Senior Consultant at global brands
Real User
Top 20
Perfect, easy to manage, very scalable, and very stable
Pros and Cons
  • "The simplicity and manageability of VxRail are most valuable. We have a very good experience with this product. Its stability and scalability are also very good."
  • "The most important thing that I want to be included in this solution is the VMware license. Its deployment time can be quicker so that instead of 40 minutes, it takes 10 minutes."

What is our primary use case?

We have deployed it in our lab in our organization for POCs. We have its latest version.

I am responsible for presales and solution architecture for HCI VxRail. It is suitable for any business, such as financial, telecom, education, etc. 

What is most valuable?

The simplicity and manageability of VxRail are most valuable. We have a very good experience with this product. Its stability and scalability are also very good.

What needs improvement?

The most important thing that I want to be included in this solution is the VMware license. 

Its deployment time can be quicker so that instead of 40 minutes, it takes 10 minutes.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using VxRail for four years. 

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is the most stable solution I have come across.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have scaled it many times, and its scalability is very good. You can scale out and scale up as much as you need, which is a great thing.

It is suitable for small, medium, and large businesses. We have almost 500 users.

How are customer service and support?

I have contacted them many times. The best thing about their support is that there is single support for software, hardware, and networking.

How was the initial setup?

It is very straightforward, but it would be great if it can be done in 10 minutes rather than 40 minutes.

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

It has a yearly subscription. It can be for one year, three years, or five years.

What other advice do I have?

I would 100% recommend this solution to others. I am very happy with this product.

I would rate VxRail a ten 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
PeerSpot user
Information Technology Solutions Architect at a comms service provider with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Great for modernizing a data centre but simulator access is limited to premium customers only
Pros and Cons
  • "For me, the most valuable feature is in relation to the software updates."
  • "There could be better documentation and they should allow everyone to access the simulator."

What is our primary use case?

Our company is global. We have a wide range of customers and clients in many countries. Our customers who use VxRail are typically big companies.

Some of our customers are in the banking sector and use VxRail because they're concerned about using automated software for updates, upgrades, etc. VxRail is for a specific category, mostly for banking, oil, and gas — a few others sectors as well.

What is most valuable?

For me, the most valuable feature is in relation to the software updates. Updated software is very critical as I cannot risk making a mistake. To avoid this, VxRail provides me with pre-tested updates that can be implemented with little interruption. Since we are talking about banking, oil, and gas, there's no need for automating virtual machine creation.

What needs improvement?

Currently, I don't see much room for improvement; however, there could be better documentation and they should allow everyone to access the simulator. If Dell could provide access to a simulator or a demo for regular users, it would make things much easier. 

In order to gain access, you need to be a golden partner — normal users can't do it. It would be more beneficial to everyone if they could access the simulator and run some trial and error experiments before operating the real product. Many other companies (like Cisco) allow all of their users to do this. You can simply download the materials from the internet, including the simulator. 

In regard to VxRail or Dell products in general, you cannot do this because it's very limited to specific partners — typical end users don't have access. It would be great if it was more available to all partners, not just their top-tier partners. There would be less resistance from potential customers because they wouldn't be afraid of daily operations, support, etc. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been dealing with VxRail for roughly two to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

VxRail is very stable. We haven't experienced any issues, stability-wise.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

As VxRail is constantly updating, it makes it really easy to scale-out and scale-up.

How are customer service and technical support?

We are experiencing some issues with Dell's live-chat support as the support is different based on the support included with the hardware. If you're on a basic plan, there will be some challenges. We're hearing this from our customers in Gulf countries, third-world countries, and even second-world countries. They also face some challenges due to international time zones. There should be online support everywhere, not limited to specific geographical locations, it's limiting. Other companies are not doing this. If you compare Dell with HP, that's not the case. With HP, whenever you have a problem, despite the hardware, you get premium support. With Dell, communicating with support can be a challenge.

How was the initial setup?

The complexity of the initial setup depends on your infrastructure as you need to integrate some existing components. It's not only about the VxRail components, but integration with the existing network and firewall. It's case-by-case. Sometimes it's very easy, sometimes it's not.

What about the implementation team?

We do not deploy this solution for our customers. We step in once it's been deployed. We handle end-to-end operations like security, computing, and networking — the whole portfolio.

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

VxRail is not cheap, but it's not expensive either. Mainly it's for big enterprise customers. VxRail has its own or target customers and they know the value of this product; however, the hyper-converged solution is not for everyone. The good news is there are no hidden costs.

What other advice do I have?

