Amazon Web Services vs. IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions vs. IBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Amazon Web Services
Score 8.5 out of 10
N/A
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is a subsidiary of Amazon that provides on-demand cloud computing services. With over 165 services offered, AWS services can provide users with a comprehensive suite of infrastructure and computing building blocks and tools.
$100
per month
IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions
Score 8.0 out of 10
Enterprise companies (1,001+ employees)
IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions is designed to make cloud adoption easier, allowing the user to optimize the value of existing on-premises infrastructure, while leveraging the same tools, technologies and skills in the cloud. The solution provides rapid scalability, deployment in 35+ global data centers and access to disaster recovery, backup, security and compliance solutions from an array of ecosystem partners. To address varying workload needs, IBM Cloud…
$0
IBM Cloud Object Storage Cross-Regional Smart Tier 1 GB (hourly)
IBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC
Score 6.1 out of 10
N/A
IBM Cloud Virtual Servers are customizable, public or private, cloud-based servers available from IBM. User can launch applications and software across blended, hybrid environments as the servers integrate with all cloud models.
$0.01
per hour
Pricing
Amazon Web ServicesIBM Cloud for VMware SolutionsIBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC
Editions & Modules
Free Tier
$0
per month
Basic Environment
$100 - $200
per month
Intermediate Environment
$250 - $600
per month
Advanced Environment
$600-$2500
per month
Add-on
$0
IBM Cloud Object Storage Cross-Regional Smart Tier 1 GB (hourly)
On-demand
$0
0.25 IOPs 1 GB
Reserved (monthly or 730 hours)
$0
0.25 IOPs 1 GB (Per gigabyte of storage (hourly))
Add-on
$0
IBM Cloud Block Storage 1 GB (hourly)
On-demand
$0.01
Per vCPU (hourly)
On-demand
$0.09
Per gigabyte of network and bandwidth egress (monthly)
Reserved (monthly or 730 hours)
$0.09
Per gigabyte of network and bandwidth egress (monthly)
Reserved (monthly or 730 hours)
$12.80
Microsoft license (monthly) per 1 vCPU²
Add-on
$13
Veeam backup license
IBM Cloud Virtual Servers (dedicated host)
starting at $0.22
per hour
IBM Cloud Virtual Servers (dedicated host)
starting at $149.00
per month
IBM Cloud Virtual Servers (multi-tenant)
starting at $0.038
per hour
IBM Cloud Virtual Servers (multi-tenant)
starting at $25.21
per month
IBM Cloud Virtual Servers (reserved)
starting at $0.02
per hour
IBM Cloud Virtual Servers (reserved)
starting at $13.27
per month
IBM Cloud Virtual Servers (transient)
starting at $0.01
per hour
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Amazon Web ServicesIBM Cloud for VMware SolutionsIBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC
Free Trial
YesNoYes
Free/Freemium Version
YesYesYes
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoYesYes
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeOptionalOptional
Additional DetailsAWS allows a “save when you commit” option that offers lower prices when you sign up for a 1- or 3- year term that includes an AWS service or category of services.IBM Cloud virtual servers include 250 GB of outbound public bandwidth, unmetered inbound public bandwidth, and unmetered private and management network bandwidth.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Amazon Web ServicesIBM Cloud for VMware SolutionsIBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC
Considered Multiple Products
Amazon Web Services
Chose Amazon Web Services
The particular services I am using in AWS is easier to set up and manage than Microsoft Azure. IBM Bluemix/Cloud previously has too many product beta and preview released along with their products. Microsoft also releases too many products in preview or beta.
IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions
Chose IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions
When you want to manage the hypervisor and have root access to control the entire environment.
IBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC
Chose IBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC
Have used it because of previous IBM partership, and also because of the need to test Linux on Z series.
Chose IBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC
Microsoft Azure has an extremely poor UX experience, from trying to tell how much a service will cost, to actually physically finding how to set one up through the web UI. The UX of IBM Cloud Virtual Servers is much better, they're easier to setup and they show you what their …
Chose IBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC
In the long run, IBM is much cheaper than AWS. Also, the support offered by IBM is quite superior since they help you by chat. With AWS, you must pay for support.
