- Deployment
- Planning and designing
- Troubleshooting sustain.
VMware NSX Specialist at Tivit
It provides visibility, because on our environment, it's impossible mapping end to end
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
- Faster delivery of VMs
- Providing NAT
- Firewall rules
- Balance
- Connectivity between physical and virtual environments.
What is most valuable?
Visibility, because on our environment, it's impossible mapping end to end, and we don't have any tools that provide this integration.
What needs improvement?
- vRNI
- Improve integration with many third-party solutions, because only Palo Alto and Check Point, and VMware would be like improve this integration with other vendors.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.

Dept. Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Prolonged hardware refresh and cloud infrastructure gives us many advantages
Pros and Cons
- "Their technical support is very good. They help us figure out solutions when we have problems."
- "The initial establishment can be complex."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution in our private clouds networking environment. We have some subsidiaries that we service and are trying to isolate each of them in this network.
How has it helped my organization?
It has helped us prolong our hardware research. We haven't had to change hardware in five years.
What is most valuable?
Security and cloud readiness are the most valuable features for us. We're interested in looking into microsegmentation.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see some more add-ons on the security features.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's very stable and robust. We haven't had any issues with it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is a great feature.
How is customer service and technical support?
Their technical support is very good. They help us figure out solutions when we have problems.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We integrated in-house.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution a nine because we maximize most of its features. We have many advantages with the cloud infrastructure. I would tell someone looking into this solution to go for it. At first, it may seem to be complex but using it will make it easier to manage jobs. Yes, its initial establishment can be complex but you will see its advantages later on.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
VMware NSX
June 2025

Learn what your peers think about VMware NSX. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
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Technology Manager at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
easy set up and enables us to build one fabric over an IP transport
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup was straightforward. It follows a certain structure and you won't miss a step. It's all on the same level, step by step."
- "I would like them to make integration with other vendors easier."
What is our primary use case?
Our customers had multiple data centers in different locations. Now, with NSX we built one fabric over an IP transport, like WAN internet. When we created the switches, it spread out over the data centers which are the configuration and the management of the underlying network for the VM workloads.
How has it helped my organization?
The reusability of the objects for the switches has improved our client's organization. For example, if I do some sort of vMotion, there is no need to recreate the portal groups on the other sides. We have one centralized NSX Manager which is managing those controllers on those sites.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features would be the easy management and the possibility of using our existing vSphere environment so that we don't need to purchase a new hardware.
Layers 4 and 7 load balancing are good. We like that it's integrated with the vSphere. This means that we can see its full capabilities because of the full visibility of the kernel on the NSX management.
Microsementation is really powerful. With the existing networks of the legacy networks, we need to build a firewall between the segments in order to do microsegmentation but now having, for example, one VLAN connected to multiple VLANs, I can do micro-segmentation between the workloads even with the ushering the same segments.
What needs improvement?
I would like them to make integration with other vendors easier.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's pretty stable. Just deploy it and just forget about it. It's also robust, flexible, and scalable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is really easy. We can scale within an hour. We can scale either new controllers or add new hosts to the fabric.
How are customer service and technical support?
We haven't had to use their technical support yet, which is a good thing.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I'm involved in the decision making. My boss would say that it's time to advance the customer so we'll look into a solution.
We were already a VMware-based customer so our first option for an SDN solution was to go with NSX.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was straightforward. It follows a certain structure and you won't miss a step. It's all on the same level, step by step.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It has saved us CapEx. They should adjust the license for NSX so that we can invest in the infrastructure or purchasing of new hardware. This solution is reasonably priced compared to other vendors.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Our customers usually compare NSX to Cisco ACI. The main issue is the underlying network that VMware does not provide visibility to. They chose NSX because they were already VMware customers and they already had vSphere. The second reason they chose NSX is because of the powerful features like microsegmentation, as opposed to relying on other vendors to manage the microsegmentation feature.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution an eight because of its ease of deployment. I'm a partner so this is what I mostly care about. Also because of the ease of scalability.
