PeerSpot user
Group IT Manager at a hospitality company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Effective backup and replication, highly stable, and helpful support
Pros and Cons
  • "I have found backup and replication to be useful. We have a 10 megabit line between the data center and our main site. The backup and replication are very good. Additionally, the solution runs on VMware which is a benefit."
  • "The interface is good but takes some time to get used to."

What is our primary use case?

We are in the hospitality industry with 10 hotels, and all the systems are on HPE SimpliVity infrastructure. We have our 10 systems on the infrastructure, such as a huge hospitality application, finance, and material control systems.

What is most valuable?

I have found backup and replication to be useful. We have a 10 megabit line between the data center and our main site. The backup and replication are very good. Additionally, the solution runs on VMware which is a benefit.

What needs improvement?

The interface is good but takes some time to get used to.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using HPE SimpliVity for approximately two years.

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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is highly stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We do not need to scale the solution because we have purchased it with servers, with two processors, and 750 gigabytes of memory per server. We have everything that we need and do not need to upgrade or scale the server or scale the infrastructure.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good.

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

When the Dell PowerEdge infrastructure became old we then decided to switch to SimpliVity. We have also used Dell VxRail and all the other solutions that we had upgraded at that time.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is a bit complicated. Setting up the networking and other infrastructure can be difficult if you are have not done it before. There are lots of things that you have to take into consideration, and at that time it was quite new to us. The total time it took for everything to work correctly was approximately four days.

What about the implementation team?

HPE did parts of the implementation with us.

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

The price of the solution is reasonable. We have purchased a five-year license with all the support and upgrades.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to others is HPE SimpliVity It is a very good system, very stable, and has lots of features that we have not seen work well in other systems. All the features work incredibly well with HPE SimpliVity.

I rate HPE SimpliVity an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Lead Systems Engineer at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Reduces complexity of our backup process and improves recovery time
Pros and Cons
  • "A very small package but with lots of memory and CPU."
  • "I would like them to add more connection capability, a hub and spoke model, to improve the number of connections that it can handle."

What is our primary use case?

We're using it to refresh our retail stores.

How has it helped my organization?

It has improved our backup situation by reducing its complexity and improving recovery time.

As a refresh, we've improved our CPU and memory capability which allows us to build a foundation and continue to move forward in our app development. We can release new applications.

What is most valuable?

  • The easy to use interface
  • Already using VMware
  • A very small package but with lots of memory and CPU

What needs improvement?

I would like them to add more connection capability, a hub and spoke model, to improve the number of connections that it can handle. That would be helpful because we have a lot of retail stores.

There are certain technical things that we run into. There's a matrix compatibility where, if you upgrade one piece, the rest have to fall into line. If that requirement could be eased up a bit it would be a good thing.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would consider it stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

For the most part, for what it does, the scalability is fine.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is very good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was pretty straightforward.

What about the implementation team?

We used a reseller. Our experience with them was kind of interesting. CDW was the main partner but they had sub-contracted parts of it out to Tech Data, a move which added another layer that we didn't expect and was not fully disclosed at the beginning.

What other advice do I have?

You definitely have to do a PoC and check-mark all the different items that are in your requirements. Go from there and see if it actually works.

I'd give it a nine. It has pretty much everything there.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
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Raul Borges - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Manager at Nuxiba
Real User
Top 10
A complete user-friendly solution with a straightforward setup
Pros and Cons
  • "It's a very nice solution. It's a complete solution that we are looking for because we don't have personnel with expertise."
  • "There is room for improvement in the operations area because the support for that server space is minimal."

What is our primary use case?

We are using the solution for our customers. We offer CW Kolob, Call Center platform, using HPE SimpliVity to our customers as a SaaS.

How has it helped my organization?

In our case, we have an improvement in the operatives area because the support for that server space is minimal. For instance, I don't have to be an expert to work with them.

What is most valuable?

I have a lot of benefits from it. I like that I can create a service as I need it. I don't need new licenses for operating systems. I don't need to ask for server space, I don't need to wait for support, and I don't need to wait for monitoring. 

What needs improvement?

There is room for improvement in the operations area because the support for that server space is minimal. I want to sell a solution, but not bigger than the one I have. Maybe they can offer more features for more customers and optimize it, but with the same protections that I already have right now.

I want to replicate my business offering in the United States. I want to pay for HPE SimpliVity in Mexico, but they told me that it's not possible. They told me that I need to look for a representative in the United States and make all the payments over there.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using HPE SimpliVity for two years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It's a very nice solution. It's a complete solution that we are looking for because we don't have personnel with expertise.

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

no

How was the initial setup?

The setup was very easy, but it is hard to deploy. We had problems with training after the setup. We think that we need at least four weeks.

