Being able to centrally manage our environments from one pane of glass.
Process Control Network Manager at Georgia-Pacific LLC
We now have full visibility across all our sites from one pane of glass, although I'd like I/O acceleration within VMware instead of having to use a third party.
What is most valuable?
How has it helped my organization?
Before we virtualized it was stand alone systems, now I can see all ten sites we manage, and manage the systems. If we need to make changes, we can do it with a snapshot. It's much easier than before, plus we now have visibility into everything going on.
What needs improvement?
One thing is I'd like to be able to see I/O acceleration within VMware instead of having to use a third party, like VMTurbo.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We haven’t had any issues – its worked really well.
Buyer's Guide
Horizon 8
May 2025

Learn what your peers think about Horizon 8. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
851,823 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
With virtual environments, we are highly scalable. Before, when we had a physical environment adding a server was a whole process, now we have a base VM, and we just add it, provisioning servers is nothing. Now it takes two to three hours, instead of two to three weeks.
How are customer service and support?
I haven’t had any issues. They're easy to get hold of, and they're able to help with all our issues.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
There was no other solution in place.
How was the initial setup?
It was fairly straightforward. It took getting used to the new technology but it wasn’t too difficult.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Provides good scalability, but the initial setup process could be easier
Pros and Cons
- "It is a stable product."
- "The product's initial setup process could be easier."
What is our primary use case?
We use VMware Horizon View for its remote access feature.
What needs improvement?
The product's initial setup process could be easier.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using VMware Horizon View for a few years now. At present, we are using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 100 VMware Horizon View users in our organization. It is a scalable product.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is complicated. It takes one week to complete and requires two executives to work on deployment and maintenance.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
It is an expensive product. We purchase its yearly license.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend VMware Horizon View to others and rate it a six 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.
Buyer's Guide
Horizon 8
May 2025

