Are you part of an organization that is currently running vCenter Lab Manager? You’re not alone. When VMware announced its decision to discontinue additional major releases of the product, it was a bit of a wake-up call for users. As the conversation has progressed, it’s clear that many users aren’t necessarily convinced that vCloud Director is the de facto replacement for Lab Manager. So, if you are still considering your options, read on.
vCloud Director
vCloud Director is designed so that a number of modular components can work together to provide the required functionality. For instance, the vCenter Chargeback module provides the ability to issue chargebacks to individual departments for the infrastructure resources that they have consumed. This allows the organization to customize their private cloud, but it also means there will be a lack of standardized documentation and numerous separate components to oversee. Organizations will typically incur costs associated with developing and deploying the vCloud Director infrastructure and training their employees to manage it, even if they obtain the vCloud Director licenses for free.
Cost Considerations
If you decide to transition away from vCenter Lab Manager, the most cost-effective option is typically going to be migrating the existing lab environment to a hybrid or public cloud. Cloud migration usually has a lower cost than switching to vCloud Director or an equivalent product, and carries a number of distinct benefits and challenges. The challenges can generally be overcome by choosing a provider that fits your use case, and a good understanding of how to manage a virtualized environment in the cloud.
Additional Reading
Blog series:
- Part 1: Lab Manager EOL: Weighing Your Options
- Part 2: Lab Manager EOL: Transitioning to a New Product
- Part 3: Lab Manager EOL: Migrate Your Lab Environments to the Cloud
If you have questions about moving your lab to the cloud, be sure to get in touch with one of our cloud specialists. You can also take our Skytap Cloud tour.
