We have implemented SRM to replicate around the 800 virtual machines to the data recovery files. Due to the fact that we implemented to data centers as well as the primary and secondary data center, we use SRM to replicate around most of the virtual machines in order to be the secondary site.
Solution Architect at KIAN company
Good replication and integration capabilities with a straightforward setup
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is very flexible."
- "If you create a proper primary recovery plan, you have good protection."
- "The biggest issue for us is that this product does not have any demo for customers."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
If you can plan and create a recovery plan correctly, it will do and replicate virtual machines and when a disaster occurs, you can easily replicate off the secondary site. If you create a proper primary recovery plan, you have good protection.
What is most valuable?
The most important features that we're using are the replication of VMs as well as the integration with the EMC recovery platform. The replication solutions to replicate the LAN and data storage to the secondary external storage.
The solution is quite stable. We haven't had an issue with the performance.
The solution is very flexible.
What needs improvement?
VMware introduced the two next versions of the solution. They are SRM 6.5 and 6.7. I don't have any experience with these two products. However, if I was to talk about version 6, which we are using, at that time we faced a problem specifically when we create recovery plans. After the creation of the recovery plan, sometimes an issue happened in the GUI, in the Center. I'm not sure if that has since been resolved.
We've faced issues with the licensing. If you don't choose a specific license, you can only cover around five or ten virtual machines.
The biggest issue for us is that this product does not have any demo for customers. They should offer demos so that clients can try it out before they commit to buying a license.
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For how long have I used the solution?
At this point, I have been using the solution for about two or three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is very good. There aren't bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It is reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, you can integrate the POC and you can distribute SRM on three sites. At our project, we use VPLEX architecture to distribute storage between two data centers and therefore we could publish an important file related to SRM virtual machines and the active LANs, which is distributed between two data centers. In terms of scalability and holding of data storage, we can put a doc online whenever we need to.
Our team has around six members for virtual support and maintenance of the VMware infrastructure. In terms of the customers that are related to using the VMware services, there are around 800 people.
How are customer service and support?
Due to the sanctions in my country, in Iran, we can not use direct support from VMware and there is not a partner in my country. Therefore, we need to study, we need to design, we need to support everything directly and focus on providing maintenance service to our customers ourselves.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very straightforward. It's not too complex.
Deployments can typically take two months.
In the first month, I dedicate focus on learning and conducting POC sessions. For around two or three weeks, I also spend some time implementing SRM at the site.
What about the implementation team?
I am responsible directly for installations.
I work with a specific team that includes three members. I'm responsible as a team lead and VMware engineer. I have two other team members, one member has a specific focus on its storage concept and another is working on the networking.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We are always looking for solutions that are more affordable. SRM is more expensive than, for example, VirtualBox.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have looked into Zerto. I attended a seminar two years ago. If we ever moved off of this solution, we may switch to that. It is quite affordable and is very hands-on. It may even be easier in terms of deployment. They are very similar solutions overall.
What other advice do I have?
We are using two product versions. We are using product versions 6.0 and 6.5.
We need to use only on-premises deployment models. This due to the fact that there are sanctions in my country. We cannot use the cloud services directly as there is no support.
For customers who are using VMware infrastructure, I recommend using VMware SRM due to the fact that it has the ability to integrate with other products like HP, SRA, or even CSRA. It has good features that integrate well with a storage concept.
Overall, I would rate the solution at 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.
Application Architect at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
You can set up VMs quickly
Pros and Cons
- "Setting up VMs can be done quickly. It is easy to use."
- "The improvements should be as per customer requirements."
What is our primary use case?
We have three different VMs. During long business hours, we can shift from PR to DR. It has high availability.
What is most valuable?
Setting up VMs can be done quickly. It is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The improvements should be as per customer requirements.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have experience with VMware Cloud Disaster Recovery.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is a nine out of ten, as it is highly stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Two hundred users are using the solution at present.
How was the initial setup?
