FlexPod XCS vs Huawei FusionStorage comparison

"It is extremely stable and well-supported because of the leadership and partnerships put in place."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is the flexibility in configuration and the setup."

"The documentation alone that NetApp provides can guide anybody through the setup process."

"The best thing about this solution is the tight integration with VMware, Cisco, and NetApp from both a hardware and software perspective."

"The most valuable features are the CVDs and the support behind it from both companies."

"I have never seen a more resilient HA product out there then NetApp's solution. If I want to know that I'm putting my workload on a solution, from a storage perspective, that is going to be up 100% of the time, I'm going to choose NetApp."

"I am happy with the stability. I haven't had any major issues with it in four years. This includes upgrades."

"The nice thing about NetApp is the ease of administration. We have a new storage admin who did not do storage at all, and he has fallen right in with it. There are no real issues."

"The product has a very simple GUI-based management platform and it is very simple to use. There is a very easy step-by-step configuration procedure that guides you through, and you can configure it very easily."

"Huawei FusionStorage does well in its basic functions and offers broad utility."

"It is a stable solution."

"In cases where system interruptions occur, it enables rapid restoration, ensuring a prompt return to normal service levels."

"The solution’s most valuable feature is its performance."

"Provides easy access to our data."

"There are too many drivers and software combined all together, and we need to have compatibility between all of them."

"Not a perfect ten because it could use better integration on the network side between UCS and the switching layer. The fact that LACP is not supported on UCS blades isn't so great. It would be nice if it was."

"It would be helpful to have more flexibility for adding other components."

"There is a history of issues with hardware availability. For example, we'll buy an array or a filer with a particular configuration and particular size of drive, sizing it appropriately. Then, as we grow, they're like, "Oh, you can always get more." Then when you go to get more, that model or type of disk is no longer available. It becomes this big process to try to figure out what we need to get, how it'll work, and how that'll integrate into the system. That could be simpler. They could do a bit more to guarantee the availability of parts. Obviously, not being the largest storage vendor, I know they can't sometimes control what the hardware vendors do. However, a bit more transparency and communication about this would be helpful."

"The technical support is slightly above average. I would like them to have quicker escalation"

"The initial setup for FlexPod is complex."

"The interface is a little convoluted."

"Not a ten because it could always be cheaper, it could always be faster."

"The initial setup and installation is not that straightforward. It should be made easier and the time to install should be reduced."

"The solution’s support could be improved."

"The product needs improvement in terms of affordability."

"I hope for improvements in the product's processing ability and performance."

"The problem with Huawei is that it generally oversells. As a principle, Huawei does not educate the partner or the end user enough to scale up their solution correctly."

"Their cloud services could be improved."

"Buy storage based on the solutions you need, the technologies you need, and what will make your life a lot easier down the road."

"We purchased FlexPod though Datalink."

"We have saved time, money, space, and power consumption on new service deployments. We have a data center in Toronto which had ten racks on one of the new servers. This was all reduced to two racks with six chassis, which is amazing."

"The NetApp portion was a $5 million investment five years ago. That has served the customer well over five and a half years."

"The solution has saved our customers' organization in terms of CapEx. E.g., with the cloud availability, it's turned into sort of a hybrid CapEx/OpEx model."

"It is expensive. My company is small. When you look at the price point, this is a big thing for us to invest in."

"Make sure you are buying for performance, not just capacity."

"Overall, the solution works pretty well. The biggest complaint I have from customers is the cost."

"If one is a cheap solution and ten means it is a very expensive product, I would rate the price as two or three."

"It is expensive but might be optimal based on the partnership."