Product owner at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Helps to minimize downtime, scaling is a breeze, and the support is top-notch
Pros and Cons
  • "The most compelling aspect of VxRail lies in its unwavering guarantee of sustained performance for my systems, regardless of their geographical distribution."
  • "While VxRail offers compatibility with AMD processors, its capabilities in this area could benefit from further development."

What is our primary use case?

We leverage VxRail for its versatility, enabling us to consolidate a diverse range of IT infrastructure within its robust framework. This encompasses terminal servers, routers, and firewalls, all seamlessly integrated alongside customer servers operating within virtualized environments. Moreover, VxRail empowers us to migrate our legacy hardware servers, breathing new life into them by virtualizing their functionalities within the same platform.

In order to address the limitations imposed by our previous infrastructure's inability to scale effectively, we opted to leverage the capabilities of VxRail. This has empowered us to seamlessly integrate additional servers and implement streamlined configuration processes, fostering a remarkable ease of use for the entire team. Consequently, the need for extensive training has been completely eliminated, as intuitive procedures enable our personnel to grasp the necessary steps instinctively.

How has it helped my organization?

VxRail's enhanced resiliency has banished server failure anxieties! VMs now seamlessly migrate to redundant machines, eliminating downtime and the need for tedious maintenance windows. My independence from individual components has soared, leaving me unfazed by fleeting indicators.

It streamlines our VMware administration, transforming what could be a multi-paneled juggling act into a unified, effortless orchestration. Confined to a single, intuitive interface, managing our virtualized environment becomes a seamless, frictionless experience.

The overall energy footprint exhibits a favorable trend, allowing for granular comparisons between individual hardware components. This transparency enables me to discern precise hardware utilization and capacity allocation. Notably, the system's ability to dynamically distribute workload across all computers and servers simultaneously presents a distinct advantage, promoting uniform resource utilization and potentially optimizing energy consumption.

VxRail's implementation has significantly mitigated the frequency and impact of unplanned production disruptions. The introduction of a clustered environment has empowered virtual machines with the ability to autonomously migrate between physical hosts, effectively sidestepping localized hardware or software hiccups. This year, we only encountered two outages, one stemming from a hardware malfunction and the other attributable to an update issue. Excluding the aforementioned hardware failure, downtime was restricted to the brief shutdowns of a mere two or three virtual machines due to isolated component defects. In all other instances, VxRail seamlessly orchestrated the migration of affected workloads to alternate hosts, ensuring continued operational functionality and minimizing business disruptions. This newfound resilience has demonstrably enhanced our ability to weather unforeseen challenges and maintain operational continuity.

The flexibility of VxRail is truly exceptional. Scaling is an absolute breeze, regardless of the project scope. Take, for instance, an upcoming large-scale initiative involving numerous organizations. I can seamlessly integrate additional devices, establish the basic preliminary setup, and trust the system to autonomously adapt with remarkable alacrity.

VxRail aligns seamlessly with our commitment to sustainability. Its modular design and durable components facilitate responsible end-of-life management, allowing us to reintegrate the devices back into the circular economy through convenient recycling programs. Choosing the lease-purchase option further enhances this advantage, ensuring not only initial cost efficiency but also sustainable disposal or potential repurposing of the equipment down the line. This forward-thinking approach positions us favorably for future environmental regulations and demonstrates our unwavering dedication to responsible resource utilization.

What is most valuable?

The most compelling aspect of VxRail lies in its unwavering guarantee of sustained performance for my systems, regardless of their geographical distribution. This eliminates the need for any additional hardware or cumbersome configuration, ensuring a streamlined and worry-free experience.

What needs improvement?

While VxRail offers compatibility with AMD processors, its capabilities in this area could benefit from further development.

While my proficiency in English poses no issue, accessing Dell's German support, if necessary, proves slightly more convoluted, a lingering experience from past encounters. While not an insurmountable obstacle, the convenience of readily available German-speaking assistance would be undeniably pleasant. Having such support readily available, particularly during nocturnal hours, would foster a sense of complete coverage, alleviating any potential Sunday inconveniences. However, let me be clear, my present situation is perfectly manageable. Yet, experiencing the fluidity of communication during the aforementioned version eight upgrade, for instance, would undoubtedly have been delightful. Ultimately, though, this pertains more to a minor personal preference than a fundamental flaw with the support itself.

Buyer's Guide
VxRail
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about VxRail. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
772,422 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using VxRail for one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Despite two separate hardware failures within the VxRail system, the overall operational stability remains remarkably high, earning it a solid nine out of ten rating. This impressive resilience stems from the system's clever design, where individual component breakdowns have minimal impact on overall functionality. While not absolutely foolproof, the vast majority of potential issues can be weathered without significant disruption.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

VxRail's impressive scalability lies in its ability to seamlessly accommodate increasing workloads by effortlessly adding additional servers.

