VMware Cloud Foundation Reviews

We are using it for infrastructure automation. We have a manager of a manager to take care of day zero, day one, and day two operations, which makes deployment and management easier. We also have workload clusters that segregate the workload based on the different types of applications we have, such as sat clusters, PC clusters, mixed-door clusters, and container clusters.

The most important thing is the VMware platform. We have the product piece that completely simplifies different data center components. We have to compute, store, and network all under one data stack. Apart from this, starting from planning deployment, you have a planning seat, and then you have a cloud builder to bring up this composite stack. It's a complete solution, and you can deploy it easily. You need to upload only the build site in the cloud builder. The cloud builder will take care of bringing up the complete infrastructure. Then you have strategic management that will help handle password, license, configuration, and lifecycle management of these clusters.

On day zero, you have a template and a build cloud builder to bring up the template stack. It's a full-stack deployment. Then you have a conversation manager, lifecycle manager, password rights, and certificates- everything is taken care of.

I would like to see an improvement in the SDDC Manager. Specifically, VMware Cloud Foundation should improve some of the federation types, such as multi-site managers. For instance, if we have similar SDDC Managers, like the ones we currently have, which have three DCs in them, it would be helpful to have the ability to have multiple SDDC managers so we can look for foundation across multiple SDDC segments.

Apart from this, there are some features that could be added. For example, I think it would be useful to have better integration with other VMware products, such as vSphere or NSX. Additionally, the ability to customize resource usage based on business needs would be helpful. These are just a few examples, but I think they could really enhance the product.

VMware has duplicated a lot of functions. For instance, when I'm doing any individual upgrade, I have to follow the orchestration and upload. It takes time, and I cannot manage individual life and need an orchestrated process. We have to follow the sequence and the pre-check. So it's still easy, but I have to follow the system approach. I cannot do it on my own.

I have been working with VMware Cloud Foundation for the last three years.

The Veeam confirmation was launched five years back in 2015. But I have had some experience for the last three years.

From a stability perspective, there may be some issues, and that is very difficult. If I have to fix any issues, I need to connect with multiple teams within VMware. For example, if there is a DNS issue, it may impact multiple products. To fix it, I need to connect with different technical teams within VMware. It takes time, and it's not a one-step process. However, if you have skilled resources and knowledge, it is quick and simple.

The scalability depends on the hardware. For example, if it's on a VxRail or vSAN ReadyNode, I would rate it a nine. However, if there are some challenges, it would be rated lower. It depends upon the hardware stack.

It is suitable for companies with a lot of footprints, like a virtualization environment. If they have a software-defined data center, then it's fine. However, if they have a mixed environment of software and physical, it is not suitable. It also depends on their storage and network performance needs. If they need external storage or a physical kind of thing, it may not be suitable.

We have a Professional Services team. It's easy to connect with them since we are partners.

The setup process is complex. The adoption is not simple, but we need to ensure we've screened the resources. If we screen the resource who has knowledge of this product, it is easy.

VMware is on-premises. When it comes to hybrid cloud, we have rebranding like VMC. But the framework, the approach, the deployment, and the operation are the same. So the VMware Cloud Foundation installed on-premises is the same automated deployment and full-step deployment, and the single pane of management license is used. But on-premises, it is a VCF portfolio, and on a hyper-scale, it is rebranded to VMC-AVI.

If you purchase VMware Cloud Foundation as a bundle license, the pricing and all the VMs will be included. It's a better option compared to buying individual licenses. You can save up to forty percent of the cost. It's like getting a Visa and a Sixty license as a bundle instead of buying them separately.

However, if you purchase the products separately, it will be costly. I would rate the pricing within VMware a five out of ten.

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. VMware Cloud Foundation covers all of its bases. It includes computing, networking, hyperscale containers, and more.

We have various on-premise environments. To upgrade user lifecycle management of those standalone environments with repeated patch upgrades, hardware lifecycle management, and software lifecycle management. For all of these issues, we use VMware Cloud Foundation because it does everything. 

The interoperability checkings, and supportability matrix, it does internally and gives recommendations automatically on what type of hardware we're using. For example, it gives automatic recommendations of all the hardware lifecycle drivers, and firmware, including the software stack. 

VMware Cloud Foundation reduces time complexity for the VMware administrator.

VMware Cloud Foundation's most valuable features are password and certificate management. The SDDC manager tool is the front tool we are using to manage the entire VCF stack. In the SDDC manager, we can able to rotate, and update the passwords of all users. Anything in the VMware portfolio, we can manage from a single dashboard and we have various data centers. We have connected everything into one Federation. From one single place, we are managing our entire virtual interactions.

In the early adoption of VMware Cloud Foundation, we have seen minor problems. For example, in our Federation, I see the single pane of glass where we need to manage everything, which is good. However, internally, we have a Kafka database that is distributed by the database used by the SDDC manager. During the distribution and synchronization, there is some issue and we need to stop the process. 