If you're looking into NSX or similar solutions I would recommend you to first learn about vSphere and other VMware products because it's essential in order to implement NSX. Without that knowledge, it would be hard for you to understand.
And to those who think NSX is complex I would say it's not. You need to try it and see.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner.
EMEA Infrastructure Manager at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
It's a complex solution but not as much for the key user
Pros and Cons
- "We like that everything is integrated."
- "The solution is complex but for the key user, it's not really complex. You just need to learn the standards and mechanics for your specific product."
What is our primary use case?
We just introduced NSX in our headquarters. We have it running in some labs, but no real experiences. We've been using it for six months.
Our objective is to know each features component and how it works. Depending on the business requirements, we would adapt the solution as needed. This is the reason why we work a lot from the maps and then anticipate when we need a new feature for our company.
What is most valuable?
We like that NSX is integrated with everything.
The load balancing is a real major opportunity for us. As a CIO, we have 99.9% network security. We would like to optimize this product.
For how long have I used the solution?
Less than one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The feedback we're getting from the labs is that the stability is rich and that we haven't had any trouble with it. The stability is really, really good.
What about the implementation team?
We didn't use a service for implementation but we have a consultant to help us get a better understanding of NSX and to teach us the best practices.
What other advice do I have?
To those who say this solution is complex, I would say it is but not for the key user. You just need to learn the standards and mechanics for your specific product. That means that it's simple even if it's really complex beyond that.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Solutions Architect at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Allows us to create very specific segments for each part of the company and the microsegmentation feature is easy to use
Pros and Cons
- "You can easily integrate this with other VMware products. It is a robust solution."
- "If you're worried that NSX is too complex, I would tell you to take another look. If you compare NSX to a similar solution you might find it to be a bit more complex. Usually, the guy that comes in to implement NSX isn't the network guy and will lack the knowledge for the program. He can lack the knowledge for this program and will therefore think it's complex. You need somebody with network experience."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for extended on-premise capabilities. We've been using it for five years.
How has it helped my organization?
I use the cloud now but in the past, we were able to create very specific segments for each part of the company.
What is most valuable?
We like that we can split networks. Layers 4 and 7 are nice. We like that load balancing is easy for the person running it and certain features like the web bouncers F5.
We like that the microsegmentation feature is easy to use. It is easy to segment the network.
What needs improvement?
At the moment it hasn't helped us prolong our hardware refresh.
For how long have I used the solution?
Three to five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
You can easily integrate this with other VMware products. It is a robust solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good.
How are customer service and technical support?
I never had to use their technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were trying to save money and trying to use a more flexible solution so we decided to go with NSX as opposed to another hardware or solution.
How was the initial setup?
I found that it was easy to install. In fact, I installed it myself.
What was our ROI?
We saw ROI within the first year and a half.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It has helped us save CapEx but I'm not sure exactly how much.
What other advice do I have?
I rated this solution a nine because it's easy to use. It has a lot of capabilities, like microsegmentation, which is very good.
If you're worried that NSX is too complex, I would tell you to take another look. If you compare NSX to a similar solution you might find it to be a bit more complex. Usually, the guy that comes in to implement NSX isn't the network guy and will lack the knowledge for the program. He can lack the knowledge for this program and will therefore think it's complex. You need somebody with network experience.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner.
We can do a lot of things without waiting for the purchase of additional devices, such as setting up VRF on physical devices
Pros and Cons
- "The firewall is its most valuable feature."
- "We would like tenant segmentation available in future releases."
What is our primary use case?
We support clients who use on-premise VMware NSX. We provide daily maintenance and support for this solution.
How has it helped my organization?
We are mostly using it for microsegmentation, which is very good. We now use it on a daily basis. Our clients are very satisfied that we can limit ourselves to NSX without the need to purchasing additional network systems and physical devices.
We can do a lot of things without waiting for the purchase of additional devices, such as setting up VRF on physical devices. We are able to implement a lot of things with the infrastructure code.
What is most valuable?
The firewall is its most valuable feature.
It is a mature solution that is available for enterprise companies.
What needs improvement?
We would like tenant segmentation available in future releases.
For how long have I used the solution?
