Server virtualization is part of the digital everyday life of many companies today. The software for this is offered by various companies both in slimmed-down, free versions and in the form of packages subject to costs and licensing. With a market share of about 75 percent, the US provider VMware has so far been able to maintain its position as the undisputed market leader. However, Microsoft has also occupied an expandable position in the virtualization market in recent years with its Hyper-V virtualization software and is now catching up more and more.
VMware vSphere - since the beginning of 2015 as Edition 6.0
The VMware virtualization program vSphere version 6.0 has been available since the beginning of 2015. Users can choose between three different editions (Standard, Enterprise, Enterprise Plus) with different performance levels. The program is licensed per CPU. This licensing model means that each processor of a computer on which the software runs is licensed - the devices of any number of other users can then be connected to this computer. Optionally, licensees are granted access to vCenter Standard Server. The Enterprise Plus version also includes an option for VMware OpenStack support.
Further options are available with regard to the purchase of Edition 6.0 with and without Operations Management. The program version including Operations Management offers enhanced functionality in terms of operational and performance transparency, the analytical competence of the software as well as configuration and compliance management.
Decentrally located organizations can purchase the new Remote Office Branch Office Editions for their branch offices. The entry-level version of vSphere will continue to be offered free of charge as a trial program, but may be sufficient for the virtualization needs of smaller organizations. Alternatively, small organizations can purchase two differently equipped Essentials Kits.
New competitive push in the virtualization market
With Edition 6.0, the provider has positioned itself against the competition very early on. At the beginning of 2016, the virtualization market is expected to see a further surge in competition. Microsoft has announced the new Windows Server Version 10 and the next generation of its Hyper-V platform for the turn of the year. It will therefore be interesting to see whether and to what extent VMware's long lead time for software upgrades will help it to maintain its current market share. In any case, VMware virtualization is extremely powerful.
What is virtualization?
Virtualization is a software technology that allows different applications and operating systems to run on a common server. Corresponding platforms and software offerings are in the process of fundamentally changing the IT landscape and the use of digital technologies. The current x86 servers are designed to run one operating system and one application - even the data centers of small organizations therefore require a larger number of servers, but their utilization is usually no more than 15 percent. Instead, virtualization simulates a much more cost-effective virtual computer system (virtual machine, VM). A virtual machine can run on any physical server and can be easily copied and moved to another location like a traditional file. At the same time, virtualization enables optimized resource control as well as security and troubleshooting routines in the hardware dimension. The IT effort and especially the hardware investment can be reduced considerably by virtualization.
VMware vSphere as an efficient virtualization platform
With vSphere, corporate customers acquire an efficient and sophisticated virtualization solution.
Its architecture is based on the principle of "One Cloud, Any Application, Any Device" - the platform is thus able to virtually integrate even very extensive and complex IT structures. The software allows a company's IT flexibility, agility and scalability to be greatly enhanced. Workloads are accelerated and of course costs are saved. Effects of virtualization include:
- Server consolidation
- High application availability
- Reduced operating costs and investments
- Productivity gains/reduction of downtime
- Optimized availability of resources
- Central management
- Establishment of software-defined data centers.
The VMware software platform includes all levels of virtualization - desktop, server and complete virtual data centers. It therefore optimally meets the requirements of different companies and company sizes.
Virtualization and vSphere Cloud Computing
Virtualization and
cloud computing are not identical. Rather, virtualization creates the conditions for resource management and working in the cloud. Server virtualization is completely independent of the use of a cloud - VMware, however, offers its users both options in principle.
Cloud computing provides significant organizational, agility and cost benefits, but is not always easy for IT departments to implement. A typical problem is the contrast between organization-wide public clouds and so-called proprietary clouds of individual business units - including costly program changes during mergers.
vSphere users who choose a cloud option at any point in time can easily transfer both new and so-called legacy applications there and thus do not have to expect any investment losses in this area. The vCloud Air is directly based on the virtualization software and is able to integrate both local and external IT environments. Companies can thus deliver "IT as a Service" (ITaaS) to internal or external users via a software-defined data center. Public,
Hybrid or private clouds are available to different user groups without having to give up the common IT network and a uniform management and security model. The vCloud itself is a hybrid cloud, and a worldwide network of certified vCloud partners provides additional cloud computing services. For the transformation of their IT and application structures to a completely software-based company, vCloud users naturally enjoy comprehensive technological support.
