Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform OverviewUNIXBusinessApplication

Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform is the #1 ranked solution in top Frame-Based Disk Arrays, #3 ranked solution in top Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) tools, #3 ranked solution in best NVMe All-Flash Arrays, #5 ranked solution in top NAS tools, and #9 ranked solution in best All-Flash Storage Arrays. PeerSpot users give Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform an average rating of 8.8 out of 10. Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform is most commonly compared to IBM FlashSystem: Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform vs IBM FlashSystem. Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 59% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 20% of all views.
Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform Buyer's Guide

Download the Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform Buyer's Guide including reviews and more. Updated: May 2023

What is Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform?

RETHINK YOUR DEFINITION OF SPEED AND PERFORMANCE

With adaptive, guaranteed data reduction and a 100% data-availability guarantee, Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform F series helps you tackle complicated business challenges. Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) VSP F series delivers up to 4.8M IOPS with sub-millisecond response times.
Featuring legendary Hitachi reliability, VSP F series arrays are backed by the industries only 100% availability guarantee. For these reasons, 80% of the Fortune 500 choose Hitachi all-flash arrays to accelerate the performance of mission-critical applications like Oracle, SAP, Virtualization, Microsoft apps etc. With over 350 patents in flash technology, Hitachi’s innovative mix of flash hardware and software accelerates ROI with enterprise-class reliability and performance.

Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform was previously known as Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform F Series, Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform 5000 Series, Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform E Series, Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform N Series, Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series.

Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform Customers

Turkcell, Owens Corning, Region Nord, Net Credit Financial Group (NFC Group), Russian Railways

Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform Video

Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform Pricing Advice

What users are saying about Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform pricing:
  • "A drawback of Hitachi storage systems is that they are expensive. The upfront cost is very high compared to others. But when you compare the IOPS at the same price, Hitachi gives you better business value..."
  • "The licensing cost of Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series, whether it would be high or more affordable, would depend on location. For example, here in Brazil, Hitachi charges in dollars and this means my company still needs to convert that into local currency. Sometimes, my company also needs to discuss the pricing with the Hitachi sales team and request for a discount. At the moment, pricing for Hitachi is high, but my team can have some global funding or global accounts that would help reach the price my company is aiming for."
  • "The main difference between Hitachi and other vendors is the cost. At the time that we bought the solution, it was the best option but the price, compared to other vendors, is a little high."
  • "I give the price of Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform a nine out of ten."
  • "It is cheap. It is not very expensive. If you decide to expand the system, the cost is pretty low as compared to other vendors, such as Dell."
  • Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform Reviews

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    Mir Gulzar Ahmed - PeerSpot reviewer
    Manager IT at Synergy Computers
    Real User
    Top 5Leaderboard
    High availability and performance are key advantages, but configuration flexibility and pricing are drawbacks
    Pros and Cons
    • "The most valuable feature is that it has 'eight nines' availability, 99.999999 percent of the time. That is the main selling point."
    • "There is a drawback related to Hitachi's configuration flexibility. The Hitachi storage platform solution is not flexible. That means that both the Hitachi and the partner presale guys have to do a lot of work to design a solution."

    What is our primary use case?

    For the banking sector, here in Pakistan, we deploy it as primary storage.

    How has it helped my organization?

    The first benefit is the system's availability. Only Hitachi offers "eight nines". Also, the compression rate can provide a financial benefit, and a further benefit is the performance. There's no performance degradation after applying the compression.

    In terms of Hitachi's all-flash technology, there is a smaller footprint with more performance. The footprint is smaller because there isn't a need for many disks and this means there is a reduction in the need for power and cooling. Also, space being used in the data center on the rack is reduced.

    What is most valuable?

    The VSP is a machine that works 24/7 throughout the year. The most valuable feature is that it has "eight nines" availability, 99.999999 percent of the time. That is the main selling point. 

    Another selling point is the IOPS of Hitachi systems; they are very high and others cannot match them.

    Those are the two bullet points: Availability and performance. Hitachi is a best-of-breed storage system.

    In addition, there is an effective capacity guarantee. It's a question of virtualization. There is a basic, physical, usable capacity, and effective capacity. Effective capacity is what you get after compression. Hitachi has very good compression, offering a 7:1 compression ratio in their flash boxes. But the guaranteed compression ratio is 4:1 because compression depends on the application and use case. Effectively, on average, we guarantee a compression ratio of 4:1 and there will be no performance degradation.

    Also, once the solution has been completely deployed, management of it is easy.

    What needs improvement?

    The most common issues we face are connected to replication and parts replacement, such as when there is a disk drive failure.