I would absolutely recommend VxRail. From my previous experience, and because I work with a wide range of technical engineers, compared to other products, this solution offers a solid hardware performance. Generally, we look for value combined with price. If you're able to find a better solution, it will also come at a higher cost. Considering the range of prices overall, Dell is the best — my first choice. You can go for a premium version, but there will be an additional cost. For example, you can go for NetApp, which is better hardware, but the price is higher.

Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give VxRail a rating of six.

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
PeerSpot user
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Sales Manager at LTA-RH Informatica
Reseller
Stable with good software-defined storage and easy to set up
Pros and Cons
  • "The stability continues to get better and better. It's pretty reliable."
  • "The solution should offer more integration with other virtual software. VxRail runs just with VMware, however, maybe it should integrate with Hyper-V or with KVM as well."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution as a platform for all of the virtual platforms using VMware. We change the traditional infrastructure and don't sell any servers anymore. We're now selling appliances and VxRail and change the traditional platform to the hyper-converged platform.

How has it helped my organization?

Our customers have found that there is better performance across all of the virtual platforms and the routings. Routing and running are now faster.

What is most valuable?

The software-defined storage and software-defined network are great. We can easily change to VMware on Amazon, or on Azure or on private Cloud running Vx. It's very flexible.

What needs improvement?

The performance of data centers needs to be improved. They need to process more and deliver more in the space of the storage and offer better performance.

The solution should offer more integration with other virtual software. VxRail runs just with VMware.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been dealing with the solution for three or four years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability continues to get better and better. It's pretty reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

You are able to scale up to 64 nodes at a maximum. It does scale to that size. I don't know of any client that would need 64. We have a few clients that have an installation of 16 to 24 nodes and that's rather sizable. Chances are you wouldn't have to scale quite as large as 64. Therefore, it would be a rare instance in which it wouldn't scale enough for a company.

All of our clients are quite large and government-related.

How are customer service and technical support?

We've never had to reach out to technical support, not have our clients. We have an SLA, however, we really don't have many requests as the solution works very well.

How was the initial setup?

The solution does not have a complex setup. It's very simple and very straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

I've personally helped my clients with the initial setup. While I don't have all of the technical skills, I have a team that's very well versed in the product.

What other advice do I have?

We're a reseller. We sell the solution to our clients. 

I'm not sure which version of the solution we're using. It might be the latest, which is the most likely.

We launch the solution on-premises in order to launch a private cloud.

Overall, I would rate the solution ten 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: Reseller
PeerSpot user
Sn. Eng Infrastructure Solution at UBG
Real User
Recent implementation of technologies and management features have made a big difference
Pros and Cons
  • "The recent technologies and management features that have been implemented."
  • "Pricing could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Most of our customers are Microsoft customers, so they are all seeking their own application servers on top of VMware. I'm a senior engineer infrastructure solutions and we are partners with VxRail. 

What is most valuable?

The support is very good from the dataset. The recent technologies and management features that have been implemented, especially the application part, are good features.  

What needs improvement?

The pricing of the solution could be improved. We are reliant on the distributor. I'm a technical person but I know from speaking to customers that they feel it's a bit costly compared to the generic product.There are also some major components of the product not available for download. Even though we are partners, we don't get them. They provide backup features but it comes at an additional cost. It would be helpful if they would include something like the standard backup procedure, backup features like the application manager.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for two years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is quite stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. 

How was the initial setup?

I did some online training before setup, implementation probably took a few months. 

What other advice do I have?

Given the overall product, I would rate this solution a nine out of 10. 

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
PeerSpot user
Data Center Engineer at Beta Information Technology
User
Faster to deploy and easier to manage

What is our primary use case?

A hyper-converged solution, for SME and entry-level business, easy and fast to deploy and can be used for many use cases.

How has it helped my organization?

Better performance, smaller footprint, lower heat, and power dissipation, faster to deploy and easier to manage.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are:

  • vSAN
  • DRS
  • FT
  • Unicast network
  • Power consumption rate
  • Orchestration
  • HA
  • Disk groups concept.

What needs improvement?

  • Networking to be included
  • A single upgrade button for all the environment including network resources.

For how long have I used the solution?

Still implementing.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Lead Engineer at IBS Platformix
Real User
Comfortable for VMware users
Pros and Cons
  • "You don't need to think about compatibility of components."
  • "The fact that is based on vSAN is the main issue of this solution."

What is most valuable?

VxRail is a comfortable solution for VMware users. You have one pane of glass from vCenter. They have a convenient update, it's just one click like Nutanix.

VxRail comes with vSAN making it an easy solution. You don't need to think about the compatibility of components.

What needs improvement?

