Engineering Manager at Turnkey Cyber Solutions
User
We are distributed across the nation and are primarily all remote employees. I was able to build our private cloud with the tool.

What is our primary use case?

  • Enterprise Infrastructure.
  • We are distributed across the nation and are primarily all remote employees. I was able to build our private cloud with the tool.

How has it helped my organization?

We are distributed across the nation and are primarily all remote employees. I was able to build our private cloud with the tool.

What is most valuable?

Virtualization of our environment has made our carbon footprint, the real estate necessary and the ease of deployment in time savings significant.

What needs improvement?

The thick client had features that were removed from the HTML5 web console and it has caused a learning curve deficiency. Training could be more customer-centric.

Buyer's Guide
VMware vSphere
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about VMware vSphere. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
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For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
IT Professional with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
We have seen a significant lift in terms of delivery of applications
Pros and Cons
  • "Its most valuable features are reliability, for sure, and quickness in getting the job done. I can spin off 100 or 200 machines in the matter of half an hour."

    What is our primary use case?

    I'm building a VDI center and a second-tier user. In terms of mission-critical apps, we use it for our executive pool of users to secure their everyday work. Sometimes we use it for distance education programs as well.

    It has been performing pretty well.

    How has it helped my organization?

    We have seen a boost in performance in terms of delivery, but in everyday work, it's just like any other. Our delivery lift is probably more than 50 percent.

    In terms of delivery, very often we would have requests for adding some new applications which were not previously there. And in previous deliveries, we would have to lose a day or so to prepare the application. Today it takes me about two hours at the most.

    What is most valuable?

    Its most valuable features are reliability, for sure, and quickness in getting the job done. I can spin off 100 or 200 machines in the matter of half an hour.

    What needs improvement?

    If I could talk to the engineers I would probably suggest a little bit different approach. There's a process that includes base-lining, then installing the program, and then doing the differentiation. That kind of approach for delivering applications, in my opinion, is way quicker. That approach would take me not more than half an hour to prepare any application. That's a feature I would like to see.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    One to three years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    We haven't had any stability problems.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    From my point of view, it scales really well; in terms of storage, I don't know.

    What other advice do I have?

    Test it, give it a try, and see how it goes. Definitely try it.

    For me, the most important criteria when looking for a vendor are

    • reliability
    • ease of use
    • customer support.

    I would rate it at eight out of 10 because there is still room for improvement. However, we are not using the full extent of the product so I might be wrong. There is some room for improvement in the ease of use.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    VMware vSphere
    May 2024
    Learn what your peers think about VMware vSphere. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
    787,763 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    it_user859056 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Electronic Engineer in Telecommunications and Master in Technologies and Systems of Communications at QUANYX
    User
    Easy of use with reduced space provides a better use of infrastructure
    Pros and Cons
    • "The easy of use with reduced space provides a better use of infrastructure"

      What is our primary use case?

      Virtualization of servers: Use of the solution to reduce the space usage in the data center. Also, for hyper-convergence, you can virtualize the storage.

      How has it helped my organization?

      Less space is need. It reduces the space of the infrastructure in the data center. The easy of use with reduced space provides a better use of infrastructure.

      What is most valuable?

      • vMotion
      • vCenter

      All the features in the vSphere essentials are great in helping the administrators manage the virtual platform.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      One to three years.

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

      The only issue with vSphere might be with the cost of its tools and the software.

      What other advice do I have?

      I think that the solution with vSphere is complete.

      Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
      PeerSpot user
      it_user383799 - PeerSpot reviewer
      VI Specialist at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
      Vendor
      I value the support for this application.

      What is most valuable?

      I value the support for this application.

      How has it helped my organization?

      If you compare the trend of each version, you can see that the practical features add to this product's value.

      What needs improvement?

      It would be very useful if they would configure the built-in backup application on this product.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I have used it for more than five years.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      There were some stability issues. If you assign a non-dedicated resource to this product, you can see the issue in storage.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      There were no scalability issues as such. However, it depends on the license that you buy.

      How is customer service and technical support?

      Technical support was at a high level.

      How was the initial setup?

      If you have a good understanding from the system how the solution works, it can be simple. Otherwise, it can be confusing.

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

      If you compare it with the applicable features provided, the cost is reasonable.

      Which other solutions did I evaluate?

      We evaluated Microsoft Hyper-V.

      What other advice do I have?

      You should at least try this product once.

      Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
      PeerSpot user
      PeerSpot user
      Virtualization Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
      Consultant
      vCenter, SRM, and vSphere replication are not only the most valuable features for us, but they're the features we use the most right now.

      What is most valuable?

      The most valuable features for us are vCenter, vSphere, vROPS, vRO, NSX, SRM and vSphere replication. They're not only the most valuable features for us, but they're the features that we use the most right now.

      How has it helped my organization?

      From an organizational point of view, it allows us to give a lot of services to our customers. This is true of all VMware products that we purchase. We make sure that our business ultimately benefits from it.

      What needs improvement?

      We have many versions of vSphere, but when it comes to the vSphere appliance, we don't have failover or a recovery point.

      I also would like some added features to vSphere, such as Fault Tolerance with more CPU support. That would be really helpful to everyone, I think.