Learn what your peers think about Horizon 8. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
851,823 professionals have used our research since 2012.
System engineer at DCA
Best solution on the market
Pros and Cons
- "Horizon View's best features are that it gives you more control over the PCs on your infrastructure, and it's specialized for banking environments."
- "The initial setup was complex, and you need system experience to walk through it."
What is our primary use case?
Horizon View is primarily used to consolidate networks against potential threats from outside.
What is most valuable?
Horizon View's best features are that it gives you more control over the PCs on your infrastructure, and it's specialized for banking environments.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with VMWare Horizon View for more than three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Horizon View is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Horizon View is scalable.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was complex, and you need system experience to walk through it.
What other advice do I have?
Compared to Citrix and Microsoft, I'd recommend Horizon View as the best on the market. I'd rate it eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
End User Compute Architect at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Great stability and scalability, and helpful for managing remote access and a great number of desktops
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are the ability to manage a great number of desktops at once and the remote access for users who are working from outside of the office or from a different office in the country."
- "The remote application features have some room for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We essentially use it to enable remote workers.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the ability to manage a great number of desktops at once and the remote access for users who are working from outside of the office or from a different office in the country.
What needs improvement?
The remote application features have some room for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've dealt with Horizon 7 for as long as it has been out.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Its stability is great.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Its scalability is great.
How are customer service and technical support?
Their tech support is good. It used to be better. It has dropped off a little bit, but it is good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Horizon 7 (and Horizon 8) is fairly straightforward for the infrastructure. Getting the use cases for each desktop pool can be a challenge.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't know about the price. I know there are different tiers with the license, but I'm not sure exactly what it costs anymore.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise defining your use cases before you start.
I would rate VMware Horizon 7 a nine out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Systems Architect at a tech consulting company with 51-200 employees
Easy to maintain, responsive support, straightforward to deploy
Pros and Cons
- "It is easy to maintain."
- "User profiles are something that needs to be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for remote users around the country.
What is most valuable?
The product as a whole is okay.
It is easy to maintain.
What needs improvement?
User profiles are something that needs to be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using VMware Horizon View for approximately five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
So far, the stability has been good and we haven't had any problems.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have a stable environment right now and haven't needed to expand our usage. We have approximately 500 users.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support has been responsive.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward, although customization is a little kludgey.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed using an in-house team.
What other advice do I have?
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.
ICT System Administrator at College of Europe
Quality desktop and app virtualization product that allows for a centralized environment. Could use more support for master template optimization
Pros and Cons
- "I appreciate the ability to have a more centralized environment."
- "In the next release, I would like to have more support when optimizing the master templates for PDI. There are tools that are available to be used but they are not supported at the moment and are more, "use at your own risk.""
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for virtual servers and virtual desktops. Our whole environment is on VMware combined with Nutanix.
What is most valuable?
I appreciate the ability to have a more centralized environment.
What needs improvement?
In the next release, I would like to have more support when optimizing the master templates for PDI. There are tools that are available to be used but they are not supported at the moment and are more, "use at your own risk."
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for more that fifteen years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The performance was lacking a bit in the beginning due to the old infrastructure with SAN and having everything separated. Now that we use this in combination with Nutanix, it is quite stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We are easily able to add another house to the Nutanix farm which would result in more resources for VMware.
What was our ROI?
As a result of using VMware, we have to buy less hardware and do not need to replace thin clients.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise potential users to create a template to test if the performance is good enough for your client level.
I rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Reliable and easy to deploy applications
Pros and Cons
- "The ease of deployment is one of the most valuable features. If I want to install something, I can have a test phase to see what sort of impact it will have and whether it will affect production. So I can install it on my lab, make sure it is okay, and if it is, I can deploy it directly to the users or to the staff."
- "VMware Horizon could be improved with more integration. It is also very costly for Enterprise Plus, which is a drawback. The renewal costs for the license are very, very high."
What is our primary use case?
I have integrated this solution for educational institutions to help deploy applications to students and staff. I have also integrated this solution for a financial organization. This solution is deployed on-premises.
How has it helped my organization?
The students and staff have different requirements, knowledge, and applications they need to install, so we segregate the VDI. I have master images and then whichever application a student or staff member needs installed, I'll install it on the master image, then deploy that image to that particular staff member or group of students. In a matter of minutes, they will have their application ready to use.
What is most valuable?
The ease of deployment is one of the most valuable features. If I want to install something, I can have a test phase to see what sort of impact it will have and whether it will affect production. So I can install it on my lab, make sure it is okay, and if it is, I can deploy it directly to the users or to the staff.
Instant clone is one of the best features. Within seconds, we can create a new WEM based on the requirements. So whenever they log in, the system or VM will be able to use it.
What needs improvement?
VMware Horizon could be improved with more integration. It is also very costly for Enterprise Plus, which is a drawback. The renewal costs for the license are very, very high.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been integrating this solution for customers for years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable and reliable. I would say it's one of the best options.
How are customer service and support?
VMware's support is tremendously good. I have never had any issues with their side, in terms of technical support. They have a very talented team and they'll fix your problem in no time.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not straightforward. You need to be very careful because it's based on end user experience, which is very important. You need to look at all the aspects of it—networking, cabling, storage, switching—and if performance is what most users need, there should be no compromise on this. You need to understand what your requirements are, what applications you may be running on the system, and then you need to design the storage. For example, if a customer has applications that demand more IOPS, then I would consider going for all-flash storage or an HTI solution, like Dell. Performance demands are very important and you need to consider all the levels and aspects I listed.
Planning is very important. Installation itself is not straightforward, and does take some time. It took me an hour and a half to two hours to complete the installation. I had a team of five to help me deploy VMware to cover the levels of storage, networking, computing, and cabling.
What about the implementation team?
I implemented through an in-house team.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The license is very costly, as well as the renewal cost. We have the Enterprise Plus license. I recommend that my customers renew the support contract because they will inevitably have issues. VMware releases new features and if customers want to use these features, they definitely have to maintain their support contract.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate VMware Horizon an eight out of ten.
I have several customers—a few educational institutions and one financial organization—who use Horizon in their infrastructure. I definitely recommend this solution, especially for educational institutions, because it's really good for them to have VDI infrastructure. This is one of the best solutions they can implement.
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: Integrator
AGM at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Low maintenance and works with both physical and virtualized systems
Pros and Cons
- "It has a lot of features and they are similar to what we have seen in any environment management solution."
- "More ready-to-deploy templates should be available. Because they are not included, a lot of configuration is required."
What is our primary use case?
We are a solution provider and this is one of the products that we implement for our clients. I am a solution engineer and I work on end-user virtualization and related infrastructure solutions. I with VMware, Citrix, and Nutanix.
This solution is used for managing end-user workstations, or settings related to applications or Windows, as well as other things. For example, it can put policies in place for applications or the operating system.
This is not a product that I work with regularly.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is that it works with virtualization and works with physical systems as well.
It has a lot of features and they are similar to what we have seen in any environment management solution.
What needs improvement?
Many improvements to this product are needed.
More ready-to-deploy templates should be available. Because they are not included, a lot of configuration is required.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
VMware User Environment Manager is scalable. Most of our customers are running VMware Virtualization solutions, and they are used to having this to work with it.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is based on the type of subscription that you have. Generally, it is enterprise customers that have technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In addition to VMware, I work with Citrix and Nutanix. Currently, most of the work I do is with Citrix and VMware products.
How was the initial setup?
A consultant is definitely required because a lot of configuration is needed. The deployment takes at least two weeks to complete.
Once it is deployed, one or two resources are all that are required for maintenance.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
The choice of which solution to use is not made by us. It's a customer decision and whatever they choose, whether it is Citrix, VMware, or otherwise, we will work with it.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

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Updated: May 2025
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