About vMware vSphere Standard Edition 12 Core
VMware vSphere Standard Edition is virtualization software that allows you to create and manage virtual machines on a single physical server. The 12 core license allows you to run the software on a server with up to 12 physical processor cores. With the Standard Edition, you can take advantage of features such as vMotion, High Availability, and Distributed Resource Scheduler, which help optimize performance and availability of your virtual machines. This edition is suitable for small to medium-sized businesses looking to virtualize their IT infrastructure.
Pricing and Subscription Packages for vSphere
What comes with each Edition, first of all? Additionally, what features are there in every edition? I’ll start by responding to the final query. I’m not aware of any changes to the functionality in vSphere Standard or vSphere Essentials Plus. For instance, Storage vMotion and vMotion are still included with Essentials Plus and Standard, respectively. Secondly, how much does this item cost?
| Package | Per Core MSRP | Licenses Included/Notes |
| vSphere Essentials Plus Kit | $35 | vSphere Essentials Plus, vCenter Server Essentials *sold per 96-core kit, maximum of 3 hosts |
| vSphere Standard | $50 | vSphere Standard, vCenter Server Standard |
| vSphere Foundation | $135 | vSphere Enterprise Plus, vCenter Server Standard, Tanzu Kubernetes Grid, Aria Suite Standard, available Add-On’s vSAN Enterprise 100GiB free per-core licensed to be included in vSphere Foundation software release |
| vSphere Cloud Foundation | $350 | vSphere Enterprise Plus, vSAN Enterprise, Aria Suite Enterprise, NSX Networking for VCF, HCX Enterprise, Aria Operations for Networks Enterprise, SDDC Manager vSAN Enterprise 1 TiB free per-core licensed to be included in vSphere Cloud Foundation software release |
vSphere Subscription Licenses included per License Package
Now, allow me to provide some context. The pricing listed above is 3-year ACV. I was unfamiliar with the term ACV and subsequently had to research its meaning following an explanation provided by our distributors. This pricing is referred to as the “Annual Contract Value.” This implies that if the contract duration is three years at a rate of $35 per core, the annual cost will be $35; however, the total sum for the entire contract will amount to $105 per core. Please be advised that there are available terms of 1, 3, and 5 years, and the pricing per core may differ among these options.
Please take notice of the asterisk and accompanying annotation regarding the licensing of the Essentials Plus Kit. vSphere Foundation and vSphere Standard are offered on a per-core basis, whereas the Essentials Plus Kit is exclusively available as a 96-core package. This indicates that, even in a modest environment, such as those utilized by many of my clients, which may consist of two or three hosts equipped with a single 16-core processor, it remains necessary to purchase the 96-core equipment when employing Essentials Plus. This situation renders Essentials Plus more costly than vSphere Standard, wherein licensing is based on specific requirements. To enhance clarity, I have outlined several circumstances that I believe are more prevalent within the small and medium-sized business (SMB) sector.
Scenarios Involving vSphere Subscription Licensing
| Host/Core Count | vSphere Package | Total Cores | MSRP | vSphere Package |
| (2) Hosts, 16 Total Cores per Host (or less) | vSphere Essentials Plus | 32 | $10,080 | 3-Year Term, Licensed as a 96-Core Kit |
| (3) Hosts, 16 Total Cores per Host (or less) | vSphere Essentials Plus | 48 | $10,080 | 3-Year Term, Licensed as a 96-Core Kit |
| (3) Hosts, 32 Total Cores per Host | vSphere Essentials Plus | 96 | $10,080 | 3-Year Term, Licensed as a 96-Core Kit |
| (1) Host, 16 Total Cores (or less) | vSphere Standard | 16 | $2,400 | 3-Year Term, Standalone Host |
| (2) Hosts, 16 Total Cores per Host (or less) | vSphere Standard | 32 | $4,800 | 3-Year Term |
| (2) Hosts, 24 Total Cores per Host | vSphere Standard | 48 | $7,200 | 3-Year Term |
| (3) Hosts, 16 Total Cores per Host (or less) | vSphere Standard | 48 | $7,200 | 3-Year Term |
| (3) Hosts, 24 Total Cores per Host | vSphere Standard | 72 | $10,800 | 3-Year Term |
| (3) Hosts, 32 Total Cores per Host | vSphere Standard | 96 | $14,400 | 3-Year Term |
| (4) Hosts, 16 Total Cores per Host (or less) | vSphere Standard | 64 | $9,600 | 3-Year Term |
| (5) Hosts, 16 Total Cores per Host (or less) | vSphere Standard | 80 | $12,000 | 3-Year Term |
| (2) Hosts, 16 Total Cores per Host (or less) | vSphere Foundation | 32 | $12,960 | 3-Year Term |
| (3) Hosts, 16 Total Cores per Host (or less) | vSphere Foundation | 48 | $19,440 | 3-Year Term |
| (3) Hosts, 32 Total Cores per Host (or less) | vSphere Foundation | 96 | $38,880 | 3-Year Term |
Licensing Scenarios for vSphere Subscription in Small Deployments
In summary, for small to medium-sized enterprises with a limited server footprint operating their virtual environment, vSphere Standard may be more suitable than Essentials Plus. If you are operating single-socket hosts or utilizing fewer than a total of 24 cores per host, it would be advantageous for you to acquire a license for the more feature-rich option, as it will be more cost-effective than purchasing the Essentials Plus Kit. However, if you are operating with a higher core count or multiple processors, and are utilizing up to three hosts, the Essentials Plus Kit may present a more economical option compared to the Standard licenses, provided that the additional features offered in the vSphere ESXi Standard licenses are not required. For those operating within the broader Enterprise Plus domain, vSphere Foundation offers several advantageous features, including certain vSAN licensing provisions. It is important to note that this pricing may be more economical than your current expenditure on Enterprise Plus; however, it will still exceed the costs associated with most variations of the Essentials Plus and Standard licensing options.
The VMware vSphere Standard Edition 12 core software is a reliable and robust solution for businesses seeking to enhance their IT infrastructure through advanced virtualization capabilities. With features such as vMotion and automated resource allocation, it offers a scalable and efficient platform for managing workloads and applications. Overall, this software is a valuable investment for organizations looking to streamline their operations and increase efficiency in their data centers.