We need virtualization for our company, or sometimes our customers leverage virtualization solutions instead of using physical machines.
Cloud Professional Architect at FPT Software
It's straightforward to scale and configure virtual machines
Pros and Cons
- "The fact that vSphere is an on-premise solution is beneficial for the user. It's easier to manage the infrastructure. It's more straightforward to scale and configure virtual machines."
- "VMware vSphere is perfect for the on-premise solution, but we are in the cloud era, so I think maybe VMware needs to invest more in the cloud and the microservice chain. It would be better if VMware offered more cloud solutions and continuous applications."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The fact that vSphere is an on-premise solution is beneficial for the user. It's easier to manage the infrastructure. It's more straightforward to scale and configure virtual machines.
What needs improvement?
VMware vSphere is perfect for the on-premise solution, but we are in the cloud era, so I think maybe VMware needs to invest more in the cloud and the microservice chain. It would be better if VMware offered more cloud solutions and continuous applications.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability and stability, vSphere is excellent. We lack volume when we need to bundle a considerable number of physical machines to facilitate virtualization. There are a lot of competitors like Nutanix or others, but VMware is the number one solution for me.
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VMware vSphere
June 2025

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How are customer service and support?
We don't contact VMware support often, but I sometimes have trouble understanding their manuals, so I ask them for help.
How was the initial setup?
It's easier for the user to deploy vSphere or the vCenter, but it's complex when setting up network virtualization.
What was our ROI?
I think VMware is a good investment. We use VMware to maintain our internal system.
What other advice do I have?
I rate VMware vSphere seven out of 10.
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.

Founder & Technology Advisor at EUC Solutions
Easy to set up and maintain, feature-rich, professional support
Pros and Cons
- "It is the number one virtualization-layer platform available, and a lot of people trust it."
- "To manage it properly, you have to know this product really well."
What is our primary use case?
The primary reason our customers use vSphere is to consolidate their workloads and realize the other benefits that virtualization provides. For example, they create HA or VM-level HA to facilitate DR.
Essentially, our clients use vSphere for all of the reasons that people use a virtualization layer.
I am a virtualization technician, doing software technology consulting for virtualization and VDI.
How has it helped my organization?
This is a solution that is normally very straightforward. It doesn't give you many surprises. It's very stable. However, one should have good knowledge when it comes to it because sometimes, you have to use the command line for troubleshooting. For unseen problems, you sometimes need to dig deep to troubleshoot.
What is most valuable?
vSphere is a robust and feature-rich virtualization platform. It is the number one virtualization-layer platform available, and a lot of people trust it.
Many other platforms now provide similar features but VMware was the first to provide enhanced recorders, DRS, fault tolerance, vMotion, and others. They pioneered these features and they are very stable.
VMware also provides software-defined storage, vSAN, which is built into the kernel. This is a plus point.
Other good features include DRS, HA, fault tolerance, vSAN, and vCenter is a very good management interface.
This platform is easy to maintain.
What needs improvement?
To manage it properly, you have to know this product really well. For the most part, it is very easy to use.
For how long have I used the solution?
I began working with VMware vSphere in 2007 or 2008 when it was version 3.x.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is the most stable virtualization platform available.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In the three years that I have been running my consultancy, I've found that VMware is always part of a large project. Most of the time, I have had a good experience with it.
We have done multiple enterprise services projects using this solution. For example, we were working on a Horizon View PoC for a client.
vSphere is scalable; you just have to add to your cluster and it will increase. You can scale up or scale-out, like any other software. Basically, you can add to it as much as you want to.
I trust VMware products and I definitely want our installed base to increase. I want to enhance my own knowledge and skillset, as well. As we move forward and expand, I am equipping myself with more cloud knowledge and focusing on new technologies. One new product that I am looking at is Carbon Black. Throughout this, I will continue to promote VMware because they are a vendor that I trust.
How are customer service and support?
The VMware support is very professional. Most of the time we've used them, they were very good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
As a technology consultant working for customers with varying requirements, I work with other virtualization platforms. Two of these are Microsoft Hyper-V and Citrix XenServer.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is very easy and there is nothing difficult about it. Initially, some people get stuck when they are setting up the supporting services, like DNS, but other than that, the setup is plain and simple.
The length of time required for deployment depends on whether your disk is an SSD. If so, then the copying will be fast. Also, if you have more memory then it will install quicker.