Features
Amazon Web ServicesIBM Cloud for VMware SolutionsIBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC
Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS)
Comparison of Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) features of Product A and Product B
Amazon Web Services
8.4
78 Ratings
2% above category average
IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions
-
Ratings
IBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC
7.4
88 Ratings
10% below category average
Service-level Agreement (SLA) uptime9.072 Ratings00 Ratings9.181 Ratings
Dynamic scaling8.873 Ratings00 Ratings9.076 Ratings
Elastic load balancing9.369 Ratings00 Ratings8.664 Ratings
Pre-configured templates7.166 Ratings00 Ratings3.772 Ratings
Monitoring tools8.473 Ratings00 Ratings7.384 Ratings
Pre-defined machine images8.366 Ratings00 Ratings5.177 Ratings
Operating system support7.972 Ratings00 Ratings7.084 Ratings
Security controls8.674 Ratings00 Ratings9.178 Ratings
Automation8.325 Ratings00 Ratings00 Ratings
Server Virtualization
Comparison of Server Virtualization features of Product A and Product B
Amazon Web Services
-
Ratings
IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions
8.1
25 Ratings
1% above category average
IBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC
-
Ratings
Virtual machine automated provisioning00 Ratings6.425 Ratings00 Ratings
Management console00 Ratings8.325 Ratings00 Ratings
Live virtual machine backup00 Ratings9.024 Ratings00 Ratings
Live virtual machine migration00 Ratings8.323 Ratings00 Ratings
Hypervisor-level security00 Ratings8.325 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Amazon Web ServicesIBM Cloud for VMware SolutionsIBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC
Small Businesses
DigitalOcean Droplets
DigitalOcean Droplets
Score 9.4 out of 10
DigitalOcean Droplets
DigitalOcean Droplets
Score 9.4 out of 10
DigitalOcean Droplets
DigitalOcean Droplets
Score 9.4 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
SAP on IBM Cloud
SAP on IBM Cloud
Score 9.0 out of 10
VMware vSOM (discontinued)
VMware vSOM (discontinued)
Score 10.0 out of 10
SAP on IBM Cloud
SAP on IBM Cloud
Score 9.0 out of 10
Enterprises
SAP on IBM Cloud
SAP on IBM Cloud
Score 9.0 out of 10
VMware vSOM (discontinued)
VMware vSOM (discontinued)
Score 10.0 out of 10
SAP on IBM Cloud
SAP on IBM Cloud
Score 9.0 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Amazon Web ServicesIBM Cloud for VMware SolutionsIBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC
Likelihood to Recommend
8.0
(90 ratings)
8.3
(25 ratings)
8.2
(88 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.4
(10 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
8.2
(3 ratings)
Usability
7.8
(21 ratings)
9.0
(3 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Availability
9.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Performance
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
Support Rating
7.2
(24 ratings)
9.0
(5 ratings)
8.1
(5 ratings)
Online Training
7.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
10.0
(3 ratings)
8.0
(1 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Ease of integration
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
9.1
(1 ratings)
Product Scalability
-
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
7.3
(1 ratings)
User Testimonials
Amazon Web ServicesIBM Cloud for VMware SolutionsIBM Cloud Virtual Servers for VPC
Likelihood to Recommend
Amazon AWS
This is something that is actually common across most cloud providers. A comprehensive understanding of one's use cases, constraints and future directions is key to determining if you even need a cloud solution. If you are a 2-person startup developing something with a best-scenario audience of 1k DAU in a year, you would very likely best served by a dirt-cheap dedicated Linux server somewhere (and your options to graduate to a cloud solution will still be open). If, however, you are a bigger fish, and/or you are actively considering build-vs-buy decisions for complicated, highly-loaded, six-figure requests per minute systems, global loadbalancing, extreme growth projections - then MAYBE you solve all or part of it with a cloud provider. And depending on your taste for risk, reliability, flexibility, track record - it might be AWS.
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IBM
VMware Cloud Foundation for Disaster Recovery environment, when the client needs to deploy a pay-as-you-go service or if they need to migrate SAP workloads, you can use VMware Cloud Foundation for Classic and VPC. We are the unique SAP-Certified VMware cloud service provider.
