VMware vSphere Reviews, Competitors and Pricing

it_user91356

Vice President at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees

Jul 20, 2015

The Dell PowerEdge M520 is a general purpose server that scales very well.

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

it_user3405Partner at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

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Mar 15, 2014

Interesting, I wonder how Dell's server solution compares to the following systems:

• IBM Blade Center
• HP C7000 Blade Server
• HP Moonshot

Just curious, especially when we talk about power consumption, total memory & speed, latency, manageability, interoperability with other servers, modular, integrated security features, monitoring software, 10-40Gb switching fabric (NPIV) and extensibility and integration with SAN capability, IPv6 enabled, GPU/Cuda capable.

This would be an interesting conversation.

Todd

it_user4524

Founder & Principal Architect at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

May 1, 2014

VMware vSphere 5.5 Review

The industry’s flagship virtualization platform, VMware’s vSphere, reached its latest release in September of 2013 with the launch of version 5.5. I am a ‘best tool for the job’ sort of technologist, and strive to stay impartial and always recommend the right product for the purpose. Currently, this release is better than any other hypervisor on the market in many ways, such as performance, scalability, management, and automation. I make this statement unequivocally and without bias because I believe so strongly in this product. Every environment that I encounter in my job has some sort of VMware infrastructure powering some set of its critical business applications.

The core of the platform is the server-level virtualization hypervisor, VMware ESXi. It is a bare metal hypervisor that gets installed on each server, and the installation footprint is as low as 2GB! Most of my new installations either run from an SD card embedded on the motherboard, or a certified USB key.

The centralized management portion comes from the vCenter Server. It provides relatively simple management for the environment, and unlike some of VMware’s competitors, vCenter Server is included with the vSphere suite of products. A web-based management interface (unfortunately Flash based at the moment, so iPads need not apply), in addition to a fat client, is available for remote management.

The scalability of the product is simply incredible. A single virtual machine can now scale up to 64 vCPUs and 1TB of vRAM. CPU and memory overhead take a benchmarking team to determine the virtualization ‘wedge’, or performance penalty, which the virtualization layer imposes on performance. Storage latency is under 100 microseconds per I/O. at this point, the VMware ESXi hypervisor layer’s impact to performance is so minute that I consider it functionally transparent.

It has the capacity to run over 85 different operating systems, well beyond its competitors. Bells and whistles like vMotion and Storage vMotion, shared-nothing vMotion, Distributed Virtual Switches, capacity management features such as Storage and Network I/O Control, and capacity management tools such as VMware vCenter Operations Manager (Foundation version included at no cost) stack up to make this the most flexible, scalable, and capable virtualization platform on the market today.

My home lab is completely virtualized with VMware vSphere 5.5 is running at its core. Anywhere from three to six hosts are powered on at any given time, and can handle anything that I need to replicate a problem encountered at a client site, or tinker around with learning scenarios for continuing self-education.

Add-ons to the core hypervisor, such as Site Recovery Manager, vCloud Director, vShield, and vCenter Operations Manager continue to enhance the platform, and add that much more capability and flexibility into an environment that is already the flagship of the industry.

The core VMware vSphere suite is capable of handling just about any application workload that I have ever ran across, and is suitable for any datacenter at tiny businesses all the way up to Fortune 50. Leverage VMware’s vSphere to let your infrastructure move at the speed of the business, not of the IT department. Welcome to the cloud!

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

it_user4524Founder & Principal Architect at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees

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Oct 21, 2013

I have used everything from just a single server with local disks all the way up to the large VCE vBlocks. It all really depends on the workload properties of those individual web servers. Do you know how utilized the current web servers that you have are? What sort of IOPs and throughput requirements do you have? Usually web servers are CPU and memory intensive but not very disk hungry.

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it_user5496

Consultant at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees

Jul 25, 2013

Microsoft Hyper-V vs VMware vSphere

One topic that gets discussed quite often is Microsoft Hyper-V vs VMware vSphere, and a quick Google search for comparisons will return at least several hundred thousand hits. There seems to be a large number of posts and articles trying to make a case that one is better than the other by listing and comparing features of the hypervisors themselves one by one. The purpose of this post is not to claim that one platform is better than the other. Is that the best way to really compare the different virtualization technologies as a whole, or should we take a step back and really look at differences in approach for the virtual infrastructure and/or virtual ecosystems'

Microsoft:

In my opinion, Microsoft is defining and building their virtualization infrastructure as an extension or expansion of their current ecosystem, with System Center at the center of their universe. If you look at the System Center 2012 product page on Microsoft’s website, System Center product details are broken down into two different areas:

