The most common question these days since the new VMware pricing came out, is VMware still a good value for money?
The answer is a strong YES! VMware vSphere 5 provides a strong enough ROI. I think many C-Level executives struggle with virtualisation value to their business (ones who sign the check) because they see virtualization as just another commodity, like a copier, fax or a telephone system. Usually they compare it to Citrix or Hyper-V not realizing there is a lot more to it than just a price.
The initial new licensing scheme came as an unwelcome shock to most VMware customers and lead to a strong backlash. Eventually, VMware responded by increasing vRam allotment. The new licensing model is a fair model. We have to think why VMware changed its licensing model in the first place? The old one was based on cores and CPUs. With more powerful CPUs with more cores coming out regularly, VMware’s licensing models was about to breakdown. So the licensing model had to change. VMware was the first to take the brave step. The problem it was not done gradually. It came as a shock with most customers having a knee jerk reaction and threatening to jump ship. Now the pricing seems to be fair. In my opinion, most customers are having issue the new licensing model because they are still treating virtualization as a stricly server consolidation tool.
At VMworld 2011, VMware’s focus on the cloud was clear, and its license model reflects that. Thus, if all you need is server consolidation, then vSphere isn’t for you! You can, however, adopt vSphere today if you’re thinking long term.
So make sure you are comparing apples to apples when evaluating different virtualisation solutions.
Thanks for reading.
Nick
