HPE SimpliVity vs Scale Computing HC3 comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between HPE SimpliVity and Scale Computing HC3 based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two HCI solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed HPE SimpliVity vs. Scale Computing HC3 Report (Updated: May 2023).
709,643 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
"The main benefit is that StarWind is almost maintenance-free.""We went from "no way DB applications would have good performance" to "Wow! We can now actually have a DB running and have some VMs running at the same time."""The most useful aspect is the hyper-converged SD SAN and the ease to expand it by just adding cheap SSD or NVME disks.""StarWind is very easy to use, even if you have had no experience using a SAN before.""It has allowed us to save a lot of time and money by letting us create a vSAN within a Windows VM on the environment it controls.""The management was very easy and I was able to find all that I need in the software dashboard.""The solution is also quite flexible. As an example, other vSAN solutions that we looked at had more stringent requirements regarding mixed HDD/SSD storage which wouldn't have worked in our environment.""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."

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"Our clients are very comfortable with the single management of the complete stack. The creation of VM systems is also very fast.""The most valuable feature is that the product has an inborn backup.""The HPE SimpliVity disc compression is very valuable.""The built-in backup and quick restore are good features.""SimpliVity helps us to manage and has made deduplication work really well.""The initial setup was straightforward.""What I like about the solution, is that SimpliVity is easy to deploy and maintain. It's really performing very well. The ratio of price to performance is really good.""The backup feature is valuable, and replication is also valuable. It is very quick and easy to use."

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"The solution is scalable.""I rate Scale Computing support 10 out of 10. They're accessible and responsive.""The most valuable feature of the solution is the nice GUI.""The most valuable features are the appliance-type feel and that you don't need additional licenses as everything is built-in.""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."

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Cons
"We just need more integration with Veeam.""I would like to see more advanced free versions.""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.""Currently, the StarWind management console is a bit clunky to navigate and isn't the most user-intuitive interface.""The only way I can see this product needing improvement is the consultation level of the StarWind sales and engineers.""The documentation could be clearer in terms of explaining the installation.""The number of different ways you can set it up can make it a little daunting.""The documentation can be better for the free tier."

More StarWind Virtual SAN Cons →

"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.""The way that it handles the memory could be better.""They can bring more awareness about this product. In this part of the world or this region, people normally don't know about SimpliVity and its capabilities. The company we have it sold to hasn't been able to fully utilize all the features or understand the features. So, product awareness should be improved.""It could integrate better with other platforms. It's a proprietary solution of HPE, so you are stuck. Before I was running SimpliVity as an independent solution. it wasn't a card and software, so you could put in whatever server, IBM, Dell, etc.""Upgrading can be complicated.""The fact that it is tied to a certain hardware platform would probably be the bigger negative versus just being able to buy something off the shelf.""SimpliVity's data management could be better. Nutanix's interface is a bit more user-friendly.""Its price can be improved. Customers always look for better prices. It is more expensive as compared to other products available in the market."

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"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 snapshot technology takes up 500 times more space compared to other solutions.""I would like bigger clusters with more than eight nodes.""Scale HC3 improvements would involve literally fixing up the replication.""The product struggles to cope with bigger workloads. In the next release, I'd like some backup solutions to be added."

More Scale Computing HC3 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 →

  • "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 →

  • "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."
  • "I give the pricing a nine out of ten."
  • More Scale Computing HC3 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: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.
    Top Answer:The most valuable feature of the solution is the nice GUI.
    Top Answer:The snapshot technology takes up 500 times more space compared to other solutions. The snapshots are working on the byte… more »
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    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 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.”

    HC3 is an appliance-based hyperconverged infrastructure solution. HC3 combines servers, storage, virtualization, and backup/disaster recovery into a single appliance. This hyperconvergence of technologies radically simplifies IT infrastructure making it easier to implement and manage and significantly reduces the total cost of ownership of infrastructure. The HC3 hyperconverged appliance approach allows seamless, non-disruptive infrastructure scale out and automated, non-disruptive software and firmware updates. Our customers choose HC3 to reduce complexity and cost from IT infrastructure so they can focus their IT administration on improving applications and process rather than managing and maintaining complex infrastructure.

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    Learn more about HPE SimpliVity
    Learn more about Scale Computing HC3
    Sample Customers
    Baker Tilly BVI, CMS Internet, Board Harpeth Hall School
    Red Bull Racing, Mandarin Oriental, Brigham Young University, UCLA, Merlin Entertainments, Sasa Cosmetics, Travelport, St. John’s Riverside Hospital, Princess House
    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
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Manufacturing Company11%
    Construction Company9%
    Educational Organization9%
    Computer Software Company8%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company19%
    Government9%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Financial Services Firm7%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm13%
    Manufacturing Company8%
    Computer Software Company8%
    Retailer7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization29%
    Computer Software Company14%
    Comms Service Provider9%
    Government7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Educational Organization23%
    Computer Software Company16%
    Government6%
    Financial Services Firm4%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business63%
    Midsize Enterprise22%
    Large Enterprise15%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise58%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business33%
    Midsize Enterprise27%
    Large Enterprise40%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business19%
    Midsize Enterprise42%
    Large Enterprise39%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business29%
    Midsize Enterprise33%
    Large Enterprise37%
    Buyer's Guide
    HPE SimpliVity vs. Scale Computing HC3
    May 2023
    Find out what your peers are saying about HPE SimpliVity vs. Scale Computing HC3 and other solutions. Updated: May 2023.
    709,643 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    HPE SimpliVity is ranked 6th in HCI with 41 reviews while Scale Computing HC3 is ranked 21st in HCI with 5 reviews. HPE SimpliVity is rated 8.2, while Scale Computing HC3 is rated 7.0. The top reviewer of HPE SimpliVity writes "Phenomenal deduplication and compression, good support, and works on its own". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Scale Computing HC3 writes "Fast with excellent stability and fantastic technical support". HPE SimpliVity is most compared with VxRail, VMware vSAN, Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) and HPE Nimble Storage dHCI, whereas Scale Computing HC3 is most compared with VMware vSAN, Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI), VxRail, Sangfor HCI and StorMagic SvSAN. See our HPE SimpliVity vs. Scale Computing HC3 report.

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    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.