How are customer service and support?

Dell's support operates with the precision of a well-oiled machine. The proactive insights gleaned from Cloud IQ equip their technicians with the foresight to anticipate and address potential issues before they even manifest. This proactive approach has been a game-changer for us. In the rare instance where hardware malfunctions, their rapid response is truly awe-inspiring. Having new equipment at our doorstep within three hours is a testament to their unwavering commitment to minimizing disruptions and maximizing our productivity.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

Tackling the initial deployment single-handedly would have undoubtedly been a difficult task, rife with complexities and pitfalls. Thankfully, the Dell technician's expert guidance shed light on the intricacies of the process, transforming it into a surprisingly straightforward endeavor. Even now, post-deployment, tweaking and adjusting settings remains a breeze. The initial apprehension has given way to a newfound confidence and ease, a testament to the clarity and efficacy of the training provided.

Our phased implementation strategy endeavors to systematically migrate various functions towards automated execution, a process fraught with unforeseen challenges. While the strategic framework was readily established, translating it into tangible action proved significantly more arduous.

What about the implementation team?

We had the invaluable assistance of a skilled technician from Dell throughout the intricate process of VxRail installation and configuration.

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

Securing a favorable agreement with Dell presents a distinct advantage. While one could argue, from a strictly corporate standpoint, that the cost of VxRail has been in the higher range, the true evaluation lies in the return on investment. Essentially, it boils down to a question of cost-effectiveness, not simply raw expense.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Given our established, positive relationship with Dell and our ongoing appreciation for their offerings, we opted to forgo exploring other potential solutions.

What other advice do I have?

VxRail has truly exceeded my expectations. It's not just a ten out of ten, it's a game-changer. Once we overcome the initial learning curve, we'll be able to operate it with complete confidence, not just in terms of independent usage, but also knowing we have exceptional support readily available to assist with any configuration needs.

VxRail's intuitive design manifests in its remarkable ease of use. The intricate automation behind the scenes operates seamlessly, orchestrating a symphony of tasks with minimal user intervention. Whether we're integrating a new server, its arrival becomes a mere dance of effortless steps. Slide the server into its designated rack, meticulously connect the necessary cables, and with a single press of the designated button, we've summoned a powerful computing resource to life.

Foreign Language:(German)

Minimale Ausfallzeiten, problemlose Skalierung und erstklassiger Support 

Was ist unser Hauptanwendungsfall?

Wir nutzen VxRail aufgrund seiner Vielseitigkeit, die es uns ermöglicht, eine Vielzahl von IT-Infrastrukturen innerhalb seines robusten Rahmens zu konsolidieren. Dazu gehören Terminalserver, Router und Firewalls, die alle nahtlos neben den Kundenservern integriert sind, die in virtualisierten Umgebungen betrieben werden. Darüber hinaus können wir mit VxRail unsere Legacy-Hardware-Server migrieren und ihnen neues Leben durch Virtualisierung ihrer Funktionalitäten innerhalb derselben Plattform geben.

Um die Einschränkungen zu beseitigen, die sich aus der mangelnden Skalierbarkeit unserer bisherigen Infrastruktur ergaben, haben wir uns für die Nutzung der Funktionen von VxRail entschieden. Dies hat uns in die Lage versetzt, zusätzliche Servern nahtlos zu integrieren und optimierte Konfigurationsprozesse zu implementieren, was zu einer bemerkenswerten Benutzerfreundlichkeit für das gesamte Team geführt hat. Infolgedessen entfällt die Notwendigkeit umfangreicher Schulungen komplett, da unsere Mitarbeiter dank intuitiver Verfahren die erforderlichen Schritte instinktiv nachvollziehen können.

Wie hat es meiner Organisation geholfen?

Die verbesserte Ausfallsicherheit von VxRail hat die Angst vor Serverausfällen beseitigt! VMs werden jetzt nahtlos auf redundante Maschinen migriert, wodurch Ausfallzeiten und lästige Wartungszeiten entfallen. Ich bin jetzt unabhängiger von einzelnen Komponenten und kann mich von flüchtigen Indikatoren nicht mehr irritieren lassen.

VxRail vereinfacht unsere VMware-Verwaltung und sorgt für eine einheitliche, mühelose Steuerung, was sonst ein komplexer Vorgang ist. Durch die Beschränkung auf eine einzige, intuitive Oberfläche wird die Verwaltung unserer virtualisierten Umgebung zu einer nahtlosen, reibungslosen Erfahrung.

