What is our primary use case?
We use Dell EMC for a large portion of our general infrastructure and hardware stacks. We use Dell EMC AppSync for replicating between our development and production systems. We primarily used it for large database portability or similar scenarios.
How has it helped my organization?
It shortened the data applications between our development and production because it had a significant speed increase and reduced complexity.
What is most valuable?
While the system is still running, a large portion of the rotator could occur.
What needs improvement?
There were some limitations in the product that prompted us to shift away from it. You could only have one AppSync profile per server to target where the data could be replicated to. There were a few specific feature limitations in terms of flexibility that required the development of an alternative. However, that was the only flaw. In relation to, the replication destinations. We wanted to collect data from multiple systems and then replicate it on a single system. AppSync was based on a one-to-one replication footprint, which was the limitation that we had encountered. We needed to combine several systems into one. That was one of the scenarios provided by the solution. I would like to have the ability to bit the same system with multiple AppSync replications would definitely be beneficial to us. And general flexibility enhancements.
For how long have I used the solution?
We recently transitioned off of it, but we used it a lot, to begin with. We switched to a new solution this year, but we've been using it quite a bit. That would have been at the end of last year, in the fourth quarter of 2021. I believe we divided that into a few different categories; however, we may still use AppSync for some of our use cases. But, I know in my team, we actually moved into an in-house built system that our development team put together. We basically created an internal edition of it. Prior to transitioning, we used Dell EMC AppSync for five years. We use it on-premises, but we also have a VMware-based office cloud solution. It was with both our on-premises and private cloud scenarios.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It was very reliable. We didn't have any reliability issues with it at all during its useful life for us.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, it kept up very well with our rate of growth. We have no issues with the scalability of this solution. On that front, we've received nothing but positive feedback. This solution is used by no more than two or three system administrators and developers.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support was good. We had a positive experience with Dell EMC AppSync.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We work on a lot of projects that revolve around generalized, on-premise storage arrays. In general, we have a pretty mixed bag of other solutions. One of our primary storage solutions is Dell Isilon. We may have used another solution in the past, but I can't recall. I don't recall the situation or recall much before AppSync. One of our in-house solutions features the flexibility that we require in terms of replicating selectively for mobile systems. The advantage is the increased flexibility and ability to run some of the scenarios that we desire. We haven't been able to match AppSync's speed or reliability. So we've gained the flexibility we require, but at a cost in terms of both speed and flexibility in our current solution.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was pretty straightforward. I believe one of the advantages we saw was that the configuration was manageable. I can't tell you how long that took. I believe the onboarding process was fairly simple and took about a month or two. I believe we had a simple implementation strategy in which we focused on a few specific items and then gradually expanded into other areas as we progressed.
What about the implementation team?
I believe we primarily performed an in-house integration. We worked directly with Dell EMC on some of the initial post-sales issues. It was primarily set up and managed by an in-house team.
What was our ROI?
I believe we were pleased with the ROI. I would have to look at something that shows some details on it, but I believe it was generally regarded as a successful ROI.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I believe we paid them on a yearly basis. I'm not sure what they were, though. As I recall, we paid them on a yearly basis and thought it was a costly solution for the use case.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
Fungible Storage isn't something that we have implemented, but have evaluated. I was curious to see what the offers were and if there was anything we could use, but I didn't have any specific need or use case in mind.
What other advice do I have?
I would say that it's a good solution to look into if speed and reliability are primary drivers, as well as flexibility is. It's something I would recommend. I would rate Dell EMC AppSync a seven out of ten. It has excellent performance and reliability, and with a little more flexibility, it could be nearly perfect.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
