By R2 Unified Technologies
VMware NSX is a best-in-class network virtualization suite, providing major benefits such as segmentation, automation and scalability. Nevertheless, it can be difficult to determine which virtualization tool you need, and which licensing is right for your organization.
Today, we're going to take a deeper look at VMware NSX, the enterprise editions and the advanced licensing features that your organization may need.
Does your organization need VMware NSX?
Before looking into licensing, you should consider whether you need VMware NSX and whether you will see advantages from the technology included in the more advanced packages.
VMware NSX is a platform for network virtualization that can provide a variety of benefits for enterprise organizations. Some key benefits include:
- Segmentation. VMware NSX allows you to create micro-segments in your network, which can help improve security and performance.
- Automation. VMware NSX allows you to automate your network, which can help improve efficiency and reduce your organization's overall labor burden.
- Scalability. VMware NSX is highly scalable, so it can grow with your organization. Automation can further help in improving the scalability of your system, as you no longer need to rely upon manual actors.
If your organization is looking for a platform for network virtualization, VMware NSX may be the right choice. It's an exceptionally powerful system. The only question is which licensing you need for your organization.
How does VMware NSX work?
VMware NSX is a software-defined networking and security platform that delivers the operational agility and security required by today's digital businesses. VMware NSX provides comprehensive security, microsegmentation and pervasive visibility across the data center.
Importantly, it can be deployed on top of any existing virtualization platform, including VMware vSphere, to create a more secure, agile and efficient data center. But many of the components of VMware are split into different modules. Not every organization is going to need every module and consequently may purchase different licensing.
VMware NSX is a key part of the VMware vSphere 6.7 release, providing the industry's first native security for virtual machines (VMs), complete with microsegmentation and rich networking capabilities. VMware NSX is also part of VMware Cloud on AWS, providing customers with a seamless way to extend their on-premises virtualized environment to the AWS cloud.
What are the licenses & editions of VMware NSX?
Choosing the right licenses and editions of VMware NSX is incredibly important. It all depends on what your organization needs to deploy and your organization's IT budget and strategy. There are three major VMware NSX licenses and editions:
- VMware NSX for vSphere: This is the foundational license that provides the basic networking and security features for virtualized environments. For a smaller organization, this may be all they need to continue to get the best of VMware's virtualization packages. For an enterprise, however, this is likely not enough.
- VMware NSX Manager: This license is required to manage VMware NSX deployments. This is incredibly important for enterprises and organizations with any type of complex network infrastructure.
- VMware NSX Advanced: This license includes all the features of VMware NSX for vSphere and VMware NSX Manager, and includes advanced features such as cross-vCenter networking and load balancing, Distributed Firewall (DFW), and Guest Introspection.
VMware offers flexible licensing options to fit the needs of different types of organizations. For example, customers can purchase VMware NSX licenses on a per-CPU basis, or they can purchase a VMware NSX license with entitlement to a certain number of cores.
But enterprises are likely to see the most significant advantages by purchasing enterprise licensing or advanced licensing upfront. The advanced licensing will give them all the benefits of the VMware package, without having to worry that they might exceed the capabilities of their existing package.
The major advantages of enterprise licensing for VMware NSX
For enterprises, the VMware NSX Advanced license is generally the best option. This license includes all the features of VMware NSX for vSphere and VMware NSX Manager and also includes advanced features such as cross-vCenter networking and load balancing, Distributed Firewall (DFW) and Guest Introspection.
The VMware NSX Advanced license is ideal for organizations that want to take advantage of the full range of VMware NSX features. It offers better value to a complex enterprise infrastructure than purchasing individual licenses. Further, it provides for greater levels of security and support.
VMware NSX for vSphere, VMware NSX Manager and VMware NSX Advanced can also be licensed on a per-CPU basis, which makes it easy to scale the VMware NSX deployment as the organization grows.
Starting out with the enterprise license means that the organization is likely to find transitioning to the VMware virtualization setup easier and will not need to worry about whether they need to expand their capabilities or adjust in the future.
The potential downsides of investing in VMware for enterprise
Every major organizational change requires a risk assessment. There are still a few potential downsides to consider when choosing VMware NSX Advanced licensing.
First, the license can be expensive, depending on the size of the organization.
Second, it can be difficult to manage and keep track of all the licenses in an enterprise environment.
Finally, it's important to make sure all the features of VMware NSX are needed before purchasing the license. Otherwise, that money may be better spent elsewhere.
A deep understanding of not only how your organization currently functions but how your organization wants to function in the future (futureproofing) is necessary before you make a decision on either your VMware packages or your VMware licensing. Conducting a deep third-party audit of your abilities and your needs can help.
Moving forward with VMware NSX enterprise
Are you not sure whether VMware NSX Enterprise is right for your organization? Choosing between VMWare NSX Editions isn't just difficult; it could have widespread ramifications for your organization's tech stack.
Contact us today to find out more about VMWare NSX, what it can do for your organization and how it can help your organization innovate.
