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Mikko Hopeakivi - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
Oct 30, 2024
Enables us to achieve continuity with flexible security enhancements
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features for us are the flexibility and security that Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides."
  • "We have experienced some issues with the support."

What is our primary use case?

Our Red Hat Enterprise Linux systems support specialized voice applications and telecommunications systems, which are integrated into the larger infrastructure.

We chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux for our workloads due to its superior security and the straightforward implementation of security policies compared to other operating systems.

How has it helped my organization?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux has enabled us to centralize development, and we are using automation tools like Ansible and Red Hat Satellite Server to streamline the process of building and managing these operating systems.

It offers strong performance capabilities that are suitable for business-critical applications.

There are built-in security features that can be automated. We must gather all the relevant policies and incorporate them into our automation scripts to apply them to the operating system.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux has provided zero downtime, which is incredibly reliable for us. It has also contributed to our business continuity and compliance efforts.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux has contributed to business continuity and compliance efforts.

Since implementing Red Hat Enterprise Linux, our penetration test results have significantly improved.

Red Hat's portfolio helps reduce our total cost of ownership across our enterprise landscape.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features for us are the flexibility and security that Red Hat Enterprise Linux provides.

What needs improvement?

We have experienced some issues with the support.

Buyer's Guide
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
April 2026
Learn what your peers think about Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2026.
893,438 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for around five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux has performed very well for our business-critical applications, and we have had no problems related to it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux scales very nicely for us; it is good, flexible, and provides all we need.

How are customer service and support?

There have been some issues with support, but this might be because of our environments and their air-gap configurations. However, overall, the experience is quite satisfactory.

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

We chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux over other Linux distributors because of the security reasons. It's much easier to implement security policies with Red Hat Enterprise Linux compared to other OSs.

What was our ROI?

The biggest return on investment with Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the flexibility and security it provides.

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


What other advice do I have?

I would rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux ten out of ten.

While we plan to initiate containerization projects on Red Hat Enterprise Linux, we are postponing them because some of our legacy systems are not yet compatible.

We are planning to use AI for an upcoming project that will help people find solutions to problems with on-premises systems in environments without internet connectivity. Due to this air-gapped requirement, we must build and test various AI systems within that secure environment. Therefore, we are currently in the initial planning phase of this project.

I would advise choosing Red Hat Enterprise Linux because it fulfills our needs perfectly. Why choose something else?

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
App group manager at a comms service provider with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 20
Oct 30, 2024
Contributes to business continuity and compliance efforts.
Pros and Cons
  • "The built-in security features are quite good."
  • "Red Hat Enterprise Linux has ongoing potential for improved integration with hosting solutions and VPNs as the demand for these technologies grows."

What is our primary use case?

We use Red Hat Enterprise Linux for Ansible, network monitoring systems, and similar applications.

We implemented Red Hat Enterprise Linux because it is widely used in our region and offers excellent support.

How has it helped my organization?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux has enabled partial centralization of our development processes.

It performs well for our business-critical applications and has robust built-in security features.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux has contributed to business continuity and compliance efforts.

What is most valuable?

The built-in security features are quite good.

What needs improvement?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux has ongoing potential for improved integration with hosting solutions and VPNs as the demand for these technologies grows.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for around 15 years.

How are customer service and support?

The support has a good community. It's easy to find almost every resource needed.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

What was our ROI?

The biggest return on investment when using Red Hat Enterprise Linux is that it's Linux. I've lived so long with Red Hat Linux, so it has always had a good history.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux eight out of ten.

When considering a third-party Linux OS, Red Hat Enterprise Linux is a strong option due to its excellent support and robust ecosystem.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)
April 2026
Learn what your peers think about Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL). Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2026.
893,438 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer2519571 - PeerSpot reviewer
System Administrator at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
Aug 4, 2024
Offers built-in security features, helps with compliance and is highly stable
Pros and Cons
  • "Red Hat's greatest asset is its extensive community, which provides valuable support and advice when issues arise."
  • "While Red Hat offers essential starting and security documentation, I would like to see it officially recognize the more detailed and customized documents available in the community and make them accessible on its website."

What is our primary use case?

I used Red Hat Enterprise Linux to construct systems according to the application team's requirements. I build and support these systems through the development, testing, pre-production, and production phases, fulfilling both developer and operational roles. To ensure the systems can handle the application's demands and meet our cybersecurity standards, I implement all security measures outlined by our cybersecurity team.

How has it helped my organization?

