Dell XtremIO vs Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform comparison

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Dell XtremIO and Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two All-Flash Storage solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Dell XtremIO vs. Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform Report (Updated: March 2024).
765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Q&A Highlights
Question: Dell EMC XtremIO Flash Storage OR Hitachi Virtual Storage F Series
Answer: I would personally take a look at Nimble Storage. It is all processor and memory based. You can get the same performance out of a Hybrid array from Nimble. They offer all flash as well, but performance is not based on disk I/O. Very cool technology.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"It has been very stable. I have not seen or heard of downtime storage issues after moving over to it.""It simplifies the overall management. We don't have to worry about storage anymore.""The top-tier support and reliable storage are the most valuable features of this solution.""We've had different types of storage, and three things of this solution are valuable. The first one is its outstanding performance. The second one is its stability. In the about three years that we've had it, we've had component failures, but we never had a service interruption or any data loss. The third one, which is really critical, is that it is super easy to use in terms of provisioning, storage, and managing the arrays. I'm able to maintain a multi-site environment with a couple of dozen arrays with a single mid-level storage admin.""Having fast storage allows actual servers to perform in high capacity so we don't have slowdowns on our applications.""Has also helped simplify storage for us. The other person we put in there, took about a week to implement. And we had both arrays set up within around four hours with a thirty minute drive time between the two locations.""Performance is the most valuable feature.""The stability of Pure Storage is very very good."

More Pure Storage FlashArray Pros →

"It has very good performance for an application which needs lower latency and a better response, for example, in microseconds.""Initially, we faced numerous issues with our analytical systems. However, we saw performance improvement after the implementation of the solution.""Ease of management, aside from the serious performance, is the best feature.""The speed is extremely valuable.""The solution's most valuable feature is its high performance.""It is great for applications like Microsoft Exchange, ERP, SQL and VDI; basically saved the VDI buy-in from users, as now performance was seamless in comparison to a physical PC.""It was very easy and straightforward to setup.""The program is very stable."

More Dell XtremIO Pros →

"It's a state of the art solution in storage systems. High-availability and performance are the strongest aspects of these machines.""It is the most stable high-end solution in this area.""There are no significant challenges in terms of scalability, and it can accommodate larger storage capacities compared to other storage solutions.""This is one of the most stable, high-end solutions in this area.""The first thing that attracted this model to us was the non-disruptive migration. We had a very large database application that was on older gear and needed to be migrated to these arrays. We had experience with virtualizing behind an array and moving applications and data but this made it even better.""The feature I like best is the stability of the hardware.""Storage is the most valuable feature.""I am happy about the storage system and availability."

More Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform Pros →

Cons
"When we were doing some tests, we found that there was an I/O freeze when they were switching the controller.""Had some issues with Purity not being entirely compatible with VMware ESXi.""This product has only two active controllers, whereas other solutions can have more. This is something that needs to improve.""In the next release I would like to see integration into other third-party player providers like Google.""With scalability, I have run into a little problem with our last upgrade. There were some undocumented limitations to the number of drives that our controller could run on. So, instead of putting in a new data pack as we had anticipated, we had to keep adding and removing to get up to the capacity that we needed to be. What should have been a one day process (or a few hours) turned into a month and a half process.""The support for NFS protocols right out-of-the-box need improvement. I'm used to other storage vendors who have NFS support right out-of-the-box, and Pure Storage doesn't seem to have anything.""I would like to have an easy way to determine the cost per VM so that I can present a solution to our customers.""Just some nit picky stuff, like allowing servers and volumes to be grouped. Therefore, it would easier to work with them in the GUI."

More Pure Storage FlashArray Cons →

"One thing that should be improved is the reporting and monitoring tools. It should use real time monitoring for storage, IOPS, latency, etc.""It is very expensive to scale. You have to buy an additional system to extend from one disc, for instance. It is scalable, but extremely expensive to do so.""Scalability is something that can be improved because there is an issue when it comes to mixing versions.""They can improve the product by providing an HTML5-based interface instead of the Java GUI based application.""The GUI could be modified more in terms of how the different components are linked to each other.""We've encountered challenges in integrating other products with Dell Xtremio, as it tends to be more vendor-locked. This means we can't easily explore other solutions that might work alongside Dell.""I would like hardware capacity additions to be a little more flexible. The upgrade path for the existing XTremIO units requires you to purchase 2 XBricks at a time and they need to be the same capacity as the existing XBricks.""This solution is geared toward enterprise-level companies. Small and medium-sized businesses would find it extremely expensive."

