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Mashhood K.A - PeerSpot reviewer
System Engineer at TS Qatar Systems and Communications
Reseller
Top 20
Jun 26, 2024
Plays a crucial role in virtualization in data center operations, including server and network virtualization with NSX
Pros and Cons
    • "Pricing could be improved."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use VMware ESXi for virtualization. ESXi is a hypervisor that runs virtual machines, providing the foundation for a virtualized infrastructure. It plays a crucial role in virtualization in data center operations, including server and network virtualization with NSX. Additionally, it supports software-defined data centers with vSAN.

    How has it helped my organization?

    VMware includes several security features that can be enabled, such as disabling the default administrator account and implementing strict access control policies. We have a set of restrictions and features that we can enable to enhance protection.

    What is most valuable?

    VMware is lightweight software. It consumes a few hundred MB for installation and has an easy-to-manage interface. Socialization is the most valuable feature. It is the configuration parameters available in the ESXi user interface. There are different parameters available. You can customize each of them and deploy a VM according to whatever specifications you want.

    What needs improvement?

    Pricing could be improved.

    Buyer's Guide
    VMware ESXi
    May 2026
    Learn what your peers think about VMware ESXi. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
    900,644 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using VMware ESXi for five years.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is scalable. You can add a significant number of servers to your infrastructure. 

    How are customer service and support?

    The technical support does provide the support.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is straightforward and takes 30 minutes to complete. There are no issues with the new installations. There were issues with older or outdated versions, which are less relevant today. Our digital version encountered problems with a few servers randomly rebooting and failing to load properly. Upon investigation, those issues were due to corrupt files. These file corruption issues occur in obsolete versions of ESXi.

    One responsible person can handle the deployment process.

    What other advice do I have?

    Maintenance is very easy. You need to have regular backups, and the remaining is the hardware, which we need to monitor. We also check for hardware errors and events in the environment. In the customer environment, a single person will maintain the solution.

    We are not using any remote deployment tools or provisioning servers. We follow three common practices. Our use case involves a limited number of servers, typically three or four. Our provisioning strategy involves installing ESXi on the servers using a DVD or a USB drive. Once the installation is complete, the server will obtain a DHCP IP address, and we can access the user interface using this IP address. We can configure the storage datastore. Once the datastore is configured, we are ready to create virtual machines.

    I recommend the solution. Nothing needs to be considered because this does not have a dependency or needs hardware. They need to purchase supported hardware, and VMware is very supportive of most of the servers on the market.

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

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer1525815 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Presales Architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
    MSP
    Top 20
    Jun 17, 2024
    Robust virtualization solution with disaster recovery capabilities
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most valuable features are disaster recovery and vMotion. Those are the most important ones. Moreover, integrating ESI with ID Workflow is quite easy. The product is highly stable. I rate it a nine out of ten. The solution is highly scalable. I rate it a nine out of ten. The initial setup is straightforward. I recommend the product. It’s good and is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses. Overall, I rate this product an eight out of ten."
    • "The pricing strategy could be improved."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use the solution for virtualization in production environments.

    What is most valuable?

    The most valuable features are disaster recovery and vMotion. Those are the most important ones. Moreover, integrating ESI with ID Workflow is quite easy.

    What needs improvement?

    Since the product is being acquired by Broadcom, the pricing strategy could be improved.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using the solution for the past 15 years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The product is highly stable. I rate it a nine out of ten.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution is highly scalable. I rate it a nine out of ten.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is straightforward.

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

    The solution is priced on the higher side.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    We have also worked with OpenShift. It is a competitor to VMware ESXi.

    What other advice do I have?

    I recommend the product. It’s good and is suitable for small and medium-sized businesses. Overall, I rate this product an eight out of ten.

    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. Reseller
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    VMware ESXi
    May 2026
    Learn what your peers think about VMware ESXi. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2026.
    900,644 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    Technical Support Engineer at Greenware Technologies LLC
    Real User
    Jun 6, 2024
    User-friendly, easy to install, and supports third-party applications
    Pros and Cons
    • "VMware ESXi is a user-friendly solution that is easy to install and supports third-party applications and software."

      What is our primary use case?

      We use VMware ESXi as a server virtualization tool. The tool is more compatible with the VDA environment.

      What is most valuable?

      VMware ESXi is a user-friendly solution that is easy to install and supports third-party applications and software.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I have been using VMware ESXi for more than five years.

      What do I think about the stability of the solution?

      We haven’t faced any issues with the solution’s stability.

      What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

      VMware ESXi is a scalable solution. We support multiple vendor clients, and each site has multiple users depending on the environment. An average server starts with a minimum of three nodes and can grow to a maximum of 50 to 100 servers.

      How was the initial setup?

      The solution's initial setup is very easy and can be done in five to ten steps. It's a very easy setup, and everyone can learn to install the solution.

      What about the implementation team?

      It takes 10 to 15 minutes to deploy the solution.

      What other advice do I have?

      The solution meets our organization's compliance and data protection requirements by releasing vulnerability patches every two to three months, which provides more security in our environment. Maintaining the tool is not very difficult.

      VMware ESXi is easier to handle than other products and not very complex. I would recommend the solution to other users.

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

      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
      PeerSpot user
      reviewer2396244 - PeerSpot reviewer
      HR Specialist at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
      Real User
      May 3, 2024
      Provides good and satisfactory performance to customers
      Pros and Cons
      • "My customers are satisfied with the solution’s performance."
      • "The solution’s pricing could be reduced."

      What is most valuable?

      My customers are satisfied with the solution’s performance.

      What needs improvement?

      The solution’s pricing could be reduced.

      For how long have I used the solution?

      I have been using VMware ESXi for one year.

      What other advice do I have?

      My customers are using VMware ESXi. The solution's price has increased since Broadcom bought VMware ESXi, and that's why customers are moving to another solution. I have researched Proxmox, but we are also researching the use of the monitoring tool Datadog.

      Overall, I rate the solution an 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 VMware ESXi Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
      Updated: May 2026
      Buyer's Guide
      Download our free VMware ESXi Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.