Der gesamte Energieverbrauch von VxRail zeigt einen positiven Verlauf und ermöglicht einen detaillierten Vergleich zwischen den einzelnen Hardwarekomponenten. Diese Transparenz ermöglicht es mir, die genaue Hardwareauslastung und Kapazitätszuweisung zu erkennen. Insbesondere die Fähigkeit des Systems, die Arbeitslast dynamisch auf alle Computer und Server gleichzeitig zu verteilen, ist ein deutlicher Vorteil, der eine einheitliche Ressourcennutzung fördert und den Energieverbrauch potenziell optimiert.

Die Implementierung von VxRail hat die Häufigkeit und die Auswirkungen von ungeplanten Ausfällen im Betrieb deutlich verringert. Durch die Einführung einer Cluster-Umgebung sind virtuelle Maschinen in der Lage, selbstständig zwischen physischen Hosts zu migrieren, wodurch lokale Hardware- oder Softwareprobleme effektiv umgangen werden. In diesem Jahr hatten wir nur zwei Ausfälle zu verzeichnen, von denen einer auf einen Hardwarefehler und der andere auf ein Update-Problem zurückzuführen war. Abgesehen von dem erwähnten Hardware-Ausfall beschränkten sich die Ausfallzeiten auf das kurzzeitige Herunterfahren von lediglich zwei oder drei virtuellen Maschinen aufgrund von isolierten Komponentendefekten. In allen anderen Fällen sorgte VxRail für eine nahtlose Migration der betroffenen Workloads auf alternative Hosts, so dass die Betriebsfunktionalität aufrechterhalten und Geschäftsunterbrechungen minimiert werden konnten. Diese neu gewonnene Widerstandsfähigkeit hat unsere Fähigkeit, unvorhergesehene Herausforderungen zu meistern und die Betriebskontinuität aufrechtzuerhalten, nachweislich verbessert.

Die Flexibilität von VxRail ist wirklich außergewöhnlich. Die Skalierung ist ein absolutes Kinderspiel, unabhängig vom Projektumfang. Zum Beispiel bei einer bevorstehenden umfangreichen Maßnahme, an der zahlreiche Stellen beteiligt sind. Ich kann nahtlos zusätzliche Geräte integrieren, die Grundeinstellungen vornehmen und darauf vertrauen, dass sich das System mit bemerkenswerter Schnelligkeit selbstständig anpasst.

VxRail fügt sich nahtlos in unser Engagement für Nachhaltigkeit ein. Das modulare Design und die langlebigen Komponenten erleichtern ein verantwortungsbewusstes End-of-Life-Management und ermöglichen es uns, die Geräte durch bequeme Recyclingprogramme wieder in die Kreislaufwirtschaft zu integrieren. Durch die Wahl der Option des Leasings und des Kaufs wird dieser Vorteil noch verstärkt, da so nicht nur die anfängliche Kosteneffizienz, sondern auch die nachhaltige Entsorgung oder die potenzielle Wiederverwendung der Geräte gewährleistet ist. Mit diesem weitsichtigen Ansatz sind wir für künftige Umweltvorschriften bestens vorbereitet und demonstrieren unser unermüdliches Engagement für eine verantwortungsvolle Ressourcennutzung.

Was ist am wertvollsten?

Der wichtigste Aspekt von VxRail ist die Garantie für eine gleichbleibende Leistung meiner Systeme, unabhängig von deren geografischer Lage. Dies macht zusätzliche Hardware oder umständliche Konfigurationen überflüssig und sorgt für eine optimierte und sorgenfreie Erfahrung.

Was muss verbessert werden?

Obwohl VxRail Kompatibilität mit AMD-Prozessoren bietet, könnten seine Fähigkeiten in diesem Bereich von einer weiteren Entwicklung profitieren.

Obwohl ich Englisch gut beherrsche, ist der Zugang zum deutschen Support von Dell etwas komplizierter, was ich aus vorherigen Fällen noch gut in Erinnerung habe. Auch wenn dies kein großes Problem ist, wäre es doch sehr angenehm, wenn ein deutschsprachiger Support zur Verfügung stehen würde. Die Verfügbarkeit einer solchen Unterstützung, insbesondere während der Nacht, würde das Gefühl einer vollständigen Abdeckung fördern und mögliche Unannehmlichkeiten am Sonntag mildern. Ich möchte jedoch betonen, dass ich mit meiner derzeitigen Situation vollkommen zurechtkomme. Dennoch wäre es zweifellos schön gewesen, wenn die Kommunikation zum Beispiel während des oben erwähnten Upgrades auf Version acht so reibungslos funktioniert hätte. Letztlich handelt es sich aber eher um eine kleine persönliche Präferenz als um ein grundsätzliches Mängel am Support selbst.

