Item: VMware ESXi
Rating: 10
Author: Kenny McGarrity

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

VMware ESXi is being used by our IT department to deploy servers and services across our entire organization. The software such a game-changer, it's difficult to state how life-changing the software is. On the simple side of things, our IT Department is able to quickly spin up virtual machines at a moments notice. Additionally, ESXi allows us to add additional server resources at a moment's notice, rather than having to go through the cost and process of purchasing new hardware. ESXi allows us to take backup snapshots of servers in the blink of an eye, providing a safety net, unlike anything a physical server can typically do.

Pros and Cons

When combining Citrix with ESXi, we are able to create multiple Citrix servers from one master image.
Combined with Veeam, backing up and restoration of virtual machines running on ESXi is painless.

I would love to see the licensing cost come down.

Return on Investment

We are able to provision additional servers without the need to purchase additional hardware.
The initial cost for proper deployment can be steep, however, the more you're invested in the product, the greater the return.

Alternatives Considered

Hyper-V, Oracle VM VirtualBox and Citrix Hypervisor (formerly XenServer)

ESXi is hands down the winner when compared to its competitors, in terms of technical capability. VMware has maintained its leadership role in virtualization technology. Hypervisors from Microsoft, Oracle, Citrix pales in every way when compared to ESXi. Have you ever heard anyone say "oooh boy, Hyper-V!"? The answer is no!

Support Rating

On the rare instance that I've had to call into VMware's support, they have gotten down to the bottom of the issue I was having. If you pick any random outsourced IT support department, chances are you will find an expert in VMware ESXi. There are tons of blogs and support sites on the internet that will help you out in case you run into an issue.

Key Insights

Do you think VMware ESXi delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with VMware ESXi's feature set?

Yes

Did VMware ESXi live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of VMware ESXi go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy VMware ESXi again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Citrix Virtual Apps (formerly XenApp), Veeam Availability Suite, Microsoft Office 365, SonicWall NSA Series, LogicMonitor, Citrix ADC (formerly NetScaler ADC), VeloCloud, by VMware

Likelihood to Recommend

I think every organization that has the need for on-premise servers should consider investing in ESXi. The initial cost for getting a proper ESXi environment set up with the servers, storage, and networking can be steep, so organizations that are on shoestring budgets may want to skip virtualization until they're ready for the necessary investments.

VMware ESXi is a must for every IT department

Overall Satisfaction with VMware ESXi