The extensive knowledge base offers a full path from beginner to advanced levels. We can access everything needed to study, pass exams, and apply knowledge immediately. The information is presented clearly, without any abstract concepts.

Red Hat offers built-in security features that simplify risk management. Unlike Oracle Linux, which overlooks critical security features like C Linux, Red Hat actively develops and maintains robust security measures. As a result, Red Hat prioritizes system security, consistently providing updates to fortify its machines against potential threats.

Red Hat helps us maintain compliance by enabling us to create and modify firewall rules as needed, allowing for strong security measures that can be adjusted.

The security reports generated every three months are valuable for provisioning and patching as they identify vulnerabilities requiring remediation. I find all the necessary information to address these vulnerabilities and implement patches through the Red Hat Enterprise portal and community resources.

When I started using Red Hat Enterprise Linux five years ago, I noticed the benefits incrementally over time.

What is most valuable?

Red Hat's greatest asset is its extensive community, which provides valuable support and advice when issues arise. Due to the robust nature of this community, I have never required direct assistance from Red Hat Enterprise.

Red Hat offers customizable tools, such as Assemble, that enhance flexibility within enterprise products. Assemble is a platform capable of managing multiple systems from a single console.

What needs improvement?

While Red Hat offers essential starting and security documentation, I would like to see it officially recognize the more detailed and customized documents available in the community and make them accessible on its website.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is the most stable system I have ever worked with.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is scalable.

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

I changed jobs five months ago, and my new company uses Oracle Linux instead of Red Hat, so Oracle provides support rather than Red Hat.

I find Red Hat Enterprise Linux more flexible, with a larger community and numerous security advisors.

How was the initial setup?

We found it less complex to build a new system on the newer version of Red Hat Enterprise Linux and migrate data rather than upgrading the existing system from, for example, version seven to eight. A simple upgrade risks data loss.

One person can do the upgrades and migrations.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux eight out of ten.

The system requires immediate maintenance due to necessary security patches, unresolved vulnerabilities, and a constant influx of operational tasks from other teams. These daily demands include critical adjustments such as modifying service ports and implementing local firewall rules.

I recommend new users visit the official Red Hat Enterprise Linux website to review the guides, explore the community, and research information related to their Red Hat Enterprise Linux tasks. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2399628 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Systems Engineer & Architect at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
May 26, 2024
Extremely reliable and improves support for container management within our organization
Pros and Cons
  • "The reliability and long support lifespan of RHEL are crucial for us. It lasts for ten years, meaning we don't need frequent changes."
  • "We hope it will improve tasks we have found challenging in the past, like documentation searches."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use RHEL for data analysis servers supporting our scientific researchers, who access the systems remotely.

What is most valuable?

The reliability and long support lifespan of RHEL are crucial for us. It lasts for ten years, meaning we don't need frequent changes. Updates are quick, simple, and reliable, automatically backing out if issues arise, saving us from patching headaches.

What needs improvement?

I'm eager to see how the AI features in RHEL can enhance our capabilities. We hope it will improve tasks we have found challenging in the past, like documentation searches. We are particularly interested in automation and easily finding information.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using RHEL for 15 years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

RHEL is scalable. We have scaled our data analysis clusters with it quite well.

How are customer service and support?

I would rate the customer support as a nine out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

Deploying RHEL for the first time was simple. It was a long time ago, and we had documentation from previous admins which made it straightforward. We did the deployment on our own.

What was our ROI?

We have seen ROI with RHEL. Our biggest investment is in professional development through Red Hat Summit, online training, and a Red Hat Learning subscription, which we have used for courses.

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

Our experience with RHEL pricing and setup costs has been good. We will be purchasing an extended license for another year.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have used RHEL since I joined my company about 15 years ago. We have looked at other options like Fedora and Ubuntu for more up-to-date libraries, but we keep coming back to RHEL for its reliability and long-term support.

What other advice do I have?

Using RHEL for containers has simplified our processes. While we, as system managers, aren't heavily involved in development, we provide RHEL containers for our developers. Overall, it has improved support for container management within our organization.

We rely on Linux for our web and file servers to ensure file integrity and service verification. Additionally, we use the host firewall regularly on all our hosts for enhanced security.

We started agile development and containers help us by making it easier for developers to teardown and recreate environments. This allows for more frequent updates, improving our workflow.

Our Red Hat portfolio reduced our cost of ownership by using RHEL Workstation instead of full server licenses where possible, saving money. We use full RHEL only on our enterprise production servers.

I would advise a colleague to check out Red Hat for its long-term support and reliability compared to other open-source Linux-based operating systems.

