Dell vSAN Ready Nodes vs StarWind Virtual Tape Library comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Dell vSAN Ready Nodes and StarWind Virtual Tape Library based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two HCI solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Dell vSAN Ready Nodes vs. StarWind Virtual Tape Library Report (Updated: March 2024).
767,995 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"I save both physical and virtual space.""The features that I found most valuable are ease of use of the software that StarWind offers - with the first setup being a bit painful.""StarWind vSAN has a lot of great features and is a perfect solution for mirroring internal disks and flash between servers.""As the client had acquired another company some distance away, they were concerned about having a single SAN in one location or the other. StarWind vSAN allowed us to keep a copy of the data local to each site without asking the client to pay for two SANs in addition to the two new servers they needed.""Virtual SAN runs on iSCSI, which is free and easy to configure. It's easy to manage from StarWind's GUI console, and it only required a few extra switch ports.""StarWind Virtual SAN is a very mature software that supersedes its capabilities with my use cases.""It's quite easy to install.""Without the need for any downtime, enterprises can simply grow their storage infrastructure using StarWind Virtual SAN by adding new servers or disks to the current infrastructure."

More StarWind Virtual SAN Pros →

"We find the initial implementation process simple and straightforward.""It is easy to install.""You don't have to spend much time evaluating the hardware. It can be deployed in a short time. The tool is also easy to upgrade.""The most valuable feature of Dell vSAN Ready Nodes is file sharing.""The tool's most valuable feature is high availability.""The most valuable feature of Dell vSAN Ready Nodes is the flexibility of the nodes. Additionally, if there are any critical issues they update us through emails. The issues are taken care of remotely on the system.""The most valuable feature is the set of user tools that are available.""I have found the most important features of Dell EMC vSAN Ready Nodes are the capacity to manage the storage because the storage is built in the servers. The type of profiles you can attribute to the storage is a benefit. You can manage the storage by profiles. Overall the solution is a good speed and performance."

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"The solution made our backups way more reliable.""It is a stable solution.""StarWind VTL allowed us to back up to virtual tape that was created within Veeam and upload the tape to the cloud.""The most valuable feature of the StarWind Virtual Tape Library is the archiving to the AWS cloud.""I like the fact that we can simultaneously upload the virtual tapes to different cloud providers, and the settings can be adjusted to speed up the upload times even further."

More StarWind Virtual Tape Library Pros →

Cons
"The most disappointing side of the application is the free edition. There used to be GUI attached. That has recently changed to only CLI management of the application.""It is hard to find adequate technical documentation on their support website.""The main thing I would like to see improved is the level of documentation.""I'd love to see native export of metrics (via Prometheus or something of that nature) to allow us to get more metrics available on our existing dashboard software.""I wish the sync after a failure, such as hardware failure or power-related issues, for example, was faster.""Having more support plan options would be nice.""I would like to see more monitoring and alert tools.""I had to buy upgraded support, which was not a problem, but it wasn't a prorated amount, so I paid for the support, the full upgrade, but I only got a couple of months out of it because it was only good until renewal time."

More StarWind Virtual SAN Cons →

"This product is not sufficiently scalable.""The Dell VxRail solution is based on vSAN Ready Nodes, but the Dell VxRail is fully automated. It would be helpful if this automation feature could be added to the Dell vSAN Ready Nodes. For example, we need to install VMware ESXi, and manually expand the cluster.""There is room for improvement in the maintenance pricing. Maintenance isn't difficult, but the prices are high and ridiculous. Some customers feel it is better to go with a new solution rather than renew this one.""Dell EMC vSAN Ready Nodes is a great hyper-converged system that is a perfect platform for supporting any kind of workload. The only workload that it's not designed to support is big data.""The power switch on the hardware is located in a poor location where it can accidentally be pushed. In an update, they should solve this issue so people do not push it accidentally to have their service go down. A possible solution is the switch should be inside.""Compatibility with other hardware nodes needs to be improved.""Upgrades are carried out manually.""Scalability is an area that could be improved. We are looking at a maximum of 32 nodes now in a cluster, but going to 64 or 128 would be a major advantage."

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"The solution's training process and online documentation could be more thorough.""The main thing that I felt could be improved was having an estimated time of completion for the virtual tape uploads to the cloud.""I am not sure if this is a limitation of my physical hardware or if it is the software itself. However, I would like the throughput to be faster.""The initial installation can be complex and should be simplified."