    Also, there is a drawback related to Hitachi's configuration flexibility. The Hitachi storage platform solution is not flexible. That means that both the Hitachi and the partner presale guys have to do a lot of work to design a solution. Once you design a solution, you can't reverse it. There is no flexibility afterward. If you are implementing a solution for a five-year plan, for example, you discuss what the customer will need in those five years. But after implementation the customer cannot then decide they need this or that changed. Customers have to decide things at the point of sale. Other solutions have better flexibility than Hitachi.

    Buyer's Guide
    Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform
    May 2023
    Learn what your peers think about Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2023.
    706,775 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We have been working with Hitachi for more than a decade. We are both partners and integrators of Hitachi products. We are also a certified service provider, meaning we have a local team that supports and maintains the system.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Effectively, we don't have any major service activities that cause unavailability of the data or an issue that cannot be solved. That has never happened. These machines are very reliable. They are estimated to work for at least 10 years.

    When it comes to business strategy, the only thing the customer wants is that the system is up and running the whole year. We make sure to talk with a customer about their plan for the life of the storage system we are selling. Do they want a three-year plan or a five-year plan or maybe more than five years? We choose the model based on their answer. To summarize our approach in one line, we try to find the best business value that addresses all of a customer's existing challenges.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It's highly scalable.

    How are customer service and support?

    Hitachi's technical support requires improvement. They don't have a lot of support engineers who can handle all the service requests from all the customers. Other manufacturers have baked-in support. Hitachi doesn't have a support team like that, but they are improving in that regard. They are adding resources and improving the support cycle, but they don't have a very good call-logging mechanism.

    If a certified partner is not involved in the support process, I would rate support at five out of 10. With a partner involved, it's a nine. Hitachi's support involves working closely with certified partners who should have a lot of engineers to support customers.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Neutral

    How was the initial setup?

    Setting it up is not very easy but it's also not so difficult. The time it takes depends on the size of the solution. While it's not so time-consuming, you have to plan for a process that will take at least 15 days. These products are always deployed in high-end, sensitive customer environments, where we are playing with their data, so it does take at least that long.

    A senior storage engineer is enough for the deployment. With the addition of a junior-level engineer, the two of them can handle the maintenance.

    With Hitachi's embedded management, the initial setup is easy. Only one management software is required and it's embedded in the box. But for the centralized management, there is another product that is deployed on another server.

    The embedded management is very easy compared to previous systems where we needed to install a client on the management station. But most solutions have an embedded management platform.

    What was our ROI?

    The overall solution might be expensive, but in the long term, the total cost of ownership is better than the TCO of any competitor.

    We discuss ROI as part of the presale process. 

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

    A drawback of Hitachi storage systems is that they are expensive. The upfront cost is very high compared to others. But when you compare the IOPS at the same price, Hitachi gives you better business value; their IOPS are always higher than the competitors', but the price may be higher.

    In terms of licensing, of course, we talk with the customer about what they need. If they need this feature right now and that feature later on, we discuss that with Hitachi and the licensing model will be defined accordingly, before the sale of the product. Afterward, when the customer asks us to add a license as we had discussed, we can add the license. 

    But if a customer didn't discuss with us any kind of future licensing from a feature perspective, buying that license later on, in general, will be very expensive. Before the sale, there's no problem creating a near-cost-effective solution. But getting a license later on is really costly.

    What other advice do I have?

    In general, whether you are a partner or a customer, you need to discuss the requirements of the solution, the full scope of the work, including capacity, performance, availability, and scalability, before the sale.

    Also, do not undersize your storage. That is something that will kill any solution.

    And only apply compression after one or two years, not from the first day of storage. If you are out of capacity and need to buy more storage, the procurement process for extra storage will take a few months, so that is the time to apply compression.

    As a partner, we have to connect with a customer after the sale as well. It's not only about the product. It's also about the partner that sold the product working with the customer to make sure they are satisfied, even when there is no problem with the product. If the collaboration and connection are not good, whenever a customer calls, the partner won't respond to their query properly. So it's not just a one-day job. The product could be really good, but if the response time and the way the customer is handled is not good, the customer will not be satisfied. Our customers are satisfied with the Hitachi storage platform.

    We don't recommend a single-node implementation. It's very risky. One controller cannot provide a high-availability solution, which is a feature of every storage system these days.

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
    Flag as inappropriate
    PeerSpot user
    Solution Architect at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
    Real User
    Top 20
    Fast and reliable with good sales support and pricing
    Pros and Cons
    • "What I like best about Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series is that it's a fast storage solution. It also has reliable models. The sales support is also good for this product. Even the pricing for it is good."
    • "At the moment, I don't see any room for improvement in Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series because my experience with the product is very good. The software is okay and you can manage the storage well. What I'd like to see in the next release of Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series is for it to be a real NAS solution because right now, you need to use a Hitachi converter called HNAS which makes the process a little bit more expensive. In my opinion, Hitachi should look into the possibility of unifying the HNAS into full storage, meaning that the HNAS should be integrated into the Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series."

