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Select the Right Vendor for Server Virtualization
Info-Tech Research Group, May 2010
VMware continues to dominate but Citrix and now Microsoft offer viable alternatives.
Your Challenge
- Situation. For serious server virtualization – beyond proof of concept testing – VMware is the obvious choice, as it dominates the market. Many organizations do not explore alternatives.
- Limitation. While VMware leads in features, functions and market share, it is also a proprietary approach and the most expensive. Citrix XenServer has rapidly closed the features gap and Microsoft is close behind with Hyper-V R2. Both are cheaper and function in a heterogeneous (multi-hypervisor) environment.
- Solution. VMware will likely top the short list but it is now possible to actually have a short list. For lower costs considerations Citrix XenServer and Microsoft Hyper-V R2 are viable alternatives.
Our Advice
Critical Insight
VMware’s significant market share shouldn’t be a deciding factor. Consider the strengths and weaknesses of all of the vendors:
- VMware’s product maturity vs. high price point
- Citrix’s free management tools vs. battling the mindset that Citrix = desktop virtualization
- Microsoft’s quickly maturing Hyper-V vs. out of touch licensing scheme
Impact and Result
- Virtualization first-timers should start with free hypervisors to achieve basic server partitioning and consolidation and to gain experience with virtualization.
- Management tools come at a price but are needed to take virtualization efforts to a higher level (e.g., disaster recovery goals).
- Vendors eventually want to lead enterprises up the path to the cloud; server virtualization is a key enabler of cloud initiatives.
Get to Action:
1. Put VMware, Citrix and Microsoft on your short list for server virtualization
For achieving the goals of savings through server consolidation and management of an efficient virtual infrastructure, VMware remains the market leader.
Citrix XenServer has also emerged as a leader in features for building and managing an enterprise virtual server infrastructure.
Microsoft Hyper-V was late to the virtualization party but has recently emerged as a viable alternative beyond the dev/test lab.
- What Citrix XenServer Adds to Xen Virtualization
- Hyper-V R2: Microsoft Fills its Virtualization Gaps
- VMware vSphere: Next Step in Virtualization
- XenServer 5.5: Keeping Up with Citrix's Latest Update
2. Start with the free options for basic server partitioning/consolidation
Gain implementation and management experience and directly compare vendor offerings.
Basic server partitioning – for example consolidating workloads on one or two physical servers – can be achieved at no cost for virtualization software. This will yield higher consolidation savings.
Hypervisors are free. What differentiates virtualization software offerings (both in capabilities and cost) are the tools for managing virtual infrastructure across multiple physical hosts.
All the leaders have free options. Citrix offers significant management capabilities in the free version.
- VMware Go: Adds Value to ESXi Hypervisor
- Battle of the Hypervisors: How Do They Compare?
- ESXi: No-Charge Hypervisors Boost Consolidation Savings
- How the Free XenServer Ups the Management Ante
- VMware Highlights Memory as a Differentiator
3. Evaluate strengths and weaknesses of other products in the marketplace
Diligently consider the strengths and weaknesses of other options.
- Vendor Landscape: Competitors Catch Up to VMware
- Oracle Consolidates Xen Based Virtualization Players
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