VMware is the leading cloud infrastructure vendor. VMware vSphere(r), is the platform upon which all other solutions can be built. vSphere has been the industry’s most popular virtualization platform for over a decade. Today, over 250,000 customers choose to build their virtual or cloud infrastructures on vSphere. They trust their mission-critical applications to vSphere’s advanced capabilities and reliability. VMware offers cloud computing benefits to customers in an evolutionary and practical way. It uses vSphere as a platform and creates solutions specifically for it. However, there are other cloud competitors who are putting a serious challenge to VMware. This article will focus on the top VMware competitors.
1. RedHat
Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization (or RHEV) is an open-standard enterprise virtualization management system. This solution allows the virtualization of desktops and servers using the same infrastructure with a single, easy-to-use interface. RHEV is independent of any vendor and is, therefore, more cost-effective and flexible than proprietary solutions.
RHEV was formerly known as Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization. Red Hat Software is a software company that integrates open-source Linux operating system components with related applications into a distribution package customers can order. Red Hat’s business model is built on an open-source ecosystem. This allows for collaborative development within a group of professionals who are focused on quality assurance, testing, and customer support.
Red Hat provides a wide range of open-source software that DevOps professionals and businesses can use. These include operating systems platforms, storage, middleware and management products. They also offer support and training. Red Hat and the open-source community of applications is supported by Oracle, IBM, and Dell.
2. Oracle
Oracle VM for x86, a Xen-based server virtualization platform, is available for public and private clouds as well as traditional on-premise deployments. Oracle VM supports full lifecycles and applications deployment from disk to the cloud. Oracle VM is optimized for performance, security and efficiency. It supports major storage platforms and hardware vendors x86. You can also run Linux, Windows, and Oracle Solaris workloads. It is unique for virtualization platforms as it provides live patching via Ksplice, increasing security and minimizing service disruption. Oracle VM supports hard partitioning, which can greatly reduce licensing costs for software applications.
Oracle Linux clients can license less and move to Oracle Cloud because it is included in their subscription price. Oracle doesn’t sell licenses for the VM like other vendors. This is Oracle’s greatest advantage. It’s free, so you just need to get the hardware.
3. KVM
VM stands for Kernel-based Virtual Machine. This hypervisor technology is part of the mainline Linux Kernel and can be used with almost every Linux distribution. KVM is a type-2 Hypervisor that is installed on top of an OS (in this case, Linux). KVM runs like a type-1 Hypervisor, and can provide the same functionality and power as the most powerful and complex type-1 hypervisors. This depends on the tools used with the KVM package. KVM can also use QUEMU technology (Quick EMUlation), to function as a fully-type-2 hypervisor, when needed. This gives users the best of both types.
KVM is a hypervisor layer. It uses other tools to provide the functionality most people want in a virtualization platform. You will need tools like Virtual Machine Manager (another Linux-based program) or oVirt if you require a graphical user interface. KVM manages hardware access, VM Address Spaces, and I/O flow. VMM and other tools offer friendly interfaces to KVM command and control, making it a modern virtual platform.
4. Citrix
Citrix provides technology that allows remote access to applications and desktops. Citrix technology uses sophisticated and clever technologies to present information from different sources. Citrix Systems has many top products that are used by many well-known organisations around the world. Citrix Systems specializes in Thin Client and Virtualization technologies, but they also offer other technologies such as networking.
Citrix has a variety of products that deal with desktop and application virtualization. These tools enable access to Windows desktops, applications and other information from any device running any OS. Citrix XenApp, Citrix VDI-in-a-Box, and Citrix XenClient provide desktop virtualization.
5. Hyper-V
Hyper-V provides hardware virtualization. Virtual hardware is what each virtual machine uses to run. Hyper-V allows you to create virtual hard drives and virtual switches. You can also add virtual devices to virtual machines. Hyper-V makes it easy to create or remove different operating systems.
Hyper-V allows you to run multiple operating systems, or virtual machines, on one desktop or laptop. These virtual machines can then be exported to Azure and imported into another Hyper-V system.
6. Nutanix
Nutanix was the first to market with hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI). This technology modernizes IT design and operations. It integrates enterprise storage services through distributed software that is inspired by cloud-scale cloud architectures. Nutanix software can be run on a variety of servers. It delivers all types of container-based and virtualized applications and eliminates the complexity and cost of traditional SAN storage arrays.
Nutanix products have a reputation for allowing customers to choose the technology that suits their needs. Nutanix HCI software supports most of the top hypervisors in the industry, including Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware’s ESXi. Approximately 50% of Nutanix customers choose to run ESXi using the Nutanix platform. Others can lower virtualization licensing costs by using Nutanix AHV and Microsoft Windows Server Hyper-V.
Nutanix supports hybrid cloud designs and allows for full portability between public and on-premises cloud environments. IT professionals have investment protection knowing that private cloud infrastructure investments can easily be migrated to public clouds. Nutanix products have a reputation for simplicity and ease of use throughout the entire lifecycle, including initial deployment, production scaling and troubleshooting.
7. SUSE
SUSE, a German company that was founded in 1992, was the first to offer Enterprise Linux distributions. S.u.S.E. is the name of the company. The acronym S.u.S.E. stood for Software- und System-Entwicklung, but now the company is simply known as SUSE.
SuSE is able to assemble open-source components for the Linux operating systems and related programs into a variety of distribution packages that you can purchase. A distributor is a better option than trying to assemble the Linux kernel from different sources. You can also save time by buying a package that includes detailed documentation and technical support. SuSE also offers a Braille edition. This edition is designed to appeal to new users of Linux and encourage Windows users to move to Linux. The Personal Edition as well as the Professional Editions include a wide range of applications.
Novell, Inc acquired SUSE in 2003. Novell, Inc was then acquired by The Attachmate Group. Micro Focus International later acquired Attachmate. SUSE is a Micro Focus subsidiary that Micro Focus owns but which operates independently.
Conclusion
That was all about the VMware competitors. Although there are many others, the main ones in this article are the most prominent. If you’re considering VMware, be sure to check out about other cloud vendors mentioned in this article.
