The main use cases for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) at the bank involve internal applications, as we do a lot of internal applications not exposed to clients.
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Powerful Scripting and Automation Capabilities
What do you like best about the product?
ability to write and run scripts, schedule automatic scripts (cron) and run command line unix commands
What do you dislike about the product?
slight variation with user management and changes/settings
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
server communications/server session/login & file transfers
Hybrid cloud platform has simplified internal banking apps while supporting regulated environments
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
From my perspective, the best features of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) lie in its ease of use, especially compared to AIX, which has a lot of functionalities requiring extensive learning. It was easy for me to shift from AIX to Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) helps manage our hybrid cloud environment, but being a bank, we are highly regulated internally, so there is limited direct involvement with the cloud environment in Royal Bank cloud, which is Azure.
What needs improvement?
One area I see for improvement in Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is in the documentation. I encountered some scarcity when looking for information regarding structure, commands, and administrative tasks.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have dealt with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) for around 10 years, even when it was not part of IBM.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
My opinion of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL)'s scalability is that it was very easy.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate Red Hat's customer service or technical support as a 10, as my experience with all IBM products, including Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), has been very satisfactory all the time.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is straightforward compared to AIX, which is more convoluted.
What other advice do I have?
I have experience with platforms like Linux, and I am also working deeply with MongoDB and Node.js, tools that I use constantly every single day.
I am familiar with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL), and here in RBC, we are a big IBM shop, currently using JBoss and Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) as part of our environment.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is used for both cloud-based solutions and on-premises.
From a business value perspective, the business folks do not notice much difference between Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and other distributions, as long as their application functions well, they are satisfied.
We utilize two cloud providers for Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) solutions, mainly Azure and also Amazon. I cannot answer how Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) was purchased, but I know we have it on both Amazon and Azure.
I would rate Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) a nine, as I find it satisfactory in various aspects.
Effortless to Use with Top-Notch Security
What do you like best about the product?
Easy to use and more security purpose we use
What do you dislike about the product?
Operational license is more when compared
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Best operation
Scalable, Secure, and Globally Reachable
What do you like best about the product?
I appreciate the scalability of Red Hat Enterprise Linux across our environment, which allows us a global reach.
What do you dislike about the product?
I find some elements of complexity and skills gap a bit challenging. It would be helpful if there was free training available for everyone.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use Red Hat Enterprise Linux for database hosting. It solves our security and resilience issues and offers scalability that provides us with global reach.
Redhat Enterprise Linux has all the bells and whistles one could ask for.
What do you like best about the product?
We use RHEL for it's Enterprise-Grade stability, security and Long Term Support (10+ years).
What do you dislike about the product?
Dislikes for RHEL often center on it's cost, steeper learning curve for desktop/newusers, reliance on specific repos (EPEL), slower desktop performance and community friction.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
RHEL solves core enterprise IT problems by providing a stable, secure, and scalable foundation for hybrid cloud infrastructure, addressing challenges like security threats, operational complexity and skills gaps.
RHEL - Reliable, Secure, and Automation-Ready - Highly Recommended
What do you like best about the product?
I use Red Hat Enterprise Linux for its stable and secure environments, which are vital for automation and CI/CD workflows. I really like how robust the system is, especially during updates and long-running workloads. Built-in tools like SELinux, yum/dnf, and systemd make management smooth, and it integrates well with automation tools like Ansible. SELinux provides strong security by controlling access and enforcing policies. Yum/dnf makes package management seamless and keeps systems up to date. Systemd simplifies service management and the system boot process. Together, all these make Red Hat Enterprise Linux secure, reliable, and easy to maintain.
What do you dislike about the product?
Sometimes the subscription cost could be higher for smaller teams, and occasional updates or patches can introduce compatibility issues. The learning curve for some advanced features like SELinux can also be steep for new users.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
I use Red Hat Enterprise Linux for stable, secure environments. It provides a predictable, secure setup, simplifies patching, package management, and troubleshooting, saving time in QA and DevOps workflows.
Stable, Secure, Yet Pricey with Setup Challenges
What do you like best about the product?
I find Red Hat Enterprise Linux very useful because of its support, long-term support, and stability, which are some of the biggest advantages of using this environment. The support measures like forums, and regular bug fixes help me stay updated with the security standards. I also appreciate its enterprise-grade security, which is often used in high-level industries, and this exposure helps me become familiar with the system.
What do you dislike about the product?
I think the price limits could be improved. Even though it is updated, the newer standards are adopted very slowly and there should be an update every few years to adopt new standards. Also, installing drivers is a multi-step command line process which requires enabling the EPL deposit, installing the tools, and other things. It would be better if it were more of a one-click process because the additional drivers in the UI are secondary here. The partitioning aspect during setup was difficult; the manual tool is complex, which can be challenging for beginners due to the required planning and navigation.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux helped me tackle the problem of unreliability in server hosting for my AIML projects.
Good Overall, But Room for Improvement
What do you like best about the product?
RHEL provides consistent performance, predictable updates, and long-term support, which makes it ideal for production workloads. The built-in SELinux policies, lifecycle management, and seamless integration with tools like Ansible make system administration much easier and far more secure.
What do you dislike about the product?
What I dislike about Red Hat Enterprise Linux is that some features and repositories require a subscription to access, which can increase costs for smaller teams. Additionally, certain advanced configurations can be complex for beginners, especially when dealing with SELinux or dependency issues.
What problems is the product solving and how is that benefiting you?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux helps us solve the need for a stable, secure, and predictable operating system for production workloads. Its strong SELinux security, consistent patching, and long-term support reduce downtime and vulnerabilities. This gives us a reliable environment to run critical applications with confidence and ensures compliance with enterprise security standards.
Enterprise platform has supported secure consulting services and complex data center operations
What is our primary use case?
