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VMware vSphere Foundation Reviews

Vendor: VMware
4.3 out of 5
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What is VMware vSphere Foundation?

VMware vSphere Foundation is designed for businesses seeking virtualization management capabilities. It offers essential features to optimize IT operations and improve server utilization, providing a solid infrastructure for managing virtual environments.

Get the VMware vSphere Foundation Buyer's Guide and find out what your peers are saying about VMware vSphere Foundation, VMware vSphere, Proxmox VE and more!
VMware vSphere Foundation is the #12 ranked solution in best Server Virtualization Software. PeerSpot users give VMware vSphere Foundation an average rating of 8.6 out of 10. VMware vSphere Foundation is most commonly compared to VMware vSphere: VMware vSphere Foundation vs VMware vSphere.
Buyer's Guide
VMware vSphere Foundation
August 2025
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VMware vSphere Foundation mindshare

As of August 2025, the mindshare of VMware vSphere Foundation in the Server Virtualization Software category stands at 0.3%, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Server Virtualization Software Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
VMware vSphere Foundation0.3%
Proxmox VE17.0%
VMware vSphere16.4%
Other66.3%
Server Virtualization Software

PeerResearch reports based on VMware vSphere Foundation reviews

TypeTitleDate
CategoryServer Virtualization SoftwareAug 29, 2025Download
ProductReviews, tips, and advice from real usersAug 29, 2025Download
ComparisonVMware vSphere Foundation vs Proxmox VEAug 29, 2025Download
ComparisonVMware vSphere Foundation vs VMware vSphereAug 29, 2025Download
ComparisonVMware vSphere Foundation vs Hyper-VAug 29, 2025Download
Suggested products
TitleRatingMindshareRecommending
VMware vSphere4.416.4%94%456 interviewsAdd to research
Proxmox VE4.317.0%98%62 interviewsAdd to research
 
 
Key learnings from peers

Valuable Features

VMware vSphere Foundation is valued for reliability, scalability, and management ease. Its high availability, efficient consolidation of server resources, and virtualization capabilities enhance IT efficiency. Users appreciate tools like vRealize Operations Manager, vCenter, and VMware Tanzu integration for effective infrastructure management. The platform supports seamless workload transitions, reducing downtime and cost. Its interface has improved, offering an intuitive experience. Security updates ensure stability, and it provides excellent return on investment by controlling physical environment and infrastructure effectively.
  • "The product includes disaster recovery features; the disaster recovery capability is quite good and the security features help to protect critical applications in general."
  • "VMware vSphere Foundation is positioned in the top right quadrant in a Gartner chart and offers the best virtualization solution to help manage enterprise components."
  • "We save substantial money from using VMware vSphere Foundation because previously, we needed to provision all new applications with new physical servers, such as app servers, DB servers, and license servers."

Room for Improvement

VMware vSphere Foundation faces challenges related to Broadcom's management, including accessibility and procurement issues. Licensing models need clarification and language support is lacking in some regions. Pricing has risen since Broadcom's acquisition, creating concern. Users desire improved cost efficiency, better support for Oracle core licensing, and enhanced management of multiple cloud environments. Performance monitoring and user interface need refinement. Annotations in version 8 and task logging could be enhanced for greater usability.
  • "Regarding the scalability of VMware vSphere Foundation, there are questions about whether it is completely scalable or if there are limitations."
  • "The biggest issue is pricing due to the Broadcom acquisition."
  • "I have concerns regarding VMware's strategy, particularly about how it manages multiple cloud environments since clients and my company need to navigate multiple clouds."

ROI

VMware vSphere Foundation enhances server consolidation by enabling multiple workloads on a single server, improving recoverability and scalability. It optimizes physical infrastructure costs by reducing refresh cycles and allows faster support and provisioning, thus minimizing delivery service costs. The manageability of multiple servers without additional staff is advantageous. Its flexibility and interoperability accommodate on-prem and cloud architectures. These features demonstrate significant investment returns, especially in environments requiring consistent monitoring and control.

Pricing

VMware vSphere Foundation pricing is perceived as high, rated ten out of ten for expense, especially after Broadcom's acquisition, complicating purchase processes. Many highlight difficulties in support access and the shift from perpetual to costly subscription licenses. Prices have significantly increased, pushing some enterprises towards more affordable open-source alternatives. Users report expenses in the hundreds of thousands annually, particularly for support, and note further cost surges influenced by region and license changes.
  • "It is expensive."

Popular Use Cases

The primary use case of VMware vSphere Foundation is in virtualization, supporting various infrastructures like data centers and private clouds. Many employ it for managing virtual machines, testing environments, and hosting workloads. It's utilized for transitioning from physical to virtual infrastructures and refactoring applications towards cloud-native architectures. Organizations leverage it for high availability, managing cluster environments, and supporting enterprise needs across industries such as telecommunications, banking, and government entities.

