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HPE StorageWorks MSA Review

Good support, robust, and the snapshot feature is helpful

Dec 09 2020

What is our primary use case?

We are using virtualization and we use this storage for hosting workloads. We have our own workloads, as well as some for our customers.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are the storage levels and snapshot features.

We also use some of the other common features like zoning control, IO metering, and input/output control.

What needs improvement?

This product is getting a little bit older, so new features like deduplication are not included. We would like to see the environment updated.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using HPE StorageWorks MSA for more than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a very stable product.

We have had hard drives fail, although stability was not an issue because RAID manages situations like this. We simply notify the vendor, they come in and replace it in the background, and the matter is solved.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is very good. This environment is part of our infrastructure. We are an internet service provider (ISP), so we have our own infrastructure hosted. This includes our link monitoring systems and the authentication service center. We also host a large number of customer workloads on virtual machines, which are all running on this system.

How are customer service and technical support?

The local HPE support has always been good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We currently have storage arrays by both HPE and Dell. The product from Dell is the PowerVault system.

We will be purchasing an all-flash array, as well. The requirement is due to the high demand for our customers' environments that are using heavy IO.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward and the deployment is very quick.

What about the implementation team?

We deployed it ourselves, and we had a little bit of support from the vendor. It was not complex because our environment was simple, so we configured it. When we had a doubt about something, we contacted the vendor, but otherwise completed it on our own.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

This solution involves a one-time CapEx payment, followed by warranty extensions.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

HPE was the initial product that we evaluated. We were content with it, so we went straight to implementing it.

What other advice do I have?

So far, our experience with this product has been great. We've had a small number of issues such as a hard disk failure, but that is manageable with RAID so it has not been a problem. This is a product that I recommend for others.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.