Wie lange nutze ich die Lösung schon?

Ich nutze VxRail schon seit einem Jahr.

Was halte ich von der Stabilität der Lösung?

Trotz zweier separater Hardwareausfälle innerhalb des VxRail-Systems ist die Betriebsstabilität insgesamt bemerkenswert hoch, was ihm eine solide Bewertung von neun von zehn Punkten einbrachte. Diese beeindruckende Widerstandsfähigkeit ist auf das clevere Design des Systems zurückzuführen, bei dem Ausfälle einzelner Komponenten nur minimale Auswirkungen auf die Gesamtfunktionalität haben. Es ist zwar nicht absolut sicher, aber die meisten potenziellen Probleme können ohne wesentliche Ausfälle behoben werden.

Was denke ich über die Skalierbarkeit der Lösung?

Die beeindruckende Skalierbarkeit von VxRail liegt in der Fähigkeit, steigende Workloads durch das einfache Einsetzen von zusätzlichen Servern nahtlos zu erfüllen.

Wie sind Kundenservice und Support?

Der Support von Dell läuft wie eine gut geölte Maschine. Die proaktiven Erkenntnisse aus Cloud IQ geben den Technikern den nötigen Weitblick, um potenzielle Probleme zu erkennen und zu lösen, bevor sie überhaupt auftreten. Dieser proaktive Ansatz hat für uns den entscheidenden Vorteil gebracht. In den seltenen Fällen, in denen es zu Hardware-Fehlfunktionen kommt, ist ihre schnelle Reaktion wirklich beeindruckend. Dass wir innerhalb von drei Stunden neue Geräte erhalten haben, ist ein Beweis für ihr ständiges Bestreben, Störungen zu minimieren und unsere Produktivität zu maximieren.

Wie bewerten Sie den Kundenservice und -support?

Positiv

Wie war die Ersteinrichtung?

Die Ersteinrichtung im Alleingang durchzuführen, wäre zweifellos eine schwierige Aufgabe gewesen, die mit vielen Komplexitäten und Schwierigkeiten behaftet gewesen wäre. Glücklicherweise hat die professionelle Unterstützung durch den Dell-Techniker die Feinheiten des Prozesses aufgeklärt und ihn in ein überraschend einfaches Verfahren umgewandelt. Selbst jetzt, nach der Installation, ist das Optimieren und Anpassen der Einstellungen ein Kinderspiel. Die anfängliche Skepsis ist einer neuen Sicherheit und Einfachheit gewachsen, was ein Beweis für die Klarheit und Wirksamkeit der Schulung ist.

Unsere schrittweise Implementierungsstrategie ist darauf ausgerichtet, verschiedene Funktionen systematisch auf eine automatisierte Ausführung umzustellen, ein Prozess, der mit unvorhergesehenen Herausforderungen verbunden ist. Während der strategische Rahmen schnell festgelegt war, erwies sich die Umwandlung in konkrete Maßnahmen als deutlich mühsamer.

Wie sieht es mit dem Implementierungsteam aus?

Während des komplizierten Prozesses der VxRail-Installation und -Konfiguration hatten wir die unschätzbare Unterstützung eines erfahrenen Technikers von Dell.

Welche Erfahrungen habe ich mit den Preisen, den Implementierungskosten und der Lizenzierung gemacht?

Die Sicherung einer günstigen Vereinbarung mit Dell stellt einen deutlichen Vorteil dar. Auch wenn man vom rein geschäftlichen Standpunkt aus argumentieren könnte, dass die Kosten für VxRail im höheren Bereich liegen, liegt die wahre Bewertung in der Investitionsrendite. Im Grunde genommen ist es eine Frage der Kosteneffizienz und nicht nur der reinen Kosten.

Welche anderen Lösungen habe ich bewertet?

Angesichts unserer etablierten, positiven Beziehung zu Dell und unserer anhaltenden Wertschätzung für ihre Angebote haben wir uns entschieden, keine anderen potenziellen Lösungen zu erforschen.

Welche anderen Ratschläge kann ich geben?

VxRail hat wirklich meine Vorstellungen mehr als erfüllt. Es ist nicht nur eine Zehn von Zehn, es ist ein Game-Changer. Wenn wir erst einmal die anfängliche Lernphase hinter uns gebracht haben, werden wir in der Lage sein, es mit vollem Vertrauen zu betreiben, nicht nur in Bezug auf die unabhängige Nutzung, sondern auch in dem Wissen, dass wir einen außergewöhnlichen Support haben, der uns bei allen Konfigurationsanforderungen unterstützt.

