Presales Engineer at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
A stable enterprise-class software-defined storage platform that's highly scalable.
Pros and Cons
  • "It's a software storage solution that can scale as we like. There is also has a parallel feature that enhances the performance of the storage solution. We can separate storage and computing, and we can scale these two parts of the platform to meet business needs efficiently."
  • "Problem detection could be easier. It should help customers identify problems very quickly because it's not easy to analyze on the platform today."

What is our primary use case?

I work with many customers that ask us to put their solution near the production because they can't stop the production. It's easier to protect the network this way.

How has it helped my organization?

It has helped my customers because it's an SDS solution, and we can use all components that you put in a server. You have many options that meet customer needs, and you can find the best way in relation to performance and price. 

What is most valuable?

It's a software storage solution that can scale as we like. There is also has a parallel feature that enhances the performance of the storage solution. We can separate storage and computing, and we can scale these two parts of the platform to meet business needs efficiently.

The most important thing is the work we do on the new management interface called DIS. You can follow the evolution of this platform, and it's very important for me because the customer has to manage the platform. 

We add the workload on this platform, and they need the platform to evolve. It's very important to the customer, and we have to work on the DIS to realize the customer's this vision.

What needs improvement?

Problem detection could be easier. It should help customers identify problems very quickly because it's not easy to analyze on the platform today.

Buyer's Guide
DataCore SANsymphony
December 2023
Learn what your peers think about DataCore SANsymphony. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2023.
745,775 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using DataCore SANsymphony SDS for about six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

DataCore SANsymphony SDS is a very robust and stable solution.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is very good. For example, their system engineer came down to help my customer resolve a problem.

How was the initial setup?

I can't say that the installation is difficult, but it's impossible for a customer who doesn't know the product or the installation process. You will need the help of a consultant or a reseller to install and deploy this solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

This product has a good ratio between quality and price. In many cases, it's less expensive to work with DataCore than other storage systems. 

What other advice do I have?

On a scale from one to ten, I would give DataCore SANsymphony SDS a ten.

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: partner
PeerSpot user
IT Service Manager at EKIUM
Real User
User-friendly interface, performs well, and the technical support is good
Pros and Cons
  • "The interface is user-friendly."
  • "I would like to see reporting added, such as a monthly connectivity report."

What is our primary use case?

We use this product as a storage network.

What is most valuable?

The performance is good.

The interface is user-friendly.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see reporting added, such as a monthly connectivity report. Things like performance and usage can be shown.

It would be helpful to have better monitoring tools.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using DataCore SANsymphony for 11 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is perfect.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is good and it is important for us. I am working in an industry where most of the installations are long-term. Over time, we have to add devices to the solution.

We have two sites, each with about 1,000 people who are using it.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is perfect.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Pricing has improved but it is still expensive. There are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to anybody who is considering SANSymphony is that it is flexible, user-friendly, and a product that I recommend.

I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.

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: partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
DataCore SANsymphony
December 2023
Learn what your peers think about DataCore SANsymphony. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2023.
745,775 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Johann R. - PeerSpot reviewer
User at Groupe d'Aucy
Real User
Easy migration of data between storage areas, and an overall performance improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "During the maintenance periods, on any part of the storage or VMware migration, we have had no downtime."
  • "I think the performance reporting can be improved by adding historical statistics into a database for the purpose of comparing."

What is our primary use case?

The first use case was for our data center at the headquarters. We currently have two server rooms, connected by fibre, and the data is synchronized between both using DataCore.

How has it helped my organization?

Since DataCore has been installed, the performance of our server has been improved. During the maintenance periods, on any part of the storage or VMware migration, we have had no downtime.

Recently we decided to deploy DataCore™ Hyperconverged Virtual SAN in our manufactury.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of this solution is the ability to migrate from one storage area to another one easily. The evolution of the solution by adding new storage without having to go through a difficult migration is very helpful.

What needs improvement?

I think the performance reporting can be improved by adding historical statistics into a database for the purpose of comparison.

A capacity planning solution would be a great addition.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for more than five years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Real User
Good performance, saves money, and has eliminated our storage-related downtime
Pros and Cons
  • "Supporting of Automated-Storage-Tiering (AST) is a good feature that saves money."
  • "We are waiting for container support (on the roadmap), as well as a user-friendly full web-administration capability, and an improved API."

What is our primary use case?

We have been using DataCore SANsymphony for many years to protect data-availability and keeping productive. It helps us to improve reliability for our complete IT solutions.

How has it helped my organization?

In the time of using DataCore SANsympohny Hyper-converged-Infrastructure, we had no storage-related downtime in our environment. The server and storage functionality works, and maintenance is easier to handle depending on the redundancy.