I would rate the initial setup an eight out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Senior advisor at a government with 501-1,000 employees
A user-friendly hybrid solution for DR
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for DR.
What is most valuable?
We use the LDM component within our government. Additionally, SRM, a leading VMware product, is user-friendly and supports all our requirements.
What needs improvement?
There could be an integration between VMware SRM and Nutanix products, which can benefit many users.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware SRM since last year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There is a minimum downtime.
I rate the solution’s stability a ten out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution’s scalability is good.
2000 users are using this solution.
I rate the solution’s scalability a ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
Whenever we have an issue or need help, we raise it directly to VMware.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate the product’s pricing a five out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.
What other advice do I have?
We have a cloud environment that requires disaster recovery capabilities. We utilize HZX to extend layer two connectivity and leverage Site Recovery Manager (SRM) for replication.
I recommend the solution to other users.
Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.
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.
Information Technology Specialist at ARC ONE (PVT) LTD
An expensive and complex product that offers scalability and stability to its users
Pros and Cons
- "It is a stable solution...The solution's technical support is excellent."
- "In general, the drawbacks of VMware SRM, where improvements can be made, stem from the fact that it is an expensive and complex product."
What is our primary use case?
In my company, we use VMware SRM for virtual machine replication.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of VMware SRM is RTO, better described as recovery time. In most places, my company uses SRM along with backup software since SRM cannot be used as a backup product as it is just a replication tool.
What needs improvement?
VMware SRM is not a popular product anymore since all the other backup products can provide the same functions as SRM. With Veritas, Arcserve, or Commvault, you can take care of the replication part. VMware SRM is not a popular choice among users anymore since it is a highly costly product while also being complex to configure. When it comes to backup products, you can use RTO and RPO, so there is no need to have a separate solution like SRM. In general, the drawbacks of VMware SRM, where improvements can be made, stem from the fact that it is an expensive and complex product.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware SRM for six to seven years. My company has a partnership with VMware.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution.
At the moment, just one of our company's customers uses the solution since we have replaced the native backup software used in our company. We need to take care of the renewal of SRM since, right now, we only take care of the renewal of vSphere in our company.
How are customer service and support?
The solution's technical support is excellent.
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup was easy, but if you try to integrate it with other storage solutions, then it gets complex and difficult.
The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.
What other advice do I have?
For first-time users, VMware SRM can be a very difficult tool to use, especially considering the product's configuration part. The configuration is very difficult.
With VMware SRM, you have to download the separate appliance and think about Windows to build a separate native appliance while also having knowledge about ESXi, making it a difficult process. When it comes to VMware SRM, the technical things are very difficult to start in the first place.
I rate the overall tool a five 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.
Systems Engineer at evonic
User-friendly software with good technical support services
Pros and Cons
- "It has a good and effective user interface."
- "The product's stability could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We use the product to implement discovery for server and database solutions.
What is most valuable?
The software is user-friendly. It has a good and effective user interface.
What needs improvement?
The product's stability could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using VMware SRM for eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the product's stability an eight out of ten. Sometimes, we need to restart the system as it stops working. It needs improvement.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have 400 VMware SRM users in our organization. I rate its scalability a ten out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support services are good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. We need to download the application file and deploy it in vCentre Server. Later, we need to register a static manager to create a bridge between two environments. After that, we check if the static environment is configured with the data centers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The software is expensive. There is a one-time cost involved in purchasing the license.
What other advice do I have?
I recommend VMware SRM to others and rate it a ten out of ten. I advise other users to always install the latest version.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
System Team Lead at a government with 1,001-5,000 employees
Reliable with the capability to extend but is very expensive
Pros and Cons
- "The solution runs well in the background, just in case we need it."
- "The user experience could be more friendly."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for migrating our DR site.
How has it helped my organization?
We have a system that can now move us to a DR site. I have yet to experience any major crisis, however, so I haven't yet tried it.
What is most valuable?
The solution runs well in the background, just in case we need it.