There are some other upgrade issues because it includes a lot of solutions, such as ESXi, NSX-T, vSAN, and some other components. The problem is it does not automatically upgrade. If it fails somewhere, we are stuck there. Until we solve this problem, we cannot move on to the next step, we are seeing some bugs, but those issues are being addressed in the later versions. Every version has some issues, but it has been addressed in the next version. In the earlier versions, we've seen a lot of issues, but VMware has done a lot of good progress in resolving them. The latest resolved whatever issues we have seen thus far. This is why why we are upgrading to the latest version, which is 4.5.

Initially, we are in a physical space and moved to a virtual one. From there, we are moving towards cloud and container-based environments. We don't have any future VCF to manage the containers. We have to come back to the vCenter to manage everything. If the features, could be inbuilt and available on the SDDC manager which is a VMware Cloud Foundation solution, it would be great.

I have been using VMware Cloud Foundation(VCF) for approximately one year.

The performance and stability of VMware Cloud Foundation are good. There have been some minor issues but overall the solution is good.

VMware Cloud Foundation is easy to scale out.

We have approximately 50 people using the solution in my organization.

We have a good relationship with the vendor and if we have any issue we are looked after, and our issue gets resolved.

I would rate the support of VMware Cloud Foundation a four out of five.

We have previously used Citrix XenServer. We started using VMware version 6.0 and move to 6.5, and 6.7, and are now using 7.0. We later implemented VMware Cloud Foundation.

We switched to VMware because we know they are a good vendor in the market for virtualization. We have many public vendors, but in a private cloud, VMware is good, they penetrated well in the market. Our business use cases match nicely with VMware virtualization.

For the implementation of VMware Cloud Foundation, you need to have data center knowledge. Additionally, having network knowledge is very important. You need to have multiple skills to deploy VMware Cloud Foundation. It is not very easy to do. 

There are a lot of design decisions that need to be made. We need to fill up the Excel sheet. For example, if I am the only one aware of the data center components, but not the networking components, then I cannot deploy VMware Cloud Foundation. Multiple teams need to be involved. A single person cannot deploy this solution from end to end. There need to be multiple storage, networking, and vSphere administrators. The initial setup is a bit complex, if you missed anything in the initial phase, you cannot modify it. You need to tear it apart and you need to redeploy it from scratch. This is one of the substantial pain points.

Our full implementation took us approximately five weeks.

We used the help of the solutions architects. However, our in-house team is very good at networking, storage, and vSphere, but the design of VMware Cloud Foundation is a bit complex. We need to have experts from the vendor side.

The price of VMware Cloud Foundation is a bit high. However, it comes with a lot of useful features and can handle a lot of operational complexity. Overall the price can be seen as being fair for what it offers.

If you want to reduce the operational overhead and manage your entire virtual infrastructure from a single pane of glass, then I would recommend VMware Cloud Foundation. It is the best solution to manage our data center virtualization.

I rate VMware Cloud Foundation a seven out of ten.

I have seen a lot of issues with VMware Cloud Foundation that needs to be resolved. However, we are not using the newest version.

Our primary use case is for auto-scaling and automation of VM created automation with some governance and policies.

The ability to auto-scale is the most valuable feature. Auto-scale with automation and business cases is valuable. I also like that VMs can create any cluster via click.

The deployment is clumsy and complex. There are too many things that need to be done in order to deploy. 

I have been using VMware Cloud Foundation for more than five years. 

It is stable and useful. After the deployment, for the user, this solution is very easy. But from an integrator's perspective, the reporting is very complex. It's not simple or easy.

The scalability is very good. Autoscaling, scalability, metering, and metering in any department is good. A department can meter how much they're using, which is very helpful. A business can calculate how many resources are being consumed by each department and how much it's costing. 

We have three companies that use this solution. One of our companies has more than 1,000 users. They have deployed more than 1,000 VMs over there. Another user has 400 VMs and our third company has around 4,000 users. 

VMware technical support is fantastic. They are very good at prioritizing. If it is a critical problem, they respond to us very quickly. 

Previously, I used HPE SimpliVity and Cisco HyperFlex.

The setup is complex. It takes around 21 days to complete the deployment. 

All licensing costs are perpetual. You have to pay for support on a yearly basis.

For our country, we are an under-developed country so the price should be lower. VMware charges too much in our country. If our customer has the option to buy a server for $4,000 or $5,000, but VMware asks for two-person licensing $7,000 to $8,000, that is more than the hardware price. So sometimes, the customer cannot pay for it because it's too expensive.  

They should think about the different price perspective for our country, Bangladesh, since we are a developing country. Our customers have to pay more than any other PC and laptop they are buying which is why customers don't end up buying it. VMware has to consider under-developed countries where a PC is $400 but for VDI their licensing is more than $1,000. Their licensing is more than $1,000 per user and the customer has to buy the hardware separately. Customers don't pick this solution because it's too expensive.

I would rate this solution as a nine out of ten. 

In the next release, I would like to see better integration with NSX.

