Lead Service Engineer at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Real User
It is very stable and easy to scale out
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is its high performance."
  • "There are still some features which aren't built into Cisco, like virtualized networking, that use its applications. However, these can be purchased through another product as an additional licensing cost to us."

What is our primary use case?

We use it to consolidate our data center footprint.

How has it helped my organization?

Hyper-converged solutions seem a lot easier to manage, especially with the single pane of glass view into all the management pieces of it.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is its high performance.

The single pane of glass manager is a lot easier than having multiple systems to manage.

Being able to call one vendor instead of multiple vendors is a lot easier.

What needs improvement?

There are still some features which aren't built into Cisco, like virtualized networking, that use its applications. However, these can be purchased through another product as an additional licensing cost to us.

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VxRail
March 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable. We've had no issues. The only thing that we have had to replace is the disk.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very easy to scale out.

How are customer service and support?

We have used technical support for disk replacement.

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

We had legacy ESX infrastructure previously. It really came down to consolidating our data center, which is what drove our solution switch.

How was the initial setup?

We had Dell EMC Professional Services come in and install it, then do the handover and some training,

What about the implementation team?

We worked with Dell EMC directly. Our experience with them was great.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked at Cisco and HPE. A lot of what drove of our decision is because VxRail is VMware integrated, so it was easy to manage and learn.

What other advice do I have?

We are happy with the product.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Ingeniero compare at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Movement of devices is easy, but the support is a bit unsatisfactory
Pros and Cons
  • "It is very powerful. We find that to be the most valuable aspect. The movement of devices between nodes is very easy."
  • "The agility of the support team to provide you with better solutions should be improved. VxRail also has to be improved in terms of simplicity. Adding a simple node seemed like quite a project."

What is our primary use case?

We run the applications on VxRail. We run all the applications that we have virtualized through VxRail.

By implementing VxRail, we wanted hyperconvergence.

How has it helped my organization?

We are a little unhappy with the last five nodes that we have bought because we have had them for less than one year, but the power supply already burned out, and three network cards from three different nodes had to be changed. With the other seven nodes, we were more or less happy because the only failure they had was the CMOS battery. There were some small issues, but with these last ones, we are a little dissatisfied.

Their support team is always very willing to help, but in the end, we are not 100% satisfied. To give you an idea, we have, for example, four support cases open for which we still do not know what the solution is. One of the cases is that we have a cabin through a Unity node, which is also Dell’s, but the other nodes have zero visibility with the cabin. The only solution that we have been told is to eliminate or clean all the network units that are placed there, which is a drastic solution involving the loss of service, so we are a little dissatisfied with that solution. Their support is very receptive. Our customers try to quickly raise the incident, and we try to open the cases quickly as well. To be fair, someone from the support team contacts you quickly, but it takes too long for them to find the solution. For this reason, we are a little dissatisfied.

VxRail has the ability to consolidate infrastructure from multiple locations. It is a fundamental part. Especially for geographical redundancy, it is furthermore necessary and mandatory.

In terms of VxRail’s ability to simplify our management of VMware, simplifying VMware management is impossible.

VxRail consumes a lot of energy. The rack we have has seven nodes and then it has a cabin and more features. In the end, it consumes a lot of energy, but it is normal. They are working 24/7 after all.

When it comes to reduction in unplanned production downtime, because we have seven redundant nodes, it is hard to know if VxRail is helping to reduce unplanned production downtime. If we had only one or two nodes, the experience would be different because then the node would have been active 24/7, but this is not the case. Because we have seven nodes, we have everything redundant.

At the moment, VxRail has not had any effect on the flexibility of our operations or business. VxRail has also not had any impact on our organization’s sustainability goals because we do not have any sustainability goals.

What is most valuable?

It is very powerful. We find that to be the most valuable aspect. The movement of devices between nodes is very easy.

What needs improvement?

The agility of the support team to provide you with better solutions should be improved. VxRail also has to be improved in terms of simplicity. Adding a simple node seemed like quite a project.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have had it for five years. We had seven nodes, and last year, we bought five more nodes.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is pretty stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In our infrastructure, we started with five nodes. We then increased them to six, and then we grew them to seven. It is not “plug and play” as they say. It took Dell’s technician almost a week to add the node so it is not that simple.