Cloud and Datacenter Management
Client Management & Security

Is this really a big surprise' Absolutely not, since it clearly makes more sense to build on what you already have in place than to reinvent the wheel. The majority of virtual machines that are running on the Hyper-V platform are running Windows, and System Center already has a solid foundation of features and capabilities for managing Windows environments. These features include:

Application Delivery
Mobile Device Management
Virtual Desktop Management
Endpoint Protection
Compliance and Setting Management
Software Update Management
Power Management
Operating System Deployment
Client Health and Monitoring
Asset Intelligence
Inventory

VMware:

In my opinion, VMware is looking to create a completely isolated and separated ecosystem that consists of a collection of appliances with different capabilities working independently and making up the features within the infrastructure, including:

vSphere
vCloud Director
vCloud Connector
vCloud Network and Security
vCenter Site Recovery Manager
vCenter Operations Manager Suite
vFabric Application Director
vCloud Automation Center

Conclusions:

One of the main differences that I see in the two approaches is that Microsoft wants virtualization, cloud, and datacenter management to be an extension of the infrastructure, whereas VMware would like the vCloud Suite to be the complete infrastructure. This starts with VMware developing vCloud as an Infrastructure-as-a-Service to fulfill their promise of the software-defined datacenter.

Click here to read my complete review on TheVirtualizationPractice.com

Disclosure: My company The Virtualization Practice is sponsored by some vendors in this market

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

Jusiah NoahCo-Founder at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

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Jan 3, 2017

we just need expirienced users that can verify and give details more than google.yes rich content but unreliable

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it_user6405

Engineer at a insurance company with 1,001-5,000 employees

May 6, 2013

vSphere 5.1 – Lesser publicized, neat improvements.

There are a lot of neat improvements in vSphere 5.1, but it’s worth mentioning some of the neat features that may not be getting as much publicity. Below are some of the features in the release documentation that aren’t in the “What’s New in vSphere 5.1” one-pager, and so-far I haven’t seen nearly enough excitement about thus far. These are features that an engineer will enjoy, but the engineer’s boss might not care so much about.

32 Nodes Accessing VMDK Simultaneously on VMFS: This is an important improvement for VMware View workloads using Linked Clones as it allows for higher density clusters. Previously, VMFS only supported 8 nodes accessing a VMDK, and to overcome that then the architect had to use NFS. VMFS and NFS now support the same number of nodes to a read-only file with View 5.1 and greater.
Virtual Machine Hardware Compatibility: Instead of simply relying on the virtual hardware version number, virtual machines are now given a Virtual Machine Compatibility. For example, VM Hardware Version 4 is now labeled as “Compatible with VMware ESX 3.x and later“. In addition, Administrators can select a “Default Compatibility Level,” which will be a great feature in mixed version clusters.
Parallel “Multi-threaded” Storage vMotions: Storage vMotion is now capable of performing four simultaneous disk copies. When migrating a virtual machine with five VMDK files, Storage vMotion copies the first four disks in parallel, then starts the next disk copy as soon as one of the first four finish. This will dramatically increase svMotion processes with many disks.
All Paths Down (APD) Events No Longer Break Hostd: Prior to vSphere 5.1, an APD event could cause hostd to become unresponsive as it would permanently retry failing I/O, which would cause hosts to disconnect from vCenter, etc. A new timeout is now being implemented via the Misc.APDHandlingEnable and Misc.APDTimeout global settings. In the event of an APD, after the default 140 seconds subsequent I/O is met with a quick “No_Connect” response preventing hostd and other processes from hanging.
Better Latency Monitoring within Storage I/O Control: A new metric ‘VmObservedLatency’ is available that replaces the datastore latency metric within SIOC. This metric measures the time between receipt of the I/O by the VMkernel from the virtual machine and receipt of the response from the datastore. Previously, SIOC only measured the latency after the IO had left the ESXi host, but it now measures and controls storage workload latency throughout the whole virtualized storage stack.
vCenter Inventory Tagging: Virtual machines can now be tagged with labels for more granular, advanced grouping. For example, Tier-1 applications can be tagged as such while also being tagged as a ‘Sharepoint’ server. This is a relatively simple additions that gives much better sorting capabilities for Virtual Machines.

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

reviewer139530Systems and Security Administrator at a hospitality company with 51-200 employees

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Jul 24, 2014

Has anyone had any angst when moving from the vSphere client in 5.1 to the web client in 5.5?

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JeanSpiteri

Infrastructure Engineer at a hospitality company with 51-200 employees

Apr 13, 2022

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The security features and implementation are very easy

Pros and Cons

"VMware vSphere allows you to run multiple virtual machines."
"The most valuable feature of VMware vSphere is the ability to work in a big system infrastructure."