Service and Support

VMware vSphere Foundation's customer service experiences vary. Some rate technical support high, praising continuous global assistance and technical prowess, especially during emergencies. However, others note declining quality with Broadcom's management, longer response times, and occasional language barriers. Support is now more stable, with connectivity improvements, but high costs and recent management changes impact service satisfaction. Some rely on self-resolution and external community assistance due to inconsistent support quality and response times.

Deployment

Some found VMware vSphere Foundation's initial setup straightforward and quick, rating it high on ease. They noted limited need for support or a large team. Others experienced complexity, especially without virtualization background. It requires configuration knowledge and preparation, which might take significant time and resources. Experiences varied, with some needing to address storage and server setup, whereas in environments with existing virtual machines, deployment was faster.

Scalability

VMware vSphere Foundation is generally seen as highly scalable. Users appreciate its seamless expansion capabilities, both vertically and horizontally, through easy integration with additional hosts and straightforward licensing. It effectively serves diverse environments, including hyperconverged setups, and supports varied user scenarios. While some users rate its scalability highly due to integration efficiencies and ROI benefits, others are still exploring its full potential, especially within complex architectures involving third-party providers.

Stability

VMware vSphere Foundation is widely regarded as stable. Ratings vary from six to ten out of ten, with users highlighting its reliability across environments and low management requirements. Frequent updates are necessary due to security challenges, yet most users find it optimal for their data centers. A significant portion of users reports no significant stability issues, emphasizing strong performance tracking for system issues and microservices architecture management.
These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.
Download our VMware vSphere Foundation Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

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Learn more about VMware vSphere Foundation

VMware vSphere Foundation supports efficient resource management in virtual environments, delivering a robust platform for businesses to streamline their IT processes. It enhances system reliability and offers scalable options for growing business needs. By leveraging virtualization, it reduces hardware dependency while ensuring consistent system performance.

What are the key features of VMware vSphere Foundation?
  • VMware vCenter Server: Centralized platform for managing VMs and hosts.
  • High Availability: Ensures minimal downtime for critical applications.
  • Data Recovery: Provides backup and restore options for enhanced data protection.
  • Resource Manager: Allocates resources efficiently between VMs to maximize performance.
What benefits or ROI should users consider?
  • Cost Reduction: Decreases hardware expenses by maximizing server usage.
  • Improved Scalability: Facilitates easy expansion of IT infrastructure.
  • Enhanced Reliability: Offers consistent uptime and minimized outages.
  • Efficiency Gains: Streamlines operations, reducing manual IT management tasks.

VMware vSphere Foundation is implemented effectively across industries like healthcare, finance, and retail. It supports crucial workloads, allowing these sectors to maintain operational efficiency while handling sensitive data. Its flexibility and robust capabilities make it suitable for diverse operational demands.

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VMware vSphere Foundation Reviews Summary
Author infoRatingReview Summary
CIO and Chief Digital Officer at Reliance Industries Ltd4.0I primarily use VMware vSphere Foundation for migrating from physical to virtual infrastructures and transitioning to cloud-native architectures. Its intuitive interface and responsive support are valuable, despite needing better multi-cloud management and improving feature awareness.
System and Cloud Deployment Engineer at Safaricom Ethiopia plc5.0We deployed VMware vSphere Foundation in our telecommunication company, leveraging tools like vRealize Operations Manager and VMware ESXi to enhance management and resource utilization. Despite challenges with pricing and licensing, we resolved these issues without switching providers.
Consultant at Tenaga Nasional Berhad4.5I use VMware vSphere Foundation for virtualization, appreciating features like VMotion and HA to consolidate physical machines and reduce downtime. The primary concern is pricing, particularly after Broadcom's acquisition, though support remains satisfactory.
Enterprise Virtualization Manager at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees5.0We use VMware vSphere Foundation for data center virtualization and appreciate its high resilience and efficient infrastructure management. Although Broadcom's acquisition has affected support management, server consolidation and scalability improvements enhance our return on investment. Previously, we used VMware vSphere Enterprise Plus.
Senior System Administrator at Interactive Group4.5I work as a system administrator in a data center, and we host our workloads on VMware due to its reliability and extensive feature set, including vCenter's virtual stack and high availability. However, VMware's licensing model could be streamlined.
Quality Engineer at KML3.0I use VMware vSphere Foundation to manage multiple servers effectively, thanks to its user-friendly interface. However, Oracle's licensing issues prompted my transition to an Oracle kernel-based solution, despite vSphere's excellent server manageability and cost-effectiveness regarding personnel needs.
Product Manager at MSiT Technology3.5I have been selling VMware vSphere Foundation to companies and government entities, mainly for backup systems. Its valuable feature is seamless file system distribution in a hyperconvergent setup, though pricing issues arose post-Broadcom acquisition. We're considering alternatives like Proxmox.
Technology Solution Consultant at DWP Technologies4.0No summary available