using the command line and the documentation doesn't cover the entire process. The knowledge base was not open to the public so it was not easy to resolve the issue that we were having. We had to ask for support.

What about the implementation team?

We had support from the vendor for our deployment.

Two people are in place to support this product and perform maintenance.

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

The price is reasonable, and one of the reasons that this product was selected.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Microsoft System Center Orchestrator at the same time, but vCenter is the solution that was chosen. One of the reasons that we chose it was the price.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Serhad Yıldız - PeerSpot reviewer
Founder and CEO at Zed
Reseller
Modernizes use of IT infrastructure and improves resource usage
Pros and Cons
  • "The product's integration is good, it works well with other programs and solutions."
  • "The price of this product is high and could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

My primary use of vCenter is to orchestrate virtual machines in the customer environment.

How has it helped my organization?

vCenter modernizes the way that organizations use IT infrastructure and improves how resources are used.

What is most valuable?

The product's integration is good, it works well with other programs and solutions.

What needs improvement?

The price of this product is high and could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been familiar with this solution for a couple of years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

vCenter is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

VMWare's technical support is good.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was simple, and I'd say everyone was satisfied with it.

What about the implementation team?

I used my in-house technical team to implement vCenter.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this product as ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
vCenter Orchestrator
April 2024
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Solution Architect at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Reliable with good technical support and an easy initial setup
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is pretty stable and reliable."
  • "There can be compatibility issues."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for service enablement applications. Those are the applications running there.

What is most valuable?

The solution offers one central view. The VMotion is good. It's easy to put it into service and maintenance mode if needed. I'm an architect, however, my team is more hands-on day-to-day, and they know about the solution in detail.

The initial setup has been pretty straightforward, and the team, in general, has been happy with the process.

The solution is pretty stable and reliable. 

Technical support is very good at taking a deep dive into issues. 

What needs improvement?

On the KVM side, we really don't have anything. There we have a gap. It's a very small deployment on the KVM side, however, it would be ideal if we were able to properly use all the resources and get the full performance of the platform. 

On the orchestration side, we're lacking the KVM part as well.

There can be compatibility issues. We need to keep track of different versions of the software. For example, we're still on E6 I6 6.5. In some cases, we can't upgrade to Red Hat 8 yet, for compatibility reasons. Every time we do, we have to be applying HPE firmware and stuff. Sometimes we run into complications and we have to stage everything in the lab just to make sure all the versions are compatible. There's this forward and backward compatibility of different software you need to constantly be aware of. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been dealing with the solution maybe for five years at this point. I've used it for a while now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is mostly stable, so long as there aren't compatibility issues between different pieces of software. Mostly, it's reliable. 

How are customer service and support?

Typically, I don't deal with technical support issues. I'm not in that area. That said, it's my understanding that we have gotten a pretty good, deep analysis of the issues at hand when we have had tickets open in the past. My team seems satisfied with the level of support given to them.

How was the initial setup?

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

What about the implementation team?

Our team can handle it with ease. We don't need the assistance of integrators or consultants. 

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

Our customers are the ones that hold the licensing. We just provide services. Therefore, I cannot speak to any exact costs or licensing agreements. 

What other advice do I have?

We provide services to customers. However, we are users of the product.

I don't know of any better VM environment. I would rate this solution at a nine out of ten. We've been very happy with its capabilities so far. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Hany  Magdy - PeerSpot reviewer
Enterprise Solutions Consultant at Interact Technology Solutions
Real User
Top 5
Reliable, easy to set up, and offers good features
Pros and Cons
  • "We can scale the solution."
  • "The cost of the solution is high."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the solution for multiple companies. 

What is most valuable?

There are a lot of features in VMware that are very useful, actually. 

The initial setup is not very complex. 

It is stable and reliable. 

We can scale the solution. 

What needs improvement?

In the last few months, I've heard rumors that ransomware has been gaining the ability to attack VMware, which has us worried. 

The cost of the solution is high.

For how long have I used the solution?

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

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

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

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We've had customers with up to 7,000 employees. 

The solution scales well. It's not a problem to expand it. 

I'm just doing implementations for my customers, not my company. I'm not sure if my customers have plans to increase usage. 

How are customer service and support?

I've only used technical support two or three times. They have very good support and we are quite satisfied with the level of support we offer. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward and simple. It's not difficult. How long it takes to deploy depends on the number of hosts on vCenter. It might take one to two hours. 

Sometimes a customer requires a more complex setup, and that can take a few days.

What about the implementation team?

We are able to handle the initial setup in-house. We did not need any outside help from integrators or consultants. 

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

There are multiple licenses available so customers can choose what makes sense based on their needs. 

The pricing could be a bit less between the pandemic and the war. It's also expensive as it is in dollars, which is higher than a lot of other currencies. Lowering the price would encourage more customers to sign on.

What other advice do I have?

I am an integrator.

I'm using multiple versions, including versions five, six, and seven.

It's a perfect solution. I'd rate it eight out of ten. I'm worried about the potential for being targeted by this new ransomware.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
PeerSpot user
Senior Presales Engineer at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Simple, ergonomic, and easy to use in a complex environment
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is that it's simple and very ergonomic to use the product compared to other virtualizing product. Out of Microsoft, Red Hat, and IBM, we found VMware to be the best one."
  • "It is too expensive. One of the main issues is the price."

