Five best VMware management tools. Virtual machines help create a more flexible and cost-effective IT environment, but require the right software to manage and secure them. Hi, I'm Megan from NinjaOne. Today, I'll discuss five of the best VM management tools to consider for optimizing your virtual environment. Before we get started, be sure to subscribe now to our IT Video Hub and YouTube channel so you never miss out on smart IT tips and powerful solutions from NinjaOne. Virtualization and VMs, a brief overview. Virtualization creates simulated environments and distributes them to various devices from a single server called a virtual machine. Consequently, users can access work desktops virtually on any device rather than through a company-issued PC, enabling flexible work setups while avoiding the cost of acquiring additional hardware. But this does not automatically minimize downtime or guarantee protection from external threats like ransomware. Hence, virtualization providers like VMware provide management tools that help maintain virtual machines' operational efficiency and security. If you're looking for such tools to add to your stack, here are five we recommend. Top five VMware management tools. NinjaOne. Our first recommendation is NinjaOne endpoint management, which monitors and manages VMware ESXi hosts and virtual machines alongside your other endpoints from a single console. Users can get a 360-degree view of their VM-powered infrastructure for seamless endpoint monitoring and automate the deployment of security patches and updates in a single platform. Adding to its efficiency is a responsive customer support team ready to respond to users' needs. Next, we have New Relic, whose unified data platform can collect vast amounts of data in a single cloud. With its VMware vSphere monitoring tool integration, users can monitor and collect metrics across multiple VMware environments from a single account. Despite its strong observability capabilities, New Relic can have a steep learning curve, especially for teams without dedicated monitoring specialists. Our third featured tool is Quest Foglight, a comprehensive management platform that monitors and diagnoses hybrid IT environments, including virtual machines. While Foglight offers powerful diagnostics, it requires skilled IT teams to unlock its full potential. Some users find its customization options more complex than expected. At number four is ManageEngine OpManager. Its VMware monitoring feature can automatically detect, map, and monitor virtual machines and report on key metrics such as CPU usage, memory utilization, and network performance. While users have raised concerns about extra effort needed for some third-party integrations, these can typically be addressed with additional configuration or support. Our fifth and final tool to discuss is Red Hat Virtualization. This enterprise-grade platform is noteworthy for its easy interruption-free migration of virtual machines. IT professionals can access integrated apps on their centralized dashboard that enable networking, backup, and disaster recovery. Red Hat Virtualization is a robust platform, but adopting it can come with a steep learning curve, especially for teams integrating Windows AD environments or deploying in complex cloud scenarios. These five tools will assist your organization in making a strong and secure virtual IT environment. For a more detailed look, check out our official blog post on the best VMware management tools, linked in the description below.