More Dell XtremIO Cons →

"The deployment could be a bit easier, because it's a bit tricky""The solution is stable. However, there have been some software crashes where we had to restart the system. They could improve the hardware to prevent this type of issue.""There is a drawback related to Hitachi's configuration flexibility. The Hitachi storage platform solution is not flexible. That means that both the Hitachi and the partner presale guys have to do a lot of work to design a solution.""The embedded management for installation feature has neither simplified nor complicated the management process, therefore, there is room for improvement.""The interface should be simplified and made easier to use.""Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform needs to improve its scalability options where there are a few shortcomings.""The user experience is pretty bad in Hitachi. A lot of mandatory tasks take a long time to work through.""The initial deployment was somewhat complex when it came to the installation because of the network connectivity. It was more difficult, in this specific case, than with other platforms."

More Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "We feel that the pricing is fair and the licensing process was easy for both."
  • "There is always room for negotiation."
  • "The price was slightly higher than others, but competitive, if you consider all the other features that you get from it."
  • "It is a more expensive solution, but it is worth it. You are getting what you paid for."
  • "For pricing, you have to take into account their performance on deduplication and compression in a $/GB comparison."
  • "We have seen a reduction in total cost of ownership (TCO)."
  • "It is a cheaper solution."
  • "Pure Storage is all-flash, so this sometimes tends to make it a bit more expensive in the beginning."
  • More Pure Storage FlashArray Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Pricing and licensing are in line with other products from other manufacturers. You get what you pay for."
  • "This is the best flash array on the market for high-end workloads, so expect to pay for that. But the support subscription cost is fixed for seven years, which made it easier for us to plan on the maintenance costs."
  • "It's not cheap, but it absolutely gets the job done. I don't have any real comment regarding licensing specifically."
  • "It is great when a product can deliver high-end performance capabilities while offering a very competitive price point."
  • "XtremIO is pretty straightforward about pricing. However, you need to look at your data so you can estimate, with the advice of DEL EMC, what data reduction ratio you will reach. In our case, a 3:1 reduction ration gave us a positive case compared to other storage arrays."
  • "Don’t buy this array. You’re paying for loads of magic beans, since it’s mediocre at best for a platform in a rapidly growing field. Look instead at Pure Storage or something with variable block deduplication. You’ll end up spending less and getting a better product with actual support."
  • "It is costly but worth it."
  • "With some workloads that benefit from compression and deduplication, costs are actually better than some tier 2 subsystems (while latency remains <1ms)."
  • More Dell XtremIO Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The pricing we get is very competitive when compared to other vendors. Hitachi is working on their licensing model and it is improving but can be irksome when many different items are not bundled or enterprise size."
  • "Our main issue with the Hitachi G-Series is what we consider to be an archaic software licensing scheme and high maintenance costs."
  • "It is a little expensive."
  • "I would like to see better pricing and more discounts."
  • "Pricing could be better, because the cost is very high."
  • "This solution is cheaper than Dell EMC VMAX. When you are looking for a high-end solution, price matters, but availability and stability are more important than the price."
  • "This is an expensive solution."
  • "When you are looking for high-end solutions such as this, price is less important than stability and availability."
  • More Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Comparison Review
    Anonymous User
    Leading up to EMC World 2015, IT Central Station asked how I would compare EMC XtremIO and HP 3PAR. Until recently, the flash storage conversation in my organization and many others has centered on XtremIO and Pure Storage, the leaders of the all-flash array (AFA) space. To that end, I've written a few posts already. In 2015, though, the HP giant began to rouse and challenge the mainstream status quo with its 3PAR offering. Quantifying 3PAR's platform is different from XtremIO and Pure, though, as it can seem amorphous given the many ways it can be quoted. Are you asking for all flash? 3PAR will give you that and lay claim to the best-of-breed title. Oh, but you want some mass storage akin to archival or virtual tape, too? 3PAR changes jerseys and shouts, "I'm it!" Is it, though? Let's put 3PAR against XtremIO and see how they measure up! Define the Conversation  The hard part about these comparisons and competitive analyses is that we aren't talking about products of the same species or specialization. I struggle to put it properly, but consider it this way. In pre-AFA days (the age of traditional spinners like NetApp FAS3040, EMC CLARiiON or VNX, and even last-gen 3PAR), the contest was like pitting a Toyota Camry against a Nissan Altima. They did most of the same things with minor strengths, weaknesses, and preferences. Talking about XtremIO versus 3PAR 74xx is more of a discussion about construction-grade, heavy-duty cranes versus massive earth movers. They are in the… Read more →
    Answers from the Community
    Anonymous User
    reviewer357684 - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer357684 (Technical Architect at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees)
    Real User

