VxRail Reviews

For our stores, we primarily use the solution for what's called edge computing to provide all the data processing needs in our stores.

The product allows us to have the capacity for the future to be able to add applications to help us better serve our customers.

We've seen reductions in cost by being able to reduce the amount of staff who needs to support the application. We've reduced staff by about 20%. It's enabled us to roll out applications that help us provide better customer service to our customers.

The ease of deployment and management of the solution are the most valuable aspects of the product. It's important due to the fact that, with 1800 stores, we can't afford to have an extensive staff to manage it.

We'd like to see improvements in the supply chain. We're evaluating that for the future.

I would like to see more solutions for satellite capabilities where we can put it into smaller locations and still have the redundancy that we have with a larger cluster.

We implemented the first solution in February 2019. 

It's stable. I would rate it ten out of ten for stability.

We've now implemented it across our store network. We'll have 1800 stores on the VxRail by the end of October.

We have more capacity than we need. The reason we selected the product is that it is scalable. We can add additional components when needed. We haven't had to, however, it's available if we need to.

At this point, we've adopted the solution 100% across our organization.

Technical support overall is excellent. It was a seamless process. We were very successful in the implementation. 

We used a three-tier architecture that we replaced with this product. It was the end of life and didn't have the capacity we needed to provide to our source.

I was involved in the deployment of VxRail. The whole process was straightforward. 

In terms of deployment, we did the first 600 stores in three months, and we now are doing 1200 stores and we'll be done by October. We worked together with Dell. We had a cross-functional team and we started slow and then built up to peak volume. Our strategy was to make sure we didn't disrupt any location.

About four or five people on our side were involved in the implementation. Dell assisted us and I don't know how many Dell had. Obviously, they needed people to go to every store to implement.

Our job was to act in coordination and communication with the locations where it was being deployed.

The solution does require maintenance, however, it's very easy since there are tools that are provided with the technology. About five people are involved with administration and maintenance. They address any predictive alerts that come out on failures and care and feed any additional firmware or other types of updates that are required.

We used the Dell Technologies services to help us with the deployment and that went very well.

The pricing is fair. It's combined with the hardware and the VMware technology to run it as well. It's bundled.

We evaluated Nutanix and HPE. Dell has the largest market share, however, and it's the most mature of the other providers.

This solution is on-premises in our data centers and also in our stores.

My advice to others would be to look strongly at the hyper-converged infrastructure technologies that come with it. It virtualizes a lot of the functions that were previously separate. It brings it together in one easy-to-manage solution.

I'd rate the product ten out of ten.

We have four to five clusters, and one of those clusters is an OT environment. We work in the oil and gas sector. We have deployed VxRail in three sites, mainly as a DMZ zone. We have another cluster for our internal network and a new VxRail cluster is going to be deployed and dedicated to SAP HANA.

The major advantage is the blueprint. You do not need to separately manage the sand or network part because it all gets virtualized.

The upgrading and virtualization of VxRail are easy to use. Compared to some of the other technology we use which requires a 32 GB memory minimum for one VM, VxRail does not require this additional memory. 

The SCL database sends out a warning and you have to download the adjacent file from the Dell website. You have to upload and retest it. We cannot always connect our systems to the internet which means we sometimes miss these important updates. 

I have been using this solution for five years. 

This is a scalable solution. 

The support for this solution is really good. I always use the chat medium because it is easy to open a ticket and get assistance. 

I would rate the support for this solution a ten out of ten. 

Positive

We previously used the initial generation of VxRail but experienced some issues. We went with another vendor but faced hardware-level stability issues and so we returned to VxRail.

The main issue during the initial deployment is if there are any errors, you have to completely re-image the nodes. There is no option to fix the issues and resume from where you stopped. This adds many hours to the process. 

We always follow what Dell recommends and their best practices.

We evaluated Nutanix for Discover FLeX and Dell. The Nutanix hardware is really stable and they still follow the chassis architecture. 

Dell changed from the chassis form factor to different nodes, so installing different nodes each time is easy, but when you have too many nodes it needs more space.

I would recommend VxRail because after using the solution for many years, I still prefer VxRail.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten. 

We use VxRail for the promotion of all our infrastructure VM services.

VxRail has helped us by increasing the performance and capacity of our workload. 

I have found the vSAN is highly flexible. The documentation is good and the interface of the solution is responsive and fast. The interface has everything you need to manage the solution, such as the VxRail and VMware integration. You can manage the hardware from within the VMware plasma pan.

I have been using VxRail for approximately four years.

VxRail is stable because it has redundancies. VxRail is our standard system for the deployment of HR environments.

We have one person for the maintenance of the solution and one person for the backups.

We use the solution on a daily basis.

I have found VxRail highly scalable. You are able to add more nodes and increase the hardware to scale. It is flexible.

We have thousands of people using the solution. However, it is difficult to know for sure since many different business units use it.

VxRail comes from Dell and they have a one-stop service. You can work with Dell to get everything solved. Any issues in hardware or in software, whether it be VMware related or Dell related, everything is done by one team from Dell. The support aspects of the solution are good but it carries a price. We're happy to pay the price if we get that level of service.