    What is our primary use case?

    Here at Philips, we are using Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series for image history purposes, in particular, restoring high-resolution images for our customers.

    What is most valuable?

    What I like best about Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series is that it's a fast storage solution. It also has reliable models. The sales support is also good for this product. Even the pricing for it is good.

    What needs improvement?

    At the moment, I don't see any room for improvement in Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series because my experience with the product is very good. The software is okay and you can manage the storage well.

    What I'd like to see in the next release of Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series is for it to be a real NAS solution because right now, you need to use a Hitachi converter called HNAS which makes the process a little bit more expensive. In my opinion, Hitachi should look into the possibility of unifying the HNAS into full storage, meaning that the HNAS should be integrated into the Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series, and the first storage my company ever bought from Hitachi was in 2015. I'm still using the product.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series is a stable product.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series is easy to scale.

    How are customer service and support?

    I'm rating the technical support team of Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series a ten.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

    How was the initial setup?

    Setting up Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series was easy.

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

    The licensing cost of Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series, whether it would be high or more affordable, would depend on location. For example, here in Brazil, Hitachi charges in dollars and this means my company still needs to convert that into local currency. Sometimes, my company also needs to discuss the pricing with the Hitachi sales team and request for a discount. At the moment, pricing for Hitachi is high, but my team can have some global funding or global accounts that would help reach the price my company is aiming for.

    What other advice do I have?

    I'm using Unity, Isilon, and Hitachi, particularly Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series, actually several different storage solutions and models.

    The models of Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series which I have include the G350, G370, G400, and the G600.

    Around one thousand people use Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series within my company.

    My advice to people looking into using Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series is to look into the product because it's a very good product. It's reliable, but you should also prepare the environment well for the hardware. You should have a good understanding of your needs and why you should go with Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series, and not compare Hitachi with other solutions that aren't comparable to the Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series. You should listen well and understand what the Hitachi sales team is proposing and explaining to ensure that you're buying the product that you need.

    My rating for Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series is ten out of ten.

    My company is a partner of Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform G Series though it doesn't sell the hardware to end customers. What my company does is buy the hardware from Hitachi, then it offers it as hardware as a service to the customers.

    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
    Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform
    May 2023
    Learn what your peers think about Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2023.
    706,775 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    FarrukhSyed - PeerSpot reviewer
    Head of Infrastructure at a financial services firm with 51-200 employees
    Real User
    Top 10
    It's a high-performing solution with strong architecture
    Pros and Cons
    • "The biggest benefit of the Hitachi platform is 100 percent storage uptime. It's also highly cost-effective."
    • "We've only faced some minor issues. For example, the documentation of some features isn't as detailed as we would like."

    What is our primary use case?

    I work for one of the largest commercial banks in Pakistan. We deploy Hitachi Virtual Storage in our primary data center and our remote disaster recovery site. 
    It is used for all banking applications like credit and debit card transactions, reconciliation, general ledger, etc. 

    The bank has thousands of users accessing more than 2,000 branches across the country. Everyone who accesses our core banking applications and online banking indirectly uses the Hitachi storage platform in our data center. 

    How has it helped my organization?

    The biggest benefit of the Hitachi platform is the 100 percent storage uptime. It's also highly cost-effective. 

    What is most valuable?

    Hitachi is far superior to other storage platforms I've used. The architecture is strong. The management software is more powerful and easier to use. The Hitachi platform performs well. IOPS is a commercial operation's main concern. Hitachi has good IOPS numbers. 

    IOPS, latency, and availability are the essential metrics for a commercial bank with thousands of branches. We don't worry about our banking applications because Hitachi passes all the tests for performance and availability.

    What needs improvement?

    We've only faced some minor issues. For example, the documentation of some features isn't as detailed as we would like. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I started using Hitachi in 2014. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The Hitachi platform is highly stable. We've experienced minimal hardware or software failures. They promise 99.999 percent uptime, and the platform has lived up to that claim. It's essential because a commercial bank needs to operate 24/7. Downtime is unacceptable for a commercial organization. The hardware is robust, and the backend software is stable. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It's easy to upgrade and expand the Hitachi platform. 

    How are customer service and support?