One to three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far, so good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We haven't face any problems yet with scalability. Hopefully, it will stay that way.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were previously using the physical devices from Cisco.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is not easy, but it is doable.
What about the implementation team?
We did it ourselves.
What was our ROI?
We have been able to save CAPEX with this solution.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We chose NSX because we were looking for a product with network polarization, so VMware was the first choice for us.
What other advice do I have?
PoC the platform before you test it. It is not so bad.
We are using the VVD implementation. It is implemented together with the vRA, vROps, and other solutions.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner.
System Engineer at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
It is robust and easy to implement
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to implement it."
- "If there are other solutions already in place, it can be difficult to implement."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for microsegmentation, and it has performed well.
How has it helped my organization?
We use this in combination with VMware Horizon View. With Horizon, we have an isolated environment.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is to control application behavior.
It provides us with features that other products have not.
What needs improvement?
If you start with a new or greenfield environment, it is okay to implement. However, if there are other solutions already in place, it can be difficult to implement.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Because it is in the VMkernel, it is robust.
How is customer service and technical support?
I have no contact at the moment with VMware support about NSX.
How was the initial setup?
It is easy to implement it.
What about the implementation team?
I am the partner. I work with the customer to do the deployment.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend it to another person.
We do not integrate it with vCloud Director.
I don't use load balancer at the moment.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner.
Information Security Manager at Anana LTD
We have saved man-hours and decreased our security exposure
Pros and Cons
- "The microsegmentation allows me to sleep at night. My job is reducing risk, plugging security holes, and working with the automated layer security. Even if somebody spins up a new server, it has to have a tag in NSX."
- "I would like to have automating reporting built into common service management platforms, such as JIRA, Serviceaide, and ServiceNow."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case is the microsegmentation of all our infrastructure, which is a huge bonus. It's performed well.
How has it helped my organization?
The microsegmentation allows me to sleep at night. My job is reducing risk, plugging security holes, and working with the automated layer security. Even if somebody spins up a new server, it has to have a tag in NSX. Therefore, all the security rules are already applied across the infrastructure or automatically applied to new machines. It doesn't generate any new security holes if people have new products. It gives peace of mind that project managers are not screwing up my entire security posture.
What is most valuable?
Automation, because we're constantly onboarding massive customers. We have our own management system, which integrates nicely with NSX. Therefore, we've built an automation layer so we can deploy and completely secure new customers in a hosted environment within a couple of minutes.
Microsegmentation is incredible. It's the only way to go for managing networks long-term.
The security benefit has been huge.
What needs improvement?
I would like to have automating reporting built into common service management platforms, such as JIRA, Serviceaide, and ServiceNow.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability has been great. I have had no problems with it. It is a robust solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We manage a huge infrastructure, and it has not been a problem for us. It has caused no issues.
We generally load balance with separate hardware. With the normal traffic that we see between virtual machines, they never leave the host. So, there are no real issues there. We will use separate, dedicated hardware, because we are at such a scale that our customers prefer to have separate load balances in the hardware.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We jumped onboard with NSX right when it started. VMware worked with us when we had issues or made suggestions to the point that we were invited as a partner to 2016 VM World, because we contributed so heavily into NSX. It has been nice to see the things our potential pain points that we were having with NSX at the time be implemented into the product. Now, it's just seamless, which is great.
What about the implementation team?
We just bought it off the shelf and implement it ourselves.
What was our ROI?
We have saved man-hours and decreased our security exposure.
We haven't had to hire a dedicated network engineer because NSX handles 90 percent of it. The reduced overhead in terms of managing networks has been the biggest plus.
We haven't had to buy additional switching capacity.
What other advice do I have?
Get it in your environment as soon as possible.
Network segmentation is hard. A lot of businesses still use the traditional three-tier system, because it has been proven, but it isn't particularly robust or secure. Realistically, it's a natural step in terms of network management to move to micro-segmentation. It just makes sense.
If someone is worried that the solution is too complex, they should hire people with experience.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner.

Buyer's Guide
Download our free VMware NSX Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: June 2025
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