"I recommend that VMware vSphere continue to release more features."

What is our primary use case?

VMware vSphere allows you to run multiple virtual machines. For example, I can run up to 10 computers, virtual servers on one physical server.

We have at least 10 people using this solution in our organization.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of VMware vSphere is the ability to work in big system infrastructure. For example, you can move one bridge, one machine to another, or one virtual machine from one server to another. This is beneficial when you want to put a server under maintenance.

Also, the security features and implementation are very easy.

What needs improvement?

There is nothing from my perspective that the product needs to improve. It works for all my needs.

I recommend that VMware vSphere continue to release more features.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using VMware vSphere for 7 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

VMware vSphere is scalable.

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

Previously, I had used Hyper-v. VMware is a much better solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of the solution is straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We use third party support for this product.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate VMware vSphere a 10 out of 10.

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.

Donald Lesotlho

IT Support Officer at a non-profit with 501-1,000 employees

Feb 15, 2022

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Secure and stable platform for managing virtual environments; has a support team that provides diligent assistance

Pros and Cons

"Stable and secure management console for virtual environments, with a diligent technical support team."

"The VMware vSphere app is faster, compared to its web-based client. The web-based client is very slow, freezes, and is challenging to use."

What is our primary use case?

We are using VMware vSphere to manage the virtual environment. We use it for visibility and for managing the host.

What is most valuable?

What I want to see, I can get easily from VMware vSphere, because I know how to navigate it, as I've been using it for years. I also don't have issues with its operation, stability, and security. I also find the VMware support team diligent when they assisted me with the issues I raised.

What needs improvement?

Before the latest versions of this software, we used to work with versions 5.5 and below. We used VMware vSphere as a client, as an application, e.g. it was not web-based. Now that has changed, because they've moved it from the application to the web-based version. It's the only change I've seen which I found very difficult because it was challenging to connect to the web, particularly because it can be very slow. It freezes, unlike the app version which was absolutely perfect.

The performance was better with VMware vSphere as an app, but not with the web-based client. The web-based client could be improved, in terms of its speed. It could be faster, but I also just learned that since everything is moving to cloud, there's a reason why there's a web-based client now.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using VMware vSphere for almost 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I don't have any problems with the stability and security of VMware vSphere.

How are customer service and support?

I had to engage with the VMware technical support team once or twice last year because we had a disaster, and they were able to assist me diligently.

How was the initial setup?

The installation for VMware vSphere was a one-time installation. You do it once, and that's it.

What about the implementation team?

I had a consultant do the VMware vSphere installation for me.

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

We pay for the license of VMware vSphere yearly.

What other advice do I have?

We are using VMware solutions. We are running the VMware standard edition. We also have VMware vSphere and VMware ESXi.

We are running the latest version of VMware vSphere: 7.0. We started with version four of this software.

I wouldn't say that there are features that I like the most about VMware vSphere, because it's just a normal management console. It's a default client management software for the virtual environment. It's just a console that we use.

We have been using the software since we enrolled into the virtual CRR, so we are used to it. I can't say whether it's easy to use or not, because I've been using it forever. I can't do any comparison. To say it's easy to use or it's not easy to use would not suffice, because I've been using it for years, so I know how to navigate the platform. What I want to see, I can get easily from VMware vSphere.

I don't recall the last time we installed the software, and even if it was a difficult process, I wouldn't know, because that would best be answered by the technical team, who keeps installing it for different lines. For me it was something that was done once.

We only have one engineer who takes care of the deployment and maintenance of VMware vSphere. The software is only used by fewer than five people, e.g. just the administrators. We're not increasing the number of users, because there are only just a few people needed to man the environment.

I would recommend VMware vSphere to others, particularly because when I contacted them about some issues, they assisted me diligently.

From one to ten, I'm rating VMware vSphere an eight.

When you talk about performance improvement of VMware vSphere, you have to look at other factors. You look at the whole infrastructure. You can't look at the software alone, because when it comes to performance, you also have to look at your hardware. You have to look at your storage. It isn't just the software, e.g. VMware vSphere, that you are using. For example, the last time we had an issue, it wasn't only because of the VMware side. It was also because of our storage, e.g. Our storage capacity was full, so we had to engage VMware. To improve performance, the VMware infrastructure as a whole should be improved, which means changing the storage, storage accessories, etc. VMware vSphere is only connected, and it's only a software that is running on the hardware, so to improve performance, we also need to talk about and look into the hardware aspects of the solution.