Regardless of how it is set up, you have to build the basic infrastructure to put in most of your workloads. Sometimes, you manage an existing one but most of the time, we have to deploy a VMware infrastructure.
A single person can basically manage it, although this depends upon the deployment size. If it's a huge deployment, then it requires a good design and it requires proper planning. You need to know your capacity requirements, for example.
If you understand the environment and the design then maybe you can segregate the work into two or three people. Sometimes if it's a small project, a single person can do it. It all depends on the files and complexity of the solution you are providing to the customer.
What about the implementation team?
We deploy this product ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing model is not complex.
It is a perpetual licensing but there is also an annual maintenance cost. The price of the solution depends on the features that you want. You can have a very basic setup or you can choose a more advanced set of features. The more features that you want and the more extensive your requirement is, the more you have to pay.
What other advice do I have?
In Pakistan, for the most part, organizations are still catching up in terms of the cloud. There are no large data centers because cloud providers do not exist locally. Neither AWS nor Azure has a presence.
The closest data centers to us are Singapore and Dubai. As such, the cloud is not very popular yet and most of our customers have on-premises deployments. We do expect this to change.
My advice for anybody who is implementing this product, or any piece of software, is to have a reasonable level of knowledge in advance of the deployment. That is key in IT.
If you are a consultant, as opposed to an end-user, then you need to have a deep knowledge of the product because there are circumstances where you have to go beyond the normal configuration. Sometimes you have issues that can only be resolved if you are well-equipped with the knowledge.
I also recommend that people plan their deployment. VMware is a wonderful product and it will definitely provide you with the functionality to meet your technical requirements. You will be a very satisfied customer while using it, but the key is to know the product and plan things properly.
Overall, this is a good product and I do not feel that there is much missing. It is the best virtualization platform available.
I would rate this solution 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.
Buyer's Guide
VMware vSphere
June 2025

Learn what your peers think about VMware vSphere. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2025.
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Founder at a comms service provider with 11-50 employees
Higher availability with excellent technical support and great stability
Pros and Cons
- "Technical support is helpful and always available."
- "If they improve on the knowledge base and documentation, it would be extremely helpful."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for the virtualization of the environment. We've converted more than 90% of our environment from physical to virtual.
What is most valuable?
The higher availability and the vMotion, I would say, are what makes it very interesting as you avoid systems being down. It provides, if you cluster, high availability, and your services can move from system to system to avoid downtime.
The solution is stable.
The scalability is great.
Technical support is helpful and always available.
What needs improvement?
There are certain issues that can be improved. No solution is perfect, even though it's working for most of us most of the time. There are certain issues that crop up and some of them are not due to VMware. It could be due to the hardware it is running on. Therefore, it would be ideal if they could provide more knowledge on the fault tolerance and the high availability as some things are just assumed and then users find later that the use cases are different. Sometimes you may assume something applies to a use case only to find that it doesn't. If they improve on the knowledge base and documentation, it would be extremely helpful.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution since 2012. It's been a while.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the product is good. I haven't dealt with bugs or glitches. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is scalable. You can increase the number of servers. You can increase the number of computer resources, storage, CPU, memory. It's up to you how huge you want your clusters to be.
This is an enterprise solution. It is not used by users. It is an enterprise technology solution. Therefore, we won't be adding more users.
Almost all the engineers in the organization are using the solution. I would say maybe 15 engineers are actively using it.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is always there. They're always available. When you have an issue, you just log a call with them and set up a service request. They assist you directly. An engineer will be assigned to assist.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have other tools, such as Oracle VM, which we are using in other areas, however, VMware is used more than the Oracle VM.
How was the initial setup?
For the initial setup, you need to do design work with someone who understands VMware, who is actually certified by VMware. You need someone certified to do it.
Deployment is not a problem. As long as you take time doing your design, the deployment will not take long. You can do it within a week.
If you have one certified engineer, the implementation will go fine.
In terms of the management of the solution, we have about four engineers who are looking after it.
What about the implementation team?
You cannot do it by yourself. You need a certified engineer. That's a requirement from VMware and it's so that the environment is stable to avoid unnecessary scraping.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You do need a license. Most of these vendors also offer what they call the free version of the software. If you want more support, more features, you have to go for the paid versions. That said, you can still get the free or community version of it.
