VMware VeloCloud SD-WAN Reviews

We use the solution as an SD-WAN; we provide one connectivity with MPLS service on remote premises or virtually. By that, I mean anywhere on the planet. We have something like 190 or 200 sites being rolled out on all continents, with stuff in Japan and soon to come in Korea and China. We have a site in the USA, Norway, Sweden, Italy, France, and the UK.

It's part of a SaaS (software as a service) solution.

We are using VMware only on some of our setups. For most of it, we are using custom development. We are using the VMware solution only when we have no other choices, either due to the fact that the customer doesn't want us to come with a custom solution and prefer an off-the-shelf standard that is a fully supported solution by a third party. We prefer to come up with our own custom SD-WAN solution whenever we can.

The solution is a good off-the-shelf choice with full support.

It's stable and reliable.

The solution can scale. 

We found the initial setup to be pretty straightforward.

The solution is pricey. It could be cheaper.

Support could be more helpful or responsive.

We've been using the solution for three or four years. 

The solution is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze.

It is a scalable solution. That said, as you expand, your costs rise. 

Most of the time, the tech support is not active enough. What we typically have is our own level two and level three skill sets on board, and we manage to fix the solution ourselves.

Relying on third-party support is really for when we have no other choice. Most of the time, they are not proactive enough or don't know enough about what we're doing, so we try to get away as much as possible from this type of support. 

We are not a traditional end user or customer. We are an integrator or service operator. As such, when we have an issue, basically, we are already the last line of support for our customers. That's why we're also mixing different technologies. If we're having trouble with one technology on one side, we can easily swap and basically migrate to another technology to sort out the situation.

We also use homemade solutions.

The solution offers a very easy setup. It's not overly complex. 

It took some time for the initial site due to the ramp-up of the skills and understanding of exactly what to do and what not to do. Right now, the site takes between 15 and 30 minutes to deploy.

We are an integrator on a hosting company, so basically, we can handle the initial setup process.

The solution can get expensive as you grow. 

We have about 200 clients using the solution. 

The licensing costs are part of a subscription from us. In other words, we are the owner of the license, so we are providing a service. It's up to us to deliver a service that is working. The benefit of the solution is that we can pick up anything that can work and meet the requirements. The customer doesn't really have much to say, except for some customers that are really picky and really have very special business requirements or because they are very large. 

We've evaluated Juniper as well. 

We gave up looking at this solution either due to the fact that the scope of features was not matching the requirements or the pricing model was not matching what we could do as a SaaS service operator.

We use both on-premises and cloud deployments.

I'm not sure which exact version we're using.

We're a service provider.

This is one of many SD-WAN technologies I'd recommend to clients. 

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

VMware SD-WAN can be deployed on the cloud and on-premise. We use Microsoft and AWS as our cloud services.

The most valuable feature of VMware SD-WAN is the virtualization platform. You can use the software on any hardware. Additionally, the solution is easy to use.

VMware SD-WAN can improve on the security features.

In a future release, VMware SD-WAN could improve by adding a VPN without IPsec.

I have been using VMware SD-WAN for approximately three years.

VMware SD-WAN is a stable solution.

The scalability of VMware SD-WAN is good.

We have under 100 people using the solution in my organization.

We have vendor support from VMware SD-WAN and the service they provide is of a medium level.

Neutral

The initial setup of VMware SD-WAN is straightforward. The time it took to implement took weeks. We tried to implement the solution slowly and securely over time.

We did the implementation of VMware SD-WAN in-house.

We have approximately 10 to 15 people that maintain and support the solution.

The return on investment has not been achieved. It is taking longer than anticipated.

The solution's price combines the license and the bandwidth you used.

I rate the cost of VMware SD-WAN a four out of five.

My advice to others is that not every SD-WAN solution fits every customer or requirement. If the requirements work with the solution, I would recommend using VMware SD-WAN. It's a good solution.

I rate VMware SD-WAN an eight out of ten.

It is a valuable solution for organizations facing the challenge of managing networks across multiple locations. Its centralized console allows for easy network administration, addressing the complexity of handling numerous devices across various sites.

The centralized management proves economically efficient, making it a cost-effective choice for businesses.

One of the standout features is its ability to dynamically manage enterprise networks based on applications. Through application-based routing, organizations can efficiently direct traffic over multiple links. The solution incorporates features like link steering and forward error correction to ensure robust network performance. The seamless integration offered by VMware SD-WAN positions it as a versatile solution for evolving IT landscapes. It facilitates VPN connectivity without vendor restrictions, allowing organizations to establish VPN connections through any vendor. This flexibility eliminates the limitations associated with specific VPN protocols, offering a more adaptable solution. In the context of multi-tenancy, VMware SD-WAN stands out as a cloud-based, multi-tenant solution, catering to the needs of service providers looking to offer services to smaller customers.

There might be potential enhancements in better integration with other platforms, increased stability, and heightened security.

I have been working with it for a year.

The solution exhibits high stability; I would rate it up to nine out of ten.

