VMware Cloud on AWS Reviews

VMware Cloud on AWS serves as the primary platform for our main workloads. Our primary objective when we moved to VMware Cloud on AWS was to consolidate all the data centers we had. We had on-premise data centers, workloads in AWS, workloads in Azure, and so on. We have been VMware customers for almost 15 to 18 years, and consolidating all data centers into a VMware native cloud solution would be much more seamless and effective. We conducted a thorough evaluation considering various parameters and finally decided to go with VMware Cloud on AWS.

The most valuable functions in VMware Cloud on AWS include the managed services, which are completely managed by the VMware team. During onboarding, we received dedicated architects who worked with us and designed a very good architecture for connecting with VMware Cloud on AWS environment on our AWS account. The functions we are using include complete virtualization, compute, storage, and memory, all powered by VMware. Additionally, we have something called VLR, which is a disaster recovery solution, and it has helped us achieve close to 15 minutes of RTO and less than 10 minutes of RPO. The solution is seamless and easy to manage, providing us with complete control of the environment, although we are concerned about data transfer and egress charges.

A backup of one core application that previously took seven to eight hours now completes within one to one and a half hours after migrating to VMware Cloud on AWS. Additionally, the VLR solution provides higher protection of workloads at a reasonable cost. When we evaluated the solution five and a half years ago, it was more economical compared to other options, including direct native hosting or on-premise setups, while also providing the necessary controls expected in a virtualized environment. One advantage of VMware Cloud on AWS is complete console access. Unlike native hyperscalers, where resolving issues requires going through AWS support for logs and insights, we can access logs directly and take action without waiting. Furthermore, in-place OS upgrades are possible with VMware, while native hyperscalers require complex migrations for OS updates.

Until the Broadcom acquisition, everything was seamless, and the support we received was amazing. We had our own dedicated Customer Success Manager.

The main point for improvement in VMware Cloud on AWS is the technical support. As for additional features, currently, to perform any automation, a subscription to Aria Operations is required, but that feature is being removed from VMware Cloud on AWS. I would prefer if essential automation functionalities were included directly within VMware Cloud on AWS rather than needing an additional subscription. Additionally, on the cost aspect, it would be beneficial to have ready-made reports for chargebacks against departments or projects without extensive analysis of compute, memory, and storage.

When it comes to storage, a significant portion is reserved for management purposes, limiting usable storage. Following RAID configuration, we only have about 40% available for actual workload consumption. Consequently, estimating costs associated with storage becomes challenging.

In summary, we need better price management, capacity management, and availability reporting in VMware Cloud on AWS. Currently, I rely on third-party tools for notifications, but such features should be readily available within VMware Cloud on AWS to ease the workload for administrators or operation heads.

I have been working with VMware Cloud on AWS for six years.

For stability in VMware Cloud on AWS, I would rate it eight out of ten, as I have faced some challenges but found it generally stable.

VMware Cloud on AWS is scalable. If additional capacity is needed, I simply subscribe for one additional node, which is seamless without any challenges.

Until the Broadcom acquisition, everything was seamless, and the support we received was amazing. We had our own dedicated Customer Success Manager. However, after the Broadcom acquisition, the situation changed. We faced many challenges, including the removal of dedicated CSM support, which meant that to get dedicated support, we now need to subscribe to a service called TAM.

Positive

While I have not used any alternative solutions, based on theoretical knowledge, I would consider Nutanix and Red Hat OpenShift as potential competitors to VMware Cloud on AWS.

The initial setup process in VMware Cloud on AWS was seamless, although we had to invest time in architecting the solution. The challenging part was the network configuration, which is typical for such setups. Once the solution is architected, it is simple and easy.

We procured VMware Cloud on AWS through a partner.

We are currently using VMware Cloud on AWS and are now evaluating options, whether we go with VMware itself or Nutanix or any other such solution. We are not using hybrid cloud management capabilities in VMware Cloud on AWS as we do not have any on-premise data centers. With VMware solutions, hybrid environments can be managed seamlessly through vMotion, bulk migration, and related functionalities.