How are customer service and support?

It is a very expensive support, so it is logical that they will assist you quickly, but in the end, for the resolution itself, in many cases, you go around 1,000 times. You waste a lot of time, and they do not find a solution right away.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

This is the first solution of this type that we've used.

What was our ROI?

The ROI cannot be measured. In the end, it is a horizontal service that we have to provide, and we have no other option but to give it. The cost does not matter.

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

It is very expensive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We also evaluated HP and other solutions, but in the end, we chose VxRail because other colleagues were using it and we already had that knowledge close to us. We said, “Well, let’s take advantage of the know-how.”

We did not consider public cloud infrastructure before choosing VxRail. Due to our business characteristics, a public cloud is not an option. We must have everything on-premises.

What other advice do I have?

At the moment, it does cover our objectives. I do not yet know about the competition. We are now evaluating alternatives, and we cannot yet compare. I would rate Dell VxRail a six out of ten.

Foreign Language:(Spanish)

Título: El movimiento de dispositivos es fácil, pero el soporte es insatisfactorio

¿Durante cuánto tiempo utiliza Dell VxRail?

Lo tenemos desde hace cinco años. Teníamos siete nodos y el año pasado compramos cinco nodos más.

¿Cuál es su principal caso de uso de esta solución? (Incluya detalles sobre su entorno.)

Ejecutamos las aplicaciones en VxRail. Ejecutamos todas las aplicaciones que tenemos virtualizadas a través de VxRail.

Al implementar VxRail, queríamos hiperconvergencia.

Comparta cómo Dell VxRail ha mejorado su infraestructura de TI. Si no fue así, explique por qué.

Estamos un poco descontentos con los últimos cinco nodos que hemos comprado porque los tenemos desde hace menos de un año, pero ya se quemó una fuente y hubo que cambiar tres tarjetas de red de tres nodos diferentes. Con los otros siete nodos estábamos más o menos contentos porque el único fallo que sentimos fue en cuanto a la batería CMOS, Hubo algunos pequeños problemas pero con estos últimos estamos un poco descontentos.

Su equipo de soporte siempre está muy dispuesto, pero al final no estamos 100% satisfechos. Para que os hagáis una idea, tenemos por ejemplo cuatro casos de soporte abiertos de los que todavía no sabemos cuál es la solución. Uno de los casos es que tenemos una cabina a través de un nodo de Unity, que también es de Dell, pero los demás nodos tienen visibilidad nula con la cabina. La única solución que nos han dicho es eliminar o limpiar todas las unidades de red que allí se encuentran colocadas, lo cual es una solución drástica que implica la pérdida del servicio, por lo que estamos un poco insatisfechos con esa solución. Su apoyo es muy receptivo. Nuestros clientes intentan comunicarnos rápidamente sobre el incidente y nosotros también intentamos abrir los casos rápidamente. Para ser justos, alguien del equipo de soporte se comunica contigo rápidamente, pero tarda demasiado en encontrar la solución. Por eso estamos un poco descontentos.

VxRail tiene la capacidad de consolidar infraestructura desde múltiples ubicaciones. Es una parte fundamental. Especialmente en el caso de la redundancia geográfica, además es necesario y obligatorio.

En términos de la capacidad de VxRail para simplificar nuestra administración de VMware, simplificar la administración de VMware es imposible.

VxRail consume mucha energía. El rack que tenemos tiene siete nodos y luego tiene una cabina y más funciones. Al final consume mucha energía, pero es normal. Después de todo, trabajan 24 horas al día, 7 días a la semana.

Cuando se trata de reducir el tiempo de inactividad de producción no planificado, debido a que tenemos siete nodos redundantes, es difícil saber si VxRail está ayudando a reducir el tiempo de inactividad de producción no planificado. Si tuviéramos solo uno o dos nodos, la experiencia sería diferente porque entonces el nodo habría estado activo 24 horas al día, 7 días a la semana, pero este no es el caso. Como tenemos siete nodos, tenemos todo redundante.

