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Comparison between Microsoft Private Cloud and VMware Private Cloud

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Comparison from Microsoft point of view.  

Happy to discuss different views & opinions :)

 

The table below lists Microsoft’s competitive advantages over VMware for private cloud solutions.

Microsoft private cloud Strengths VMware Private Cloud Limitations

Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V

  • Built-in virtualization with unlimited virtualization rights.
  • Leverages familiarity with Windows.
  • Best choice for virtualizing Microsoft workloads like SQL, Exchange, and SharePoint.

vSphere 5

  • Must be purchased as a separate product.
  • Imposes memory-based licensing.
  • Requires learning a new technology from the ground up.
  • Complicated support models when virtualizing Microsoft workloads.

Operations Manager

  • Provides “a single pane of glass” to monitor infrastructure, network, applications, transactions, and code.
  • Provides “a single pane of glass” to monitor applications running on private and public cloud (Windows Azure) environments.
  • Provides “a single pane of glass” to monitor physical and virtual infrastructure.
  • Provides “a single pane of glass” to monitor Microsoft and non-Microsoft platforms, including Unix, Linux, and VMware.

vCenter Operations Manager Suite (vCOPs), vFabric APM

  • vCOPs is required for monitoring infrastructure and network. vFabric APM is required for monitoring applications and code. Note: these products are not fully integrated.
  • vCOPs cannot monitor apps and vFabric APM cannot monitor apps running on VMware’s PaaS platform, Cloud Foundry.
  • vCOPs cannot monitor physical infrastructure. VMware offers another product, Hyperic, which is required for monitoring apps running on physical infrastructure, but it can only monitor a limited set of apps. Unlike Operations Manager, it cannot monitor business critical apps including SQL, Exchange, and SharePoint.
  • vCOPs Enterprise Plus edition can integrate with 3rd party products but is priced at $34,250 for 25 VMs.

Virtual Machine Manager

  • Offers multi-hypervisor support (Microsoft, VMware, Citrix).
  • Server App-V, a new breakthrough technology enables virtualization of server applications, thus simplifying the process of deploying and upgrading apps in private clouds without having to re-architect or rewrite them.
  • Rich Service templates describe many aspects of multi-tier applications and allow separate updates of applications and VM images thereby reducing the number of VM images that must be managed.
  • Provides built-in resiliency.

vCenter

  • Cannot manage hypervisors other than ESXi/ESX.
  • Nothing comparable to Server App-V technology.
  • vApps focus on describing the VMs that contain a multi-tier application and have limited functionality. (for example, unlike Microsoft VMM, certain tiers within a full multi-tier app defined within a vApp cannot auto-scale based upon demand).
  • Purchase separately the expensive vCenter Heartbeat product for resiliency.

Orchestrator

  • Mature product with best-in-class workflows and automation.
  • Provides a true IT Pro authoring environment (Visio like drag and drop interface).
  • Provides automation throughout the datacenter (physical and virtual).
  • More than 30 integration packs, mostly focused on 3rd party tools.

vCenter Orchestrator

  • Rebranded from Lifecycle Manager.
  • Complicated developer focused authoring environment.
  • Automates only the virtual environment in the datacenter.
  • Only 13 plug-ins, mostly focused on VMware products (five plug-ins VMware centric).

Configuration Manager

  • The most widely-used configuration life cycle management tool in the market (first introduced in 1996) with a footprint on millions of desktops.
  • Empowers users: enables device freedom and application self-service.
  • Helps improve user satisfaction and free up helpdesk resources though service management integration.

vCenter Operations Manager Suite (vCOPs), vCenter Configuration Manager

  • New product (first introduced in 2011).
  • No concept of application self-service.
  • Limited integration with VMware Service Manager for service management tasks.

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