HPE Nimble Storage dHCI vs HPE SimpliVity comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary
Updated on Jan 9, 2023

We performed a comparison between HPE Nimble Storage dHCI and HPE SimpliVity based on our users’ reviews in four categories. After reading the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.

  • Ease of Deployment: For the most part, users of both solutions say deployment is complex and recommend using a trained specialist.
  • Features: Users of HPE Nimble Storage dHCI say it does a great job taking storage snapshots, the CASL architecture is good for optimizing workloads, and the solution provides high performance. Users feel the solution should provide more hypervisor options and better integrations.

    Two features HPE SimpliVity users appreciate are the super fast backup and the Performing Disaster Recovery (PDR). The interface is very intuitive and easy to navigate. Users can control everything from one central location. Users would like to see better integrations with other platforms and third-party solutions.
  • Pricing: Users of both solutions feel the pricing is expensive.
  • Service and Support: Users of both solutions are satisfied with the service and support they have received.

Comparison Results: Both of these HPE solutions are part of the Hewlett Packard Enterprise brand of excellent data management products. Users say HPE SimpliVity is the more comprehensive product. It is a very user-friendly, simple product to use, implement, and manage. The storage virtualization layers and super fast backups make it extremely valuable. Some users say HPE Nimble Storage dHCI can be a bit buggy and should provide better file-level restoration and DVX system options.

To learn more, read our detailed HPE Nimble Storage dHCI vs. HPE SimpliVity Report (Updated: May 2023).
710,326 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
"StarWind Virtual SAN is essentially hardware agnostic, allowing us to build out a specific hardware layer based upon the customer's unique requirements.""The instant failover, with vSAN copying data to the second node, allowed for the continuous availability of our applications.""The StarWind products have enabled our organization to modernize stations where larger and more expensive equipment was not an option.""StarWind Virtual SAN is a highly flexible solution, as it can be deployed on physical servers or on top of virtual machines running on hypervisors such as VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V.""Training is also easy as it is just one system to learn.""It provided the much-needed HA on an extremely low budget.""The support has been amazing and quick to reply.""Integration with virtualization platforms helped us to resolve many issues we were facing while using the physical storage."

More StarWind Virtual SAN Pros →

"Nimble is easy to use, but hard to install. Once it's installed, it's user-friendly. Reporting is another advantage because we get a lot of statistical forecasting. It helps us see into the future with that.""I love InfoSite. That gets you a lot of good detailed information.""HPE Nimble Storage dHCI is stable.""HPE's InfoSight software, which does the comparative analysis and artificial intelligence built-in in the box, and with Nimble they do well against the competition. Additionally, the dashboards are good.""So far, the solution's performance is very good.""The solution is useful for taking storage snapshots, has high performance, and the CASL architecture is good for optimizing workloads.""It is easier to manage compared to the other vendors.""We have the ability to increase the storage without any additional costs."

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"The built-in backup and quick restore are good features.""PCX card implementation improves speed.""There is no single feature that's the most valuable. All of SimpliVity's components work together to make daily operations easier for our customers.""It's much more simple than Nutanix and other hyper-converged solutions, at least from our point of view.""Its performance is quite good, and it is also easy to use. One of the biggest benefits is the included backup solution.""The performance is good. It's stable and easy to operate.""HPE SimpliVity is simple, it's very friendly.""The most valuable feature is that the product has an inborn backup."

More HPE SimpliVity Pros →

Cons
"I did not see any indication that StarWinds vSAN is a usable solution with non-GUI instances of Hyper-V.""I wish the sync after a failure, such as hardware failure or power-related issues, for example, was faster.""Regular updates to the software are required, and subtle design changes would be welcome.""Android app for monitoring and receiving push notifications as alarms or monitoring I/O from any mobile device could be a good feature and nice to have as we are not always on our desk.""The management console of StarWind Virtual SAN is pretty complex.""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.""When you will cease your contract with StarWind (for support) your product won't be updated and that is a big selling point, especially for us, as we have loads of products from StarWind.""For me, the product could be improved by it being made cheaper."

More StarWind Virtual SAN Cons →

"Cost-wise, this solution is slightly more expensive than other hyperconverged solutions.""This year 2022, we have the possibility to include new kinds of storage with a high disk availability, such as Alletra 6000 and Alletra 9000. Those are the new storage available. If we would like to improve the quality and the capability and the high availability of these products, we can choose between different costs. This is another benefit from this HPE Nimble Storage dHCI solution of hyper-converged.""HPE Nimble Storage dHCI currently is promoting only VMware as a hypervisor, whereas if they can look into other OSs, such as KVM or Red Hat, it would be an improvement.""I'm not sure if there are features lacking.""I rate Nimble one out of 10 for ease of setup. Setting up Nimble Storage was a nightmare. It took us three months to deal with all the kinks and bugs. We had two people from HPE assisting us and two from our team.""The performance of HPE Nimble Storage dHCI could improve. Other solutions, such as Cisco, are better.""HPE Nimble Storage dHCI only works with a hypervisor like VMware. There are plenty of other hypervisors that HP doesn't support. This is an area for improvement.""Nimble Storage's integration with the management software could be better."