    When we compare EMC XtremIO with HDS VSP F, there are quite a few things to be kept in the back of the mind:

    1. The EMC XtremIO is an AFA that provides only block storage. It is a scale out system and works in terms of X-Bricks. The system can scale from 1-8 X-Bricks.
    2. In terms of the benefits, the array is extremely simple to administer and support inline data efficiencies (de-dupe/compression etc).
    3. While native replication wasn’t initially available, I believe it is there now as is integration with Recoverpoint.
    4. In terms of positioning, we need to remember that, while it is an enterprise grade AFA and has been used to address Tier-0/1 requirements, it is still not the upper most echelon in the EMC hierarchy. The EMC VMAX all flash would be that.
    5. The array relies on standard eMLC disks and there have been mentions of integration with NVMe.
    6. If you are looking for metro clustering, you will need to rely on the VPLEX which can virtualize the XtremIO behind it. But this is a huge add on cost.

    1. The HDS VSP F is a Tier-1 storage array that is intended for the most demanding of apps. Additionally it is among a few arrays that support mainframe connectivity (FICON).
    2. HDS does not use standard eMLC drives but instead relies on HDS’s proprietary FMD drives which are pretty much similar to standard SSDs
    3. The VSP F conforms to standard VSP architecture and is part of the redesigned portfolio of newer VSP systems (G600, 800 and 1000).
    4. It supports enterprise grade replication, metro clustering (Global Active Device) natively.
    5. HDS offers standard data efficiency features
    6. HDS offers a data availability guarantee.

    Comparison:

    1. The selection would come down to what you are looking for. The XtremIO would probably be the less expensive option.
    2. With HDS, the product has a proven stability/reliability record. The same is true to a great deal with XtremIO.
    3. VSP F is treated as a tier-1 enterprise array that can deliver 6 ‘9’ availability which is not the case with XtremIO
    4. HDS management interface is still pretty pathetic in comparison with EMC and HDS has never taken that seriously
    5. Support is also not a huge differentiator with both EMC and HDS having global support
    6. HDS is historically known for being very rigid in terms of what they allow you to do. Typically expansions, add on configs are handled by their own people which is actually not bad but generally at an add on cost.
    7. In terms of market numbers, while XtremIO was EMC’s primary bread winner for the last 2-3 years, those numbers have come down and right now, the VMAX is dominating. HDS has been continuously losing market share and has not been innovating. These are things to consider.
    8. In short, think about the use case, data criticality, capabilities you are looking for, level of availability, expansion etc. That should cut it. On the EMC side, do remember that, XtremIO integrates with ViPR and also with vRA. You may want to explore the VMAX option. You can start small on the VMAX and it would be a better buy in the longer run.

    Conclusion:

    1. For a company of around ~500 employees, I believe the XtremIO would suffice. Think about capacity and growth. The VSP would probably be an overkill unless you have a need for such capabilities.

    it_user681915 - PeerSpot reviewerit_user681915 (Specialist with 51-200 employees)
    Vendor

    Hello,

    After trying and talking to various different NAS vendors (NetApp, EMC, Nimble, etc.)

    We decided to go with PureStorage FlashBlades and we couldn’t be happier with faster I/O’s, better latency and overall very steady performance plus very low management on the IT side.