The key strength of this solution lies in its scalability, especially as a cloud-based solution. In contrast to on-premise solutions where scalability often involves device replacement, cloud-based solutions provide a highly scalable infrastructure.

Setting up the system is extremely straightforward and efficient. The process is designed to be user-friendly, requiring minimal time and expertise.

The deployment process involves several steps. First, we'll configure and create profiles, segments, firewall rules, and network services within VMware VeloCloud's orchestrated unit. This configuration is profile-based, allowing us to set up and define parameters in advance. Upon registering the device with the cloud, we can pre-configure profiles. Once the device is active, it connects to the cloud, automatically downloading all the necessary configurations. Getting a site up and running typically takes just a day. The entire process is designed to be profile-centric, simplifying the management and customization of configurations. For enterprises and service providers, considering the scale and complexity, it is advisable to hire subject matter experts (SMEs) or consultants to ensure a smoother and more proficient implementation process.

If you're a service provider or managing a large enterprise, I highly recommend considering VMware, a leader in virtualization. Their cloud-based solutions, particularly in virtualization and software-defined networking, are top-notch. Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

For our light branches and remote workers deploying secure connections, VMware is much more when you're looking to make direct connections to the cloud, especially where you don't necessarily have a lot of on-prem data. We have data centers where all our information is stored with the help of VMware. VMware SD-WAN is also good for everything in Microsoft 365 or Azure.

Feature-wise, VMware SD-WAN is a really strong cloud web security product. If you're looking to be able to provide your staff with remote access that doesn't need VPN into the router and go out to the internet, then I would say that VMware SD-WAN is a really good product for that. VMware has slightly better options and a variety of features in terms of what you can get with them. So if they have cloud web security, they have CASB, all those kinds of options you can then integrate, meaning you need to have one router. You can have decentralized firewalls, essentially cloud-based firewalls, which help remote staff connect directly to the internet rather than securely going via a corporate network.

VMware SD-WAN doesn't have the best built-in firewall. You would still need a firewall, depending on your needs. If you don't have a huge amount of outbound traffic, that's fine. If you are hosting a website or something like that, you would need an additional, more advanced firewall. They don't have a built-in next-generation firewall.

In the future, a built-in next-generation firewall would be good for the solution.

I have been using VMware SD-WAN for three or four years.

I don't have a huge amount of experience with the solution's stability. I don't use the solution's remote access feature, so I can't comment on that. From what I see, the solution's stability is good.

There are different bandwidth options when it comes to scalability.

VMware SD-WAN mainly works well for enterprise-sized customers. The solution is suitable for businesses of all sizes, including the fact that you can do it for a huge company.

The technical support from VMware is very active. I rate the technical support a seven out of ten. I just don't have enough experience with them, honestly.

I am mainly in the sales department, dealing with presales elements, and I can say that VMware's support team is incredibly active. Considering the aforementioned detail, I rate the support a nine out of ten. Post-deployment, I haven't dealt with VMware's support team. The follow-up point is that we don't deal with technical support. I can't accurately comment on the company support because we only need the hardware support.

Positive

Considering my past experience with other tools, VMware is easy to deploy, cheap, provides remote access, and helps secure web gateway. The tool is quite good for a smaller company since it has good cloud web security features.

My clients have the solution deployed on the cloud as well as on-premises.

It takes 35 days for the solution's deployment phase.

One engineer and one solution architect can deploy the solution.

We make monthly payments toward the licensing costs of the solution. I don't know if there are different options if you make payments to VMware directly.

One needs to pay for the router and the license, and then you would also need to pay for the internet service to get into it.

I recommend the solution to those planning to use it. I'm a big fan of VMware, personally. These days nobody works in an office that much anymore. The important thing is connecting to the internet securely when you're working remotely, which is one big thing we see with some customers. If the aforementioned details are areas where people are struggling, then VMware is the correct choice. Versa would be a better choice if someone has more intensive internal corporate networks and they are more focused on private internal networks. If you are looking at a tool for one or two offices with not a lot of people, VMware is a better choice.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Our clients use the product for connectivity in their headquarters and branches. They use the product for cloud connectivity in their branches.

The solution helps connect the branches to the cloud. It's the most desirable technology at this time. The product is consistent and is one of the best despite the competition. It provides a variety of solutions. They are always up to date with the features.

The product should have on-demand tunnels instead of fixed tunnels. When connectivity is established, the tunnel is fixed. It is permanent. Other products have tunnels that are established and terminated based on demand. When the traffic needs connectivity, the tunnel will be established, and it will be completed after the traffic is done. The solution could provide some advanced security features.

I have been designing the solution for a couple of customers for the past eight to twelve months.

The product has high stability. I rate the stability a nine out of ten.

I rate the solution’s scalability an eight out of ten.

I don’t deal with support much, but from my point of view, it is not the greatest.

Neutral

The initial setup is not that much straightforward. It's easy, but we had some complications while deploying the solution. I rate the ease of setup a seven and a half out of ten.