DataCore is an administrator's and users' friend.

What is most valuable?

Performance boost (MegaCash, Parallel I/O technology) and Continuous data protection (CDP) are the features we love most because security and being productive are big points for us.

DataCore is helping us focus on our core business and keep it running, which is important for our customer success.

Supporting of Automated-Storage-Tiering (AST) is a good feature that saves money.

What needs improvement?

We are waiting for container support (on the roadmap), as well as a user-friendly full web-administration capability, and an improved API.

Supporting newer Windows Server versions faster (e.g. Microsoft Windows Server 2019) would be nice.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for more than three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is very robust and reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It has good scalability. We can scale up in 1TB steps.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have found that technical support has good skill levels and availability.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not have another SDS solution before this one.

How was the initial setup?

This initial setup of this solution wasn´t complex. The necessary functional test plan of the implementation company was time-consuming, but it guaranteed the correct implementation.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented this solution using our solution provider with vendor support in the background, and it worked well for us.

What other advice do I have?

Overall, we are happy with innovations, but in the future, we will also look into more improvements.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
User at Kommunaler Sozialverband Sachsen
Real User
We enjoy great reliability, flexibility and performance

What is our primary use case?

With DataCore we manage the central storage for VMware virtualisation and Oracle databases. At the first location are two mirrored DataCore servers. At a second site, we use a DataCore server as an asynchronous replication target.

How has it helped my organization?

It is easy to manage the storage and simple to enlarge our virtualisation environment. 
DataCore SANsymphony has improved performance, stability and data security of our datacenter.

What is most valuable?

  • The most useful features are the continuity of service, mirroring and auto-tiering, and the associated performance. 
  • We enjoy great reliability, flexibility, and performance. 
  • DataCore helps to use memory efficiently.

What needs improvement?

  • The client console should be improved. It starts slowly and heavily. 
  • After a long time (idle), the displayed information is no longer completely reliable. You have to close and reopen the console for current data. (symptom after upgrade to PSP8)

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Very stable, no failures, no interruptions.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

High scalability.

How are customer service and technical support?

quick support enabled  ;-)

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

No, we did not.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward, no special hardware, good documentation.

What about the implementation team?

Implementation with a DCIE (DataCore certified implementation engineer).

What was our ROI?

Not calculated.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

For installation and upgrades, work with a good IT partner with a DCIE.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

EMC, NetApp.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Technical Services Manager (Enterprise Systems) at Maimonides Medical Center
Real User
A flexible and efficient solution for disaster recovery
Pros and Cons
  • "DataCore's ability to seamlessly move virtual volume data between storage pools as well as their synchronous mirroring has made maintenance and disaster recovery planning achievable."
  • "DataCore needs a more efficient and better way to keep track of metrics and counters so that we can do baseline analysis to measure performance."

What is our primary use case?

DataCore is our main Enterprise SAN solution. We serve all workloads among five different DataCore server groups. These workloads include all hypervisors, SQL and Oracle Databases, file shares, archive, and backups. DataCore helps us achieve disaster recovery by allowing us to mirror our data between two sites.

How has it helped my organization?

DataCore has been doing software-defined storage since back before SDS was even a buzzword. It has provided a great deal of flexibility, performance, and efficiency for our Enterprise SAN. We are not tied to any one hardware vendor and over the nineteen years that we've had DataCore, we have gone through various models of IBM servers to Dell servers as well as various storage arrays from IBM, Dot Hill, XIO, Kaminario, and Dell (all with some of the same data from year one).

What is most valuable?

DataCore's ability to seamlessly move virtual volume data between storage pools as well as their synchronous mirroring has made maintenance and disaster recovery planning achievable. DataCore's auto-tiering feature also allows us to use our SSD arrays efficiently.

What needs improvement?

DataCore needs a more efficient and better way to keep track of metrics and counters so that we can do baseline analysis to measure performance. Datacore has some functionality where you can send performance metrics to a SQL database however it has not always worked well for us. We actually had to turn it off because we were actually collecting too much data, but in my opinion we sometimes want this data. Ideally if there was a way to see metrics for current and specific points in time it would be great for troubleshooting and any type of trend analysis.

For how long have I used the solution?

Nineteen years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I used to say the problem with DataCore was that it ran on Windows. However, with 2012 R2 and now Windows 2016, things have become much more stable. In general, stability has improved over the years. Most of the problems we've had in the past were due to Windows blue screen errors stemming from our HBA cards.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability has worked well so far. We are up to managing about 2PB of data across five different DataCore Groups.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical Support is responsive. They could be a little faster when there is a critical emergency, but for the most part, technical support is good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have always had DataCore as our Enterprise SAN.

