Many of our customers are moving to these kinds of options in order to reduce the number of physical devices and to increase security. I'm an architect of enterprise business and we are an enterprise partner with VMware.
Architect Enterprise Business at Mindfire Technologies LLC
Great for protecting virtual machines; stable and reliable
Pros and Cons
- "Provides protection for virtual machines."
- "Quite a complex solution."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The solution is valuable in that it makes it very easy to protect virtual machines
What needs improvement?
The product is quite complex and that could be an area where improvements could be made.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for over a year.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable. I've implemented it in an organization with 2.000 servers and it's fine. That is my experience. I don't have experience with larger environments.
How are customer service and support?
We are directly linked to VMware so we haven't needed to contact the technical support.
How was the initial setup?
We did face some challenges with the initial setup.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost of the solution is a little high, particularly given that most people will not use all the features of the product. If a customer does use all the options, it is a very cheap solution but that is unlikely. For a regular user looking for normal switching, the price feels high. If it's implemented properly you can reduce the cost.
What other advice do I have?
This is a good product and I highly recommend it.
I would rate this solution an eight out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner

VMware NSX T/V Consulting Engineer /Solutions Architect at Onebox Solutions
It has allowed our customers to scale/extend their existing IP subnets and spin up new subnets on-demand for new app/web/DB tiers.
What is our primary use case?
Primary use case is to implement network virtualization for L2/L3 traffic in customers environment and at a minimum implement baseline micro segmentation. each customer has a different business requirement depending on how their existing network is setup --what physical L3 devices are in place and how NSX will need to be configured to function properly. Most customer using NSX V that we have worked with are running UCS servers or HP
with vsphere 6.7 /7 mid level transport node counts respectively etc.
How has it helped my organization?
It has allowed our customers to scale/extend their existing IP subnets and spin up new subnets on-demand for new app/web/DB tiers. Increasing overall VM-to-VM security and policy deployments. It has helped increase operational efficiency from a network management perspective. Many firms have multiple racks of equipment at different data centers that leveraging NSX definitely helps (extending the 'same' IP subnets to different racks in the same data center). For customers who use SRM, there are also great benefits (i.e., not having to manually re-IP DR-side VMs during a failover test).
What is most valuable?
- micro segmentation features
- VDS
- NSX Transport zone
- vxlan encapsulation
- edge services gateway
- distributed logical router
- esxi Vtep
By utilizing NSX V solutions from VMware, customers have the tools needed to move their data regardless of the underlying physical network. They can do this in a way that enforces proper security policies and compliance regulations. Even with SDN solutions, customers must protect their business-critical data residing in their virtual infrastructure
NSX V has less security features than NSX T just so you are aware
What needs improvement?
- NSX Manager console: limit on number of NSX Controllers an architecture can have
- Support for ESXi, KVM, bare-metal servers, Kubernetes, OpenShift, AWS and Azure.
- Integrate NSX Controllers into NSX Manager as a single virtual appliance so controllers no longer need to be deployed independently.
- Directs to vCenter by registering Transport Nodes instead of registering NSX Manager inside of vCenter.
- Use a more modern overlay technology for encapsulation that performs better and is more flexible for the future over older, more traditional VXLAN overlay technology.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used it for 3+ years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability factors stemmed from existing ESXi host setup/configuration/performance and compute capacity; did not identify any stability issues with VMware NSX solution itself.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No scalability issues encountered.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Customer service is 10/10.
Technical Support:
Technical support is 10/10.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
No previous solution in place.
How was the initial setup?
Straightforward setup; best practices need to be adhered to.
What about the implementation team?
Implemented in-house in PoC/prod; showed customer PoC demo, then implemented at customer site with positive results.
What was our ROI?
As a VMware Partner, our ROI is the same as our customers perhaps. NSX helps us leverage our existing infrastructure that is used for training/consulting purposes.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No other options evaluated. VMware is the leader in network virtualization.
What other advice do I have?
Typically CCIE's are the ones tasked with implementing NSX due to their solid network background. Organizations for the most part do not have resources that know VMware as well as they know Cisco. The skills required to be well versed in deploying this technology is rare.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: VMware Professional Partner (consulting and training services)
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Sr. Technical Specialist at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Good security, dynamic routing features, and technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are security and dynamic routing."
- "I would like to see automation capabilities in the deployment process."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution to build our VMware platform.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are security and dynamic routing.
What needs improvement?
The routing functionality needs to be improved, as there are lots of bugs in the system.
