Dell PowerFlex vs Scale Computing HC3 comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

StarWind Virtual SAN
Sponsored
Ranking in HCI
4th
Average Rating
9.6
Number of Reviews
185
Ranking in other categories
Software Defined Storage (SDS) (1st)
Dell PowerFlex
Ranking in HCI
7th
Average Rating
8.2
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Scale Computing HC3
Ranking in HCI
16th
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
8
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2024, in the HCI category, the mindshare of StarWind Virtual SAN is 2.1%, up from 1.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerFlex is 14.1%, up from 7.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Scale Computing HC3 is 0.6%, down from 1.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
HCI
Unique Categories:
Software Defined Storage (SDS)
9.2%
No other categories found
No other categories found
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer2509338 - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 28, 2024
Easy to install, user-friendly, and enhances overall operations
The product is being utilized within an airgap lab environment, which means it is isolated from external networks and internet connectivity for security reasons. The virtual Storage Area Network (SAN) is integrated into the system alongside Hyper-V, a virtualization platform developed by Microsoft…
MV
May 20, 2024
Runs without issues and provides a return on investment
Dell PowerFlex is our primary private cloud.  The combination of reliability and scalability is perfect for us. When we need extra storage we have six nodes so we simply purchase new licenses and hard drives. Although it is possible to use the nodes just for storage, we use them for CPU and RAM as…
Joel-Gonzalez - PeerSpot reviewer
Jul 28, 2023
A reliable stripped-down solution that comes with excellent support
We run all our VMs off of it, and we use Acronis Backup I like that Scale Computing HCR is slimmed down and gives me the features I need and not features that I don't need. The product could use a better control center. The dashboard gives you a lot of control, but it could still give you a…

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The install itself is easy as pie."
"The most important feature is the ability to experience the loss of one node or one storage device, and not lose the entire cluster."
"It also provides a high degree of mobility, as the virtual SAN can be moved relatively painlessly between on-site devices and the cloud."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the support. They are excellent and you can learn a lot from the support team."
"StarWind Virtual SAN for vSphere is a software-defined storage solution that has reduced administration time for storage. It's pretty straightforward to install and setup it and so far it has been robust and worked as advertised from StarWind."
"The ability to run the software virtually on every virtualization platform and the ability to eliminate all storage vendor locking are the most valuable features."
"This product now allows us to migrate virtual machines between nodes as if we had a dedicated $100,000 SAN in the mix without the additional cost and management of the SAN."
"The ability to keep data accessible even in the event of hardware failures is highly valued, as it ensures business continuity."
"The solution is scalable."
"The catalog of APIs for automation has been most valuable, although they are quite limited."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is integration."
"Dell PowerFlex is a complete hyperconverge that makes automation easy to manage and extremely stable."
"The resiliency and data protection are the most valuable features."
"It has reduced downtime. Before, on our previous solution, we used to have downtime on some of the servers because of the sort of convention. But currently I've not experienced any downtime on any of the servers, and there is no more resource congestion."
"The integration with AWS is a valuable feature."
"The solution was connected to alternate storage. It provides great scalability and reliability."
"The initial setup is pretty straightforward."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is the nice GUI."
"I rate Scale Computing support 10 out of 10. They're accessible and responsive."
"I like that Scale Computing HCR is slimmed down and gives me the features I need and not features that I don't need."
"The most valuable feature of Scale Computing HC3 is if one of the devices fails, you won't even notice, the service maintains operation. The customers don't have to waste two, or three days on delays. Additionally, you do not have to waste time with recovery software, it is a lot easier."
"The most valuable features are the appliance-type feel and that you don't need additional licenses as everything is built-in."
"The product's initial setup phase is too easy."
"The solution is scalable."
 