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"The technical, commercial, and marketing support is not at the level that it should be. They are not structured well. Other vendors provide better support, such as Dell.""An area for improvement would be the flexibility of server configuration.""The installation is quite easy but it could still be improved.""SimpliVity has no file server services. That's one of the solution's biggest shortcomings.""There may be issues around scaling.""The greatest disadvantage is the update process. Every patch or release update must be checked and deployed with the HPE solution, which sometimes is a little bit difficult. It is not difficult in terms of installation, but it is difficult to get the patches in time.""The interface is good but takes some time to get used to.""There is a file size limitation when you want to do an individual file restore, but they might have resolved this in newer versions. As I'm taking backups at the VM server level, I can restore a file from any one of those without standing up the VM, and I can restore it to any mounted VM that I want. The problem is that there is a file size limitation. It becomes problematic when I'm trying to restore. When I want to restore a backup of a SQL database, my backups are considerably larger than 10 gigs. So, the only way to restore that backup file is to mount the entire VM somewhere and then copy it, which doesn't take long at all."

More HPE SimpliVity Cons →

Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "For two nodes, it cost us $10,000, and we spend $2,000 a year on support."
  • "If you are looking at a traditional SAN for a small cluster, give StarWind vSAN because you will save thousands without any compromise."
  • More StarWind Virtual SAN Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "The customers have found the solution to be expensive. However, when compared to the competition the price is reasonable."
  • "The cost of the licensing is reasonable."
  • "The price of HPE Nimble Storage dHCI is expensive."
  • "HPE Nimble Storage dHCI is much cheaper than the competition and has value proposition. Customers can see an ROI in three months. There are no additional costs, and VMware licenses can be reutilized."
  • More HPE Nimble Storage dHCI Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Customers always complain that SimpliVity is a little bit higher in price point as compared to other solutions available in the market."
  • "The solution is priced high. However, there are plenty of features as part of the package that other solutions do not have."
  • "There is not a license required for the solution."
  • "The price of the solution is reasonable. We have purchased a five-year license with all the support and upgrades."
  • "If we compare the price of HPE SimpliVity with other vendors that are selling the hyper-converged infrastructure, all of them are not cheap and are priced similarly. However, the price we pay and what we receive makes it a good price."
  • "We did get some quotes from Nutanix, and they were ballparks. So, it is not cheap, and there is nothing free, but those two were comparable."
  • "I think it's a complete package. We buy the license with support for five years. It's a subscription, I will say, but it's included when you buy the SimpliVity solution from HPE. You have a contract with the software warranty and upgrades."
  • "The solution is affordable and quite reasonably priced in terms of the product one gets."
  • More HPE SimpliVity Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:I like StarWind's high availability. The failover is almost immediate, so the end users have no idea the guest VM moved… more »
    Top Answer:We underestimated how many guest VMs we would have running on these hypervisors after three years, and would have bought… more »
    Top Answer:The Command Center, a free guest VM for management and monitoring, leaves something to be desired. It could have more… more »
    Top Answer:Artificial intelligence is built into the product. If there's a failure, HP support will proactively call the client… more »
    Top Answer:HPE Nimble Storage dHCI is much cheaper than the competition and has value proposition. Customers can see an ROI in… more »
    Top Answer:HPE Nimble Storage dHCI only works with a hypervisor like VMware. There are plenty of other hypervisors that HP doesn't… more »
    Top Answer:HPE SimpliVity is a hyper-converged infrastructure solution that is primarily geared to mid-sized companies. We… more »
    Top Answer:The built-in backup and quick restore are good features.
    Top Answer:Licensing is slightly more expensive in comparison to the competition but I think SimpliVity provides very good value.
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    Nimble Storage dHCI
    SimpliVity, HPE HCI
    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.

    HPE Nimble Storage dHCI an intelligent platform with the flexibility of converged and the simplicity of HCI. It disaggregates compute and storage and integrates hyperconverged control to give enterprises simple infrastructure management on a flexible architecture.

    HPE SimpliVity is an HCI software solution that provides powerful data protection, reducing data loss along with lowering the risk of ransomware attacks on your enterprise.

