Are you making the most out of VMware vCenter?

Happy with VMware vCenter but unhappy with its performance? It might need a tune-up. Find out how a reputable cloud consultant can help.

VMware vCenter is some of the best virtualisation software around. It creates a workable network for your business by digitising physical servers – an online replica of your data centre that can be managed from the cloud.

vCenter is built for today's hybrid cloud environments. It consists of three core pieces: vSphere (which virtualises CPU and RAM), vSAN (storage) and NSX (network and security).

We're living at a time when virtualisation is now the norm – and when its business advantages are clear. Multi- and hybrid cloud environments help you to spread risk – after all, if you only have one cloud environment (or, sketchier still, one on-premise data centre) you're vulnerable to downtime.

vCenter helps you to manage these complex environments from a single pane of glass.

VMware's solution is powerful and versatile – but some customers report frustrations with its performance.

This matters. Performance drag adds up. Not only is it frustrating but it also soaks up valuable time. Virtualisation software is like the connecting cable that runs between physical servers and the cloud. If it's starting to fray, your business will suffer to some degree.

The thing is that the problem doesn't have much to do with the software itself. The issue is that steps aren't being taken to optimise the software and make the most out of it.

What are some issues that vCenter users experience?

Virtual machines are complicated and they use a lot of CPU and RAM. If you've got multiple VMs running at once, you could well run into issues with speed.

This is especially frustrating if it's your mission-critical apps that are taking their sweet time. Having to wait a second every time you click your mouse is like watching the finale of your favourite TV show with poor signal – the difference being that this latter experience won't negatively affect your profitability.

This issue with speed tends to stem from multiple factors that are located on different hosts. Troubleshooting has to be comprehensive – otherwise, you may fail to diagnose the issue. But to do this, you need to monitor your VMs continuously.

This is often not a cost-effective or practical solution – a key reason why many enterprises turn to external consultants for help.

A cloud consultancy firm with a proven track record of success will have the time, resources and expertise to monitor and manage your complex cloud environment and figure out what needs tweaking and where.

How can you optimise vCenter's performance?

There are several things you can do to optimise vCenter's performance – but you need to be sure that it's the right approach. Before you open the bonnet and start tinkering, you need to have given the car a thorough service.

That said, here are five steps that can help to improve vCenter's performance.

1. Don't scan VMs for viruses

This might sound counterintuitive – why on Earth wouldn't you check your VMs for viruses? The reason is that antivirus tools can't inspect VMs, so making them check anyway could cause performance drag.

2. Assign extra RAM to your VMs

VMs are resource-heavy and greedy for memory. If they're lagging, you might need to assign RAM through the VM's settings.

3. Pick the right disk

VMs default to dynamically allocated disks on launch. But you can choose to switch to fixed-size disks. Again, this might seem counterintuitive because fixed-size disks take up more space. But they also make it quicker and easier to add files to the hard disk and reduce fragmentation.

4. Defragment

Every IT technician knows the value of defragmenting physical drives – but what about VMs? If data is fragmented, the disk has to gather it together again from different physical drive areas, which can lead to lag. Defragment your host operating system disk to pep things up.

5. Add CPU

CPU is VM fuel. The more in the tank, the faster the performance. It may be that you need to assign more CPU to your VM to optimise its performance.

As we say, there's no guarantee that these are the right steps to take in your particular pickle – but hopefully, it will give you an idea of the kinds of issues that vCenter faces.

What else can you do?

Slow vCenter performance driving you up the wall? You've got choices.

It may be that you have a technician on your team who can deal with performance issues and optimise your vCenter.

If not, you're faced with a choice. You can either splash the cash on training – or you can get outside help from a reputable cloud consultant.

Getting a good cloud partner is like getting a good accountant or a good solicitor. It's about leveraging expertise without throwing money into a big ditch marked "training".

Moreover, a good partner will be attentive to where your business is right now and where it wants to go. It will work around your deadlines to make sure your productivity doesn't take a beating.

Troubleshooting won't take care of itself – so if you find yourself in a position where you want to stick with vCenter but can't bear the drag and lag, a cloud consultant could help.

About our vCenter optimisation service

To optimise your vCenter solution, you need expertise in several overlapping areas: networking, virtualisation, cloud computing and security.

At Ascend Cloud Solutions, we have these skills on tap. We're proud partners of VMware and our consultants all have a background in VMware support and infrastructure.

We can help you to analyse your current virtual environments and figure out how performance can be improved. We're solution-oriented and ready to optimise – all within the budget that you provide. Our aim is to help you get your business where it wants to be.

Interested in a VMware consultancy project? Then please don't hesitate to get in touch for a chat.