My principal focus in using Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) currently is as an integrator in Linux, where I have many services in consulting, deployment, installation, and troubleshooting in Linux. I have a recovery system, deployment clusters, databases, and work in any environment in data centers. At this moment, I am a senior consultant in the data center in open source.
What is most valuable?
The best features of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) depend on the client because the client can decide to use RHEL, not me. The principal thing is the support for the clients because many clients are corporate and have a need for enterprise support. It's the principal focus and is different from using Ubuntu or Debian or any other Linux.
Other good things about Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) include the focus on system patching, upgrades, and security. The security advisories and authorization are very strong in Red Hat, and that is the principal focus—security.
I manage Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) by provisioning patching, new deployments, automation, and anything else needed.
I am satisfied with the management experience of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) and find it satisfactory for this purpose.
What needs improvement?
I would rate customer service or tech support with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) a seven, no more.
I give it a seven because of the time it takes for responding to problems; it takes too long.
For management, it is medium; it is not easy, it is a medium level.
I see a medium ROI with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) because it has a high price. OpenShift may provide better ROI, but OpenShift is very high.
The initial setup of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is complex.
On a scale of one to ten, I rate it a five—medium complex.
A very expensive time is needed for deploying clouds with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL).
It takes a lot of time.
In many cases, Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) does not help me save time because the principal problem is that in AWS, Red Hat Linux is not the natural Linux for deployment; the default deployment in Amazon is Amazon Linux, not Red Hat Linux.
In many cases, it does not depend on direct Red Hat support for saving time.
My thoughts on the knowledge base with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) are that it is good but it does not have it all because I have the medium and plus; it needs more knowledge base.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this for 20 years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) has high scalability; it is high for horizontal scalability in any environment, and there are many solutions for scalability.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate customer service or tech support with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) a seven, no more.
I give it a seven because of the time it takes for responding to problems; it takes too long.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is complex.
On a scale of one to ten, I rate it a five—medium complex.
What was our ROI?
I see a medium ROI with Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) because it has a high price. OpenShift may provide better ROI, but OpenShift is very high.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is less expensive than OpenShift, which is very expensive.
What other advice do I have?
I am a reseller and a partner with Red Hat.
I am involved with Red Hat.
I use Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) for my labs, so I am a reseller, partner, and user. I would rate this review overall as an eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Improved cloud backups and security have transformed how our team builds and manages servers
What is our primary use case?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is used primarily to build AWS servers. A specific example of how RHEL is used to build AWS servers involves purchasing licenses from third-party vendors like REL and also from AWS. Once an AMI is obtained from the Marketplace, the AMI is customized by injecting all organization standards.
After internal tools have been built on the AMI, that AMI is used to build AWS servers.
How has it helped my organization?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) has positively impacted the organization by helping track everything, such as how many users have access to the server, which is easy to monitor. RHEL also offers better options for downloading repositories easily, and the ability to stripe the EBS volumes has allowed for pulling more IOPS and throughput.
The impact on the team and organization has been significant, as it has helped improve application performance and backup performance. Since AWS backend is used for backups, RHEL striping has proven very useful.
By using RHEL striping, throughput and IOPS have increased, which reduced the backup completion time from fifteen to sixteen hours to just fifteen to sixteen minutes. The main reason is the backend and the striping implemented for EC2 instances.
What is most valuable?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) offers several valuable features, including being secure and standard, and making whatever commands are executed easier to manage. When security and standardization are considered, no other person can access those RHEL servers.
Another good aspect is that whatever is downloaded comes from the repository, and every command is tracked, including the person who entered the command. Tracking on RHEL AMIs and OS standardization is very effective.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) helps mitigate downtime and lower risks by using the Pacemaker role for high availability. The primary and secondary systems are managed by the Pacemaker role, which helps reduce downtime for applications.
What needs improvement?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) could be improved by including a better app stream module experience or simply phasing out modules in favor of straightforward version repos. Red Hat could also integrate more common tools directly or integrate EPEL more seamlessly. Additionally, enabling AI-based operational tuning for kernel parameters, file system parameters, and network stack optimization could enhance the experience.
Regarding needed improvements, simplifying the subscription and licensing would help reduce complexity in subscription management. Clear visibility of consumption and unused subscriptions and compliance is also important.
For how long have I used the solution?
Seven years of experience have been accumulated in the current field.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) offers great scalability and supports very large memory.
How are customer service and support?
The customer support received is good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) has been the only solution used, and no switch from any other solution has occurred.
In comparing the business value of RHEL to other Linux distributions, no other Linux distributions have been used; only Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) has been utilized.
How was the initial setup?
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) systems are managed with a dedicated cloud support team that handles provisioning and monthly patching. Additionally, focus is placed on security hardening and optimizing it with cloud-init, instance tuning, and subscription activation.
What about the implementation team?
Image Builder has been used, but the AMIs are not built personally. A dedicated support team handles the building of the AMIs.
What was our ROI?
A return on investment has been seen, as it has saved a tremendous amount of time.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) helps save time; for example, the Pacemaker role facilitates faster task completion, and it optimizes backup processes.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Regarding pricing, setup cost, and licensing, the pricing is good; however, licensing is a bit confusing.
What other advice do I have?
My advice for others looking into using Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is to be aware that subscriptions can be challenging to manage. When a server reboots, the subscription goes to open, which can lead to others consuming the subscription, creating a challenge regarding the subscription and licensing part.
Security requirements were a significant consideration in choosing RHEL in the cloud because it is not open source and is highly secure.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) is assessed as having a better knowledge base offered through its tuning capabilities. By better tuning, the documentation is referred to, which helps in day-to-day work.
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) entitlement management can be confusing, as converting systems between subscription modes is not straightforward.
I would rate this review a nine out of ten.
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