Item: VMware ESXi
Rating: 9
Author: Andrew Shannon

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Vmware ESXi is being used company-wide at our business. We decided to use it because we had limited space in our server room but need multiple servers for different purposes. So we virtualized the various servers on one piece of server hardware and were able to keep our hardware use low while getting the number of servers we needed.

Pros and Cons

Lets you run multiple virtual servers on one piece of server hardware.
Saves you money but minimizing the amount of server hardware you need to buy.

VMware ESXi can be hard to update to the newest versions.
Hardware compatibility with VMware ESXi can be confusing.

Return on Investment

VMware ESXi has had a positive effect on our ROI because it saved us money on server hardware.
VMware ESXi also had a positive ROI for us because we can easily migrate servers from old hardware onto newer hardware and reduce the amount of time we spend building new servers.

Alternatives Considered

We evaluated two other solutions before choosing VMware ESXi. We looked at Citrix, and also the Microsoft solutions were comparable to VMware ESXI. Ultimately went with VMware because of the broad user base. Also, it had the biggest compatibility with server hardware even though we run an entire windows server-based environment. We felt the VMware solution was better than the Microsoft solution.

Support Rating

The user base for VMware ESXi is the biggest of all the virtualization platforms out there. So if you ever have an issue, you can always find someone else with your same problem in the forums on VMware's website and lots of solutions posted by other VMware ESXi users who have dealt with the same problems that you are dealing with. I have always been able to find an appropriate answer to my question on the VMware ESXi forums.

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

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central (formerly Dynamics NAV), Microsoft Exchange, BarTender

Likelihood to Recommend

Vmware ESXi is useful when you have limited space in your server room but need multiple servers for different purposes. You can virtualize the various servers on one piece of server hardware and keep your hardware use low while getting the number of servers you need. It's also great when you want to keep your hardware costs low but requires multiple servers in your environment.

VMware ESXi server save you time and money, now and down the road

Overall Satisfaction with VMware ESXi