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

reviewer1173861

Global IT Infrastructure Architect at a wholesaler/distributor with 5,001-10,000 employees

Feb 5, 2022

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Provides infrastructure resiliency, good documentation, and easily grows with our requirements

Pros and Cons

"The fact that we have the ability to easily scale out, and the ability to do maintenance on the underlying hardware without impacting our business applications, are important aspects."

"The challenge that we have is keeping the system up to date, as well as having the internal resources to maintain that platform. We're not an IT company, so it's challenging for us to keep the IT resources in-house."

What is our primary use case?

We use vSphere to host all of our business applications, as well as our in-house developed applications. We also use it for the software components that support our IT team.

What is most valuable?

The core components are the most valuable aspect of this solution. The fact that we have the ability to easily scale out, and the ability to do maintenance on the underlying hardware without impacting our business applications, are important aspects. In general, we have better control over what kind of systems are impacted when we make changes.

What needs improvement?

The challenge that we have is keeping the system up to date, as well as having the internal resources to maintain that platform. We're not an IT company, so it's challenging for us to keep the IT resources in-house. It is for this reason that we are now investigating public cloud offerings.

We would like to see VMware move in the direction of having a working model on the application level. The next level of virtualization, most likely container solutions, is what we're interested in. That would avoid us having to support the operating system and tooling. Overall, it would make it easier for us from a customer perspective to use it.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a fairly stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Absolutely, vSphere is scalable. We have approximately 4,500 users connecting to this system and we increase our usage by approximately 10% per year.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is a combination of VMware and our integrator.

If we have major issues or we are making major changes, we typically go through the integrator. They have a partnership with VMware.

We typically deal with the less severe or impacting changes and issues. In general, that goes pretty well. The software is pretty well documented, so usually, we have a quick fix if we run into problems.

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

We did not work with another similar solution prior to this one.

How was the initial setup?

Our deployment was a project that took a couple of weeks. It was not major. The last upgrade went smoothly, as well. In general, the time that it took to put things in place was acceptable.

Our only complaint about the implementation is about having the resources with the requisite knowledge. That's our biggest challenge.

What about the implementation team?

We use an integrator to do the initial implementation. In case we have major changes to make, we will again hire the integrator to do that work.

What was our ROI?

With respect to our return on investment, this product is definitely worth it. It is not cheap and there is a cost associated with additional licenses, but there are not very many options.

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

The cost of the licenses is acceptable and we haven't seen any major increases from the vendor in the time we've been using it. This is not a cheap product but it's an investment.

There is a cost associated whenever we need to add licenses.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We reviewed a couple of options and at that point in time, VMware was one of the strongest players. This was especially true because they had a lot of partners and integrators in the region, which quickly led us to choose them. Selecting another solution would be more challenging for us, especially in getting the required support.

I don't think that we're going to expand further or improve upon our current solution. We are now investigating to what extent the public cloud offerings are a better match or solution for our use cases.

What other advice do I have?

In summary, this is a very stable solution and it has been that way for years. So far, it's been a very good fit. The only question is today, is it still worthwhile investing in on-premise solutions, or are cloud solutions at a level where we can move production nodes to it? That's basically our question and I'm guessing a question that a lot of other companies are asking themselves.

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.

reviewer929742

System support engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees

Nov 27, 2021

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Easy to install with good stability and great scalability

Pros and Cons

"The product is very easy to install."

"The reporting could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for real-time backups. It can create new VMs.

What is most valuable?

The solution is stable.

I don't have a problem with scalability.

The product is very easy to install.

What needs improvement?

The reporting could be improved.

We'd like to see better monitoring. There should be better alert systems in place.

For how long have I used the solution?

We['ve been using the solution for two to three years at this point. It hasn't been too long.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product has been stable so far. The performance and reliability are good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product can scale. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so.

We have two people using the solution at this time.

We have basically updated the hard disk size of VMware servers so that to accommodate the data of the existing clients. I can't say if we will scale beyond this.

How are customer service and support?

We have called VMware regarding Microsoft Cloud integration.

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

We were using a third-party utility product. Now, events are being pushed through VMware.

How was the initial setup?

The installation process is quite straightforward. It's not overly complex. I wouldn't say it's difficult. A company shouldn't have any issues with the setup process.

While we have an integrator handle our deployment we manage the solution by ourselves, in-house.

You only need two people for deployment or maintenance tasks.

What about the implementation team?

We had an integrator with us through the process and they assisted with the setup initially.

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

We have a yearly subscription that we pay for this product.

What other advice do I have?

While we are currently using the on-premises deployment, our plan is to move completely to the cloud.

We are using the latest version of the solution at this point. I can't speak to the exact version number.

I'd rate the solution at a ten out of ten overall. It's a very useful product.

I would recommend the solution to other users or other companies.

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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