I assess interoperability from VMware tools and AWS services in terms of VPC peering and the creation of endpoints for various services, but we are not using it effectively, so I cannot comment much on that. For VMware Cloud on AWS automation tools, you need a separate subscription to use any automation features. Currently, Aria Operations, which was previously part of VMware Cloud on AWS, has also been moved out, so we do not have that capability available.

We do use VMware Cloud on AWS for disaster recovery, referring to the VLR. Our primary goal with VMware Cloud on AWS was to consolidate all the data centers, and the migration of workloads from VMware to VMware was seamless. However, migrating workloads from AWS or Azure was complicated and time-consuming, requiring extensive effort that was convoluted at the time. I rate this solution overall an eight out of ten.

We use the product to migrate privately hosted on-premises servers to the cloud.

VMware Cloud on AWS's most valuable feature is portability. We can seamlessly upload and download data from on-premise to the cloud and move it back to the premise whenever required.

The platform's cost could be reduced.

We have been using VMware Cloud on AWS for two to three years.

It's a very stable product.

It is a scalable platform. We have around 80 to 100 VMware Cloud on AWS users. Out of them, around 50 users extensively use it.

The technical support team is quite responsive and capable of handling the issues.

Positive

The initial setup process is straightforward. It takes a week to complete the migration. It requires a team of five administrators to maintain the product.

We take help from a third-party solution integrator to implement the product.

The product is expensive.

We evaluated Nutanix. Later, we decided to go for VMware Cloud on AWS as we are an existing VMware user. Thus, using the same platform within our ecosystem makes more sense.

I advise others to look for a solution that provides flexibility and doesn't lock down to a specific cloud. I rate VMware Cloud on AWS an eight out of ten.

We are using it for an internal private data center. Because we were only on VMware, the migration from VMware to VMware was much easier.

It's a private solution, mainly. But with VMware on AWS, the best part is the ease of migration from VMware to VMware. You have all the controls you get with VMware on-premises and in the cloud. The features are the same, nothing specific for control. However, if you don't want to specifically go to AWS for all our codes and for cost purposes, I can recommend the best solution if you want to try VMware.

There is one thing for improvement. To connect with VMware Cloud on AWS, you need to connect via some sort of IPS. Previously, there were no IPS features available.

They have already introduced it last year, but now it is available to use. We haven't used it before because we were using a different firewall solution in front of it. Also, the traffic from VMware to AWS was going through the VPN channel, but we are now removing that solution. So, while we can't remove the checkpoint, we can use IP signatures into the email too. We can take the security part out from their end and move it directly.

I have been using this solution for three years. We just upgraded, so we use the latest version. 

In our earlier setup, we faced some issues, but overall it's a stable solution.

It is pretty unstable between the upgrades. Otherwise, it is very stable solution.

It's easy to scale, but it's better if you plan your requirements in advance. When you try to scale it quickly without proper planning, it might become a bit difficult, especially from a cost perspective.

So it's important to consider the scaling requirements beforehand.

In our organization, the entire operation is using it. We have around 300 to 400 users utilizing the solution.

Taking support directly from VMware is always good.

Positive

The initial setup is not that difficult since it's on the cloud. VMware provides support for the storage system on the cloud. They give you a ready-to-use solution, and all you need to do is use it.

We migrated from one VMware to another, so the migration process was much easier.

The deployment depends on the infrastructure you have. In our case, the deployment took around 15 to 20 days because we did a parallel migration along with our applications.

Whenever new updates are available, we receive notifications, and VMware informs us about any required maintenance. 

Moreover, maintenance is handled by VMware, so we don't need to do anything in that regard.

The pricing depends on the version and the number of virtual machines. Based on that, the cost can vary. But if you consider scalability and compare it to buying physical servers, VMware solution is generally cheaper. 

Additionally, there is a learning curve and maintenance windows to consider for physical servers. 

For us, it's a yearly-based license fee. If you require additional support from a vendor, then there may be additional charges, but licensing and installation are included.

We have only used VMware Cloud on AWS and haven't tried any other solutions.

It is a great solution. 

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