Das intuitive Design von VxRail manifestiert sich in seiner bemerkenswerten Benutzerfreundlichkeit. Die komplizierte Automatisierung im Hintergrund funktioniert nahtlos und führt mit minimalen Benutzereingriffen eine Reihe von Tasks durch. Ob wir einen neuen Server integrieren oder nicht, dessen Installation erfolgt mühelos in wenigen Schritten. Schieben Sie den Server in das dafür vorgesehene Rack, schließen Sie die erforderlichen Kabel sorgfältig an, und mit einem einzigen Tastendruck erwecken wir eine leistungsstarke Rechenressource zum Leben.

Welches Modell nutzen Sie für die Entwicklung dieser Lösung?

Im Hause.

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.
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PeerSpot user
Virtualization Engineer, SME at Dawson Federal
Real User
Provides centralized management that is easy to manage and easy to update, and the support is excellent
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are ease of management and ease of applying updates."
  • "In the version that I was working with, the integrations are in need of improvement."

What is our primary use case?

I use VxRail with VMware VCF. The requirement is to have a private cloud to provide services for users.

How has it helped my organization?

VxRail has improved the way we function because everything is centralized. There is no need to be going to many different places. it's all in one pane of glass, making it easier to manage.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are ease of management and ease of applying updates. It provides centralized management.

What needs improvement?

In the version that I was working with, the integrations are in need of improvement.

The technical support is in slight need of improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using VxRail for several years, and am just starting a brand new project with it. This will be a fresh deployment.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

VxRail is pretty robust and steady.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

VxRail is very easy to scale. It is simple to add nodes, scale-out, or scale-up. We have more than 2,000 users. There are many different people in people in many different departments, going from regular day to day administration, helpdesk, cybersecurity operations, forensics, virtualization administrators, VDI administrators, and so forth.

How are customer service and technical support?

I have been in contact with technical support and they are excellent. I would rate them a nine out of ten on support because there is always room for improvement, but they do a good job.

Sometimes, when passing on tickets to other techs because people leave on vacation or for other reasons, they don't follow up quickly enough in my opinion. I have found that sometimes, I've had tickets open and two days later, I don't hear anything and it's because the person was out and nobody else took over the ticket. Other than that, they are on point.

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

In my previous organization, we were using a regular blade chassis. We were not using HCI solutions. Rather, it was just the normal virtualization environment deployment using fabric switches. We were also using Dell servers, only it was M540s and 840s on a Dell M1000M chassis.

It was different, and HCI is something that I like.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is pretty easy and straightforward.

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

At about $200,000, this solution is a little bit pricey but it is more economical than others such as Nutanix or Cisco Hyperflex. Dell is more economical.

What other advice do I have?

In my previous deployment, there were a couple of things that I identified as needing improvement. I believe they were addressed on the new version of their software because, in the previous deployment, I wasn't using the latest version. Apparently, VMware came out with VCF 4.1, and Dell came out with a newer iteration. At this point, I'm hoping that the stuff is fixed. Once I start working with the newest version, I'll see what new features I would like to see in the next one.

My advice for anybody looking into implementing VxRail is to read the documentation and do the virtual labs that they have. Repeat them over and over before deploy it on the actual system that they are going to deploy to avoid having to take everything down and redo it.

I would rate this solution 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
Buyer's Guide
VxRail
May 2024
Learn what your peers think about VxRail. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2024.
772,422 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Rodrigo Pavao - PeerSpot reviewer
Infrastructure Architect at Hardlink
Reseller
Easy to upgrade, good policies, and has a straightforward setup
Pros and Cons
  • "It's very easy to upgrade."
  • "The licensing needs to be improved upon."

What is our primary use case?

Normally customers are looking to move to data centers that are modern. We have a request for upgrades from old storage and media to something new. We consolidate old solutions and simplify the way the client manages their data center. 

How has it helped my organization?

We have a customer, for example, that has a factory. Before they used the VxRail solution, tasks would take hours. With VxRail, a comport starts working in 30 minutes. It saves so much time. It's a competitive gain for the organization.

What is most valuable?

The solution allows a user to plan how they will be able to organize their data over the course of many months.

It's very easy to upgrade.

Simplifying network configurations is very easy.

The policies are very good.

What needs improvement?

The licensing needs to be improved upon.

For example, when we need to move your Oracle databases to VxRail solutions, we need to license the processor core and the solutions. This comes at a high cost to customers.

There needs to be better integrations with other products.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with a variety of Dell products for a while.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is excellent. We don't have any issues with reliability. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's not buggy and we don't have to deal with glitches. We're happy with it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We haven't had any issues with scalability so far. It should be pretty easy for a company to expand it out if they need to. We haven't received any feedback to make us assume otherwise. You can scale up on many things, including processors, discs, and nodes.