Por el momento, VxRail no ha tenido ningún efecto en la flexibilidad de nuestras operaciones o negocios. VxRail tampoco ha tenido ningún impacto en los objetivos de sostenibilidad de nuestra organización porque no tenemos ningún objetivo de sostenibilidad.

¿Qué características le han parecido más valiosas y por qué?

La potencia que tiene es valiosa y el movimiento de dispositivos entre nodos es muy sencillo.

¿En qué áreas se podría mejorar Dell VxRail?

Se debe mejorar la agilidad del equipo de soporte para que brinde mejores soluciones. VxRail también debe mejorarse en términos de simplicidad. Agregar un nodo simple parecía todo un proyecto.

¿Utilizó anteriormente diferentes soluciones hiperconvergentes? En caso afirmativo, ¿cuál y por qué cambió?

No, esta es el primera.

Antes de elegir Dell VxRail, ¿evaluó otras opciones? ¿De ser asi, cuales?

También evaluamos HP y otros, pero al final se eligió VxRail porque otros colegas lo estaban usando y ya teníamos ese conocimiento cerca de nosotros. Dijimos “Bueno, aprovechemos el know-how”.

No consideramos la infraestructura de nube pública antes de elegir VxRail. Por nuestras características de negocio, una nube pública no es una opción. Debemos tener todo en las instalaciones.

¿Qué opina sobre el precio y/o la licencia de Dell VxRail?

Es muy caro.

¿Cuáles son sus impresiones sobre la escalabilidad de Dell VxRail?

En nuestra infraestructura, comenzamos con cinco nodos. Luego los aumentamos a seis y luego los aumentamos a siete. No es “plug and play” como dicen. Al técnico de Dell le llevó casi una semana agregar el nodo, por lo que no es tan sencillo.

¿Cuáles son sus impresiones sobre la estabilidad de Dell VxRail?

Es bastante estable.

¿Has visto el ROI (Retorno de la Inversión)? En caso afirmativo, ¿de qué manera (es decir, métricas/puntos de datos)?

El retorno de la inversión no se puede medir. Al final es un servicio horizontal que tenemos que dar y no nos queda otra que darlo. El costo no importa.

Cuéntanos tu experiencia con el servicio y soporte al cliente.

Es un soporte muy caro, por lo que es lógico que te atiendan rápidamente, pero al final, para la resolución en sí, en muchos casos, das 1.000 vueltas. Pierdes mucho tiempo y no encuentran una solución inmediata.

¿Cómo calificaría esta solución en una escala del 1 al 10 en cuanto a servicio y soporte?

5.

En una escala del 1 al 10 (1=peor, 10=mejor), ¿cómo calificaría Dell VxRail? Por favor explique por qué.

De momento, sí cubre nuestros objetivos. Aún no sé sobre la competencia. Ahora estamos evaluando alternativas y todavía no podemos comparar. Calificaría a Dell VxRail con un seis sobre diez.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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VxRail
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about VxRail. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Director of Maritime Geoinformation at ARMADA DEL ECUADOR
Real User
Elastic and scalable solution
Pros and Cons
  • "VxRail has improved out organization because we are trying to be a little more proactive and elastic. We are trying to change our conventional approach to development."
  • "Deployment was not initially straightforward for us. We had an incompatibility issue that was very difficult for Dell Professional Service to solve."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for VxRail right is deploying management systems. We are trying to consolidate some infrastructure.

How has it helped my organization?

VxRail has improved out organization because we are trying to be a little more proactive and elastic. We are trying to change our conventional approach to development. So this kind of solution is very suitable for data and that approach.

What needs improvement?

It could be very interesting to integrate VxRail with vSAN Ready Nodes, which we also use. Both solutions were built by Dell. vSAN Ready Nodes is another family of products, but with the same building blocks as VxRail, I think. VxRail easier to manage and deploy, but it is a little more expensive, and vSAN Ready Nodes would work better for some of our clients' use cases. 

It would be good to have both of these solutions on the same dashboard. We don't want to have two management domain. It would be great for us to have these two Dell solutions integrated. 

Dell could do more to help customers understand the real value proposition of this solution, especially related to deployment and scaling. A lot can be done with this solution. For example, it can be used for coverage bonds for virtual machines or as a solution for disaster recovery. This is important for customers with critical infrastructures. 

