Horizon 8 Reviews

We use Horizon View to provide virtual desktops for internal use. There are about a thousand users. 

Horizon View provides virtual desktops on demand.

Horizon View could be more stable.

I have been using Horizon View for a couple of years.

I rate Horizon View's stability seven out of 10. 

Horizon View is relatively flexible and scalable.

Setting up Horizon View is somewhat complex, but we got some professional services from VMware. It would probably be complicated if you tried to set it up on your own. 

I rate Horizon View four out of 10 for affordability. It was pretty expensive.

We have performed some benchmark tests before deciding to go with Horizon View, but we chose VMware because most of our existing setup uses VMware. 

I rate Horizon View eight out of 10.

Horizon is used to create virtual desktops. It's helpful for people who want to transition from large desktops and laptops to more virtual desktops. More people are working remotely, and that freaks out IT departments when they can't get access to an employee's desktop. We are seeing a lot of demand for virtual desktops for remote working.

Horizon allows us to sell a solution to customers.

VMware Horizon View is easy to configure and deploy.

The cost of licenses is always a challenge. I would also like the deployment to be simplified and automated to be more streamlined. It would be helpful for managing. For example, if you are deploying 900, it would be nice to automate the management of groups of 30 or 40 or whatever you're doing. Automation and deployment tools would be good.

We've used VMware Horizon View off and on since it was first introduced in 2006. I have been messing around with VMware since early in my career. It's probably been about 18 months since I last did a direct Horizon solution. 

Horizon View is pretty stable.

Horizon View has been scalable enough for everything I've done so far. The last deployment was about 900 users. It was a mixture of office workers and managers.

VMware support is okay, but sometimes it's a little bit hit or miss trying to get somebody who knows what they're doing and talking about.

Our customers switched from more of a traditional laptop or desktop environment where they were maintaining 900 different systems and trying to keep them patched and updated. A VDI is helpful for tracking ransomware or viruses because you can lock down systems more easily when they're centrally controlled.

Setting up Horizon is probably not easy for an inexperienced person. You can't just read the manual and do it. You need some experience to set it up. It's not overly complex, but it also isn't so simple that you could deploy it yourself if you've never done it before.

It took about two or three months because you can't just roll it out. You have to migrate the users in batches. If you're rolling out a thousand users, you can't just turn it on and have at it with a thousand. You deploy 30 and migrate a department and then do another. That's the case with any virtual desktop solution. Rolling it out is always going to be a more gradual process than a big bang all at once overnight.

VMware has tools to calculate projected ROI. The customers don't hit that projection, but they get relatively close. Typically the projected return is higher than what customers actually see.

The pricing can be relatively competitive, but sometimes you have to go back to VMware and ask for additional discounts. You can make it competitive If you're prepared to put in the work. The list prices and standard discounts may not be competitive, but if you push hard enough, you can get the price to where you need it to be.

When you deploy the solution, the goal is to reduce normal operating costs by making it easier to keep your devices updated and patched. Obviously, there are hardware costs for running virtual machines, so there are additional costs depending on where you're running it, especially if you're using the standard hybrid cloud. If you use the Horizon Cloud, it's a different pricing model.

I'd rate VMware Horizon View seven out of 10. If you want to simplify management and retain control, give it some serious thought. If you're allowing users to work on their own devices, it's necessary. If everybody has their own laptops, you want to use something like Horizon or VDI to manage your corporate applications. It's absolutely essential for that type of environment.

VMware Horizon 7 is used for remote access to allow the users to work from home.

The most valuable feature of VMware Horizon 7 is its ease of use.

VMware Horizon 7 could improve by supporting the active-active data center. At this time we are only deploying it in the production environment. Our customer is considered to deploy the VMware Horizon 7 to a secondary data center, but we found out that it cannot fully support the user in the deployment in the active-active data center. Any improvement on this would be beneficial.

I have been using VMware Horizon 7 for approximately two years.

VMware Horizon 7 could improve stability.

The scalability of VMware Horizon 7 is very good. We have 100 users using this solution in my organization.

We typically open up the support page in VMware Horizon 7 for help. I did not find it very helpful but they tried their best.

We previously used Citrix before we chose VMware Horizon 7. The pricing of Citrix was better.

The initial setup of VMware Horizon 7 depends but for most it is easy. It took us one month.

We used a consultant to implement this solution.

The price of VMware Horizon 7 is more than some other solutions.

I rate VMware Horizon 7 a five out of ten.

We use this solution for our virtual desktop infrastructure where the user's desktops are running the data center using Horizon. With the increase in the number of people working from home, we wanted a solution like Horizon. We are customers and I'm a resident consultant. 

