Virtualization & Management Benefits

 

With Windows Server 2012, virtualization is built into the product through a server role called Hyper-V. This means you can easily integrate it with your existing infrastructure and management tools. Since Hyper-V is the “Windows you know,” you can use the in-house expertise you already have. In fact, if you know Windows, you know virtualization. Unlike VMware vSphere, which adds another layer to your infrastructure and requires a separate skillset and training, Hyper-V is built in so you don’t have to spend valuable resources and time on learning a new skillset. There’s no need to dedicate specialized IT staff to manage your hypervisors.

 

 

The more you virtualize, the more complex your environment can become – and the more critical management is to enabling a cost-effective, dynamic infrastructure. Microsoft System Center 2012 gives you a unified set of integrated management functionality for your physical, virtual, private cloud, and public cloud environments, and is the only solution that lets you manage both Hyper-V and VMware, all through one console view. VMware’s answer to management is to use VMware vSphere and VMware vCenter along with several other fragmented point solutions, but even this combination falls short: you still can’t manage multiple hypervisors, physical resources, or applications.

 

 

Microsoft datacenter virtualization and management products are licensed on a per-processor basis, so you get the cloud computing benefits of scale with unlimited virtualization and lower costs – consistently and predictably over time. A Microsoft virtualization and management solution includes everything you need for virtualization and private cloud for today and tomorrow, with a feature set that is consistent across all editions. This includes the core virtualization capability, advanced infrastructure and application level management, and even the Windows OS licenses that you need for your virtual machines. VMware virtualization and management products require you to purchase numerous different products to match the Microsoft solution, even if you purchase their vCloud Suite. More importantly, the different editions of VMware’s products have different capabilities and features, forcing you to choose between the features you need against the high cost of VMware software. Microsoft offers a complete virtualization and management solution that is easy to purchase and provides the best value in the industry.

 

Our analysis shows that when compared to a Microsoft private cloud solution, the comparable VMware private cloud solution can cost from five to six times more, while providing significantly less capability.

 

 

 

The table below shows how Windows Server 2012 Hyper-V along with System Center 2012 offers a more complete, higher-value datacenter virtualization and management solution at a much lower cost than VMware.