We don't sell to many large companies. typically we deal with small and medium-sized organizations.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their technical support on offer is better than other products on the market.

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

As resellers, we don't just deal with Dell. We also resell products from HP, Nutanix, and Lenovo, for example.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not too complex. It's pretty straightforward, in fact. 

In terms of deployment, it typically takes less than a week, in some cases. Of course, it depends of the customers, however, in many cases it takes about a week.

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

The solution is pretty reasonably priced. It's not too expensive, and often less than the competition.

What other advice do I have?

We're a reseller of the product.

We work with different versions including CEs, PCEs, FCEs.  What we use depends on the customer's needs. In most cases, we have sold VxRail to clients as it is cheaper than other options on the market and it's also a good way to consolidate support to one vendor.

I'd advise that those considering the solution make sure they size everything appropriately. 

We've been quite pleased with the product. On a scale from one to ten, I'd give it a perfect 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
Sr Solution Architect - Enterprise Storage and Virtualization at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Reseller
Simplifies operations and provides the ability to manage everything from a single console
Pros and Cons
  • "Our clients value being able to upgrade with one click or a few clicks."
  • "They're getting better with their one-click upgrade. The success factor is now between 85% to 87% with the latest release. They should just continuously improve on that one-click factor and make it more seamless."

What is our primary use case?

It is used for consolidation, modernization of infrastructure, and simplification. That's what most customers are looking for with this solution.

I am using its latest release.

What is most valuable?

Our clients value being able to upgrade with one click or a few clicks. 

The ability to manage everything from a single console is one of the key advantages that our clients see. They don't have to worry about how to manage the storage, how to manage the servers, and how to manage the virtualization layer. Everything comes in a single platform. As a result, IT teams are shrinking, and very often, the budgets are no longer for people. They're more for automation.

What needs improvement?

They're getting better with their one-click upgrade. The success factor is now between 85% to 87% with the latest release. They should just continuously improve on that one-click factor and make it more seamless.

For how long have I used the solution?

It has been about a year, but previously, I have worked on the Fujitsu equivalent for many years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is a misunderstood notion in the hyper-converged environment. Very often, people misunderstand what and how things are being scaled within a hyper-converged environment, and this is applicable to every solution out there. So, from a scalability point of view, in terms of the technology itself, it is fairly easy, but in terms of dollars and what it means, very often, people are a little bit surprised about it. If you want to upgrade your storage, you don't necessarily upgrade just one hard drive. If you're in all-flash storage, every node has to be upgraded. There are rules around disk groups and things of that nature, so it becomes a bit of a challenge, and sometimes, it is at a price that customers do not expect. The pricing and how things are evolving over a period of time are very often misunderstood by customers.

How are customer service and support?

I don't deal with them. I am more on the presales and delivery side. I'm sure there are challenges around that, but I'm not aware of any concerns at this point.

How was the initial setup?

It is very straightforward.

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

It varies. It could be $100,000 at the smaller end and millions and millions of dollars at the higher end. 

What other advice do I have?

It is a very reliable and simplified solution. If you're looking for simplification of operations, this is a great solution to implement.

I would rate it an eight out of 10.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Solutions Architect at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
It's a simple, decent solution for customers with a small footprint
Pros and Cons
  • "It's somewhat hard to speak about specific features, but I like VxRail's simplicity and ease of use. It's a decent solution for customers with a small footprint. If you're operating a big data center, it's not easy to position VxRail or HCI solutions, but when you have a small customer managing many different components, it's easier to work only with one solution."
  • "If VxRail could also offer file services in addition to virtualization, that would be nice because sometimes people want to complement their environment with file services, and you don't have that in VxRail."

What is most valuable?

It's somewhat hard to speak about specific features, but I like VxRail's simplicity and ease of use. It's a decent solution for customers with a small footprint. If you're operating a big data center, it's not easy to position VxRail or HCI solutions, but when you have a small customer managing many different components, it's easier to work only with one solution.

What needs improvement?

If VxRail could also offer file services in addition to virtualization, that would be nice because sometimes people want to complement their environment with file services, and you don't have that in VxRail.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with VxRail for several years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

VxRail is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

VxRail is not an easy tool for selling big projects or a lot of services.

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

VxRail is comparable to vSAN, which is the same product but more integrated. 
Nutanix offers more services, and it can behave as object storage, file server storage, or Sun storage, whereas VxRail is more of a virtualization solution. Also, Nutanix can work independently of VMware. That's an advantage for some customers because VMware is costly, so it increases your budget if you go with VMware and VCF. However, I can't say which is better for HCI. If something works with VMware, it works on VxRail. It's in the scope of VMware, so I don't see any restrictions.