    Huseyin Yildirim - PeerSpot reviewerHuseyin Yildirim
    Real User

    Alfred Morgan Jones did a very good job comparing EMC XtremIO and Hitachi Virtual Storage F series above. I recommend everyone to read his analysis. If someone must really make a choice between EMC XtremIO and Hitachi F series in terms of technology, reliability and support, then Hitachi F series is clear winner. Of course the nature of app. and data may change this based on whatever the criteria is. And finally money matters as well :)

    it_user627144 - PeerSpot reviewerit_user627144 (Senior Consultant)
    User

    Imho both Vendor´s have their pro´s and con´s. For our last Projects we do some POC´s with Pure with excellent results. So give them a try. POC with Pure is really easy to manage.

    it_user649044 - PeerSpot reviewerit_user649044 (Chief Information, Facility, Purchasing and Services Manager at Roma Metropolitane S.r.l.)
    Real User

    I’ve tested EMC XtremeIO two years ago, I don’t know Hitachi, but there are two things that push me to buy a Pure Storage, first is an EMC low performance with words more than 16 Kbits and the second is the design, I don’t want a big UPS in the middle of the more expensive/important storage.

    it_user454725 - PeerSpot reviewerit_user454725 (Works at a tech company with 10,001+ employees)
    Vendor

    Hi

    Have you looked at the IBM V9000, has virtualisation software, with
    microlatency modules instead of SSD drives which everyone else uses, SSD
    can also be used, other disk can also be virtualised to ensure smooth
    migration

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MyEc1eLk1to

    https://www-01.ibm.com/common/ssi/cgi-bin/ssialias?htmlfid=TSD03189USEN

    it_user425220 - PeerSpot reviewerit_user425220 (IT Architect with 1,001-5,000 employees)
    User

    I would recommend Hitachi.

    it_user651321 - PeerSpot reviewerit_user651321 (Principal System Engineer at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees)
    Vendor

    I would consider Pure Storage, //m or //x. EMC X2 ridged upgrade policy and where it should have been 2 years ago. No upgrade path from X1 - X2 so will the same be true off X2 - X3?

    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:Both are great platforms, but if you are considering all flash solutions, I would recommend you to consider Pure… more »
    Top Answer:We consume less physical storage because of the solution’s deduplication and compression.
    Top Answer:We have customers who use a three-year or five-year license. We also have customers who use Evergreen.
    Top Answer:Initially, we faced numerous issues with our analytical systems. However, we saw performance improvement after the… more »
    Top Answer:The license for XtremIO is in the box, so you don't have to buy anything.
    Top Answer:Dell XtremIO needs to provide better performance to keep up with new products.
    Top Answer:The deduplication is useful for us because we don't have that much money for our lab infrastructure. Deduplication means… more »
    Top Answer:One problem is that there are too many management tools for the F Series and for all the other Hitachi storage systems… more »
    Top Answer:We're only using the F Series in our lab for hosting lab infrastructure for all our colleagues. We needed fast storage.
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Dell EMC XtremIO Flash, Dell EMC XtremIO X2, XtremIO, XtremIO X2
    Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform F Series, Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform 5000 Series, Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform E Series, Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform N Series, Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series
    Learn More
    Overview

    Pure Storage FlashArray is the world’s first enterprise-class storage array that runs exclusively on the nonvolatile memory express (NVMe) protocol for memory access and storage. It represents a totally state-of-the-art type of storage technology. It offers users shared accelerated storage that delivers cutting-edge features in the realms of performance, simplicity, and consolidation. Pure Storage is fresh and modern today and will be for the next decade. Without forklift upgrades or planned downtime, Pure Storage takes the work out of storage ownership and delivers unprecedented customer satisfaction.

    Pure Storage FlashArray is built with simplicity and reliability in mind. The solution can be implemented and optimized in hours, as opposed to other similar solutions that can take days. It has no moving parts, which removes areas where it could potentially be vulnerable to suffering errors. It is highly stable and gives users the ability to manage system shutdowns in a way that  prevents data loss.

    Benefits of Pure Storage FlashArray

    Some of the benefits of using Pure Storage FlashArray include:

    • A much higher level of speed than similar pieces of technology. Pure Storage FlashArray maximizes the speed at which data can be transferred while at the same time minimizing system latencies that might slow the transfer down. Additionally, it offers users quick memory read and data access speeds.

