VMware NSX Reviews

Our main use case is the distributed firewall. NSX can segment every application and server based on the ports they need to communicate externally. Ports that aren't required are inactive, so we activate them for some specific applications. We can get the ports from the application guys, activate the ones we need, and then disable the rest of the ports. We've done other things with NSX, but it's just mostly about the distributed firewall.

We typically run a lot of vulnerability assessments — sometimes spam testing — and get a lot of bad results because some ports are open. I think NSX has significantly cut down on that. Right now, we have been able to fix almost all of our problems with unnecessary ports being opened and related issues. We are secure in this specific aspect, so we can log other options. 

NSX's stand-out function is the distributed firewall. The firewall system is just top-notch, and I haven't seen another solution like it. Aside from that, there are numerous other cases where NSX comes in handy. For example, we've done intrusion prevention and implemented some next-generation firewalls for service training. We deployed some next-generation firewalls inside certain servers. Then we could bring all the traffic down that was meant to lead each server to a specific firewall. The security guys put policies on the firewall for checking signatures and hash values to contain particular security breaches within the server and prevent them from affecting the network. So we could use the particular firewall that we usually use and use it within the server close-up at the data center instead of the VH. 

NSX could better integrate with open-source products. Of course, it integrates with some, but I know many people are uncomfortable deploying NSX with certain open-source solutions, such as Radar. They don't integrate so well, and the integration is usually so complex that many people would rather not use them.

I've been using VMware NSX personally for one year now, but I'm a consultant on this product, so I've deployed it for multiple customers.

We've experienced some bugs with NSX's user interface. For example, sometimes we click something, and it's not clicking. But they put out a lot of updates and patches. Also, they've added some particular boards on the applications. So with every update, they make the user interface more stable. 

You can scale NSX if you have the resources, but it's usually expensive and complex to scale up.

VMware support is great. I would rate their support eight out of 10.

The NSX setup is complex. That's one area where they could improve. Generally, it's too complicated to deploy. You can spend two or three days on it. And if you've never done it before, it might take a week. So it takes a relatively long time and lacks comprehensive end-to-end documentation. We had inadequate documentation when we implemented it, but I think it's better now. Total deployment for us took more than two weeks, but there were some breaks in that time where we stopped working on it. We weren't under any deadline. If we were pressed, we could have finished in four or five.

After the initial setup, NSX doesn't require a whole lot of maintenance. It's mostly troubleshooting, checking error codes, etc. There is no dedicated maintenance personnel specifically for NSX. Some guys in the IT department support this solution along with several other solutions. We have about four to five people handling that side of things, but there are six of us in the whole department responsible for infrastructure.

It's hard to judge with new deployments because you need some time to start seeing a return. But after someone has had one or two years to achieve a mature deployment on the product, they'll generally be happy that they spent the money. After a year, I'm beginning to see the return on investment, but everyone would argue that it's still expensive for the first two or three months.

VMware NSX is expensive.

I rate VMware NSX seven out of 10. If you are considering NSX, I suggest that you practice the deployment and know your use case. Know what you want to do with it and understand why you want to use the product. Identify the security features you want to use and consider what it's doing for your infrastructure. We're still exploring the features. I'm not sure we're using all the features that come with the application. There are so many that we have not used. For now, we're looking at more use cases and expanding on that knowledge.

The full integration has been great. Its infrastructure and its ability to be part of the whole application are very useful for organizations. 

The solution is great for controlling virtual switches and it is easy to establish VLANs and micro-segmentations. All those things are very useful.

The stability is pretty good. 

Overall, for me, it's a good solution and has been working well. 

I cannot recall coming across any missing features. At this time, there is nothing I would need in a future release. 

Occasionally the licensing is not very clear. They should make it easier to understand. 

I have experience using the solution for around 25 years, on IT, however, for the last 10 years I've been working deeply on this and over the decade I have been more focused on software. In the last 4 or 5 years, I have had more and more focus. 

The stability is good. Our customers don't seem to have any issues with bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.

I haven't really dealt with scaling the solution. I can't speak to how it is. 

I've never been in contact with technical support in the past. I can't speak to how helpful or responsive they are. 

I also have experience using Red Hat. However, sometimes I have had some problems with it. It can be a bit more difficult in terms of integration with other vendors. 

I didn't actually handle the implementation. I'm working more on the design side, not on setup or configuration. Therefore, I can't speak to how easy or difficult the implementation process is for users. 

The licensing is complex. Sometimes I have trouble understanding it.

We are VMware integrators and partners. 

I'd advise new or potential users to be aware that you will have to integrate it with other solutions. You'll need to look at how it fits in with all of your infrastructure, including IT infrastructure, for example. 

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. It's been very good overall. 

VMware NSX is used for micro-segmentation. If you have a virtual VMware pool, then you can segment them separately. It is similar to a firewall for virtual micro-segmentation.