The fact that is based on vSAN is the main issue of this solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with VxRail for one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

VxRail is not perfect, there are bugs in the plugins.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

VxRail has no concerns with scalability.

How are customer service and support?

VxRail support is okay, it is not better than Nutanix.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of VxRail is more complicated than Nutanix. If you have prepared the network for implementation you will not have any problems. You need to organize and prepare the network well.

What other advice do I have?

For someone that does not want to think too much about the compatibility of components and VMware, VxRail is better than pure vSAN.

Make sure you have a good network specialist, specifically in VMware, on your team.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Station Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Deployment is simple because everything is already built into the finished product
Pros and Cons
  • "Depending on your architecture type, it's simple to manage and implement VxRail compared to other solutions. That's why most of our customers use it."
  • "Sometimes during implementation, you can some scripting errors. And there are some issues when we update the version. There are some issues like the version will not get updated or stable at some time. Dell needs to resolve these problems, we don't waste time fixing them."

What is our primary use case?

We mostly provide VxRail for companies that need to integrate different solutions. It's an embedded solution with storage, computing, and networking parts. Most customers use it because for integration. Our clients are mostly government agencies, educational companies, and enterprise labor.

How has it helped my organization?

Depending on your architecture type, it's simple to manage and implement VxRail compared to other solutions. That's why most of our customers use it. 

What is most valuable?

The most valuable aspect of VxRail is its management capability, especially during deployment. It has so many built-in features. 

What needs improvement?

Sometimes during implementation, you can some scripting errors. And there are some issues when we update the version. There are some issues like the version will not get updated or stable at some time. Dell needs to resolve these problems, we don't waste time fixing them. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been actively implementing VxRail solutions for different projects at various companies for two years, and we've worked with several series of VxRail solutions.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

VxRail is very stable, and you can upgrade it as needed. It will prompt you to update if there are any updates available.  

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

VxRail is scalable. You can add up to 64 nodes in a single cluster. Anytime you need to scale up or scale out, you can add hard disks on the node or you can add the node itself to the cluster. The scale depends on the customer's requirements. They put out a bid proposal and based on that, we propose the solution they need. It's VxRail most of the time. We first visit their site and look at the solutions in their existing environment. Then based on that, we provide the best solution, which is usually VxRail.

How are customer service and support?

Dell support is proactive. I'm happy with their support. They're active and supportive.

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

In addition to this hyperconverged solution, we have implemented CI Converged solutions, which is a Dell EMC product. However, we recommend the HCI solution for most companies.

How was the initial setup?

Deployment is simple because everything is already built into the finished product. Implementation will not take as long as other products. The management is also straightforward. It has its own support that integrates directly through the network with the vendor. The vendors can automatically log into the system and support the customer. This and other features make VxRail more accessible to our customers.

I've deployed it so many times, including the mounting, nodes, cabling, visualizing, and configuring everything until it gets into production. The full deployment takes a day at most. The maintenance can either be physical or software maintenance. If there are any issues with the physical part, we do the RME process to get the hardware directly from the vendor. If there is a software issue, it's usually an issue we've seen before, so we can troubleshoot it ourselves. If there are any issues we can't resolve, we create a support ticket for the vendors to log into the system and do the maintenance directly.

What other advice do I have?

I rate VxRail eight out of 10. It's a good solution compared to the three-tier architecture, especially for companies that need educational sector services for VDI solutions. It's better to base this on Dell EMC. In the computer, this three-tier architecture is like a docking sensor in your box solutions to use, implement, and manage. 

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
MAM Support Engineer at a media company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Easy to use, good resource deployment, but integration could improve
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is easy to use. When turning on a server or a machine that is required for, deployment or quality assurance, the dynamic deployment of resources is good."
  • "We would like to see integrating with Nutanix. Currently, we are working on integrating the two to see if there is any value in doing so."

What is our primary use case?

We use the solution for high volumes of data transfer and accessing and processing that data.

What is most valuable?

The solution is easy to use. When turning on a server or a machine that is required for, deployment or quality assurance, the dynamic deployment of resources is good.

What needs improvement?

We would like to see integrating with Nutanix. Currently, we are working on integrating the two to see if there is any value in doing so.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have found the solution to be stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. We have more than 1000 users using the solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

We were satisfied with the customer service.

How was the initial setup?

Our product vendor did the installation for us.

What about the implementation team?

The deployment was done by Dell EMC. We have six technicians working on maintenance for the solution.

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

The licensing comes with the contract with Dell EMC. The solution is competitively priced but it is expensive. However, this is expected as we are a corporate enterprise and we need this environment.

What other advice do I have?

I rate VxRail a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
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