One of the most valuable aspects of the support is the knowledge of the people and the speed at which they respond. If you have a problem and you phone them up, they immediately have the experts at the end of the phone to assist. If there is a problem they come in and fix the problem quite fast. If it is more difficult they will spend the time that is needed to solve it. They have helped us out of some heavy situations we caused ourselves. The support is very good.

The support that they offer us is why we purchased the solution.

We have previously used Hyper-V-based systems, StarWind, and Nutanix. We have mostly done testing of the other solutions and have not fully introduced them. Out of all the solutions we tested, we settled on the VMware-based VxRail. 

We switched from the others solutions because the support from Dell VxRail was excellent.

The configurations of VxRail can be difficult. However, it has improved in the newer version. From version 6 to 7, there has been a lot of changes.

The initial setup of VxRail was straightforward because they get handled by Dell themselves. There is a one-stop-shop for all your needs. They gather the information on what you require in your environment and how you want to set it up, such as what local IT information networks are required. They do a good job and the whole process took them a couple of hours to half a day.

Dell did the implementation of the solution for us.

VxRail is expensive because it's based on VMware and V-SAN. The price is not the cheapest. The technical support is expensive, but it is a good service.

My advice to others would be not to attempt to fix issues yourself and let Dell look after them.

I rate VxRail a nine out of ten.

The main reason a customer would acquire VxRail is if they're looking for a platform for more easy management of hardware and software.

I'm a presale engineer and we are a business partner with VxRail, so we sell the solution. We make consulting sales for other customers. Version 7.0 is the last version of VxRail that we've worked with.

Management of the hardware and software in one console is the most valuable feature. It's also compatible with vSAN.

Technically speaking, the vCenter and the administration of the integration of the vCenter could be improved. I know that VxRail has two options to manage the cluster with an external and internal vCenter. There are some concerns about managing the cluster with an external vCenter, which is not included in the appliance. This is the only thing that I've found to be quite complicated because if the customer has an existing platform with a vCenter and we wanted to integrate it with the new cluster of VxRail, there are some concerns about losing the external vCenter.

The second processor upgrade could be an additional feature included in the next release.

It would also be great if the second processor operated without factory reset because I have had many customers ask me about that.

I think there are some things to improve with the stability because I talk with the implementation engineers a lot. I don't implement the solution, but the engineers that implement and update and maintain the platform of VxRail told me that the solution sometimes gets problems with updating the versions of the firmware and the software. The software that comes on VxRail doesn't work smoothly because they have problems with updates.

It's scalable. You can increase a cluster without downtime for the customer. You can add more discs and more drives for the clients. The only thing that could be improved is that when I designed the appliance with one processor, the engineers of the EMC told me that if a client has one processor and you want to upgrade the appliance with a second processor, you can do it without a factory reset of the appliance. So, if the client has an appliance cluster or nodes cluster with one processor for each appliance, and the customer wants to upgrade with a second processor for each appliance, there is another viable option because you have to reset all the clusters and delete all the data. It would be better if there was a way to make a second processor upgrade without a factory reset.

I haven't had any experience with tech support because I'm in presales.

When I asked for a quote for a partner that was doing the implementation, they told me that it took two people to complete the implementation. 

I would give VxRail an 8 out of 10.

The main advantage is that VxRail is integrated with vSAN. I think that most people who use VMware also use vSphere. It's like a less disruptive way to migrate a platform to a hyper-converged architecture. My main advice is that if a customer has vSAN, this is a less disruptive way to migrate to a more scalable architecture. 

Most users have experience with VMware, so they will find VxRail familiar and straightforward. Shared storage is a common use case, and compact rack units save space. VxRail offers ample capacity to run systems, which also helps reduce the network's footprint. Additionally, it's easy to upgrade existing deployments or set up new systems in testing environments.

The installation process is very quick. When you purchase it, it's up and running without much delay. Adding any additional components is simple, allowing for easy and fast scaling without adding complexity. The centralized management portal makes it easy to manage the entire system.

Support could be enhanced.

We have been using VxRail as a service provider.

VxRail is known for its stability, supported by a responsive support team that addresses any issues. Regular updates ensure that the hardware and software components remain optimized, minimizing disruptions to business operations.

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

When a company scales its operations, such as expanding its business reach or adding more users, it often needs to integrate additional applications and computing resources. VxRail provides the necessary computing infrastructure to support such growth scenarios. It also ensures that the company's IT environment can efficiently handle increased demands while maintaining security. As the company grows, it becomes imperative to secure its infrastructure, making VxRail a crucial component for ensuring both scalability and security.

The solution is suitable for individuals, government companies, and the financial sector as they can purchase it.

I rate the solution's scalability a ten out of ten.

We encounter challenges, which we escalate to our internal support team and engage for resolution. The process seems seamless as most issues are resolved within 24 hours, and even quicker for feature requests.

