

VMware Aria Automation and Cisco Intersight compete in the multi-cloud management market. VMware seems to have the upper hand in automation and blueprint design, while Cisco has an advantage in hybrid cloud management.
Features: VMware Aria Automation is recognized for its robust multi-cloud management, featuring automation of server deployment, integration with various platforms, and flexible templates that support multiple clouds. Cisco Intersight offers strong management capabilities with a focus on integration across platforms like Kubernetes and AWS, providing valuable control and visibility over hybrid cloud environments.
Room for Improvement: VMware Aria Automation requires interface enhancements to improve the experience for non-technical users, better documentation, and third-party integration. Its licensing model and system complexity also need refinement. Cisco Intersight needs to enhance hybrid cloud management and expand technology integration. Users express a desire for improved automation to rival competitors like VMware and simplified setup and usability.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: VMware Aria Automation is adaptable across various environments but can be complex to deploy. It offers strong technical support, with premium packages enhancing response times, though community support could improve. Cisco Intersight suits hybrid and public cloud environments well and receives credit for efficient technical support. Both products address deployment challenges differently, with VMware focused on traditional setups and Cisco on hybrid solutions.
Pricing and ROI: VMware Aria Automation is often seen as expensive, with suggestions for improved pricing to enhance competitiveness. Despite the high cost, it shows returns through automation and productivity. In contrast, Cisco Intersight is perceived as cost-effective, offering competitive pricing relative to its features, particularly in hybrid cloud management efficiency. Both products demonstrate ROI but vary in terms of cost-effectiveness and pricing structures.
It simplifies the onboarding of new hardware, reducing time spent on manual installations and configurations.
For complex issues, it's challenging to get the right engineer quickly unless you have a specific contract like CX.
Cisco technical support is helpful.
Cisco provides better support than anyone else.
When you open a ticket, in very, very few cases, they solve it. This is around a particular solution, Tanzu.
We never had major issues to report or request support.
I rate its scalability a ten out of ten due to its capability to manage multiple domains and automate service requests.
Cisco Intersight is scalable enough for our needs, allowing management in a multi-environment setup and working remotely while deploying servers.
Some steps are not included in the official documentation, which can create challenges.
It is always accessible online, secure, and allows access from any location, following strict authentication standards.
Until version eight, it was perfect because it was very proven and stable, and it was doing very well what it was promising.
There is a significant issue regarding migration from UCS Manager into Intersight without formatting the Fabric Interconnects (FI), which is problematic in a production environment.
It would be great to have a chat session mode AI so that when I am on standby and encountering issues, I could engage with it, much like ChatGPT.
When registering our devices and servers using tokens, auto-detection could make it easier by automatically identifying resources and adding them to the platform.
VCF 9 will bring VCF Automation and VCF Operations, the new product line of VMware.
It operates for both of my products, however, as a product, it is complicated to integrate and automate with other products.
Cisco Intersight's license cost is very high compared to AWS and Azure solutions, which have lower initiation costs.
The pricing is fair and reasonable, particularly for enterprises.
The pricing mechanism sounds fair.
It provides visibility into other products and storage, and is beneficial for environments where Cisco and other vendors coexist, allowing full visibility of the entire infrastructure.
It also provides predictive analysis, predicting data leaks and making it easy to scale up servers remotely without requiring physical interference.
This solution has provided time savings and required fewer people to operate this tool, rather than direct cost savings.
We leverage VRO when the going gets tough. When something is not doable with the tools we have with VMware Aria Automation, we use the capabilities of VRO because it has many plugins for many things.
We have strong regulations for maintaining compliance and mitigating risks with this product.
It helps us automate the workflow of creating many VMs and the TensorFlow key method.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| VMware Aria Automation | 5.8% |
| Cisco Intersight | 1.6% |
| Other | 92.6% |

| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 5 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 4 |
| Large Enterprise | 7 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 33 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 24 |
| Large Enterprise | 130 |
Cisco Intersight delivers advanced data center management with cloud integration, remote server scaling, and predictive analytics, promoting efficient infrastructure management. It supports hybrid environments and is suitable for scaling across enterprises.
Cisco Intersight offers a comprehensive view of data centers with seamless cloud platform integration, enhancing manageability across environments. It is known for workflow automation, inventory management, and predictive analysis, allowing users to optimize workloads. Users leverage its scalability and ease of use, with features that aid in remote management and integration with both Cisco and non-Cisco products. However, improvements are needed in usability, automation, and third-party tool integration, especially for on-premises and hybrid cloud management. Users often face challenges with firmware management and transitioning from UCS Manager. Desired enhancements include better software compatibility, third-party integrations, expanded microservices support, enhanced AI features, and more automation capabilities, addressing setup complexity, support, and high maintenance costs.
What are the main features of Cisco Intersight?In industries where data center management and integration are critical, such as finance, healthcare, and telecommunications, Cisco Intersight is used to monitor and manage infrastructure across multiple sites. Its capability to combine platforms like HyperFlex and VMware allows organizations to maintain hardware status effectively, supporting both on-premises and cloud environments for efficient service delivery.
VMware Aria Automation is known for its automation capabilities, integrating with VMware and third-party tools to enhance workflow efficiency, save time, and manage resources effectively.
VMware Aria Automation offers a diverse set of features including a self-service portal and a streamlined user-friendly interface, which make it ideal for organizations aiming to automate virtual machine provisioning. The platform supports extensive automation capabilities across multi-cloud environments, featuring flexible blueprint designs and comprehensive integration with platforms like AWS, Azure, and ServiceNow. Though improvements are desired in areas like logging, template management, and vCenter integration, its robust framework facilitates IT infrastructure services, disaster recovery, and development operations. It is specifically beneficial for orchestrating workflows, automating routine tasks, and managing workloads efficiently in private and hybrid cloud environments.
What are the most important features of VMware Aria Automation?VMware Aria Automation is implemented across industries for automating the provisioning of virtual machines and managing cloud environments. It is used in sectors requiring efficient server deployment, network configurations, and seamless integration with tools such as AWS and Azure. It aids in reducing manual efforts, supporting IT infrastructure services, and enhancing disaster recovery protocols.
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