The major advantage of this solution is that users can log in from anywhere and from a variety of devices. Previously, it was difficult for us to manage but when we moved to VDI and people were able to log in from anywhere, it made a huge difference. I like that we're able to take a snapshot of the desktop. 

Reporting could be improved. We have 200-300 users and it's difficult to know who has logged in and when. We have to do this manually so having a tool that would enable the export of reporting would be useful and save a lot of time.

I've been using this solution for six months. 

The solution is stable and highly reliable. We haven't had any issues with bugs, users are able to plug in properly, and the VMs are working fine.

Scalability is good. We initially started with four servers and within a month we have scaled it up, adding an additional four servers. We initially purchased 100 licenses and then another 100. It was simple and straightforward to scale up.

We contacted support for implementing the SSL certificate and for enabling the MFA. The support was good and we were able to resolve our issues. 

The initial setup was simple and straightforward although it will be more difficult for anyone who doesn't have experience. We have around 200 users and deployment took about three days. We have one admin for patching and updating.

Licensing is on an annual basis and quite costly. 

We use this solution heavily and I would definitely recommend it. 

I'd like to rate this solution more highly, but because of the issue with reporting, I rate it eight out of 10. 

VMware Horizon is focused on VDI and application delivery. Organizations use VMware Horizon to deliver third-party applications to their end users. This is facilitated by Horizon's VDI solution, which provides the necessary infrastructure and management capabilities.

The console is straightforward and easy to understand for the end user. It can be deployed on any device, including iPads and Mac OS. Users can access their daily applications and resources provided by the VMware Horizon environment from any device.

It covers and deploy legacy applications to customers who are using outdated operating systems. Legacy applications run only on older computers, but with the power of Horizon, they can be deployed on any device. With recent changes, Horizon operates with a high degree of independence. It enables users to work anytime, anywhere, on any device.

VMware Horizon is best in class product, but they should the improve its connectivity of the agents deployed. They should create their own virtualization infrastructure to host their horizon moving forward.

I have been using VMware Horizon for four years.

We encountered licensing issues. It uses a newer type of licensing, leveraging the cloud for auto licensing rather than using a traditional license key. This change should be discussed with the customer moving forward. To address this, we needed to replace some of our components to connect with the tenants for auto licensing.

I rate the solution's stability a seven out of ten.

The scalability depends on the underlying infrastructure. Horizon operates with VMware vSphere. As long as the company regularly reviews the scalability and virtualization information, Horizon can be easily scaled up or down based on the requirements.

I rate it a seven out of ten.

Currently (Q1 of 2024), raising a ticket with VMware Horizon can be challenging with recent changes (Migration due to recent product acquisitions). Some of the customer portals and support portals are undergoing migration, making it difficult to access them directly and submit tickets.

Negative

The initial setup of VMware Horizon can be time-consuming since it involves deploying various components. There are separate components that you need to deploy as part of Horizon. You may have to deploy other components that can be integrated with Horizon. For instance, a Microsoft server that hosts the RDSH can be added to the Horizon environment. This kind of integration with different products can add complexity, making the implementation of VMware Horizon medium in terms of difficulty.

Deployment depends on the number of agents to be deployed on end-user devices & the number of VM's or VDI components to be deployed in the implementation. On average, it takes two weeks for deployment.

I rate the initial setup a six out of ten.

Compared to other VDI providers like Citrix or other VDI provider, it stands on par in terms of cost. It is neither cheaper nor expensive, but comparable to the standard pricing in the market.

VDI can be beneficial in many instances and use cases. One example is when you have existing users accessing the company network. For users who shift roles or locations but use the same laptop, VDI is advantageous. Instead of purchasing a physical hardware device for each individual user, you can build the infrastructure and deploy VMs for them to use moving forward. This approach simplifies onboarding and offboarding users, as VDI allows easy management of user accounts. 

VMware Horizon is a key component in deploying and providing a comprehensive digital workspace for organizations. Horizon can be used independently or integrated with other VMware products to create a unified digital workspace. It supports VPN and enhances the digital employee experience by using AI functionality to learn user behavior. This AI capability helps seamlessly identify and analyze any issues within the company, ensuring a smooth and efficient working environment. It includes various networking and monitoring tools, such as those provided by VMware virtual infrastructure VMware, which contribute to a robust and secure organizational framework.

VMware Horizon is still undergoing a migration process. This could be attributed to VMware's acquisition by Broadcom, followed by the sale of the digital workspace pillar, which includes the Horizon product. Horizon may have established its own company as part of this migration process, leading to issues, particularly with the portals.

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

The solution's most valuable features are its ease of deployment and ease of distribution of the desktops and the applications. It is quite an easy product since the end user does not have to go through much of a learning curve.