The support for VxRail is excellent. Anytime there's an issue, they create a support case and contact them. They can remotely manage system support and quickly resolve the issue. They need to address some bugs, such as occasional system glitches where certain details, like platform controller services, may crash, requiring a reboot. These issues can arise during power outages or unplanned shutdowns, causing system recovery and operation difficulties.

Positive

The initial setup is easy and takes a few weeks to complete. 

I rate the initial setup an eight out of ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy.

The solution is expensive. 

I rate the product’s pricing a nine out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.

If there's a power outage, it's a big problem. Accidental reboots pose a challenge as well. The screen management and the flow machine get stuck during restarts.

I recommend the VxRail solution because it updates itself, minimizing the need for manual intervention. This makes deployment smoother and requires less support. Additionally, its user-friendly management interface simplifies operations, enabling businesses to focus on their core activities without disrupting their IT infrastructure.

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

We like the design and that it meets data storage needs.

My customers want more storage for university databases.

We've been using this solution for approximately one year.

The technical support needs to be improved, and I would give them a six out of ten. They could assign more digital architects to the support team.

Neutral

We used a reseller for the implementation. It took about two months to deploy the solution.

VxRail is deployed in one location, and we have about 22 people who use the solution.

The price is good.

I tell customers that VxRail solves a lot of storage problems, and I would rate it a five on a scale from one to ten.

For remote work, we use VMware Horizon, running on VxRail, and have centralized all applications and storage.

We can do updates at a much higher cycle with much less resources. We can monitor all the VDI desktops, and I don't have to physically maintain desktops.

What I like the most in terms of features is the fact that the VxRail update can be done in one week. It takes much less time to do a whole server upgrade and an infrastructure update as well.

The update for the graphics integration and the media drivers isn't included in the VxRail update.

We've been using it for the past three years.

It's very stable. We haven't had any downtime so far.

The technical support is good, and I would give it a nine out of ten.

Positive

We used a terminal server from Microsoft and switched because we had to renew the whole data center and wanted to use the latest technology.

We liked the integrated update, and the people behind Dell technologies made the difference.

The initial setup was straightforward. The process took around one day.

Our environment is in one location, and it's not a stretch cluster; it's a single cluster. We run about 190 virtual desktops and 200 virtual servers on it.

The solution does not require a lot of maintenance, and the system engineer takes care of that.

We wanted to roll out the VDI department by department. We used an integrator for the initial deployment, who was very competent. We also used one system engineer.

The pricing is very accurate, and we haven't had any problems with the licensing costs.

We evaluated HPE and Lenovo. 

I recommend testing the data applications first, which could really speed up the process of installing the golden images or setting up the initial golden image.

I rate this solution ten on a scale from one to ten.

We simplified our environment and made it easier to expand. We use the solution in four different locations and have about 25 people directly administering the product. The product is used by 4,000 people.

The fact that we can expand our nodes horizontally and the integration with VMware, which is what we use for all of our server virtualizations, has been most valuable.

Supply chain capabilities are certainly hurting us. We're in the process of placing a large order for more VxRail nodes right now.

I have been using this solution for three years. 

This is a stable solution. 

The technical support for this solution is very good. I would rate them an eight and a half. 

We previously used Cisco UCS and made the switch to Dell after an extensive proof of concept. We felt like it was going to be the best comprehensive solution for us.

The initial setup was straightforward. 

In some cases, we used a reseller. We have negotiated an agreement with Dell where we now buy directly from them.

We have seen ROI using this solution. It has simplified the work of the staff that we have which allows us to do more work with the same number of people, without having to incrementally grow the staff. The reliability of the product has been exceptional.

Licensing and price for this solution is reasonable.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten. 

VxRail is allowing us to solve a problem that we've had for quite a while, as far as having distributed computing, networking, and storage. VxRail has a combined HCI environment. As a result, all of our resources are together, and life cycle management helps us with sustainability in deploying and managing the environment.

It helps us to consolidate a lot of our legacy, storage, and other computing environments.

What I find very valuable is VxRail's life cycle management. The life cycle management takes care of everything from firmware to the actual upgrading of the hypervisor and keeps everything up to level.

They need to keep upgrading the environment and improving automation so that the solution keeps getting better and better.

I've been using VxRail for about eight months now.

VxRail's support is excellent. I would give them a nine out of ten.

Positive

Our previous environment consisted of HP, Dell, and VxBlock. We switched because HCI is our new environment/ecosystem. There are a lot of supportability improvements, and it is much easier to manage with VxRail.

The more difficult part of it was the planning. The actual deployment was not as difficult.

The deployment didn't take more than a month from doing the actual planning to having it shipped, brought inside, and then brought online.

VxRail is deployed to data centers and globally as well.

The maintenance is sustained within supportability, so it has to be updated whenever leases come out.

We used Dell ProDeploy and had a combination of engineering and facilities staff for the deployment process.

As far as our consolidation ratios are concerned, we have seen a return on investment.

Pricing is competitive.

Definitely look into VxRail. Plan for your needs and utilize the services from ProDeploy.

On a scale from one to ten, I would rate VxRail at nine.