The time taken for deployment depends upon the customer’s size and the number of branches. On average, the deployment takes three months.

I am a system integrator. My customers are using the latest version of the solution. Our clients use the solution both on-premises and on the cloud. In my country, our clients choose the on-premises solution more. The solution is competing with Cisco. Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

VMware SD-WAN is nice for enterprise connectivity.

I find the application-aware routing feature to be the most valuable.

I would like to improve the tool’s cloud security features. I would like to see high-throughput hardware requests in the product’s next release. The solution should also support multiple gigs which could be around ten.

I have been using the solution for about a year. I use the latest version.

Compared to other SD-WAN vendors, the stability is good. They should be more flexible while connecting to a third-party cloud.

I would rate the scalability of the solution an eight out of ten.

The solution offers layer three high support which is also complex.

Neutral

The solution’s setup is straightforward. I would rate the setup a seven out of ten. The tool is deployed over the cloud and could take around half a day to complete.

I would rate the product’s pricing a six out of ten since the license is costly.

I would rate the overall SD-WAN an eight out of ten. The tool is cloud-native and scalable. The solution is good for mid and complex environments.

Our customers are using VMware SD-WAN based on their specific requirements. One of the main use cases is for WAN connectivity and disaster recovery connections. They need secure connections and database synchronization between primary sites and disaster recovery sites. That's why we introduced VMware SD-WAN.

We primarily deal with VMware SD-WAN, and we handle services, configurations, and technicalities related to it. Our customers are quite satisfied with VMware SD-WAN, and they haven't encountered any problems. The operations are running smoothly.

One of the main reasons customers appreciate VMware SD-WAN is its comprehensive set of features. It covers network software services, starting from the underlying hardware and creating a virtualized network overlay. As a result, many customers find VMware SD-WAN to be highly beneficial for their networking needs.

VMware SD-WAN Orchestrator provides centralized enterprise-level installation, configuration, and real-time monitoring. Additionally, data flows through the cloud network, enhancing performance. The solution offers simplified operations with RapidZERO Touch provisioning and cloud management, optimizing application performance.

Security is one area where the solution is comfortable and reliable for us, especially in managing on-prem and cloud adoptions and accelerating performance through bandwidth optimization. So, it's very beneficial for us. 

There is room for improvement in the pricing. 

Another area of improvement is in terms of security. It could be better. 

Approximately, I have been working with VMware SD-WAN for the last few months. I don't have the exact timeframe since I'm new, but I know that my company has sold a significant number of SD-WAN solutions.

The stability is a hundred percent. It is a stable solution. 

Most customers are satisfied with the scalability. So it seems to be quite manageable and without problems as of now.

Most of our customers are SMBs. 

Customer service and support are good. If a customer needs support, they can open a support case through the Customer Connect portal. Our team will then work with the customer, discuss the issues, and collaborate with VMware engineers to address and resolve the problems.

Positive

The initial setup is not troublesome at all. The initial configuration and deployment are quite easy. There haven't been any issues with deployment and configuration.

We have a dedicated implementation team that takes care of deploying the solution for various events, including cloud-related setups.

For the deployment of virtualized networks, storage of servers, and clouds, we usually have a team of 10 to 15 engineers involved, so it's a collaborative effort.

The pricing can vary depending on the features and the cloud resources utilized. It may seem a bit costly when considering cloud resources, but in terms of quality and configurations, it offers significant value compared to other products.

There are additional costs to the standard license because the licensing model can vary based on the customer's deployment and preferences.

For example, there may be additional costs depending on the customer's requirements. If a customer needs 24/7 support or other specific features, we will tailor the solution accordingly to fulfill their design and requirements.

VMware SD-WAN offers competitive features and benefits for various requirements. It is especially effective for customer branch offices, remote offices, and scenarios where seamless connectivity is crucial for voice and video-sensitive applications like Salesforce, Google Mail, AWS, and Office 365. The product is highly customizable and can provide a solid foundation for networking needs.

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

The platform's use cases extend to various industries, including retail, where it helps security policies around POPs and implements SASE. It also enhances network visibility and the endpoints.

VMware SD-WAN is easy-to-use and provides many different analytics, showing latency and anomalies. It has an excellent security aspect.

There is still room for improvement in support and security, especially in enhancing the SASE aspect of the platform. They could include more functionalities similar to Fortinet.

I have been using VMware SD-WAN for three and a half years.

VMware SD-WAN has good stability. 

It is a scalable platform. I have scaled from 20 sites to a couple of 1000 sites.

Although the platform's service and support are improving, there are still some difficulties in obtaining specific units due to product manufacturing constraints, particularly with hardware. Getting some units can take time and effort. It's essential to set clear customer expectations regarding this aspect.

Neutral

VMware SD-WAN is easy to set up. The deployment takes two minutes and requires one network engineer. I rate the process a seven out of ten.

VMware SD-WAN provides competitive pricing. I rate the pricing a seven out of ten.

I advise others to do a POC on trial. I rate VMware SD-WAN a seven out of ten.