I have not come across many of the product's weaknesses. Considering the tool's weaknesses, the product probably has scope for some improvement in the context of how the applications or Linux operating systems are delivered using VMware Horizon View. In general, I want VMware Horizon View's compatibility with Linux to improve.

I have experience with VMware Horizon View. I am a technical trainer who teaches others VMware technologies. My company has a partnership with VMware.

I find the product to be quite stable.

It is a scalable solution.

I have used Citrix VDI in the past.

I have lost track of Citrix VDI since I have not used it for a few years.

Some detailed and in-depth documentation on the protocols, like Blast and PCoIP, would be good.

The time taken for deployments completely depends on the customer's call.

I have seen a lot of improvement in VMware Horizon View over the years because I have been teaching it to others for quite a few years now.

I don't find any issues with the product's interface since it is easy to use and does not pose any issues.

The documentation of VMware Horizon View is quite good.

Most of the environments have many implementations going forward, and then our company regularly comes across the need for VMware Horizon View training. My company is not into advisory roles. We just get or receive and deliver the training.

The product is easy to use.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

My use case is to try from the customer experience because right now, we work from home and anywhere. So, and also the power consumption of the desktop and IT security are concerns. 

I find the virtual desktop and its spacious capacity to be the most valuable aspect of VMware Horizon View in my experience.

There is room for improvement in security features. In the next release, perhaps they could add some 3D features to Horizon View, especially considering the concerns around ransomware and security. 

I have been using this solution for two years. 

It's stable; we haven't experienced any major issues or glitches.

We can scale it easily. There are around 200 users in my company who use Horizon View. 

In terms of technical support, it's easier to contact the support team with Horizon View.

The initial setup is very simple. 

The solution has a higher price than competitors. The price could be more flexible for clients.

In my experience, the deployment process is better with Horizon View than with other solutions. The GUI is also better and it's easier to operate. And in terms of technical support, it's easier to contact the support team with Horizon View.

I would definitely recommend using this solution. Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. 

We are using VMware Horizon View in two ways - for both virtual disk infrastructure (VDI) and application virtualization. 

The primary use case is for individuals external to our company to connect and access internal resources. This is done by publishing a virtual desktop point to allow access.

In terms of productivity, VMware Horizon View has been extremely beneficial.

We can run 100 percent of our employees remotely using VDI. We have anywhere from two the three thousand employees.

I appreciate how simple and straightforward the operation of VMware Horizon View is. It is very user-friendly and can be used on any device, anywhere, and anytime.

There are certain areas that require improvement, and in my opinion, the most important factor is with some instances where I have experienced limitations, particularly with the printing service. Using a printer with the VDI is not a straightforward process.

Overall, in my opinion, the solution works perfectly.

I have been using VMware Horizon View since 2016, for seven years.

During this time, I have used several versions and performed multiple upgrades. I initially began with version 6.2, then proceeded to upgrade to 7.1, 7.4, and now to 7.13. Currently, I am planning to upgrade to version 8.

VMware Horizon View is quite a stable solution. We have had no issues.

In my opinion, scaling up to ten sites is easily achievable as the solution is highly scalable. It can be scaled not only within a single site but across multiple sites as well.

We have approximately two thousand people in our environment that are using VMware Horizon View.

We are not only planning to provide access to external employees but also aiming to expand access to internal employees.

The last time I contacted them was about an issue with USB printing, which I believe was related to a Microsoft patch rather than a VMware issue. It seems that the USB printing feature was affected negatively by the Microsoft patch.

To clarify, the printer redirection feature within VMware Horizon was impacted by a Microsoft patch or update, which resulted in the feature not functioning properly. Both products are involved in this issue.

Previously, we were using We were using Citrix XenApp.

Building the infrastructure is relatively straightforward; however, the challenge is in retrieving the master image or golden image for your desktop, which can be a time-consuming process depending on your specific needs. 

For an experienced individual, the implementation of the health solution should not take more than three days.

To be honest, I was able to implement it on my own. However, it's important to note that you may require certain prerequisites from the network team if you plan to make the solution highly available, such as utilizing LoadRunner and other tools.

In my personal opinion, the solution is worth the investment and provides good value for its cost.

I cannot provide a detailed comment on the pricing; however, I can say that it is quite expensive.

The licensing for VDI is divided into multiple modules, including standard and enterprise options. There are different types of licensing available for VDI.

We were considering Microsoft VDI as well as Zendesk.

In my opinion, for large enterprise companies, if the solution is implemented properly with high availability and designed using best practices, there should be no issues.

I would rate VMware Horizon View a ten out of ten.

Nothing is perfect, but this product is amazing.