    I rate Hitachi support nine out of 10. Hitachi has local support teams that are available 24/7. They are all highly qualified and responsive. They understand the solution they provide, and it shows.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

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

    I have been in this business for more than 20 years. Before Hitachi, I worked with storage solutions by various brands, including NetApp, EMC, and IBM. The competing solutions are also good, but they may not be suitable for all use cases. 

    How was the initial setup?

    Deploying the Hitachi platform is simple. I have extensive experience deploying storage, so it is no big deal for me. Most storage brands have similar features.

    What about the implementation team?

    We worked with a local partner called Synergy Computers. They have an excellent technical team, and we've worked with them on other projects besides Hitachi. 

    What was our ROI?

    We've gotten our money's worth from the Hitachi platform. It was supposed to be upgraded after three or four years, and we've been using it for nearly seven without any problems.

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

    I am not involved in purchasing, but my impression is that the Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform is cost-effective. 

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform a nine out of ten. I highly recommend Hitachi to anyone looking for this kind of storage. If you've worked with any other storage vendors, you will see the difference in performance and technical specifications. The management platform is user-friendly, and the architecture is advanced. 

    Hitachi is always improving by adding the latest technologies like artificial intelligence. Their technology is far superior to that of competing solutions. Hitachi's research team is doing an excellent job. 

    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.
    Flag as inappropriate
    PeerSpot user
    Engineer at Secretaria de Educacion del Gobierno del Estado de Mexico
    Real User
    Top 5Leaderboard
    The setup is very easy to manage and configure
    Pros and Cons
    • "The setup is very easy to manage and configure. The initial setup and takes one hour more or less."
    • "For the support windows to work, maybe they have to upgrade the firmware of the VSP. They changed the hardware or the disk. I don't know if it was the port blade they changed or a VM for a memory cache. Also, replacing the old target with the processor target would be fine. The old equipment is very easy to manage, and I don't have any bad commentary."

    What is our primary use case?

    I use this solution in the data center of the office of Mexico's Secretary of Education. I work with different hosts. In this case, it had to be HP-UX, Linux, and Windows. I work with the entire family of Hitachi hardware, but for this case, I work with the CBS500 and CB2500 Blade. I use all kinds of software, like Command Director and Device Manager.

    What needs improvement?

    For the support windows to work, maybe they have to upgrade the firmware of the VSP. They changed the hardware or the disk. I don't know if it was the port blade they changed or a VM for a memory cache. Also, replacing the old target with the processor target would be fine. The old equipment is very easy to manage, and I don't have any bad commentary.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have worked with this equipment for the last two years. When I worked before in Hitachi Data Systems, I worked for a data architect and designed complete solutions, so I have a lot of interaction with the clients.  I handle the solutions, the capacity of the disk, configuration, initial set up, definitions of the DP pools, assigning the volumes, creating the entire SAN, etc. Also, I manage the SAN switches. I worked for Pearson, Sonic, Mobiistar, Macromer, Mynorte, and Santander. Every time, I created the whole environment— all open and the mainframe in development. For example, at Ponavid, I created the whole solution, assigned the space, performed all the troubleshooting, as well as supported all the hardware and the performance.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Yes it's very scalable. For example, in the VSP, you can scale the capacity of the disk in-tray and also in the mid-range. In the VSP, the tray is a bit bigger obviously, and I think the disk is the same. And also when you escalate the new equipment, configuration is very easy as well.

    How are customer service and support?

    When I with work with Hitachi Vantara, I oversee the troubleshooting and support. I am the engineer who provides support, and so it's easy. Once we installed using the harddrive manager, when hardware failed.  Support created a case and assigned this to me and I am the engineer. I take the case and I have to take a solution to the client.

    How was the initial setup?

    The setup is very easy to manage and configure. The initial setup and takes one hour more or less. And when I check the old disk and processor or the memory cache, I check the blade also. Next, I changed the disk, created the configuration, and installed the old disk. This takes maybe one hour extra. Depending on the performance of the old disk and the capacity, it could take maybe three or four hours. Sometimes, it takes eight. Then I created a SAN, a port, the host groups, the DP pools, and the dynamic provisioning. And for performance troubleshooting, I take a dump. For example, I check the read-write performance of the IO as well as the performance of the port, the workflow, the workload, and the memory cache. 

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

    It always depends on what technology you need. Because if you need a very fast flash disk, it's going to be more expensive obviously. But if you need a backup solution, it's fine, because the technology is advanced, but it fits in some cases.

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate Hitachi 10 out of 10.

