Likelihood to Recommend Nerdio manages our servers - file and exchange, and it has been the perfect solution for our office, allowing our users access from any desktop or laptop, no matter the location. As many of us work after hours, we always have access to our files/data... and works well for us whether we're on meetings or need information. Can't imagine going back and not having the ability to work remotely.
Read full review I would not recommend using a VM as a complete replacement for your everyday driver, but I would recommend it for testing. One way that I use Workstation Pro is with testing GPO's. I can make a change to a user or computer GPO, take a snapshot, reboot the computer to pull the GPO, see if it worked. If it didn't, I revert to the last snapshot before the GPO was pulled, make some changes to the GPO again, and test on the test VM. The same style of testing can be used with creating and changing scripts for computer changes. We have a whole computer setup script that installs software and changes a ton of settings. On a VM you can test over and over to make sure the script runs how you want it to and revert if you didn't like the script outcome. Especially handy with software installs, so you don't have to wait for a program to uninstall and then edit the script and run the script again. Using snapshots save me so much time in testing!
Read full review Pros They can link to your computer and help you with any issues immediately. Easy to talk to and reach. Reliable Service Read full review It provides a great remote access tool for accessing and managing servers in virtual environment. With the security risks surround remote desktop this provides a good alternative to do the same functions. The app itself is very lightweight and easy to install/maintain. Sandbox testing can be a time consuming thing to setup and do. Workstation makes this easy to create, use, and put away. This make you more willing to put new things in the sandbox and test them before production usage. The cost of workstation is very affordable for the functionality that you get and you can try it for free before you buy it. We use it to run apps that can be difficult to setup or conflict with other apps. We just spin this app VM up run it, and then shut it back down. The startup and shutdown is very quick. Read full review Cons Default printers! If you work form home and it will switch up your printers. Even if you don't work from home it will switch it sometimes. Disk space seems a little expensive too :( Read full review At the moment, it's incompatible with Microsoft's HyperVM, which is used in Docker and the Linux Subsystem on Windows 2 (WSL 2). VMware shared files sometimes stop working and need to be reset. 3D support is limited to Windows and only certain scenarios. Read full review Likelihood to Renew It's a solid product, and if they make it compatible with HyperVM (WSL, Docker, etc.) it would be great
Read full review Usability There are some settings that can only be done by editing the VMX file. However, that is easily done, and you can find examples on the internet easily.
Read full review Support Rating I haven't had to call VMware Workstation support. The majority of the time, whenever I have a problem, I can perform an online search and find the answers I need. Online forums and users with similar situations are generally sufficient to answer any questions I have had, though, from previous experience at another company, their support is outstanding and responsive to circumstances. However, that is generally for a paid support contract and should be expected when you are paying for that support.
Read full review Alternatives Considered We moved to this solution when there was only a limited number of vendors offering this type of work environment... and after talking to colleagues who initially selected other vendors, they were happy to make the switch to AdarIT/Nerdio.
Read full review VMware ESXi is more enterprise based whereas VMware Workstation offers capabilities at a lower cost and smaller scale. VMware Workstation Pro is also user friendly and easy to install. It can be utilized on a regular desktop system as the name implies. It helps with also demonstrations when needed to clients without having bulky hardware every time.
Read full review Return on Investment ROI Reliability in connectivity Office nation wide linked together in one cloud. Read full review When updating multiple VM's, this is a much quicker option vs trying to either RDP to them or console using Vcenter We are required to run a VM locally for certain tasks, and this has been the most effective way to use it The ability to manage a VM without having to worry about the console freezing up helps with management Read full review ScreenShots