In-person training and online training tools could be great, as well. Including training in the bundle with the equipment would be beneficial for us. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using VxRail for two years. 

How are customer service and technical support?

Ecuador is a small market, so we do not have much access to local tech support. There are a lot of local commercial channels and partners, but not so much technical support. I think we only have two or three channels. 

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

Before switching to VxRail, we had a very common solution that utilized Blade servers. We switched because we wanted something more elastic and scalable.

How was the initial setup?

Deployment was not initially straightforward for us. We had an incompatibility issue that was very difficult for Dell Professional Service to solve. We had people from different countries trying to solve it. We were deploying the regional product but something with the version was inconsistent. It was a special case, but was very difficult to identify and to solve. It took us about two days.

Once we solved that issue, deployment was very easy. It took maybe an hour and was really easy. 

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

The impression we got from the technical papers was that it would be very easy and quick to deploy this solution, but it was not. However, after we dealt with those issues, the solution was very solid, very easy. It wasn't easy to configure, but right now it's very stable. We are happy with that.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Arquiteto de infraestrutura at Raizen
Real User
Good pricing, very good performance, and doesn't use too many resources
Pros and Cons
  • "The pricing is very, very good."
  • "I can't speak to any missing features or weak aspects of the system just yet. We haven't had a chance to really dig in."

What is our primary use case?

Our goal is to deploy a new CITRIX environment - migration from actual legacy model (hardware) to this new solution.

How has it helped my organization?

Still waiting deliverance - delayed due SARs-COV2 restrictions.

What is most valuable?

The solution is good in terms of being resilient with resources. For example, it can process memory well.

We are packaging it with an HCI solution from VMware which pairs well with VxRail. It improves the solution. 

The pricing is very, very good.

The overall performance is going to be elevated, giving the customers a better experience.

What needs improvement?

I can't speak to any missing features or weak aspects of the system just yet. We haven't had a chance to really dig in.

For how long have I used the solution?

Currently we're still in the process of implementation .

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. We haven't really worked on it yet, however.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We plan to scale the solution to 3,000 users and therefore we have a good idea of how much it can scale for us. We are pretty happy with it's potential to scale.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support has been very good. We're very satisfied with the level of support they give us.

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

We previously used an older version of the solution. We switched so that we could change the load solution.

How was the initial setup?

The solution hasn't really arrived yet. We're still in the process of the implementation strategy. We're working with our reseller in order to implement everything.

We're not sure how long deployment will take us in the end. That's yet to be seen.

We are going to deploy the solution in perhaps three months, we expect. At this point, we're going to plan the installation, plan the rollout of our actual solution between HPE Blade and the old solution. We're going to install VxRail, deploy Citrix environment, and so on.

What about the implementation team?

We're getting our reseller to also implement the solution for us. Dell EMC offers installations and we've opted to let them handle it.

What was our ROI?

I wasn't involved in the negotiation of terms, therefore it's hard to discuss the ROI we expect.

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

We've found the pricing to be pretty good.

For the license option, we're buying a five-year solution. It's a full box. We buy the hardware and software solution for five years. Therefore, there's that VMware solution, licensing for five years, and the hardware valid five years of warranty. At this moment, there are no other fees.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated two other options before choosing this product. The first was Nutanix and SimpliVity from HP.

What other advice do I have?

We're a customer of Dell.

We have knowledge about the VMware solution. With VxRail, we will be increasing our knowledge. Therefore, we're expecting to improve our internal solutions and the overall solutions for our internal consumers.

While we haven't implemented it yet, we're expecting it will improve our environment a lot. We're excited to be working with it.

Overall, from what I have seen so far, I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Manager of Solutions Architecture at Trace3 Inc
Real User
Integrates well with automation tools, and improves ease of manageability
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of this solution is the automation and integration points with other automation tools."
  • "Having a native replication would be an improvement."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use for this solution is storage refresh, where you want to take advantage of the HCI functionality and/or bringing in another tier of storage. 

How has it helped my organization?

