What is our primary use case?
We have three different types of environments: internal cloud, managed hosting, and VDA. We use VMware vSphere as the main product to accomplish this.
VMware is now the main backbone in our company.
We are not using VMware cloud on AWS. We are in PoC mode. We may use it in another six months to a year.
How has it helped my organization?
vSphere helps our organization. Initially, we don't have an internal Cloud. We have an internal cloud, which is four years old now. We have 8000 to 9000 VMs standing in our internal cloud. We also implemented VDA using a VMware vSphere. So, it has been an absolutely pleasure having vSphere.
We provide a service to our internal customers for our development center. We have internal cloud developers. If they require 1000 VMs or 500 VMs, and in the background, we're using a vSphere VMware product.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is performance, especially the 6.7 version.
We were looking for content library options for templates and were happy that VMware introduced it in 6.7 version.
I like the speed and the quickness of the boot in the newest version of vSphere.
The mission-critical applications in our company, like SAP, Siebel, and a lot of financially related applications are running. Our developer uses most of animation, etc., and we are using the vSphere for that.
We have seen a performance boost compared to the previous versions, like a 5.1, five years ago. It has gradually increased. Previously, we hadn't migrated any database, like SQL or Oracle, into VMware. However, we are planning to now. We are moving forward because a lot of new features are now available on 6.7.
We are doing a PoC, which we are happy about now. We may move over the database into our VMware environment.
It is simple to manage. However, some of our operation teams, they are used to the desktop line, but VMware removed it in the previous version. Initially, we had an issue on the flash, but now we are happy. With VMware moving to HTML, it's really fast. We did a bit of version testing, and it's really fast and easy to use now.
What needs improvement?
I have seen some sessions for version 6.7 covering its improvements, which I was looking for, mainly the content library. Our requirement is to move our templates from one location to another location. Previously, this was not available. We are happy this was introduced.
Another thing is the flash. However, in 6.7, they completely removed it and they are bringing in the HTML. Let's see, as I haven't tried the 6.7 update yet. I hope it will satisfy everything from our point of view.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is good. We have different clusters based on the load of the application and requirements. We can slice the cluster.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Since we have an internal cloud, suddenly people may require 1000 or 2000 VMS in something. We have options to analyze and make sure we have enough scalability.
We have some issues but so far it has been good.
How are customer service and support?
We use tech support, which is okay. We used to have a hard time, but at this time, we are happy.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Previously, for monitoring, we use other products. Slowly, we are moving to vRealize now. It depends on our requirements and budget.
How was the initial setup?
When 5.5 went to 6, we found it a bit difficult because they changed the model.
Now, we are okay. We have gotten used to it, because it is a new platform. Initially, it was difficult, but now we are okay.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Five years ago, we planned to move from a physical to virtualization environment. We evaluated a lot of other hypervisors, did some PoCs, etc. We decided on VMware. For the past six to seven years, it's been a big journey.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate vSphere as a nine out of 10.
I will recommend the solution, but there are some steps to take first. There are some VMware videos to view and some KB articles to read, which are available, regarding compatibility. I would recommend them to go through everything. Go through the KB articles, then I will recommend them to implement that one.
An important criteria for choosing a vendor is evaluating how a company behaves. We will review their past history, the current market, and the value of that product. Then, we will see whether that product can used for our requirement. Based on that, we choose our vendors.
We haven't started using the VM encryption. We are in the very initial stage, doing a PoC for it and also the UEFI Secure Boot. These are options that we are trying. Let's see how they will work, and we're looking forward to their results.
*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.