What it does for people is it enables other companies to be able to move their workloads to the cloud, just like Amazon. People can move their workloads to the cloud, however, at this time you are using it, you are actually running the cloud via VMware.

The solution is very stable.

The scalability is good.

Technical support is helpful.

The initial setup is easy and doesn't take much manpower. 

The pricing could be a bit less expensive. If it was cheaper, more people would take a look at it. 

I've used the solution forever. It's been a very long time. 

The solution is very stable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. The performance has been great.

If it is well deployed, it works well. If it is well managed by the operations team, it stays stable.

The solution is very, very scalable. VMware is designed to scale. 

From what I've seen, the large telcos use it a lot depending on their strategy. They use it so that they can host other companies on their network. Some of the banks use it also. These are quite sizeable organizations. 

Technical support is fine. You have to have your serial number with you. If you purchase from them, there is a special code given to you, which you have to keep. If you keep the code and you have a problem and you call in, you are attended to on time. However, if you don't have the code, it could be a nightmare.

We did not previously use a different solution. 

The initial setup is straightforward, however, the engineer setting it up needs to know the basics and needs to understand what to do at the right time. That said, I've not heard anyone complain.

I'm not sure how long it takes to deploy. I know that, for the engineers working on it, they're able to set it up on time. It shouldn't take too long.

You do not need more than one seasoned deployment guy, an engineer, for the installation. If you have a seasoned deployment engineer, he will be able to get it done for you.

We set it up for so many people, for so many customers.

We would like the licensing to be cheaper. 

Right now, users pay yearly subscriptions. 

As it is a cloud solution, we are always on the latest version.

I would rate the solution a nine out of ten.

I'd recommend it to other users. Big telecoms are using it, which should give an indication of its efficacy. 

My client uses the product to get different tenants in the environment. 

VMware Cloud Foundation makes it easy to set up new environments. You get hosts in a pool, which you can build into a new cluster. 

The tool's price tag is high. 

I have been using the product for seven years. 

I rate the product's stability a ten out of ten. 

I rate the tool's scalability a ten out of ten. 

VMware Cloud Foundation's tech support is amazing. 

Positive

I rate VMware Cloud Foundation deployment a seven out of ten. 

You get what you pay for. 

I rate the tool's pricing a seven out of ten. 

We have enterprise customers for the product. I rate it an eight out of ten. 

We are using VMware Cloud Foundation for many types of workloads, such as automation, VDI, general-purpose workloads, and databases.

The most valuable features in VMware Cloud Foundation are life cycle management and ease of use.

VMware Cloud Foundation could be more flexible in terms of supporting other integration and components.

I have been working with VMware Cloud Foundation for approximately three years.

VMware Cloud Foundation is a stable solution.

The scalability of VMware Cloud Foundation is good.

I would rate the support from VMware Cloud Foundation a four out of five.

The amount of people needed to do the implementation of VMware Cloud Foundation depends on the scale. It could be one or it could be ten. However, usually very few people are needed, such as one to three VMware specialists or System administrators.

The pricing of VMware Cloud Foundation could improve, it is expensive.

My advice to others is to do a proper design prior to the deployment and proper sizing.

I rate VMware Cloud Foundation an eight out of ten.

We use VMware Cloud Foundation to host our in-house data. 

We are able to cut down the installation and setup time from weeks to hours or a couple of days.

I like that VMware Cloud Foundation reduces both the installation and setup time from a matter of weeks to hours. VMware Cloud Foundation is easy to maintain.

The price could be better. VMware Cloud Foundation is overpriced, but I think we get what we pay for. It would be better if it were cheaper because
it would be easier to go to customers and get them to buy it. We'd get more projects, and that would be great.

We have been using VMware Cloud Foundation for three or four years.

Stability is pretty good. All VMware products are stable, and VMware Cloud Foundation is still good.

VMware Cloud Foundation is definitely scalable. We have a few thousand users currently using this solution.

VMware Cloud Foundation is very professional, and I like them.

We used vSphere before we switched to VMware Cloud Foundation. We switched to get more features like NSX and a bunch of extras. We have V3 on the bottom floor, and it's just to get more features, more scalability, and so on. I also find it easier to handle. 

I think the initial setup was relatively straightforward. We just had to install it in the cloud. Three of us maintain this solution, and it's pretty easy.

I implemented this solution by myself. 

VMware Cloud Foundation is overpriced, but I think we get what we pay for. 

I would recommend VMware Cloud Foundation to potential users.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give VMware Cloud Foundation an eight.

Our clients use the solution as their hybrid cloud infrastructure. 

The most valuable area is the ECS environment which includes many features.

The customization has room for improvement.

The price has room for improvement.

I am currently using the solution.

I give the stability a seven out of ten.

I give the scalability a seven out of ten.

I give the initial setup an eight out of ten. The deployment took seven months to complete.

I give the price a three out of ten.

I give the solution an eight out of ten. We can easily deploy the solution into a small environment and keep it under our control.

The solution is suitable for small, medium, and large organizations.

I strongly recommend the solution to others.