How was the initial setup?

Setting up VxRail is straightforward. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate VxRail eight out of 10. I'm very satisfied with the product. 

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
it_user1064505 - PeerSpot reviewer
VDI SysAdmin/Engineer at a educational organization with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Good managed updates, great hyper-converged storage and very stable
Pros and Cons
  • "I like the managed updates. They are really nice in VxRail. Everything comes packaged and the updates are much easier than with other solutions that I've had to work with."
  • "The requirements need improvement. Some of the managers of VMs are a little sensitive to where they need to be placed in the environment and what names they need to have. I would like a little more control over that so that it fits into our naming scheme and it fits our organizational structure within vSphere."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for general computing. We have everything on it and anything that's licensed is on it. We have our file servers, database servers, applications servers, web servers, etc., on it. Anything that fits on it basically.

How has it helped my organization?

We were able to commission an old center and provide more computing to the environment.

What is most valuable?

I like the managed updates. They are really nice in VxRail. Everything comes packaged and the updates are much easier than with other solutions that I've had to work with. 

The fact that it's presenting you validated the design. Anything through the update manager will be guaranteed to work as VMware is integrated into the hardware side of it as well to validate that the patches that they're providing will work. There's less risk there. 

The storage, the hyper-converged storage, is a nice boon. We have a sort of isolated storage from our main sandbox so that we can put things on there if the sandbox is having problems or it's basically another fault domain. It's another place where things can be protected. 

What needs improvement?

The requirements need improvement. Some of the managers of VMs are a little sensitive to where they need to be placed in the environment and what names they need to have. I would like a little more control over that so that it fits into our naming scheme and it fits our organizational structure within vSphere. That's cosmetic, however. It's not a functional problem. It's just slightly disorganized. We have to put exceptions into our rules in order to check our rules.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for less than six months. I don't remember the exact day, things have been blending together. I recall that it was right at the start of the pandemic. That was when our order was supposed to come in and things got delayed. We got it sometime over the summer.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good. We haven't had any issues. We don't suffer from bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze. It's good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have not needed to scale up. It is less than six months old, so we have not needed to scale it, however, I have scaled other VSN clusters and it was easy.

My department is kind of interesting. We are the central IT provider for the university, we provide IT services for other IT departments. I can't actually answer how many people are on the solution at any given time. We're essentially an MSP for on campus, but that's sort of our role. Therefore, I am so far removed from what the end-user is doing with it. 

How are customer service and technical support?

I haven't had a need to call tech support. One of my coworkers has, and it seemed to go well. I was not the one who took lead on that call. I can't advise on if they are knowledgeable or responsive. I don't have direct experience.

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

We also have a pair of Nutanix clusters and we didn't switch from it. They're running concurrently. They run different workloads. We wanted to make sure that a false in one hyper-converged did not bring down all of our environment. We wanted to make sure that we were not putting all of our eggs in one basket.

Our Nutanix runs some of our core services. Things that can never go down. That is why we have a pair of Nutanix clusters. They're essentially isolated from everything else. They don't rely on stories. I didn't realize they have their own hosts. They are as isolated as they can be from the rest of the environment so that a fault in one environment won't bring down everything.

How was the initial setup?

As part of a VxRail deployment, you have to get professional services. It's an assisted install. I have experience with all of the components of VxRail. In terms of the VSN, the hyper-converged, some of my coworkers did not. That actually was a learning experience for them. They were able to learn from the documentation and that made it easier, however, it was still a learning curve. That was the only difficult part in terms of implementation -  the learning curve.

What other advice do I have?

We're just a customer.

We're running an ESX 6.7. We're running the latest version of VxRail manager, but we're not running the latest version of ESX or V share. It can do for us. We want other people to find the bugs first.

My advice to other companies is to learn and ask lots of questions. Make sure that you understand the solution at the outset. Make sure the networking team is solid. Any hyper-converged solution like VxRail should rely on the network more than a traditional environment. You need to make sure your networking team is involved from the beginning.

I would rate the solution eight out of ten. VSN has come a long way, which is what the shell is based on for storage and the rest of the components are standard vSphere. You manage everything through the same vSphere interface. You're not using a different interface and it's fairly easy to maintain when you have problems. If you have problems, you will need to call tech support. They will have to walk you through it because it is a new thing for most people. That's why I recommend learning about the solution straight away.