This solution has improved our organization in the following ways:

  • Easier to manage: reduced management points, consolidated alerts, automation.
  • Capacity planning: manage growth with one purchase as well as plan my depreciation of assets easier.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of this solution is the automation and integration points with other automation tools.  

What needs improvement?

Having a native replication would be an improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for three years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Co Founder at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Great for a large company, easy to deploy, and easy to scale up
Pros and Cons
  • "VxRail is easy to deploy and easy to scale up."
  • "You have to buy a new server if you want to scale up."

What is our primary use case?

We work with Dell's Italian partner, so we go where the market goes. When Dell merged with EMC, we did several courses, and I got a certification with VxRail. We usually work with companies that have projects. We are solution architects. We don't work with software, programs, databases, or custom software.

What is most valuable?

VxRail is easy to deploy and easy to scale up, but you have to buy a new server if you want to scale up—not just a classic solution like RAM, CPU, or more disk. The solution would be good for a great company that is dynamic and wants to go up very fast.

What needs improvement?

When you converge the solution, you have to be very careful because the great scalability comes at an important cost. If you want to use three nodes with a standard license, for example, and you want to converge the solution with three nodes, you have chosen the wrong product because you have to buy a new server if you want to scale up.

In my opinion, the lack of improvement is from a commercial point of view, not from a technical point of view. 

It also lacks a single easy remote server for disaster recovery.

For how long have I used the solution?

We started using VxRail three years ago.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is great because it is based on VMware, so it's the same panel and same code.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

VxRail has great scalability.

How are customer service and support?

Dell's EMC technical support is very good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup process is pretty straightforward. Technically speaking, there could be some complications, but Dell's support is very good.

In the course for VxRail, they tell you that it's a single click to deploy. From a technical viewpoint, that isn't true because you have to build the rack system. If the system is projected well, then you have a single click to deploy it with a single panel of glass.

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

The price could be lower. If the price were dropped, the products could sell more easily.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Compared to Nutanix, we are not as aggressive in the market, but VxRail is a good product with good design. If VxRail is to compete with Nutanix, it needs a single easy remote server for disaster recovery, but that depends on vSAN, which the design of VxRail is based on. The core of vSAN is not designed for this, maybe because vSAN customers are higher level.

What other advice do I have?

I would give this solution a 9 out of 10. 

VxRail isn't for a small company. If you need less than five servers, you could technically use it, but there are probably other solutions that are cheaper. A classic solution for a small customer is cheaper than other convergence solutions.

In my mind, the hyper-convergence solution is a requirement only for a great company. If you are a small Italian company that isn't going to scale up for a few years, it's very difficult to afford the price, and you might have a problem with technical knowledge as well because your normal technicians won't be able to assist in other convergence solutions if you have an issue. In this case, we prefer traditional systems over VxRail to give the client the correct stability and simple management.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Infrastructure Specialist at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees
Real User
A good solution for solving performance problems in the VDI environment
Pros and Cons
  • "VxRail performs well in the VDI environment."
  • "I wish for the performance environment to be improved."

What is our primary use case?

I don't know which version we are using. 

I use VxRail as a VDI solution in my environment. 

What is most valuable?

We use the solution to solve our performance problems in the environment. In spite of the great expense, I needed to deploy a good alternate solution for our VDI clients, as there was a need to address the slow pace of the VDI and other deployment issues. 

What needs improvement?

I wish for the performance environment to be improved. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using VxRail for approximately one month.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is fine. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We may need more nodes next year. At the present time, the solution is fine as we support only 200 users. However, I will need to have these capabilities for approximately 1,500 users, although I cannot specify the exact number. 

How are customer service and technical support?

For the moment, the support is okay. 

How was the initial setup?

I am not in a position to assess the difficulty or duration of the deployment as this is done with our partner, who sends it to us only after the implementation and deployment are completed. 

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

The solution is very expensive. 

What other advice do I have?

We support 200 users.

VxRail performs well in the VDI environment. We feel it to be a good solution.