What other advice do I have?

Training is important before integration. Ask HPE for at least four weeks for integration before they start sending out invoices.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give HPE SimpliVity a nine.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Junior Software Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Easy and fast application hosting but problems with stability and support
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is that the product has an inborn backup."
  • "The setup was complex, as it has multiple integrations with multiple orients."

What is our primary use case?

My main use case is hosting in-house applications as well as public applications over the cloud.

How has it helped my organization?

With HPE SimpliVity, hosting applications has become very easy and fast.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is that the product has an inborn backup, which gives a copy of my primary and secondary copies.

What needs improvement?

There are some problems with the product's stability, specifically with backup, that could be improved. The integration and automation could also be improved. In addition, when updates appear, they are often delayed and don't provide new features. In the next release, I would like to see integrations with multiple OEM vendors and better compatibility with other OEMs.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using HPE SimpliVity for around three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product isn't stable yet, and we are facing a lot of issues. For example, when it comes to integration with multiple applications, it becomes more complex for us to handle, and the security goes wrong.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good, but there can be problems with integration and compatibility when patching or updating the product.

How are customer service and support?

I would not rate the technical support highly - we have multiple support cases open without any solution, despite having escalated several times and being told that management is working on it.

How was the initial setup?

The setup was complex, as it has multiple integrations with multiple orients. Deployment took around fifteen minutes to half an hour.

What about the implementation team?

I used a consultant from VMWare to implement the product.

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

Licensing is available on a yearly basis, with no mandatory additional costs.

What other advice do I have?

Maintenance and monitoring requires a team of between 10-15 people. Before using this product, I would suggest that users check what kind of integrations they're looking for, as an alternative solution may work better for them. I would rate this product as five out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Assistant Manager - IT & IS at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Stable with good pricing but needs to clarify the licensing terms
Pros and Cons
  • "The pricing of the solution is very good."
  • "The initial setup is not that easy."

What is our primary use case?

The product is a hyper-converged solution. We are using this for local databases and application settings.

What is most valuable?

It's a normal solution and offers all of the typical features of a typical production on the market.

The pricing of the solution is very good.

The solution offers good stability.

What needs improvement?

There's nothing overly special or unique about the solution.

Overall, SimpliVity has a lot of features, however, those features need to be more precise. It's like a jack of all trades and master of none. It needs to hone in on a few features and really make them shine.

SimpliVity claims to have what you call a compression and dedup ratio, however, in practice, it doesn't really work.

They need to give more controls and more features as far as the backup is concerned.

The initial setup is not that easy.

The licensing could be more clear.

The technical support isn't ideal right now.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for two years at this point.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is quite stable, however, there's a lot of dependability on VMware. It interfaces a lot with it. Therefore, if there are any changes in VMware, it has to be reflected on SimpliVity as well.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have not really tried to expand the product, due to the fact that we don't really want to invest more into it. Therefore, I can't really speak to the solution's capabilities in this matter. We're just going to use it and maybe over a period of time, we might just come out of it.

How are customer service and technical support?

When we had purchased SimpliVity, it was a stand-alone product. Then, HPE acquired SimpliVity. Therefore, whatever support that is there, it is not really the complete, comprehensive support that you would experience with other HPE products. Basically, since this is an acquired system, there are limitations when it comes to support.

How was the initial setup?

We're just customers. We aren't resellers or consultants.

The initial setup is not straightforward. It's fairly complex.

The deployment didn't take too long, however, It was done in about a week or so.

In terms of recommending the product, it depends on what a company needs and it depends on what they want it for. It's a solution-driven implementation. What didn't really work for me, might work for someone else. 

I'm not sure if HPE is very keen on SimpliVity, as I don't really see them promoting this product very much. I'm curious to see if they'll continue with it or not.

Overall, I would rate the solution at a five out of ten.

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

Our solution is on a perpetual license. The pricing itself is okay. It's not too expensive.

There's a bit of confusion around licensing. Initially, SimpliVity did not talk about licensing for the software. However, later on, when the customers tried to update it, then SimpliVity said that they would have to pay for the update. Ideally, HPE should be very transparent about pricing and the licensing of this particular solution. It's not right now.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
IT Director at Celgene Corporation
Real User
When we had to increase capacity, it scaled very simply
Pros and Cons
  • "It has lessened our burden on multiple different products, so they are under one umbrella. This has been economically good."
  • "Since it is a newer solution, there needs to be more knowledge transfer out there."

What is our primary use case?

We are using SimpliVity for VDI and virtual desktops. We are also using it for some small manufacturing sites.

How has it helped my organization?

It has lessened our burden on multiple different products, so they are under one umbrella. This has been economically good.

What is most valuable?

SimpliVity is simple and all in one.

