VMware Health Analyzer

What do you like best?

I like the easy data collection and analysis. Already having the option of running a stand-alone Java application or deploying and OVA into the existing environment provides the flexibility to meet different companies scenarios. The data is then complied and presented in multiple formats that is easy to present to management, but also has the technical detail necessary to provide valuable insight into the virtual environments it is meant to cover.

What do you dislike?

I found part of the report filled with some bloat that could have been cut down upon in certain scenarios. There is also a lack in context when reviewing the findings. The executive summary is good for higher level audiences, but the accompanying spreadsheet is where the ready data can be found. However, trying to sift through the many rows can become tedious without the proper understanding of the overall environment. A person with knowledge of how the environment was built would be helpful to narrow down the findings into actionable items.

What problems are you solving with the product? What benefits have you realized?

Our virtual environment has multiple sites, so being able to see them all across a single report was very useful. Configurations across a diverse set of infrastructure can be difficult to keep up with, but this report helped provide insight into areas one may not check on a regular basis. The benefits include revealing configurations across the virtual infrastructure that would otherwise go unnoticed until a potential outage occurred. Knowing where to look within the virtual environment in order to proactively solve mismatched settings goes a long way in preventing unexpected outages.