It is stable.
The solution has the capability to scale well.
What needs improvement?
I don't have any notes for improvement.
I'd like the installment and configuration to be more seamless.
The user experience could be more friendly.
It's, by definition, a complicated product.
We'd like the entire solution to be more automated. We'd like as much automation as possible.
The solution is very expensive.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We haven't had any stability issues. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It is reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have not tried to scale the solution. However, we are aware that it can be quite scalable. It depends on the license.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup and configuration can be complex. It's a complicated product. I'd rate the complexity of implementation eight out of ten.
It took us a few months to fully deploy the solution.
What about the implementation team?
We had an in-house team and professional service to manage the setup process. We did not do it fully by ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is very high. However, you get what you pay for. You need to invest a lot of money in order to gain any functionality. In order to have a DR site and maintain it, you need the investment.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution seven out of ten. It's expensive. However, it's a good investment.
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.
Solution Architect at LODES Consultores
Setup easy, cost is good, with integrated replication
Pros and Cons
- "The initial setup is easy depending on the environment you are working with."
- "The AC replication is integrated with a software base, set up cost, and easy installation and configuration."
- "When starting up the replication and converting it to the virtual machine I had some problems. I had to start the process again and that is inconvenient."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use for us is to replicate without automatization.
What is most valuable?
The AC replication is integrated with a software base, set up cost, and easy installation and configuration.
What needs improvement?
When starting up the replication and converting it to the virtual machine I had some problems. I had to start the process again and that is inconvenient.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware Disaster Recovery for the past five years.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy depending on the environment you are working with.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Speaker VMware Disaster Recovery a ten 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.
Presales at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees
Reasonably priced solution with good automation
Pros and Cons
- "SRM's best feature is automation."
- "An improvement for SRM would be better interface compatibility with other products."
What is most valuable?
SRM's best feature is automation.
What needs improvement?
An improvement for SRM would be better interface compatibility with other products.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using VMware SRM for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I've never faced any issues with SRM's stability.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
SRM is reasonably priced for the functionality it provides.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate SRM as eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Sr . IT Infrastructure Manager at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
Reliable, easy to use, and scales well
Pros and Cons
- "VMware is one of the best products in the industry when it comes to virtualization."
- "Technical support needs improvement, they are not very responsive."
What is most valuable?
It's user-friendly, for those who have learned and experienced the technology.
VMware is one of the best products in the industry when it comes to virtualization.
What needs improvement?
Technical support needs improvement, they are not very responsive.
You should be technically skilled enough so that you don't have to rely on its support. It's not easy when you don't get the support that you would expect to receive from VMware.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this solution for more than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
VMware SRM is a stable solution. It's very reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
VMware SRM is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and support?
We have always had trouble reaching out to support and connecting with their support engineers.
I would rate the technical support a three out of five.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In terms of VMware, we use a variety of solutions, such as VMware vSAN, VxRail, Center, and SRM.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate VMware SRM an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Virtualization Consultant at Abu Dhabi Investment Authority
Can create custom steps to make recovery more granular
Pros and Cons
- "In terms of recovery, if you have a test job script, you can put it on top of it, you can create custom steps so that it will be more granular, and it will be an easy, one click solution when it comes to the recovery application."
- "It would be good if this solution could integrate configuration management software such as Chef Infra."
What is most valuable?
In terms of recovery, if you have a test job script, you can put it on top of it. You can create custom steps so that it will be more granular. It will be an easy, one click solution when it comes to the recovery application.
What needs improvement?
It would be good if this solution could integrate configuration management software such as Chef Infra.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using VMware SRM for more than a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is always good because we replicate daily. I have never seen any issues because the replication is always 100% successful.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
You can add multiple appliances, and it supports enterprise environments.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is very good.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward.
The deployment takes about three hours.
What other advice do I have?
VMware SRM is the best sustainability solution, I would rate it at nine on a scale from one to 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.
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