      From a features perspective, with vSphere 6.0 and PSC being introduced as the new authentication module - you cannot use a PSC for a fresh 5.5 Install. I think we should have this feature enabled as this could help us in multiple instances.

      Also, every would probably like to see a easy/recommendable way to  migrate from Windows vCenter to a appliance. 

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I've been using it for seven years now.

      What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

      We haven't had issues with deploying it.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      It's been consistently stable, and that has probably been the best feature -- its stability.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      Probably VMware should consider of lifting the maximum number of VM's per vCenter which is 15000 now(10000 powered ON and 5k powered off). The number has been consistent from a long time. 

      Also, VMware should raise the number when it comes to SRM/vREP.

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

      We didn't really evaluate other solutions, but we're aware that Hyper-V is out there. But we went with VMware because they've been in the market a long time and we trust them.

      How was the initial setup?

      The initial setup is pretty straightforward and there's not really anything complex about it. I've been working on it for six years now, and it's easy for me.

      What other advice do I have?

      My advice would be to go for it. VMware has a wide range of products. Try them :)

      Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
      PeerSpot user
      it_user385836 - PeerSpot reviewer
      it_user385836Virtualization Engineer at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
      Consultant

      @Chris, Yea I went through that fling.. I have my fingers crossed to have it officially supported. And with regards to 4 vCPU in FT(6.0), thats pretty too less config for dynamic environments. And that's the reason I was behind on supporting more vCPU's.

      See all 2 comments
      it_user321669 - PeerSpot reviewer
      Sr. Systems Engineer at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
      Vendor
      Its hardware abstraction allows us to refresh easier. There are, however, some networking changes, storage integrations, and leverage features that aren’t available.

      Valuable Features

      • Hardware consolidation
      • Easy provisioning
      • Speed to get environments out to business units

      Improvements to My Organization

      • Hardware abstratction (lets us refresh easier)
      • Storage
      • DRS

      Room for Improvement

      There are some networking changes, storage integration, and leverage features that aren’t available.

      Stability Issues

      It's pretty solid, there's a few bugs, but nothing detrimental.

      Scalability Issues

      It's very scalable and easy to deploy.

      Customer Service and Technical Support

      It's got pretty good tech support, quick answers, and they integrate well with certain key partners (Cisco, NetApp, etc.).

      Initial Setup

      It was very straightforward.

      Other Solutions Considered

      Five years ago I used vSphere in a small data center that needed to go virtual. vSphere was more mature than other solutions, and I did a lot of test devs with it and it proved its stability.

      Other Advice

      I would recommend it, as it's very stable and robust. Make sure you stay current, and up to date.

      Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
      PeerSpot user
      PeerSpot user
      Senior System Engineer at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
      Vendor
      From compute and storage perspectives, we use our resources more efficiently. But although I wasn't involved in initial setup, they should apply consistent policies and have them function singularly.

      Valuable Features

      It gives us flexibility in deploying infrastructure. With vMotion, we're able to move critical VMs around our cluster infrastructure, which we manage with DRS.

      Improvements to My Organization

      From a compute and storage perspective, we're able to use our resources much more efficiently.

      Room for Improvement

      it’s so simple that it’s idiot proof.

      Stability Issues

      We never have a problem. It’s almost set it and forget it. Once configured, it takes care of itself. Usually any issues are with hardware, which can’t be helped. With vSphere running on UCS, we’re thrilled.

      Scalability Issues

      We’ve needed to scale and have had no problems in deploying nodes into clusters and getting their profiles. It’s very simple.

      Customer Service and Technical Support

      We've not had to engage them in some time. In the past, we never had a bad experience. We had complex tech issues which we worked through the night and they stayed with me on the phone.

      Initial Setup

      I was not involved, but it would be simple to apply consistent set of policies and get them to function as a single entity.

      Other Advice

      It’s incredibly mature and simple. It’s one of those things where you say “why not?”

      Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
      PeerSpot user
      it_user333873 - PeerSpot reviewer
      Director of IT at a engineering company with 501-1,000 employees
      Vendor
      We're able to use less hardware and consume less power, although the performance manager needs improvement.

      What is most valuable?

      vMotion, which lets us migrate from one server to another, is a really beneficial feature.

      How has it helped my organization?

      We are using

      • less hardware and
      • less power

      as a result of this solution.

      What needs improvement?

      Improvements need to be made in the performance manager.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I have used it for over 10 years.

      What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

      No issues encountered.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      No issues encountered.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      No issues encountered.

      How are customer service and technical support?

      Customer Service:

      5/10.

      Technical Support:

      5/10.

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

      I didn't use any other solution.

      How was the initial setup?

      Setup was very easy.

      What about the implementation team?

      We used a vendor team who were 5/10.

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

      I advise that you take your time and get the most you can for the money.

      Which other solutions did I evaluate?

      This was the only solution we looked at.

      What other advice do I have?

      Spend time learning the product before going into production. Buy the vCenter software. That is a must.

      Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
      PeerSpot user
      Buyer's Guide
      Download our free VMware vSphere Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
      Updated: May 2024
      Buyer's Guide
      Download our free VMware vSphere Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.