What is our primary use case?
I am an infrastructure engineer for a partner and 95% of the infrastructure that I recommend and/or install and maintain for my clients are based on the triptych: SANsymphony/vSphere/Veeam.
I have often succeeded in convincing clients to add security to their storage by replacing an old single-site infrastructure while providing a Business Continuity Plan solution.
Of all the customers where I installed the DataCore solution, only one decided not to keep it; however, it was for reasons of political strategy following a change of CIO.
How has it helped my organization?
The main feedback from my customers concerns the performance of the DataCore SANsymphony - thanks to the embedded Auto-tiering technology which avoids users purchasing an expensive physical storage when the majority of their data is no longer active beyond a few weeks and do not need to be stored.
They have a quality support team, which offers assistance in French when necessary (particularly for Public Service customers who do not speak English fluently). They respond very quickly to engage with any serious problems encountered.
What is most valuable?
Auto-tiering to obtain performance at a lower cost without the customer having to purchase ultra-fast storage is great. The ease of increasing the volume of storage without interruption of services and without impact on users is helpful. At the same time, they are leaving the choice to adapt storage technology according to a user’s needs. The abstraction of the hardware layer, especially when it is necessary to change the brand and/or model of equipment during infrastructure renewal is good. The possibility of installing the solution in HCI mode for small structures makes it possible to address large accounts as well as small businesses.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see SMPA (Shared Multi-Port Array) technology developed with the aim of allowing a configuration identical to other storage arrays: instead of having a single storage controller per site, competing arrays all have 2 controllers for redundancy and securing data access (3Par, Unity, MSA, etc.) It would be necessary to automate the operation of two nodes managing the same storage per site and no longer be obliged to manage it by a system of scripts which must be revalidated each time the product is updated.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution since 2002.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There will always be problems with a software solution; the responsiveness of the support and developers allows them to be corrected very quickly, and even sometimes individually, in relation to a specific problem for a particular client.
In the majority of cases, the failures that I encountered with my clients had their origin in one of the other components of the infrastructure (hypervisors or switches).
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is one of the many advantages, as the evolution of the solution is simple and does not interrupt services.
How are customer service and support?
Of all the software that I use in my job, it is the one that has the best support. When the problem is not with DataCore, they often help me and sometimes even directly provide the solution to modify the settings on the other components of the infrastructure causing the problem.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Sometimes some customers use other storage solutions, but whenever possible; I advise them to switch to DataCore
How was the initial setup?
The initial training and accompanying certification made it simple and practical to implement the solution.
What was our ROI?
I am not able to answer for my clients; however, as long as they do not move to another solution, their ROI should correspond to their expectations.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Most of the time, it is easy to prove that in the long term, this solution is the most advantageous for the client cost-wise; both in terms of equipment renewal and ease of handling.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
When I started proposing and installing, I only knew about traditional infrastructures that did not provide security at the data level.
What other advice do I have?
My professional career will end soon; however, as long as the product is available, I will continue to recommend it to more and more new customers and maintain it among those who continue to use it.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. My company is a former partner of DataCore, and would like to remain so for a long time