What is our primary use case?

We are a software IT provider. I work with vCenter. We use it for our clients. It's for customers and our customers who use VMware products. We are the implementation engineers. Most of our clients work with the traditional data counter.

Our primary use case of this solution is for virtualization management, so virtualizing the infrastructure, and optimizing IT workload.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is that it's simple and very ergonomic to use the product compared to other virtualizing product. Out of Microsoft, Red Hat, and IBM, we found VMware to be the best one.

It's a single pane of glass. We can manage all the sectors on vCenter.

What needs improvement?

It is too expensive. One of the main issues is the price. 

I don't know if vCenter Orchestrator can automize the provisioning of other products and other virtualizing software besides for VMware. If it will develop the ability to be a multi-provider product it will be better for VMware.

I would it to become multi-platforming, like what vRealize does. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for almost eight years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable. I didn't find any technical problems with any VMware products, including vCenter. They are stable products and the only problem is that they cost a lot of money. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In Tunisia, we don't have very big data country like in the UK, Europe, and other countries. The biggest data center in my country has maybe around 500 virtual machines. We don't have the problem of scalability in Tunisia. We're a small country with a small data center. For big companies in Tunisia, it's compared to a middle-sized company in Europe.

We don't have this problem and I know vCenter it's very scalable with how much you can manage and how many customers you can manage. We don't have this problem with scalability.

How are customer service and technical support?

We don't have a problem with VMware support. I would rate their support a nine out of ten. 

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

We compared vCenter to Microsoft SCCM and other tools and I think vCenter is the most dynamic and the easier one to use in any complex environment.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not complicated. The setup took around half a day. If we have all the requirement that we request it takes less than half a day.

What about the implementation team?

We do both. We implement and we do the support and maintenance tasks. We only require one staff member for the deployment. 

The setup depends on how the company has organized it. We have people who are responsible for the implementation and people who are responsible for the maintenance and support desk. But if you have a problem then just one person can fix that problem. 

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

Our licensing is on a yearly basis. We pay for the license and then we pay the support every year.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate it a nine out of ten. Not a ten because of the price. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
PeerSpot user
Sales Engineer at a computer software company with 51-200 employees
Real User
A stable solution but needs to work on the manuals and guidelines for integrations
Pros and Cons
  • "I am impressed with the tool's easiness to work with VMware solutions."
  • "There are no good manuals or guidelines on integrations. Hence, you need to be asking someone."

What is most valuable?

I am impressed with the tool's easiness to work with VMware solutions. 

What needs improvement?

There are no good manuals or guidelines on integrations. Hence, you need to be asking someone. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. I would rate its stability a ten out of ten. 

How are customer service and support?

We did not face any support cases. 

What about the implementation team?

The tool's deployment can be done in-house. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate the product 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.
PeerSpot user
System Admin at Institute of Space Technology (IST)
Real User
Good management tools and distributed resource scheduler, but the GUI should be enhanced
Pros and Cons
  • "The backup and recovery times are very quick."
  • "The GUI should be enhanced in the future."

What is our primary use case?

We recently deployed a SAN in our office and the servers deploy on vCenter Orchestrator.

We also have a wireless deployment for different controllers, and we have many ERD solutions in our office that are hosted on VMware technology.

Many of our older, physical servers are being converted into VMs, and then we use vCenter Orchestrator with them as well.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the Distributed Resource Scheduler (DRS).

The backup and recovery times are very quick.

The management tools are very good.

What needs improvement?

I think that vSAN can be improved.

The GUI should be enhanced in the future. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with vCenter Orchestrator for probably three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

vCenter Orchestrator is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability has not been an issue. In one project, we have between 2,500 and 3,000 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

The VMware technical support is good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. Including the training that we had from the training center, our deployment took place over about six months.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated and analyzed several similar products and we selected VMware as being most suitable for our requirements.

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody who is considering vCenter Orchestrator is to first collect all of their requirements or the requirements of the client. These are the basic steps and once everything is understood, the products can be properly selected.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
JulianLewis - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Engineer at a educational organization with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Top 10
A stable, scalable solution with a quick deployment
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution's ability to template and easily implement are the most valuable features. It offers good replication as well."
  • "The solution needs to integrate with Cloud facilities like AWS and Azure."

What is our primary use case?

I primarily use the solution to run my monitoring tools. For the universities I work with, the primary use is to run everything and anything.

What is most valuable?

The solution's ability to template and easily implement are the most valuable features. It offers good replication as well. 

What needs improvement?

The solution needs to integrate with Cloud facilities like AWS and Azure. Containerization, which I believe they are working on, needs to improve too.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is pretty stable. As long as you look after the boxes it's running on, and ensure they're connected, then you're fine. We don't plan to increase usage at this time.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution is pretty good. We have about 100 or so users on the solution currently.

How are customer service and technical support?

I've never really had to use technical support, so I don't have any experience with them.

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

We didn't previously use a different solution.

How was the initial setup?

Deployment took less than a day. However, I did not handle the implementation. We only require two people for maintenance.

What other advice do I have?

We're using the on-premises deployment model.

I would rate the solution eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
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