How was the initial setup?

We've always had DataCore come in with Professional Services to do the initial setup.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

In regards to Fibre Channel, buy a server that can handle the highest number of Quad Port HBA cards. Purchase as much memory for the server as you can afford. Anything you spec out, you will need to double if you want redundancy.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did not evaluate other solutions prior to selecting this one.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Real User
Auto-tiering improves performance by automatically balancing demands for storage
Pros and Cons
  • "DataCore has helped provide flexible, highly available, high-performance storage that otherwise would have been outside our price range."
  • "The cost is becoming prohibitive since they moved to a subscription model."

What is our primary use case?

DataCore is the primary storage solution for all of our VMware hosts, installed on a Dell EMC RX740 server with a combination of spinning and NVMe storage. We have just moved to a 2-host, hyperconverged solution utilizing DataCore. All of our servers and services are running off the 2-node DataCore solution.

How has it helped my organization?

DataCore has helped provide flexible, highly available, high-performance storage that otherwise would have been outside our price range.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is auto-tiering, which allows for storage pools containing different speed storage systems and the data automatically moved to the most appropriate pool.

What needs improvement?

The cost is becoming prohibitive since they moved to a subscription model.  'Education' pricing is such in name only (we are a school).

When we originally purchased Datacore (in 2014) it was on a perpetual basis and provided exceptional value for money. We have renewed our DataCore solution this year, in 2019, and have found that DataCore has moved to a subscription model. Not only was the initial licensing far higher than previously, partly due to additional storage requirements but also because we can no longer acquire a 'limited' license and we also find we now have a large subscription to pay each year.

For how long have I used the solution?

Six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

DataCore has been incredibly stable in the last six years that we've been using it, with zero downtime due to a failure in the DataCore component.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

DataCore gives me the impression that it is hugely scalable. We currently use it on a tiny scale of two nodes, but this would be expandable to many many more.

How are customer service and technical support?

DataCore support has always been top-notch whenever we've called on their services, although this has admittedly been rarely due to the stability of the product.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Previously we had local storage on separate physical servers. DataCore seemed the ideal solution for our vSAN when moving to a virtualized environment in VMware.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of a conventional vSAN is straightforward.

Our recent setup of a two-node hyperconverged solution was a little more complicated, though this was mainly due to the Dell servers we had ordered as hosts, rather than DataCore itself. The DataCore consultants setting up the solution were very knowledgable and it was completed without too much trouble.

What about the implementation team?

Our solution was implemented through a DataCore specialist, external contractor, who helped configure the whole solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

When we initially purchased DataCore, it was extremely cost-effective with a perpetual license. They have since moved to a subscription model, which may prove too expensive for us in the future.

Make sure you are made aware of the annual subscription cost when purchasing.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

DataCore appeared to be the most suitable, best-value solution at the time and as such, we did not evaluate other alternatives.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Steven Hunt (DataCore) - PeerSpot reviewer
Steven Hunt (DataCore)Director of Product Management at DataCore Software
Vendor

If you could provide me your contact information, I would like to dig into this situation further and get additional feedback from you. You can email me directly via my email address in my bio.

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Real User
Enables us to use much less hardware for storage which leads to lower power consumption and less heat
Pros and Cons
  • "The features I have found most valuable are the active-active, or so-called grid technology, and the integration into our VMware-vCenter."
  • "I think an easier way to open a service call, right through the DataCore GUI, would be an improvement, especially when there is an urgent issue."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for a high-availability and redundant storage system with fast read and writes times with low latency.

How has it helped my organization?

DataCore SANsymphony has improved our organization by using much less hardware for storage. The power consumption and heat have decreased, so we were able to shut down one air conditioner. Also, it is a faster storage system.

What is most valuable?

The features I have found most valuable are the active-active, or so-called grid technology, and the integration into our VMware vCenter. Our vCenter is now much easier to manage.

What needs improvement?

An easier way to open a service call, right through the DataCore GUI, would be an improvement, especially when there is an urgent issue.

For how long have I used the solution?

Less than one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Although we have just started to use DataCore, we are very happy with the stability of this solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of this solution is very good.

How are customer service and technical support?

So far, we have not had to contact customer support.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We used the IBM SAN Volume Controller and switched to DataCore. In our case, it was possible to use less hardware and get more performance.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was not complex. The migration was fast and we experienced no problems.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented this solution through a partner company.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost is at the same level as other storage solutions and it is easy to understand the licensing.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have some experience with IBM storage solutions.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend taking a look at DataCore because it is a simple-to-use product that saved us from spending more money on additional hardware and support.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free DataCore SANsymphony Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: December 2023
Buyer's Guide
Download our free DataCore SANsymphony Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.