I have been using this solution for approximately five years.

I have found the solution to be stable.

The solution is scalable.

We have never had to call technical support, the solution has been good.

We have done three installations and we have not had any critical issues. The time it took for the installation was approximately two days. However, they should provide better documentation.

We have two engineers that do the implementation and maintenance of the solution.

The solution is free and the price for the support can be expensive.

I would recommend this solution to others.

I rate VMware NSX a five out of ten.

It's very useful for making network configurations and setting the network configurations in an easy way. The infrastructure team has all of the components under these controls, that is, the infrastructure and the network itself.

It gives more security and micro-segmentation. It helps to set network configurations in an easy way.

NSX-T supports more platforms, and VMware NSX only supports some platforms like KVM. I want to see support for Hyper-V and other hypervisors.

Their technical support could be faster as well.

I've been dealing with this solution for around three years.

I think that technical support should be faster.

Sometimes, deployment can take around four weeks. For the design and deployment, it can take eight weeks. We need more days, at times, for migration or for deploying security.

We have one team member per customer for the deployment, and we have 10 customers using this solution.

I would recommend VMware NSX for big projects and would rate it at seven on a scale from one to ten.

We use the solution to protect our VMware.

I have found some of the major features of this solution to be its ease of use, flexibility, and reliability.

Their licensing model should make it easier to purchase licenses.

I have been using the solution for a couple of weeks.

During our experience, the solution has been stable.

We have not had issues with the technical support. However, it could be a bit faster.

There is a license required for this solution, we pay annually.

I recommend this solution to others.

I rate VMware NSX an eight out of ten.

We use the solution mainly for micro-segmentation and to permit security on flat networks without a V-LAN.

I have found the system to be very intuitive, functional, and they have great technology.

One of the areas that we are struggling with is how do we perform the same security level as we had for an NSX solution for the legacy system. For example, if I have a switch, and I am connecting a legacy application on the legacy system that does not support the hyper vision or another feature, is possible to push the security topic to the switches to be compliant, or compliant with an NSX component, and to perform the same security level as we perform for hyper vision side. It would be beneficial for us if there was better integration with legacy systems.

In the future, the solution should be compliant with internet NIC. They could deploy this NIC into some switches, servers, or other product. It would be interesting to have this sort of NIC stamped by VMware, and we could push some security feature into it. It would be a very useful feature. I do understand VMware is virtual and not on a physical device path but this would be a good endeavour.

I have been using the solution for approximately five years.

The solution is completely stable.

The solution is highly scalable. One of the biggest infrastructures we have deployed the solution in has approximately 70,000 people using the solution.

The installation has been complex.

This solution can be very complex to deploy. We have assembled complex deployments at a few huge network site. We work for several customers in the communication and industrial sectors that have complex environments.

The price is based on the virtual desktop infrastructure(VDI) side and also is dependant on the size of the environment. The price is expensive and it could attract more purchasers in smaller organisations if it was reduced.

I would definitely recommend this solution to others. I have deployed it in many different types of environments and it operates well.

I rate VMware NSX an eight out of ten.

Our clients consist of enterprise companies. 

From my experience, VMware on a private cloud is a good choice. They offer some great webinars and workshops to learn how to use the product better.

Over the last two years, they've enhanced a lot, especially in regard to integration with OpenStack.

It's great for building a virtualized environment. It features great motion mobility, its own logical distributor, router switches, load balance, firewall, etc. 

I have been using VMware NSX for four to five years. 

Personally, I find VMware NSX to be very stable. 

They need to enhance their technical support. There is no comparison between VMware technical support and Cisco's technical support. It's one of the main criteria that everyone is looking for.

The initial setup was straightforward. Deployment was very easy.

VMware NSX is expensive and everything is licensed. We have to pay for each individual feature. 

Be sure to read over the documentation on their website. They announce a lot of webinars and workshops for the product. It's good marketing and you should attend them. 

Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give this solution a rating of six. 

Some of the key features I find most valuable are the highly graphical user interface, virtualization of networks, and Microsoft application compatibility. It has all the functionality that we require.

One drawback is this solution requires a lot of other products in the VMware ecosystem to have a full end-to-end operation orchestration monitoring. You have to buy a lot of add-ons to fully utilize the functionality.

Some additional features in the next release could be for the solution to be more directed toward the end-to-end functions, from physical to virtual monitoring. It should also include streamlined troubleshooting of our operation. 

I have used the solution for approximately two years.

The solution has been stable.

I have found the solution to be highly scalable.

The experience we have had with the solutions technical support has been wonderful.

The setup was straightforward and it took a few weeks.

I would recommend the solution. I would like to point out this is a vendor-lock-in solution, where the user might be confined to a certain vendor for some time before they can move on adopting other vendors. 

I rate VMware NSX an eight out of ten.