Item: VMware ESXi
Rating: 7
Author: Tom Blazek

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We are using [VMware] ESXi as a backup to our production server infrastructure. We do have a few production servers on that cluster. [VMware] ESXi allows us to easily scale and build new servers without requiring us to constantly purchase new hardware. We have saved a significant amount of money since setting up the [VMware] cluster[.]

Pros and Cons

I like how easily it integrates with windows
Snapshotting is very easy to setup
There are also many integrations to extend ESXi functionality

Pricing is a barrier for most companies
A deployment can get quite complex and overkill for a small company
I would like to see more options for setting it up in a hyperconverged manner

Return on Investment

We were able to go from 5 physical servers to 1 and have everything virtualized
Everything can now fit nice and neat in one rack
Cooling costs are significantly less now that we only have one server

Alternatives Considered

Hyper-V

I think VMware ESXi is a better solution than Hyper-V was at the time. Mainly because you don't need to run a Windows OS to run ESXi. I also think the integrations available with [VMware] ESXi are superior[.]

Key Insights

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

Not sure

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

Hyper-V, Veeam Backup & Replication, Scale Computing HC3

Likelihood to Recommend

I do like [VMware] ESXi, but the pricing is hard to swallow for a smaller company. I love the ability to have many options for backup solutions, like Veeam, but the functionality you get for the pricing can be hard to justify. That being said, if you are not virtualized, I definitely recommend something like VMware to get virtual[.]

VMware ESxi for the small business

Overall Satisfaction with VMware ESXi