Cons

"The documentation can be better for the free tier."
"The Command Center, a free guest VM for management and monitoring, leaves something to be desired. It could have more accurate real-time information and better reporting visuals, which seem to be an afterthought."
"I would say that the documentation is mostly great, however, some features could be expanded upon a bit."
"It would be helpful if StarWind provided more precise and detailed documentation explaining how to configure the solution in various scenarios, including the advantages and disadvantages of each."
"It is difficult to control all of the hardware components."
"I would love to see more vendor selection to be available for the HCA/vSAN appliances."
"I wish the sync after a failure, such as hardware failure or power-related issues, for example, was faster."
"It would be good to have a little more access to control certain aspects within the UI."
"The biggest issue with the solution is that it doesn't support Hyper V. It's a big problem."
"The storage capability must be improved."
"It would be great to get earlier access to beta builds because we have to develop providers on our own. The APIs and enablers for custom automation could also be improved."
"The tool needs to improve its storage. It should also make migration to the cloud easier."
"Exporting data from the dashboard is not very user-friendly. It's just designed in a way that it's going to cover let's say 90%, 80%, of the end-users needs. If you need more sophisticated reporting it's not easy to have."
"Compared to similar solutions, Dell PowerFlex is not cost-effective and has room for improvement."
"There should be more functionality available for routing."
"Needs some more monitoring tools."
"Scale Computing HC3 said in an announcement they were going to integrate with a backup service which would be good. If they could do this it would be beneficial."
"The product struggles to cope with bigger workloads. In the next release, I'd like some backup solutions to be added."
"The product could use a better control center."
"Scale HC3 improvements would involve literally fixing up the replication."
"On the fly, you cannot do anything on Scale Computing HC3, though it is a very rarely needed area."
"The snapshot technology takes up 500 times more space compared to other solutions."
"I would like bigger clusters with more than eight nodes."
"I've had so many issues with the sales team when I was looking to make some improvements, and improve the performance. They would create so many excuses to force me to buy new nodes all the time and not let me add more memory to each node."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"This solution is very accessible and the pro-level for support is well worth the cost."
"The pricing is more than reasonable."
"The licensing is straightforward, with free and trial versions available."
"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."
"We are happy with the price."
"We found that the pricing was perfect; simple and clear."
"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."
"This is a good, economical solution compared to data storage systems."
"The solution's price is medium."
"The product is expensive."
"The pricing for this solution is good."
"The cost of this solution is fair."
"The solution is expensive and I give the cost a two out of ten."
"We have a good contact in Dell and he prepared all the information and provided everything to us."
"The price could be improved."
"I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten."
"The product is worth the money, but I would not say it's very cheap or very expensive."
"rate HC3's pricing a five out of ten since it is affordable."
"I give the pricing a nine out of ten."
"I pay for Scale Computing HC3 and it includes customer service for one year. We paid for an additional year for customer service but that includes the updates and everything for the software. Additionally, the licensing is for Windows, which is the same for everybody."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
19%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Government
7%
Educational Organization
42%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about StarWind Virtual SAN?
It is easy to use and can monitor system synchronization and check Storage status. StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN) combin...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for StarWind Virtual SAN?
Make the most of your 30-day trial license, and if needed, you should contact the sales department of StarWind to ext...
What needs improvement with StarWind Virtual SAN?
The dashboard is functional, but it could benefit from a more modern and visually appealing design. A facelift would ...
What are the major differences between VxRail and Dell EMC PowerFlex?
VxRail vs. Dell EMC PowerFlex VxRail provides stable solutions for technical problems while at the same time not bein...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell EMC PowerFlex?
I have good partners who prepared the price for us. I told them what we needed and everything worked out perfectly. W...
What do you like most about Scale Computing HC3?
The product's initial setup phase is too easy.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Scale Computing HC3?
The product is worth the money, but I would not say it's very cheap or very expensive. Considering the value and budg...
What needs improvement with Scale Computing HC3?
Some features go well with other tools like VMware, where making something on the fly or making some changes on the f...
 

Also Known As

StarWind SAN & NAS
VxFlex, VxRack FLEX, PowerFlex
No data available
 

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Baker Tilly BVI, CMS Internet, Board Harpeth Hall School
Canopy, 8x8Inc., Atos, Canadian Pacific, City of Denton, CenturyLink, BNP Paribas, Asyaport, EDF, CSC, Fox Sports, Insight, Hunter, KPIT, Paetec, Rosetta Stone, Sonda, Xerox
Edgetec Systems, Triton School Corporation, Anamosa Community School District, Standard School District, Iron County School District, Sevier County Bank, St. Richard’s Catholic College, Stoke Park School and Community Technology College, City of St. Cloud Minnesota, Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly, KIB Electronics, Chaitons LLP, Reading Muhlenberg Career & Technology Center, Penlon, American College of Education, Steel Summit Holdings, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Canadian Museum of History, Canadian War Museum
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell PowerFlex vs. Scale Computing HC3 and other solutions. Updated: July 2024.
793,295 professionals have used our research since 2012.