    HPE SimpliVity Features

    HPE SimpliVity has many valuable key features. Some of the most useful ones include:

    • Flexible, compact architecture
    • Centralized management
    • AI-driven intelligence
    • Built-in data protection and disaster recovery
    • VM-centric management and mobility
    • Simple to deploy, manage, and scale

    HPE SimpliVity Benefits

    There are several benefits to implementing HPE SimpliVity. Some of the biggest advantages the solution offers include:

    • Efficient: HPE SimpliVity helps reduce the number of devices in your data center while also decreasing the total cost of ownership.
    • Cloud benefits with enterprise capabilities: When your enterprise deploys HPE SimpliVity, you gain the agility, elasticity, and affordability offered by cloud computing.
    • Affordable and flexible: The solution provides IT teams with the performance, reliability, and resiliency of on-premises infrastructure. HPE SimpliVity allows them to start virtualizing their enterprise while also keeping sensitive data safe.
    • Reduced risk of data loss: Because HPE SimpliVity is a powerful solution with built-in resiliency, backup, and disaster recovery, it is able to provide advanced data protection that reduces your organization’s risk of data loss and also lowers the risk of ransomware attacks.
    • Speed: HPE SimpliVity gives you the ability to deploy blocks and manage VM environments quickly and easily by using the VMware interface. In addition, the solution allows you to quickly view all data centers and remote offices within a single interface.

    Reviews from Real Users

    Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by HPE SimpliVity users.

    Jeff S., Information Technology Manager at Troyer Foods, Inc. says the solution has “Phenomenal deduplication and compression, good support, and works on its own. SimpliVity is integrated with the hypervisor, and you have a single pane of glass. It is really hands-off. Once you set your backup schedules, you're done.

    A Senior Datacenter Consultant at a computer software company mentions, “The most valuable feature is the ease of use and the storage virtualization layer, together with the built-in backups. That's what makes SimpliVity really useful, and how you can replicate data between different sites without paying an extra license for that feature. All the features are built into the product.”

    PeerSpot user Doug C., IT Engineer at a government, comments, “Backups and restores occur very quickly. All SimpliVity management is done through vCenter, providing a single-pane of glass for all management and configuration functions. The advanced deduplication and compression greatly reduce the storage requirements, reducing the amount of expensive flash storage required.The 10G interfaces between the SimpliVity nodes greatly speeds up VM migrations between nodes. SimpliVity enables "stretched-cluster" operation with mirrored storage between the nodes, enabling automated failover. If a node or site goes down for any reason, the VMs on that node are automatically restarted on the other node.”

    German I., Solutions Architect Data Center Servers and Storage at Tecnologia informatica, explains, “The integration possibilities regarding the administration console are one of the best configurations and one of the best features that differentiates this product from others in the market. Also, you can add extra coverage protection that includes everything inside of the hard drives — similar products don't do this. You can use it directly from the hypervisor, which is great.”

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    Learn more about HPE Nimble Storage dHCI
    Learn more about HPE SimpliVity
    Sample Customers
    Baker Tilly BVI, CMS Internet, Board Harpeth Hall School
    Information Not Available
    Red Bull Racing, Mandarin Oriental, Brigham Young University, UCLA, Merlin Entertainments, Sasa Cosmetics, Travelport, St. John’s Riverside Hospital, Princess House
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Manufacturing Company11%
    Educational Organization9%
    Construction Company9%
    Computer Software Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company19%
    Government9%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company21%
    Comms Service Provider10%
    Government9%
    Educational Organization7%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm13%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Computer Software Company8%
    Retailer7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization29%
    Computer Software Company14%
    Comms Service Provider9%
    Government7%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business63%
    Midsize Enterprise22%
    Large Enterprise15%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise58%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business71%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise14%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business28%
    Midsize Enterprise16%
    Large Enterprise55%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business33%
    Midsize Enterprise27%
    Large Enterprise40%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise42%
    Large Enterprise39%
    Buyer's Guide
    HPE Nimble Storage dHCI vs. HPE SimpliVity
    May 2023
    Find out what your peers are saying about HPE Nimble Storage dHCI vs. HPE SimpliVity and other solutions. Updated: May 2023.
    710,326 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    HPE Nimble Storage dHCI is ranked 11th in HCI with 11 reviews while HPE SimpliVity is ranked 6th in HCI with 41 reviews. HPE Nimble Storage dHCI is rated 7.8, while HPE SimpliVity is rated 8.2. The top reviewer of HPE Nimble Storage dHCI writes "Scalable with good memory management and helpful technical support". On the other hand, the top reviewer of HPE SimpliVity writes "Phenomenal deduplication and compression, good support, and works on its own". HPE Nimble Storage dHCI is most compared with VMware vSAN, Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI), VxRail, HPE Hyper Converged and Huawei FusionCube Hyper-Converged Infrastructure, whereas HPE SimpliVity is most compared with VxRail, VMware vSAN, Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI), Cisco HyperFlex HX-Series and HPE Hyper Converged. See our HPE Nimble Storage dHCI vs. HPE SimpliVity report.

    See our list of best HCI vendors.

    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.