Hyper-V or VMware?

The disruption of virtualization hegemony

Jason Perlow: For the first time in four years, Windows Server and Hyper-V are not only at parity in terms of basic enterprise virtualization functionality with VMware vSphere, but in a number of respects actually exceeds it in terms of features offered and encompasses the functionality of a number of other VMware products that would be considered expensive add-ons, as well as 3rd-party enhancements for VMware that you’d have to go to other vendors and spend big bucks for
as well.

The obvious manageability, scalability, ease of deployment and significantly reduced total cost of ownership advantage of Windows 8 Server and Hyper-V  will finally force VMware into a corner as CIOs examine the licensing bottom line and the value to that Windows Server 8 and Hyper-V brings to their environments as a complete end-to-end virtual infrastructure and private cloud solution in a box, for a fraction of a cost of the industry leading enterprise virtualization stack.

For those of you who still feel that VMWare's position is safe, I ask that you remember in the mid-1990's when Novell Netware was network operating system king and the newcomer, Windows NT seemed unfit for the enterprise. It's going to happen again, folks. Get your affairs in order, VMware. 2013 is going to be remembered as the year that the virtualization hegemony was disrupted.

Microsoft a minority player

Ken Hess: VMware has the clear advantage in the x86 virtualization market, since it began the market in 1999. Prior to this breakthrough, virtualization was something that IBM did on mainframe computers. VMware brought virtualization to the desktop and to the data center for everyone.

Microsoft is a late arrival in the virtualization market. Although, tardiness doesn't imply failure, I believe that Microsoft hopes that Microsoft shops and SMBs will embrace Hyper-V as their virtualization solution. Microsoft has a chance to claim a small percentage of the market's growth over the next few years but will never encroach on VMware's pole position.

Even if you take VMware out of the picture, Microsoft is still a minority player in the x86 virtualization space. Red Hat's KVM and Citrix's XenServer are two compelling and capable alternatives. Hyper-V has little chance of market penetration in light of its well-established competition.

For my money, there's VMware and then there's everyone else.