    • A higher bang for your buck in terms of the storage capabilities you get for the money you pay. They are smaller in size than more standard storage technologies, but they offer flash memory, which enables users to store larger amounts of data than the current standard.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Pure Storage FlashArray is a highly effective piece of storage technology which stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Two major ones are its overall robustness and the value that it offers by way of its reliability and ease of use. It provides users with many valuable features that allow them to maximize what they can do with this solution. Pure Storage FlashArray’s reliability and ease of use make it a highly valuable solution. 

    PeerSpot user Prabakaran K., a technical consultant at Injazat Data Systems, notes the robustness of this solution when he writes, "FlashArray has many valuable features. It's very user-friendly and it has high availability, so there is comparatively less downtime. During maintenance, there is no shutdown procedure, so you can directly power off the Array and manage the shutdown process without any data loss, which is a unique feature. Managing replication and data migration is also very easy."

    PeerSpot user Jason D., a cloud solutions architect at a tech services company, notes three features that make this solution valuable when he writes, "We've had different types of storage, and three things of this solution are valuable. The first one is its outstanding performance. The second one is its stability. In the about three years that we've had it, we've had component failures, but we never had a service interruption or any data loss. The third one, which is really critical, is that it is super easy to use in terms of provisioning, storage, and managing the arrays. I'm able to maintain a multi-site environment with a couple of dozen arrays with a single mid-level storage admin."

    Bring all-flash, scale-out storage to your enterprise applications with EMC XtremIO. Purpose-built for flash, XtremIO storage arrays are amazingly fast. Delivering high IOPS at less than 1 millisecond latency is just the start. EMC XtremIO helps you harness the power of flash storage by building in innovations like content-based data placement and dual-stage metadata.

    RETHINK YOUR DEFINITION OF SPEED AND PERFORMANCE

    With adaptive, guaranteed data reduction and a 100% data-availability guarantee, Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform F series helps you tackle complicated business challenges. Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) VSP F series delivers up to 4.8M IOPS with sub-millisecond response times.
    Featuring legendary Hitachi reliability, VSP F series arrays are backed by the industries only 100% availability guarantee. For these reasons, 80% of the Fortune 500 choose Hitachi all-flash arrays to accelerate the performance of mission-critical applications like Oracle, SAP, Virtualization, Microsoft apps etc. With over 350 patents in flash technology, Hitachi’s innovative mix of flash hardware and software accelerates ROI with enterprise-class reliability and performance.

    Sample Customers
    Nielsen, Lamar Advertising, LinkedIn, Betfair, UT-Dallas
    Raiffeisen Bank Bulgaria, Wentworth-Douglas Hospital
    Turkcell, Owens Corning, Region Nord, Net Credit Financial Group (NFC Group), Russian Railways
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm19%
    Healthcare Company12%
    Manufacturing Company10%
    Computer Software Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization32%
    Computer Software Company12%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Financial Services Firm8%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm29%
    Healthcare Company14%
    Insurance Company11%
    Manufacturing Company11%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Financial Services Firm17%
    Computer Software Company15%
    Manufacturing Company11%
    Healthcare Company6%
    REVIEWERS
    Comms Service Provider21%
    Financial Services Firm21%
    Government14%
    Computer Software Company11%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company20%
    Financial Services Firm14%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Government7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise57%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business17%
    Midsize Enterprise41%
    Large Enterprise42%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business27%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise56%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business22%
    Midsize Enterprise10%
    Large Enterprise68%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business33%
    Midsize Enterprise24%
    Large Enterprise43%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise18%
    Large Enterprise58%
    Buyer's Guide
    Dell XtremIO vs. Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Dell XtremIO vs. Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    765,234 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Dell XtremIO is ranked 25th in All-Flash Storage with 48 reviews while Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform is ranked 8th in All-Flash Storage with 47 reviews. Dell XtremIO is rated 7.6, while Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Dell XtremIO writes "Suitable for high IOPS and helps get backup in ten minutes ". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform writes "It's a high-performing solution with strong architecture". Dell XtremIO is most compared with Dell PowerStore, Dell PowerMax NVMe, Dell Unity XT, NetApp AFF and INFINIDAT InfiniBox, whereas Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform is most compared with IBM FlashSystem, Dell PowerStore, NetApp AFF, Dell Unity XT and NetApp FAS Series. See our Dell XtremIO vs. Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform report.

    See our list of best All-Flash Storage vendors.

    We monitor all All-Flash Storage 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.