Item: VMware ESXi
Rating: 10
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

VMware ESXi is the of our on-premises server virtualization efforts. VMware ESXi is leveraged by the IT department for all services which are not cloud-ready or for services deemed to stay within our own control. VMware ESXi (with vCenter) allows us to be nimble with deadlines and requirements from various areas within our organization, as we leverage a significant amount of automation to streamline requests.

Pros and Cons

Just works. VMware ESXi is a proven solution with a lot of additional components that provide more value.
VMware ESXi is a great platform for new users to learn. Having both GUI and CLI components to manage the host server and subsequent virtual machines allow for click-based admins to get work done, while also providing the avenues for streamlining with automation within CLI based connections.

I would love for some of the features only available within the upper tiers of ESXi licensing to be available for Standard licensing purchases. There is a vast difference between free, standard, enterprise plus licensing.
The learning curve might be an issue for some users, but can be overcome with the vast amount of resources available. You might have to train to find all of the resources as well.

Return on Investment

VMware ESXi has provided us a solid solution for server virtualization. Server virtualization allows us to see a better return on investment for the hardware, as it is utilized to a great extent.
VMware ESXi has provided us with a single pane of glass for the administration of our server infrastructure. The ability to console into all of our servers from tools provided by ESXi allows for a more consistent ability to administer servers in that way if needed.

Alternatives Considered

Microsoft's HyperV is a solution we have tested over the years compared to VMware ESXi. HyperV still lacks the shine/polish ESXi has for how robust the offerings are for what can be done.

We have also tested against Xen and other products. While these products nearly had the sky as a limit for features, the overall knowledge gap in how to properly apply or test these features outweighed the additional benefit we may have realized.

Support Rating

I have had to use support within VMware for ESXi twice in my 13 years of VMware administration. I am not counting times where VMware had to step in due to hardware issues or something similar to that. The two times I have engaged VMware support, I was pleasantly surprised in how they handled my issue and how they were sure everything was resolved for me.

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

Rapid7 Nexpose, VMware NSX, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2)

Likelihood to Recommend

At our organization, ESXi has been the backbone of our on-site infrastructure since 2013. I have not had an instance where VMware ESXi (with the appropriate add-ons) was not able to fit or exceed what we needed the product to do. We utilize VMware ESXi (enterprise plus) with vCenter, NSX, VSAN, and other products now. Our original deployment was just VMware ESXi connected to fiber channel based storage. Looking back we have gained a lot of features and tools to fix other issues, but ESXi works just as great as it always has for a hypervisor product.

VMware ESXi is a rock solid choice for your hypervisor

Overall Satisfaction with VMware ESXi