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IBM
One scenario that immediately came to my mind was large-scale data processing, IBM Cloud Virtual Servers is well-suited for organizations that require high-performance computing capabilities, particularly when processing large amounts of data. It can also be useful for companies or organizations that wish to migrate their workplace to the cloud and it may suite companies that have strict compliance requirements since the servers have robust security features.
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Pros
Amazon AWS
  • During the month-end, we experience high resource utilization; however, with AWS's scalability, we can effectively tackle the peak load.
  • With AWS IAM, we don't need to set up complete infrastructure for identity and access management, as AWS provides end-to-end IAM services.
  • With AWS, development has become very easy as it's very quick to spin up and destroy the environment, which saves costs.
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IBM
  • Adaptable valuing relying upon size and scale.
  • The presentation is first rate. Our on-prem climate was continually experiencing slack and general languor. With IBM running everything, it's much smoother.
  • Start another group as little as one ESXi worker or scale a current bunch.
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IBM
  • Scalability: IBM Cloud Virtual Servers enable businesses to simply and quickly scale up or down the resources they require in response to changing business demands. This enables firms to respond to traffic spikes, requests for new services, or changes in business size without the need for additional hardware purchases or maintenance.
  • Cost savings: By employing virtual servers in the cloud, enterprises can decrease capital expenditures for hardware and infrastructure while also lowering ongoing operational expenses by removing server maintenance and management costs. This can result in significant cost savings for enterprises, particularly those that need to raise or decrease their computer capacity fast and easily.
  • High availability: IBM Cloud Virtual Servers is built with high availability in mind, giving enterprises the certainty that their applications and data will be available and accessible even if hardware fails or other disruptions occur. This assists enterprises in maintaining business continuity and lowering the chance of downtime, which is crucial for firms that rely on 24/7 access to their systems. Furthermore, IBM's comprehensive network and security features aid in the prevention of data breaches and other security risks, assuring the availability and reliability of their applications and data.
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Cons
Amazon AWS
  • When there is any misconfiguration of EC2 related to SSM Connect. It doesn't clearly states that what particular configuration is missing.
  • Debugging networking related issues could be improved.
  • From the security group page, it's difficult to determine which resource a security group is associated with.
Read full review
IBM
  • Support is horrible and or non-existent
  • Documentation is out of date and incorrect for the most part
  • IBM employees and salespeople are not aware of features or offerings
  • Does not integrate the Zerto, only Veeam and has limited options for data migration
Read full review
IBM
  • It would also be nice if there were more templates to choose from when creating a server. Right now there are only a few options, and we'd like to see more variety.
  • We'd like to see the ability to create server groups. This would make it easier to manage a large number of servers since we could do all of the updates and management tasks for them at once.
  • There doesn't seem to be a way to automatically install updates on all of the virtual servers. We have to go in and manually update each one, which can be time-consuming. It would be really nice if automatic updates can be done.
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Likelihood to Renew
Amazon AWS
We are almost entirely satisfied with the service. In order to move off it, we'd have to build for ourselves many of the services that AWS provides and the cost would be prohibitive. Although there are cost savings and security benefits to returning to the colo facility, we could never afford to do it, and we'd hate to give up the innovation and constant cycle of new features that AWS gives us.
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IBM
No answers on this topic
IBM
It has a flexible and affordable pricing, easy to configure and manage. It is easy to spawn one or multiple instances and have them up and running in no time
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Usability
Amazon AWS
AWS offers a wide range of powerful services that cater to various business needs which is significant strength. The ability to scale resources on-demand is a major advantage making it suitable for businesses of all sizes. The sheer volume of options and configurations can be overwhelming for new users leading to a steep learning curve. While functional the AWS management console can feel cluttered and less intuitive compared to some competitors which can hinder navigation. Although some documentation lacks clarity and practical examples which can frustrate users trying to implement specific solutions.
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IBM
It is easy to use and setting it up is simple. The only con is that the pricing is a little bit high as well as documentation is a little low; so we had to do some personal learning to be able to fully utilize the product, or hop on the phone with someone.
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IBM
No answers on this topic
Reliability and Availability
Amazon AWS
Availability is very good, with the exception of occasional spectacular outages.
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IBM
No answers on this topic
IBM
Always available when you need an instance.