What needs improvement?

I don't think it's as simple as it is marketed, but it is a new product. Since it is a newer solution, there needs to be more knowledge transfer out there. The product needs more maturity because of the industry.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is too early to tell about stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It scales well so far. We had to increase capacity. It was able to scale pretty simply, and that worked well.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support has been awesome.

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

We were previously using basic compute storage.

We were lifecycle managing all our technology, so it was more about stability. We switched for a more converged solution.

How was the initial setup?

Scheduling was a little rough, but other than that, it went okay.

What about the implementation team?

HPE deployed it, but we used an integrator (CCP) for design. Our experience with CCP was good.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked at Nutanix and Dell EMC products.

We went with HPE partly because I have history them.

What other advice do I have?

Do your homework.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior Engineer at a retailer with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Restores that used to take us days can now be done almost instantly
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the quick restore."
  • "There is room for improvement in that there is a need for so many Federation nodes. It would help if they increased that capacity so that we didn't have to have so much hardware in our secondary site."

What is our primary use case?

We use SimpliVity in our retail stores as a backup solution.

How has it helped my organization?

We had an incident once where one of our primary servers in a retail store went down. It took us less than a second to do a restore. It came back up and we were up and running. It used to take us days to restore those servers.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the quick restore.

What needs improvement?

There is room for improvement in that there is a need for so many Federation nodes. It would help if they increased that capacity so that we didn't have to have so much hardware in our secondary site.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It seems pretty stable in regard to the way it's working with the Federation and in the local copies.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is good. It's scalable to what we need it for.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is amazing. It's really good. We've gotten the white-glove treatment from HPE and CDW.

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

We were running on antiquated equipment and older solutions that required a lot more hands-on work. We used a piecemeal solution. We had two Dell servers and a VNXe storage unit and we backed it up through Commvault. So we had a bunch of different providers, different supports that we'd have to call for the three different things. With SimpliVity it is all just one.

How was the initial setup?

Initially, it was pretty complex for us because we didn't know anything about it. But once we got the hang of everything, it actually became pretty simple.

What about the implementation team?

We used a reseller, CDW. Our experience with them has been great. They've been an awesome reseller for us. We do almost all of our stuff through CDW.

What was our ROI?

We haven't really seen ROI yet because we're still fairly new to the product.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Our shortlist included Dell and Commvault. We chose Simplivity for the simplicity of the way it works and the true hybrid converged appliance which was there. We didn't have to buy a bunch of equipment. We bought two nodes and were able to do everything with those two nodes.

What other advice do I have?

If you're a retail company that has a bunch of stores, I would actually highly recommend this for your stores - for the simplicity of it, the ease of the restores, and keeping your environment up and running.

We use it as a backup solution and so that the nodes don't fail. When the nodes fail, it's all governed through SimpliVity. It's been working really great. We haven't had too many issues with it.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Director of IT at a pharma/biotech company with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
I like the ease of management and speed of deployment.

What is most valuable?

Data protection that is inherent with the system. Speed of deployment and extremely easy to manage. Backup and replications take just seconds! I have a junior level tech maintaining the system!

How has it helped my organization?

We update our main pharmacy system monthly at three locations. Standing up a test environment for validation takes just minutes. Also, during the upgrade process after hours our maintenance window has decreased over 50% with blazing fast entire server backups.

What needs improvement?

Upgrades/Patches to ESXi have to be approved by SimpliVity and their support installs them...along with upgrades to their virtual controller. That's the one downside to having such an easy to manage integrated console...it needs to be validated against ESXi.

For how long have I used the solution?

2 years

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

No

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

No

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

Great.

Technical Support:

Technical Support is very knowledgeable and responsive. First Class.

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

Legacy Dell Equallogic SAN. Needed a datacenter refresh and loved the feature rich all in one SimpliVity solution.

How was the initial setup?

It was very straightforward. Your part is to provide LAN connectivity, Ipmc and rack them. Implementation team pretty much handled the rest including knowledge transfer.

What was our ROI?

Given we needed a datacenter refresh, we were able to implement SimpliVity at a cheaper cost than replacing our legacy compute and SAN. We inherited true business continuity (priceless)...and were able to prune our preexisting server backup solution. Just the backup solution software costs saved us >$15,000 annually. ROI was instant.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

What other advice do I have?

This solution protects your data with minimal effort. Due to the deduplication, optimization, compression and small block size; our replication happens every 15 minutes without feeling it. We have a very elaborate backup schedule that allows us to keep various levels of backups for extended periods times without hardly using any physical storage. A savings rate of over 130 to 1!

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user326337 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user326337Customer Success Manager at PeerSpot
Consultant

How does the ESXi validation process impact your User Experience/Productivity?

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