More StarWind Virtual Tape Library Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "The setup cost is very low. The pricing is great."
  • "We are happy with the price."
  • "The license is reusable. We can always rebuild it and apply the license. Then, boom, we get new servers, apply the license, and we're back up and running."
  • "The pricing is fine for the work that it does."
  • "When we did all the analysis for StarWind, it was approximately 20 percent less than any of the other solutions that we looked at."
  • "The scalability limitation for us is its licensing. At some point in the fairly near future, we will probably have to upgrade our license so we can store eight terabytes instead of four. We are currently at four terabytes, but we're starting to knock on the door of that capacity."
  • "The pricing is excellent. It will run on anything. You don't have to buy a $100,000 server, with hardware you don't need. You just pay for the license and you're good to go."
  • "The licensing is a bit weird. If you license the standard version of StarWind, it allows you four terabytes. Then, they have a pro version, but with the pro version, the only difference is it doubles the terabytes to eight."
  • More StarWind Virtual SAN Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "There is a problem, which is the lack of an integrated price structure."
  • "The price of the solution was reasonable."
  • "We have a four-year contract to use Dell EMC vSAN Ready Nodes."
  • "Comparing the price of Dell vSAN Ready Nodes to other solutions it is not expensive."
  • "The tool's pricing is competitive compared to others. The tool's licensing is based on annual subscriptions."
  • "My company makes yearly payments towards the licensing charges attached to the solution. The solution is expensive."
  • More Dell vSAN Ready Nodes Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "If you currently have Veeam there is no other solution that is as easy and affordable as StarWind."
  • "The pricing of the solution could be more flexible to meet the needs of smaller to mid-market size companies."
  • "The solution is cost-effective."
  • "The initial setup and deployment are also covered in the purchase at no additional cost."
  • More StarWind Virtual Tape Library Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:It is easy to use and can monitor system synchronization and check Storage status. StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN) combines… more »
    Top Answer:I would highly advise new users to consult the StarWind technical team beforehand. Also, consider the paid version if… more »
    Top Answer:You can maintain and update it with little to no fuss, even the free version is incredibly capable whilst it brings the… more »
    Top Answer:The tool's most valuable feature is high availability.
    Top Answer:The tool's pricing is competitive compared to others. The tool's licensing is based on annual subscriptions.
    Top Answer:Dell vSAN Ready Nodes' deployment is complex.
    Top Answer:The solution made our backups way more reliable.
    Top Answer:The pricing is surprisingly reasonable, and that includes the help to get it set up and running. They really want you to… more »
    Top Answer:I am not sure if this is a limitation of my physical hardware or if it is the software itself. However, I would like the… more »
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    StarWind SAN & NAS
    vSAN Ready Nodes
    Learn More
    Overview

    StarWind Virtual SAN provides high availability and fault tolerance for virtualized environments without the need for dedicated SAN hardware. It allows for real-time replication between servers, shared storage for Hyper-V clusters, and enables vMotion and High Availability features for VMware vSphere. The solution reduces costs and leverages existing hardware while providing a scalable and reliable infrastructure. Valuable features include ease of use, scalability, top-tier support, hardware agnosticism, and the ability to use off-the-shelf standard servers to increase storage space. StarWind VSAN has helped organizations improve performance, data availability, and data security while reducing downtime and providing cost-saving storage options.

    Dell EMC vSAN Ready Nodes are pre-configured building blocks that reduce deployment
    risks with certified configurations, improve storage efficiency by up to 50%1
    , and can help
    you build or scale your vSAN cluster faster.14 Whether you're just getting started, and/or
    expanding your existing VMware environment, Dell EMC is here for you every step of the
    way with consulting, education, deployment and support services for the entire solution.

    For SMB and Enterprises, who either look to get rid of backup tapes completely, or are willing to accelerate backup process and add an extra level of protection, our solution is StarWind Virtual Tape Library (VTL). It is an appliance that eliminates the need in physical tape and “pretends” to be a supported tape drive or autoloader, keeping all data on inexpensive, fast and high-capacity spinning disks.

    Even with explosive data growth, StarWind VTL fits the backup into backup window by accelerating it, so the process does not overlap with production time. Optionally, it creates additional copy of backup data for better safety. It is also available in a software-only form, as part of StarWind VSAN functionality. 

    StarWind VTL targets those, who need to replace existing tape backup infrastructure or accelerate it if regulatory requirements prohibit replacement. In case the goal is just virtualizing tape backup or creating a stretched backup infrastructure, StarWind Tape Redirector will come in handy. 

    Sample Customers
    Baker Tilly BVI, CMS Internet, Board Harpeth Hall School
    Rackspace
    Volvo, Sony, Samsung, Hitachi
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Manufacturing Company10%
    Construction Company8%
    Educational Organization8%
    Computer Software Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company18%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    Government9%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    REVIEWERS
    Computer Software Company60%
    Energy/Utilities Company10%
    Healthcare Company10%
    Government10%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company16%
    Government9%
    Comms Service Provider8%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company17%
    Healthcare Company9%
    Retailer8%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business64%
    Midsize Enterprise22%
    Large Enterprise13%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise58%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business36%
    Midsize Enterprise21%
    Large Enterprise43%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business23%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise61%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business33%
    Midsize Enterprise11%
    Large Enterprise56%
    Buyer's Guide
    Dell vSAN Ready Nodes vs. StarWind Virtual Tape Library
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Dell vSAN Ready Nodes vs. StarWind Virtual Tape Library and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    767,995 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Dell vSAN Ready Nodes is ranked 12th in HCI with 14 reviews while StarWind Virtual Tape Library is ranked 15th in HCI with 6 reviews. Dell vSAN Ready Nodes is rated 8.6, while StarWind Virtual Tape Library is rated 10.0. The top reviewer of Dell vSAN Ready Nodes writes "Offers good performance and is easy to use". On the other hand, the top reviewer of StarWind Virtual Tape Library writes "Flexible and reliable with helpful support". Dell vSAN Ready Nodes is most compared with VxRail, VMware vSAN, Lenovo ThinkAgile VX Series, Dell PowerFlex and Fujitsu PRIMEFLEX, whereas StarWind Virtual Tape Library is most compared with Red Hat Ceph Storage, HPE StoreVirtual and VMware vSAN. See our Dell vSAN Ready Nodes vs. StarWind Virtual Tape Library report.

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    We monitor all HCI reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.