I would like to see automation capabilities in the deployment process.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware NSX since 2016.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I think that there is room to improve from a stability standpoint. There are lots of bugs in this product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
VMware NSX is highly scalable.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support team is good.
How was the initial setup?
I would not say that the initial setup was straightforward. In terms of how easy it was to complete the deployment, I would rate the process a seven out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for anybody who is researching VMware NSX is to first have an understanding of network engineering.
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Network Practice Lead at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Good integration with Active Directory and VMware products, but it lacks a network to connect to
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features for us at this early stage are the interface and the integration with existing VMware solutions."
- "Everybody needs a network to connect to, and VMware doesn't readily provide one."
What is our primary use case?
We are a professional services company and we have been evaluating VMware NSX for our clients.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features for us at this early stage are the interface and the integration with existing VMware solutions.
The Active Directory network integration and load balancer are good features.
What needs improvement?
Everybody needs a network to connect to, and VMware doesn't readily provide one. It is reliant on an existing network to connect to, which means that for me, it requires two different teams to manage the SDN.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been working with VMware NSX for a couple of months.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It seems like a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have not checked on the scalability, although from what I have read, it seems like there might be some concerns. I will know more once I get the opportunity to test it.
At this point, we have a team of just three people who are using it.
How are customer service and technical support?
We have not had any reason to call technical support at this stage.
Community support seems ok.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are mainly a Cisco house, but we are trying to use VMware NSX as the next stage of our software-defined networking (SDN) expansion.
How was the initial setup?
I'm not a VMware expert and as a network engineer, I find the setup to be quite complex.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I am currently in the process of comparing this solution to Cisco ACI.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for anybody who is considering this product is to definitely start with a proof of concept. Be sure to understand your business requirements, networking, and security requirements as well.
I am currently evaluating different scenarios on scalability, integration with other products, and the underlay of the solution. While it may be a good product, I think that VMware should buy a network provider that offers the entire end-to-end networking solution.
I would rate this solution a five out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
Information Security Programme Manager at Dixons Carphone
Quickly create and deploy virtual servers to replace physical infrastructure
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the ability to create, develop, and deploy servers in minutes to hours, rather than days."
- "It could be cheaper!"
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is moving from physical to VM infrastructure.
How has it helped my organization?
This solution has given us the ability to move from a physical to a virtual server estate with all of the expected VM benefits of decoupling servers from dedicated hardware.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the ability to create, develop, and deploy servers in minutes to hours, rather than days.
What needs improvement?
It could be cheaper!
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware NSX for seven years.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
System Engineer at GIP SIB
It is scalable by design
Pros and Cons
- "It has reduced the number of people on the network team along with the system engineer involved in the security process. So, it is valuable."
- "From a distributed firewall perspective, it's a solid solution."
- "We would to have a reverse proxy. This would add great value to the solution."
- "We would like better integration with the standards on the market. For example, with OSPF, their integration in NSX is very low. It's not a full OSPF integration. It is too thin from a protocol perspective."
What is our primary use case?
We use it as a distributed firewall and for security purposes.
How has it helped my organization?
It has reduced the number of people on the network team along with the system engineer involved in the security process. So, it is valuable.
We can't go without NSX, so it's invaluable from this perspective.
What is most valuable?
Its flexibility and integration with other VMware solutions are NSX's most valuable features.
The microsegmentation feature is very useful.
What needs improvement?
We would to have a reverse proxy. This would add great value to the solution.
We would also like better integration with the standards on the market. For example, with OSPF, their integration in NSX is very low. It's not a full OSPF integration. It is too thin from a protocol perspective.
The product need to be improved. It is too complex.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability used to be perfect. Now, it is okay.
From a distributed firewall perspective, it's a solid solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is scalable by design, so it's perfect.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is good. We have encountered several problems with NSX, and every time, support has found the solution to resolve the issue.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In our company, we were starting a hosting solution, so it was by design. We have worked with VMware products for a long time, so it was natural to buy NSX.
How was the initial setup?
It was a complex setup.
What about the implementation team?
We implemented it ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is expensive.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did not consider anyone else.
If someone is looking for security in a vSphere environment, I don't know of another solution in the market besides NSX.
What other advice do I have?
We had to buy new hardware in order to introduce NSX into our data center.
We don't use load balancing with this solution.
We don't use vCloud Director.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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?
- Deployment
- Planning and designing
- Troubleshooting sustain.
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.

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