Looking For a New SAN Storage Solution?
With so many companies moving or having already made the move to VDI, we get multiple inquiries about SAN solutions on a weekly basis.
Looking at the volume of this demand, we decided to comb through our research and compile all of it into this easy-to-digest blog, featuring our top 6 solutions for 2017. Perfect for the IT pro that doesn’t want to pick up the phone, this article provides a little background on each vendor’s solution, what type of company the solution is suitable for and its top attribute.
Get to know a little about each solution and see which of the top features will be most appealing to your IT team. Should you have further questions, we’re just a phone call away.
CTC’s Top 6 SAN Storage Solutions of 2017
1. Nimble SmartStack
SmartStack is an integrated infrastructure solution that is brought to you by Nimble Storage and partner Cisco. Working with several workloads, including new All-Flash CVD for Enterprise, VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V and more, SmartStack helps IT professionals decrease their deployment time, as well as their management responsibilities through its unique predictive analytics.
It’s speed, scalability and simplicity land it in our number one spot.
Best-Suited For:
Companies interested in a dynamic hybrid flash solution that offers out-of-house management in the form of predictive analytics, easing workload while keeping system robust and running 24/7.
Top Feature:
InfoSight Predictive Analytics will collect and analyze data points from your arrays every four hours, catching 9 out of 10 issues before you ever even realize they have occurred.
- Increases uptime to ^99.9999%
- Level 3 engineer always just a phone call away
- Preventative measures for future already in place
2. HPE 3PAR StoreServ
Scalable to the largest of corporations, this Tier-1 All-Flash array can “handle unpredictable workloads with 99.9999% data availability.”
The single tier architecture allows IT teams to start small and scale up later as demand increases. However, this solution does include hardware to accelerate its dedupe and achieve lower latency.
This solution is highly popular among customers that want to reduce their intricate, bulky storage silos, looking for a more modern architecture.
Best-Suited For:
Large enterprise companies that need to meet the constant requirements of their highly-consolidated cloud service providers and may not be as concerned with immediate support and shipments.
Top Feature:
Primary, modern 1-Tier architecture allows you to break down archaic silos and increase your system’s performance and uptime while meeting cloud provider requirements efficiently.
3. Dell EMC Vblock
Vblock is one converged infrastructure system that handles all aspects of your IT. Working with an impressive portfolio, Vblock is a flexible solution that allows it to fold into various IT atmospheres.
With dedupe and compression coming standard in its VNX operating systems, it routinely includes features that customers may be nickel and dimed for with other solutions. That being said, Vblock is best for companies that have a higher budget as it costs more than some comparable options.
Best-Suited For:
Companies with multi-cloud framework that hold the ability to creatively configure solution as a higher priority over budgetary, future performance and management concerns.
Top Feature:
File and block storage deduplication and compression capabilities are delivered standard with the VNX operating system.
4. NetApp SolidFire
SolidFire is a highly-flexible solution, utilizing full automation, unlimited scale and 100% predictability, which sets it apart from more rigid infrastructures. Being able to easily go from 4 nodes to 100 (no controller upgrades), makes this solution great for companies expecting a lot of future growth.
The solution setbacks come with architecture and pricing, as some series still rely on disk drives, meaning a larger footprint and non-optimal performance for IT, and capacity-based pricing could mean extra costs for added SW.
Best-Suited For:
Companies that need a fully-flexible, unlimited All-Flash storage solution.
Top Feature:
NetApp’s All-Flash solution is extremely flexible with turn-key storage, capacity-based licensing and customized hardware.
5. Nutanix VDI Solution
A lower cost solution than some competitors, Nutanix offers a hyperconverged solution that combats the problems of complexity, inflexibility and fragmentation. This solution is 100% software-defined and comes ready to run View, VMWare and Citrix software.
This solution is also pay-as-you-grow, which is great for customers that may expect growth, but aren’t necessarily sure how much.
Nutanix hyperconverged VDI is great for atmospheres that require quick turnaround for desktops.
Best-Suited For:
Small or midsize companies that need both compute and storage, may expect future growth and like the pay-as-you-grow economic model, and don’t mind less flexibility.
Top Feature:
Software-designed solution offers many seamless features involving data reduction, performance, security and mobility for enterprise applications.
6. Pure Storage OpenStack
Including dedupe and compression with its solution, Pure Storage’s OpenStack offers high performance (high I/O throughput) without causing a large footprint. It is a higher-cost solution ($/GB), but users won’t experience loss of performance when doing upgrades or maintenance due to 50% utilization of controllers.
Though companies with bigger budgets won’t mind the higher costs, we believe top considerations for everyone should be the lack of unlimited scalability, data protection and support of this solution.
Best-Suited For:
This option is suitable for companies that have a focus on high performance and have a higher budget, but don’t need unlimited scalability and don’t mind the lacking support, data protection, and enterprise application compatibility.
Top Feature:
We would have to say that the IO throughput and performance put this solution in a top spot in this industry.
Let CTC Technologies, Inc. Help You Make The Right Choice
When deciding on a new SAN storage solution, different pros and cons may appeal to you and your team depending on your current infrastructure, future needs (i.e. growth) and budget.
Before making the choice, consider how each strength and weakness will play into your company’s future. It’s also a good idea to make a list your current priorities and future goals. Then, find the solution that marries these with your physical factors, such as your budget, timeline and data center space.
If you need any help making a decision, please fill out our contact form, and one of our trusted SAN storage experts will reach out to you as soon as possible. Need a faster response? Give us a call at 734.408.0200.