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
IT Manager at Celtic Manor Resort
Real User
RecoverPoint can rectify server issues or any corruption very quickly
Pros and Cons
  • "There is no in-depth config involved nor third-party needed, saving us time and money."
  • "This product has given us clear visibility into what we need technology-wise to grow."
  • "RecoverPoint give us peace of mind knowing any corruption or server issue can be rectified very quickly, making sure the business impact is minimal."
  • "The initial setup between the different Dell departments is fragmented. The engineers who come to rack/stack and do the initial config should be trained on all the areas and work with the different Dell departments whilst they are onsite to give a smoother install and better experience for customer."
  • "At present, VxRail is a hyperconverged state of the art product being installed in a legacy way. We need hyperconverged install teams."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is company growth, where storage an compute is growing fast. VDI is due to be deployed imminently

How has it helped my organization?

We are opening new properties. This product has given us clear visibility into what we need technology-wise to grow.

What is most valuable?

ESRS: This gives us the confidence that when we are not monitoring our environment, then Dell Tech is, and can make us aware of any failures/pending issues before those issues impact us globally. We do not have the manpower to monitor 24/7, so this saves us significant costs on support contracts.

RecoverPoint: It give us peace of mind knowing any corruption or server issue can be rectified very quickly, making sure the business impact is minimal. It has also allowed us during our setup to failover an entire cluster. This is a significant improvement for our system availability.

Expansion: Our business is growing rapidly with new hotels being built and acquired. We need to scale our data centre quickly and easily. There is no in-depth config involved nor third-party needed, saving us time and money.

Support - fantastic! as we try to automate the business and the mundane processes , the support element with VXrail has helped us along this journey. We are having to make fewer calls chasing different Storage /Server / VMware / Network vendors , we now make 1 call!



What needs improvement?

The initial setup between the different Dell departments is fragmented (ESRS Team, onsite deployment team, RecoverPoint team, etc.). The engineers who come to rack/stack and do the initial config should be trained on all the areas and work with the different Dell departments whilst they are onsite to give a smoother install and better experience for customer.

At present, VxRail is a hyperconverged state of the art product being installed in a legacy way. We need hyperconverged install teams.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Before we had VxRail, we had stability issues. After installing VxRail, we did not experience issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Before we had VxRail, we had scalability issues. After installing VxRail, we did not experience issues.

How are customer service and technical support?

I would rate technical support as a 10 out of 10.

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

We switched from converged to HCI for the ease of management and business growth.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup could have been easier. There were too many cooks with all the Dell departments.

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

Compare it to what you spent on your last solution. Look at other costs: Power, IT staff, time to manage the system, cost of expansion for the future versus current (all costs: human/power/kit).

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Nutanix, Nimble, Cisco... We went with Dell VxRail, as Dell were already a trusted partner, and it has great support and products.

What other advice do I have?

  • Look at your pain points.
  • Look at where your business is and where it is going.
  • Look at the time currently invested by IT personnel to carry out mundane firmware and software upgrades.
  • Look at how you currently log support calls for different entities.
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
SamuelThomas - PeerSpot reviewer
Consultant at Key Information Technology L.L.C.
Consultant
Top 5
Easy to scale, use, and manage, but it should facilitate the separate expansion of computing and storage
Pros and Cons
  • "Compared with other products, the IT administrator or IT integrator doesn't take much time to get the tool up and running."
  • "The solution should facilitate the separate expansion of computing and storage."

What is most valuable?

The computing achieved by the solution for more than 100 VMs with less storage is very good. The software integration is easy, like plug-and-play. Compared with other products, the IT administrator or IT integrator doesn't take much time to get the tool up and running.

What needs improvement?

The solution should facilitate the separate expansion of computing and storage.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using VxRail for ten years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution's stability is very good. The failure ratio and errors are very low. The solution gives us fast pre-alerts for main upgrades.

I rate the solution an eight out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

As per the current scenario, we can scale up to 64 nodes, which is enough for normal workloads.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support is very good. We get very good support from Dell in the Middle East, but L3 access is a bit tough.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The solution’s initial setup is very easy.

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

Since VMware is detached from Dell, the solution's pricing is a bit higher than before. After the detaching of Dell and VMware, VMware's licensing pattern has changed and has become a bit expensive compared to other hypervisors in the market.

We do not pay for each Dell product but for the whole Dell bundle. We purchase a license for three to five years, which includes maintenance and support.

What other advice do I have?

VxRail is utilized in our data center operations depending on multiple types of workloads. VxRail can be used by any company, including small and medium-sized or enterprise businesses. Once implemented properly, the solution works smoothly, and we don't need to maintain it. VxRail is easy to scale, use, and manage.

I would not recommend the solution to small companies. Small companies with less than 15 VMs won't be able to afford the price, and traditional tools will be better for them. I recommend VxRail to small and medium-sized businesses with more than 15 to 20 VMs.

Overall, I rate the solution seven and a half out of ten.

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