What other advice do I have?
I'd recommend the solution to other users. It's a good technology. They're pioneers in the industry.
I'd 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.
Technical Architect at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees
Offers a myriad of features
Pros and Cons
- "Once you have everything configured, it is relatively straightforward."
- "When we talk about the overall private cloud stack, I would prefer for it be a lot more seamless."
What is our primary use case?
A typical use case for vSphere would be general virtualization, primarily, where we're deploying either Linux or Windows-based workloads. We do have a lot of design-ready nodes we use for some of our clients. We also use Tanzu, from an application development container, microservices type of solution as well.
What is most valuable?
VMware vSphere is replete with about a gazillion different features. In the context of vCenter, everything has been amalgamated into a single appliance. It's much more simplified at deployment. Because of that, immediately I would say the most useful feature is the Lifecycle Manager, VLCM, that is now available. So, what used to be the VMware of Data Manager has now changed to the Lifecycle Manager. Those changes are really, really useful.
What needs improvement?
I'm a big fan of vSphere; I have used it since the days of 3.5, all the way up to now. When you deploy it as a complete stack, from vSphere to vCenter to the vRealize Operations, Orchestrator, all the way up, you're into your NSX login site, the entire cloud stack. By the time you're done, you begin to feel, "do you really need so many different pieces that you need to connect? Could it not just be a single, unified product?" I'm not saying the integration is difficult. It is seamless. But it gets to you at a point. There are times where you really begin to think, "I got this." Not, " it should be much easier than this."
I can't think of anybody on the planet who would actually have issues with vSphere. vSphere is as stable as the word stable gets. When you do the entire stack scenario unless you're doing something like VMware Cloud Foundation on VxRail, wherein it becomes a much more seamless solution where you are using discrete hardware, you're creating the entire cloud platform. It gets a little tedious doing all those workflows at times.
From a management center, particularly referring to the private cloud stack, I would prefer for it to be a lot more seamless. There are competitors, Cloud Management Platform or Morpheus, for example. It's a product you deploy and you're good to go. With this, there are so many different pieces to connect. It grows on you.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using VMware for a long time. As as a DC architect, I use it day in and day out.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
If you're looking for any hypervisor, vSphere is not a gold standard, vSphere is the gold standard. There's no single other option. When it comes down to it, if I can afford it, vSphere is the only one that I'm going with.
How are customer service and support?
There have been cases with vSphere itself, but the fact is that VMware support is great.
I have had clients who have faced issues in the context of hyperconverged infrastructure. A problem in the networks assumes a lot more significance in the context of HCI, and VMware support is awesome.
How was the initial setup?
I have no complaints about the setup. The integration is seamless. When you put together all the various pieces, you build an entire private cloud stack. At that stage, once you have everything configured, it is relatively straightforward. But it is not a single homogenous unit.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing is perpetual licensing that you pay for once.
As far as the price of the license, I can't think of anyone who will say, "I'm happy with the pricing." There's always room for improvement. But, you get what you pay for. It's as simple as that. With vSphere, from my perspective, I don't want problems. I want it to be as seamless as possible. That's unfortunately why you've got to pay for it.
What other advice do I have?
Regarding this solution, vSphere is the gold standard. It has been there for 15 years, and you're not going to find people who are dissatisfied with vSphere. You're not going to find people complaining about vSphere. The only thing you will find is when we talk about things like VxRail, things like that, where issues can come. vSphere by itself, I can't think of anybody who's not happy with it.
I would rate vSphere a ten out of ten. You're not going to find anything better.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
System Advisor IT at CRIF India
Reliable, user-friendly interface, easy to install, configure, and manage
Pros and Cons
- "There is the simplicity of management, accessibility, and availability."
- "The only concern that I have with VMware is the support. It is very limited and can be better."
What is our primary use case?
In the organization where I have worked for the past nine years, there are multiple virtualization platforms. Virtualization software includes Microsoft Hypervisor, Red Hat KVM, Oracle virtual machine, and Oracle virtual cloud.
vSphere is optimized for a specific type of virtualization.
What is most valuable?
There is the simplicity of management, accessibility, and availability.
The interface is really user-friendly.
What needs improvement?
The only concern that I have with VMware is the support. It is very limited and can be better.