I rate VxRail as a ten out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Data Centre and HCI Solutions Lead at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Great performance, easy to scale, fairly stable, and very useful for scale-out upgrades
Pros and Cons
  • "There are so many features, but if I have to choose, I would go for scale-out upgrades and performance. Scale-out upgrades are very valuable. Typically, when customers engage in virtualization, they're committing themselves to run many virtual machines on a fewer number of hosts. They'll have five or six hosts, and they will run all their virtualization on vSphere. They could be having anywhere from 50 to 100 or even more virtual machines. Once all these go into production, getting downtime or getting planned maintenance windows is extremely difficult. It is something that typically businesses will frown upon. With VxRail, you can just go ahead and add a node without disrupting the existing environment, which works very well. That's why scale-out upgrades are a key feature. Its performance is also valuable. It delivers a very high number of IOPS for a hybrid configuration or an all-flash configuration. The processors that are available in the Xeon family are very powerful. They are multi-core with typically 2 gigahertz, 2.4 gigahertz, or higher frequency, so the performance is very much appreciated."
  • "It would be nice if its installation can be simplified, but it is currently not too bad. They can provide deduplication and compression in hybrid configurations. To the best of my knowledge, these features are not there, and it would be nice if these are added. Some of its competitors already have these features, so it will help VxRail to have a better feature set and compete more effectively."

What is our primary use case?

It is used for server virtualization. Most of my work is around server virtualization. There has been a lot of interest lately in virtual desktop interfaces but not much is happening there. Most of the customers come for server virtualization. They generally have three-tier architecture running VMware vSphere, and they are looking to upgrade their technology for different reasons, such as performance or hardware being the end of life. Our customers are mostly using the new versions of this solution.

What is most valuable?

There are so many features, but if I have to choose, I would go for scale-out upgrades and performance.

Scale-out upgrades are very valuable. Typically, when customers engage in virtualization, they're committing themselves to run many virtual machines on a fewer number of hosts. They'll have five or six hosts, and they will run all their virtualization on vSphere. They could be having anywhere from 50 to 100 or even more virtual machines. Once all these go into production, getting downtime or getting planned maintenance windows is extremely difficult. It is something that typically businesses will frown upon. With VxRail, you can just go ahead and add a node without disrupting the existing environment, which works very well. That's why scale-out upgrades are a key feature.

Its performance is also valuable. It delivers a very high number of IOPS for a hybrid configuration or an all-flash configuration. The processors that are available in the Xeon family are very powerful. They are multi-core with typically 2 gigahertz, 2.4 gigahertz, or higher frequency, so the performance is very much appreciated.

What needs improvement?

It would be nice if its installation can be simplified, but it is currently not too bad.

They can provide deduplication and compression in hybrid configurations. To the best of my knowledge, these features are not there, and it would be nice if these are added. Some of its competitors already have these features, so it will help VxRail to have a better feature set and compete more effectively.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been off and on working with VxRail for more than three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is fairly stable. There are no showstoppers as such.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is easy to scale, but typically, it involves adding more nodes. So, there is an investment from the customer side. They have to have the budget for it, and then scalability is not an issue.

We are focused on all segments. Some of our customers start off with something as small as a three-node cluster, and we also have large enterprise customers who start off with 10 or 12 nodes.

How are customer service and technical support?

I don't interact with their technical support.

How was the initial setup?

Its installation can be a little complex, but it is not bad. If you plan it well and stay in touch with the customer about requirements, it is not difficult. For an implementation project, it is a standard practice for us to work very closely with the customer. It is definitely not as complicated as deploying a three-tier architecture with SAN storage, SAN switches, and those kinds of things.

In terms of maintenance, it usually requires version upgrades. When a VxRail cluster is already in production and in use, these things are discussed very deeply with the customer, and whether to go for an upgrade or skip it is decided based on the consultation with the customer. It depends on a whole lot of things, and the customer is the key in deciding such things. You have to consider the following:

  • What is the business cycle at that point in time?
  • What is the workload on the virtual machine?
  • Is this the right time to carry out the upgrade?
  • Is the upgrade really necessary?
  • Is the upgrade going to impact any of their applications?

What other advice do I have?

I would definitely recommend VxRail. If you have a heavy investment in VMware software infrastructure, it is definitely useful.

I would rate VxRail an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Updated: March 2024
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free VxRail Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.