What advantages does virtualization offer?
The IT market research institute Gartner quotes some quite impressive figures on the prospects and economic effects of virtualization: According to these, around 80 percent of all business workloads will already be taking place within the framework of virtualized IT processes in 2016. However, small and medium-sized enterprises are lagging far behind in terms of implementation. The level of virtualization here covers only 40 to 53 percent of workloads. Organizations that fail to make the leap to a virtualized IT structure in the foreseeable future are not only giving away cash, but also have to reckon with efficiency losses and the resulting competitive disadvantages. By 2020, approximately 98 percent of global IT investments are expected to flow into virtualization solutions, and a virtual machine will support an average of about 16 servers.
host. Gartner estimates that companies that use virtualization technologies can save about 50 percent of their total IT costs. In addition, productivity gains can add up to 67 percent of what it was before virtualization. Furthermore, by implementing virtualization platforms, companies are creating an important foundation for their general future viability.
The benefits of virtualization with vSphere are felt in a number of areas, including:
- Computing
- Operation and management on a unified platform
- Platform automation and availability
- Cloud API integration
- Security, Protection
- storage
- Network capacity.
Pricing and service
The high performance of the vSphere virtualization platform is matched by affordable investments. VMware vSphere can be purchased either as an edition (individual offering for larger/special IT environments with extensive and complex requirement profiles) or as a complete package.
VMware pricing is based on virtualization software licensing only. Support and maintenance contracts (SnS, Support and Subscription), case-by-case support for the Essentials Kit and the so-called Production (24/7 support for individual production environments) must be ordered separately.
Each edition and packages include a hypervisor and all the basic server consolidation, data security, resource and general IT management capabilities. The editions must be used with vCenter Server Edition, sold separately or already existing. Additional licenses must be purchased if the entitlements for specific CPU capacities and included virtual memory are exceeded.
The order of an edition or a complete package requires the simultaneous conclusion of a support contract with a minimum term of one year. The editions, the Remote Office Branch Office Solutions and the Essentials Kit Plus are available in SnS Basic (with price ranges between USD 345.90 and USD 1,228.50) or Production (with price ranges between USD 419.90 and USD 1,462.50). For the Essentials Kit, in addition to the obligatory subscription support at an annual price of USD 84.50, there is the optional possibility of concluding an annual SnS contract on a case-by-case basis for USD 388.70.
vCenter Server Edition, a mandatory component of all virtualization platform variants, is subject to a $6,493 license fee and a minimum annual SnS fee of $1,363.70 (Basic) or $1,623.70 (Production).
vSphere Edition 6.0 Standard, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus - three customized profiles
The three program versions of Edition 6.0 provide the IT departments of companies with three customized performance profiles. In most areas, the Standard, Enterprise and Enterprise Plus versions offer identical functionalities. This applies, for example, to general product components, compatibility with central management, cloud API integration, business continuity and security. There are differences in terms of resource prioritization and the ability to optimize application performance. Here, the Enterprise and Enterprise Plus versions score points compared to the Standard Edition 6.0 with the option of Big Data Extensions. Enterprise Plus offers support for Single Root I/0 Virtualization (SR-I0V) as well as additional network, storage and graphics capacities.
License prices of Edition 6.0 per processor
- Standard: USD 1,293.50
- Enterprise: USD 3,737.50
- Enterprise Plus: USD 4,543.50
Remote Office solutions for corporate branch offices
The Remote Office Branch Office offers are available in "Standard" and "Advanced" versions, each of which comprises a maximum of 25 virtual machines for a branch office. Differences between the packages relate to Host Profiles, Auto Deploy and Distributed Switch. In the Standard version, Fault Tolerance covers two CPUs, in the Advanced version it covers four processors.
License prices per processor for remote office virtualization
- Standard: USD 3,900
- Advanced: USD 5,850
Essentials Kits and Essentials Kits Plus - the virtualization solution for small businesses
The Essentials and Essentials Plus Kits have been developed especially for small businesses. They are each licensed for three servers with up to two CPUs. The Essentials Kits enable server virtualization and consolidation based on central management, the Essentials Plus Kits are based on a business continuity feature and offer a more complex configuration with extended functional areas.
License prices for the Essentials Kits:
- Essentials: USD 643.50
- Essentials Plus: USD 4,495.00