Overall, I would rate RHEL as a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Mohammed Elzakazeky - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior System Engineer Linux Professional Level | Cloud Engineer at Tanmeyah Micro Enterprise Services
Real User
Mar 1, 2024
Offers great security and open-source services
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a stable solution."
  • "I have seen that the upgrade from RHEL 7 to RHEL 8 can be a bit problematic since I have seen some issues during the upgrade of libraries, along with some conflicts with the other libraries in the tool."

What is our primary use case?

I use the product for the integration capabilities it provides between my company's servers and the servers from other companies since we operate in the banking sector. I use Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) for clusters or load balancing. The tool provides an open-source platform to use any program. Many programs can be installed over Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).

What needs improvement?

I have seen that the upgrade from RHEL 7 to RHEL 8 can be a bit problematic since I have seen some issues during the upgrade of libraries, along with some conflicts with the other libraries in the tool. The aforementioned area can be considered for improvement in the product. Presently, I am not trying to upgrade from RHEL 8 to RHEL 9.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution.

How are customer service and support?

I have only used a little bit of technical support. I can say that over the span of years that I have used the tool, I have used the support offered by the product only twice. I don't have much experience when it comes to the support team. The support team did not help me solve my issues, and I had to search for a resolution by myself to solve my problems. People from India who are a part of the support team don't seem to have much experience in solving the product-related problems of the customers. I rate the technical support a six out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

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

My company also uses MariaDB as a database, while at times, we use databases from Oracle or PostgreSQL over RHEL.

Sometimes, I use Ubuntu for some of the end-users in my company. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is useful for servers and not for end users. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is very compatible with servers.

How was the initial setup?

The upgradation and migration parts attached to the solution can be described as a very straightforward and easy process. Sometimes, I migrate from the on-premises version to the cloud, which I find to be a very easy process. The servers are up and running very well, so I have no problems with the product.

I have experience with the on-premises version of the product.

What about the implementation team?

The in-house team, consisting of four people, in my company takes care of the upgrade and migration parts attached to the solution.

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

My company has acquired five to ten licenses from Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).

What other advice do I have?

My company uses the normal security features provided by the product. Presently, I am taking some courses related to security. My company uses solutions for security purposes, like CrowdStrike Falcon Protection.

I use the documentation provided by the product. I also joined the academy operated by Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) to learn about courses related to OpenShift and virtualization. The documentation is very easy to understand, and it is also good for learning purposes.

I joined the product's academy courses when Red Hat opened a new branch in Egypt. I have got certificates for learning about OpenShift and virtualization. I am planning to learn OpenStack.

For provisioning and patching, I use Foremen, which is an open-source product implemented by Red Hat Satellite. Foremen is very good and easy to use for patching and security updates.

Leapp or Red Hat Insights are not features that are enabled by default. I don't usually use the aforementioned in the product.

I use Red Hat Store for image-building purposes. Some other programs are installed after the images get installed with the help of the product.

Speaking about whether I use the web console or Convert2RHEL, I would say that I use the terminal console provided by the product, and it is also very easy for me to use.

The product has affected my company's security and uptime since Linux offers a firewall that provides complete security, which is very good.

I hope to use the product in a hybrid environment.

I need to prepare for security standard certifications from Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) since it can help me understand the features and the security that I need to get from the product for my company, making it something very important for my organization.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is a big part of my company since we use a lot of servers with its open-source services. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) serves as the base of the servers in our company.

Sometimes, I take care of the maintenance of the product, but it is not something that is required all the time. The maintenance process is pretty normal.

As a part of our company's migration or upgrade plans to stay updated, I will be upgrading from RHEL 8 to RHEL 9.

The product does what it is meant for, especially if MariaDB is installed over the tool.

I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Nikhil Sehgal - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead Solution Advisor (Cyber Security) at Deloitte
Real User
Jan 22, 2024
Is well documented and stable, but the support needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "Red Hat is open source, so what we get with Red Hat Enterprise Linux is valuable support that is not included in the free version."
  • "A one-click package for hardening all files would significantly improve efficiency compared to the current manual process, especially considering the hundreds of files we've processed over the years."

What is our primary use case?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux serves as the foundation for our cluster infrastructure, allowing us to deploy applications and connect servers. We further enhance operational efficiency by deploying Kubernetes on top.

We chose Red Hat Enterprise Linux for its stability and well-rounded features and its proven track record of decades of reliable operation.