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Performance
Amazon AWS
AWS does not provide the raw performance that you can get by building your own custom infrastructure. However, it is often the case that the benefits of specialized, high-performance hardware do not necessarily outweigh the significant extra cost and risk. Performance as perceived by the user is very different from raw throughput.
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IBM
No answers on this topic
IBM
Most of the instances work on hypervisors with good processors, but not all of them.
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Support Rating
Amazon AWS
The customer support of Amazon Web Services are quick in their responses. I appreciate its entire team, which works amazingly, and provides professional support. AWS is a great tool, indeed, to provide customers a suitable way to
immediately search for their compatible software's and also to guide them in a
good direction. Moreover, this product is a good suggestion for every type of
company because of its affordability and ease of use.
Read full review
IBM
Overall, just a great experience here. No one in my opinion gets a perfect 10/10 rating (no one is ever perfect), so 9/10 is probably as good as it gets! From initial planning to post implementation support, the IBM Cloud and professional services has been there for my group as much as we have needed them. Great job!
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IBM
It is adequate, but you need to be ready to argue your point - which is fair enough, I suppose, but being given the opposite of the benefit of the doubt every time does not necessarily result in an enjoyable user experience.
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Implementation Rating
Amazon AWS
The API's were very well documented and was Janova's main point of entry into the services.
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IBM
IBM professional services helped us plan and implement the project with great success. They guided the project from planning, scoping, pre-implementation, testing, roll-out, then production and post-production support. We were very impressed with their knowledge of VMware and really appreciated their desire to make our project a success. I would highly recommend them!
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IBM
We did not use IBM professional services to implement IBM Cloud Virtual Servers.
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Alternatives Considered
Amazon AWS
Amazon Web Services fits best for all levels of organisations like startup, mid level or enterprise. The services are easy to use and doesn't require a high level of understanding as you can learn via blogs or youtube videos. AWS is Reasonable in cost as the plan is pay as you use.
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IBM
IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions stacks up against them, we fully agree there are so many features in IBM cloud for VMware Solutions that make it unique and different. The system provides us hypervisor security level and the system even has live backup and storage capacity of data. This system provides us with accuracy that helps us to reduce errors and vulnerability.
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IBM
IBM Cloud Virtual Servers offer more customization options than Amazon EC2, with the ability to select from a range of operating systems, storage types, and network configurations. IBM also provides a wide range of tools and services to help manage and optimize your virtual servers, including a web-based console, CLI, and API.

AWS EC2 is a more managed platform, with a focus on providing a simple and easy-to-use interface. Amazon provides a range of predefined instance types, each with different specs and pricing, to make it easy to find the right option for your needs. AWS also offers a number of management and monitoring tools, but these are often more basic than what is available from IBM.
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Scalability
Amazon AWS
No answers on this topic
IBM
No answers on this topic
IBM
It worked well for us in the beginning, it works well for us when we have more instances.
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Return on Investment
Amazon AWS
  • Using Amazon Web Services has allowed us to develop and deploy new SAAS solutions quicker than we did when we used traditional web hosting. This has allowed us to grow our service offerings to clients and also add more value to our existing services.
  • Having AWS deployed has also allowed our development team to focus on delivering high-quality software without worrying about whether our servers will be able to handle the demand. Since AWS allows you to adjust your server needs based on demand, we can easily assign a faster server instance to ease and improve service without the client even knowing what we did.
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IBM
  • It has a positive impact on the cost required to maintain our vSphere environment by allowing us to get rid of our vsphere hardware and not worry about maintenance either.
  • There have been very few negatives, but one would definitely be the open-ended cost associated with cloud products in general.
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IBM
  • Supports businesses who want compute power on demand (instances are ready within minutes).
  • It can give you access to a 32-core CPU at $0.29 for short running or interruptible processes - enabling cost-efficient number crunching.
  • Given me a taste of the powers of remote compute power for compilation and development.
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ScreenShots

IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions Screenshots

Screenshot of VMware vCenter Server on IBM Cloud product informationScreenshot of IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions automated and on-demand services information, and How to OrderScreenshot of IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions Dedicated, Order ScreenScreenshot of IBM Cloud for VMware Solutions Shared, Order Screen