When you get support from the VMware global team or support locations, customer complaints are not entertained or taken seriously by the VMware global team or support centers. Other OEMs, such as Microsoft and Oracle, would make you a priority.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware vSphere for three years.
We recently upgraded to the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a very stable solution. In fact, when it comes to virtualization, you can tell anyone to use the system.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In our organization, we have 600 users.
My previous organization had a population of approximately 35,000 people.
How are customer service and support?
The support is the only negative feedback, they need improvements.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I'm familiar with all of the virtualization platforms that are now available on the market.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup and installation are straightforward. It is something that can be done by anyone.
In one hour, we can complete the installation and configuration.
Admins are only required to look after the VM portion of the new VM creation as well as the configuration or modification. Aside from that, we have a team of two or three admins to deploy and maintain this solution during their shift time, such as in the morning and afternoon shifts.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The organization pays the licensing fees.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We looked at a few alternatives and compared them to vSphere.
What other advice do I have?
The freelance experience for the platform is excellent.
I would recommend this solution to other users.
I would rate VMware vSphere 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.
Administrator at Herzliya
User friendly, scalable, and good performance
Pros and Cons
- "VMware vSphere is user-friendly and simple."
- "The solution could improve by having more integration."
What is our primary use case?
We use VMware vSphere to deploy servers.
What is most valuable?
VMware vSphere is user-friendly and simple.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve by having more integration.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using VMware vSphere for approximately 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and has good performance.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
VMware vSphere is scalable.
I have approximately 1,000 users using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
The technology has been fine.
What about the implementation team?
We have a two-person technical team consisting of a technician and a security administrator.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate VMware vSphere 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.
Manager of Solutions and Support at Esconet Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
Good virtualization performance, reliable, scales well, and has responsive technical support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are the virtualization and the performance on the virtualization platform."
- "Both the price and the licensing fee are expensive, especially for our clients with a smaller workload."
What is our primary use case?
VMware vSphere is primarily used for server virtualization and automation.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are the virtualization and the performance on the virtualization platform.
What needs improvement?
Both the price and the licensing fee are expensive, especially for our clients with a smaller workload.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with VMware vSphere for 14 years.
We have versions ranging from ESX 3.0 to the most recent one.
We have clients who use various deployment methods, including cloud, hybrid, and on-premises.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
VMware vSphere is a reliable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is easy to scale.
We scale with VMware vSphere as well as vSAN.
We have customers with hundreds of servers running on vSphere.
How are customer service and support?
We have contacted technical support many times.
Technical support is responsive. I would rate them an eight or nine out of ten.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are system integrators. We use a wide range of hardware and products.
On a daily basis, we work with servers, virtualization, VMware, and EMC storage boxes, as well as pure storage.
Our clients have tried Hyper-V as well and other solutions, but the consistency is better and there are fewer issues with the vSphere interface.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is not complex.
It may be complex for the users, but not for the IT person; it is not a problem, and at all difficult
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The licensing and pricing need to be improved.
The price is not an issue for our mid-sized or large-sized customers, but it can be expensive for our smaller customers.
What other advice do I have?
Virtualization fulfills the requirements very well.
I would rate VMware vSphere a 10 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
IT Operations Support at a energy/utilities company with 501-1,000 employees
Stable, simple to scale, simple to operate, and has helpful support
Pros and Cons
- "The virtualization this solution offer is very complete for the infrastructure."
- "The support for the latest version could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We use VMware vSphere on our main computer systems and we are using the Center Configuration Manager from VMware for the solution as well as vCenter for replication.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the tech manager from the utilization.
The virtualization this solution offers is very complete for the infrastructure. It meets our requirements and our needs.
It is very easy to operate.
What needs improvement?
The support for the latest version could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with VMware vSphere for ten years.
We began with version 4.0 and are now working with the most recent version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
VMware vSphere is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
VMware vSphere is a scalable product.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support from VMware is very comprehensive and helpful.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use several solutions such as Microsoft Azure, Oracle, and we use VMware for our infrastructure.
We also have another solution for disaster recovery.
We used Microsoft Azure for testing with the model phone credit. It was for testing only.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
In my opinion, the price is not cheap, nor it is expensive. It's average.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Currently, we are starting on study for implementing the software design network, and I am evaluating options because I want to know the latest information about the products.
We are also evaluating NSX to implement it in the future.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate VMware vSphere a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. partner

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