How has it helped my organization?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux's built-in security features and mandatory access control help to mitigate and secure the OS from threats.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is well documented and anyone with a technical background can easily understand and use the OS.

Red Hat's image builder is helpful.

Building upon the industry's 95 percent adoption of Linux OS, our Red Hat Enterprise Linux with Kubernetes setup has helped our operations.

We have not encountered any downtime while using Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux enables us to achieve security standards certification.

The performance of Red Hat Enterprise Linux is consistent between on-premises and cloud deployments. The key difference is simply a shift from owning hardware to renting cloud space for the operating system.

What is most valuable?

Red Hat is open source, so what we get with Red Hat Enterprise Linux is valuable support that is not included in the free version.

What needs improvement?

Recently, whenever we have applied a Red Hat patch, we have encountered errors requiring additional work. Unfortunately, the release notes for these patches are not always updated accurately, creating further challenges during troubleshooting. Specifically, the notes often fail to mention dependent packages that are also updated alongside the main package.

While the OS hardening feature is helpful, it could benefit from additional automation. A one-click package for hardening all files would significantly improve efficiency compared to the current manual process, especially considering the hundreds of files we've processed over the years.

The support has room for improvement.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for eight years.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux a six out of ten.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is deployed across multiple locations in our organization with 95 percent of our employees that use it.

To ensure optimal performance and security, we must prioritize installing operating system updates as they become available.

Taking the Red Hat administration course beforehand will significantly ease the user experience when using Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Hirut Asfaw - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Database Administrator at Awash International Bank
Real User
Jan 18, 2024
Helps improve security, reduces risks, and is easy to upgrade
Pros and Cons
  • "The security of the OS is the most valuable feature."
  • "The labor required to maintain the on-premises storage systems has room for improvement."

What is our primary use case?

We use Red Hat Enterprise Linux to manage our database.

How has it helped my organization?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux helps reduce our risk.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux helps to maintain compliance by making the data required easily accessible to us.

The knowledge base offered by Red Hat Enterprise Linux is good and they provide good training.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux System Roles help manage our database.

I use the Red Hat Enterprise Linux Web Console and Command Manager. The Web Console helps monitor our database and run queries in Command Manager.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux enhances our security.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux helps us meet security standards certification requirements, which is advantageous.

What is most valuable?

The security of the OS is the most valuable feature.

What needs improvement?

The labor required to maintain the on-premises storage systems has room for improvement.

Red Hat Enterprise Linux can benefit from more promotions and demos.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Red Hat Enterprise Linux for one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Red Hat Enterprise Linux is stable.

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

We run Red Hat Enterprise Linux in parallel with other OS systems. We are satisfied with how well Red Hat Enterprise Linux works with our other products.

How was the initial setup?

Upgrading the versions is straightforward. All the stakeholders from the system side, database side, and consultants are involved in the updates. 

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

The cost of Red Hat Enterprise Linux is reasonable. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux a nine out of ten.

We have ten people that are using the solution in our organization.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Fozia Nurye - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Officer at Bank of Abyssinia
Real User
Top 5
Nov 30, 2023
Convenient to use with good features and helpful support
Pros and Cons
  • "One of the valuable features is that it's convenient."
  • "There should be more upgrades to the security features."

What is most valuable?

One of the valuable features is that it's convenient. 

The rest of its features are really nice.

Red Hat enables us to achieve security standards certification. We have been certified for the PPI certification last year. 

Red Hat has been good when it comes to building with confidence and ensuring availability across our infrastructure. We are really confident about the security process.

It is implemented across multiple physical and virtual infrastructures. We have applied it on most production servers. They are integrated quite well. 

We use the Red Hat system roles feature. We have been using this for automation purposes and to find some tests. 

What needs improvement?

The response could be better for urgent issues. If there's an issue with live services, they need to be faster. 

It would be nice to have antivirus services.

There should be more upgrades to the security features. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for a long time. My organization has used it for more than three years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good. I'd rate it eight out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is decent. I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. Different teams and departments, including application and development teams. 

We do not have plans to increase usage in the future.

How are customer service and support?

I'm very happy with the technical support.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

We have got some other open systems like CentOS. We just have most of our production services to ReadyX from CentOS and Oracle. Red Hat is more secure. The support is very nice as well.

How was the initial setup?

I joined the organization after deployment and wasn't involved in the implementation. 

I'm not sure if the solution requires any maintenance. 

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

I'm not really involved in the pricing or the licensing. However, it may be expensive. We have different licenses. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated different options.

What other advice do I have?

I'm a customer and end-user.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.