    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.
    PeerSpot user
    Alexey Rogov - PeerSpot reviewer
    Lean manager at Gazprombank
    Real User
    Top 5Leaderboard
    It has good data optimization, compression, and deduplication
    Pros and Cons
    • "Data optimization, compression, and deduplication are the most important features for us."
    • "I would like to see Hitachi improve their management software. It's been three years since they introduced Ops Center, their management product, and it still hasn't reached at least 50 percent of the capability we require. We are using legacy software because the product Hitachi offers does not stack up in functionality."

    What is our primary use case?

    Our primary use case is a hybrid private cloud that includes generic server virtualization based on VMware ESXi. The second use case is workstation virtualization — virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). The third is database systems with IBM Power and IBM IX logical partitions.

    What is most valuable?

    Data optimization, compression, and deduplication are the most important features for us.

    What needs improvement?

    I would like to see Hitachi improve their management software. It's been three years since they introduced Ops Center, their management product, and it still hasn't reached at least 50 percent of the capability we require. We are using legacy software because the product Hitachi offers does not stack up in functionality.

    Hitachi should increase the number of possible functions Ops Center can perform. For example, it is impossible to manage any kind of storage replication using this product. All competing solutions provide that, but you need to install a separate solution to manage replication in Hitachi arrays. It was not the case with legacy software, but the current solution doesn't have that.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We've been using Hitachi VSP for about four years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Hitachi VSP is stable in most cases, but we've had a few hiccups with the storage firmware. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Hitachi VSP scales pretty well, but it generally depends on storage costs. The high-end arrays have huge scalability limits. Generally, we are limited mainly by the array controllers' performance, not the array's capacity limits. 

    Our environment is massive. We have approximately 15,000 users for virtual desktop solutions, about 16,000 email users, and approximately 6,000 to 7,000 servers running on VMware platforms. We also have a few hundred logical partitions on IBM Power servers.

    How are customer service and support?

    We regularly contact Hitachi technical support. The idea of a storage array is that it's broken up into many small pieces of storage. Each piece may fail, and they do from time to time. Therefore, we typically have to open five or six cases every month for mundane tasks like replacing failed disk drives. That's typical for any customer using storage on a large scale.

    Those are minor cases, but storage controller failures are more serious, and we see three or four every year. We also have two or three performance-related cases each year. 

    How was the initial setup?

    We're a relatively large customer, so we do not perform installation ourselves. Service partners typically perform it. We have three people managing the storage, three working with the storage area network, and five handling the backups.

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

    All the software licenses are bundled with the storage hardware. I'm not the purchasing guy, so I do not negotiate prices. When the company makes a purchasing decision, I only provide the technical requirements. The price is a question for the purchasing department.

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate Hitachi VSP seven out of 10. Generally, I wouldn't recommend Hitachi VSP to a customer without a background in storage systems. Solid technical expertise is needed to use these storage solutions on a medium or a large scale.

    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.
    PeerSpot user
    Consultant at Telcel
    Consultant
    Top 20
    Helped to significantly reduce our storage footprint, and integrated monitoring gives us visibility
    Pros and Cons
    • "One of the features, for us, that is important is the monitoring platform integrated into the solution. It has all the elements that we need to see, at all times, to be sure the platform is working right."
    • "The initial deployment was somewhat complex when it came to the installation because of the network connectivity. It was more difficult, in this specific case, than with other platforms."

    What is our primary use case?

    It's for our internal network SAN for about 100 virtual machines. It's about the IOPS. We were looking for a model that would have enough IOPS for these types of virtual machines. IOPS and latency are very important for us because we are running an application, on these virtual machines, that deals with building and milliseconds are very important.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Hitachi's adaptive data reduction technology has helped reduce our storage footprint. This was one of the reasons we bought the solution. It saves us about 80 percent versus another vendor's solution.

    What is most valuable?

    One of the features, for us, that is important is the monitoring platform integrated into the solution. It has all the elements that we need to see, at all times, to be sure the platform is working right.

    What needs improvement?

    There is room for improvement in terms of the IP solution.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform E990 for three years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    In three years, we have only had four big issues.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Hitachi's effective capacity guarantee has been valuable for us. They provide us a certain capacity with a limit. When we reach this limit, we buy the next step. That means we always have enough capacity.

    We use the solution for a specific department with about 200 people in it.

    We haven't had to scale it because we bought the biggest option for this solution. We don't plan to increase our usage.

    How are customer service and support?

    We have had too many issues.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Neutral

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

    We had a Hitachi solution as well, before this one. When doing our assessment of the solution, we had a dedicated Hitachi partner who helped us to check into the IOPS and latency.

    How was the initial setup?

    I was part of the project from the initial internal requirements. The initial deployment was somewhat complex when it came to the installation because of the network connectivity. It was more difficult, in this specific case, than with other platforms.

    We used the embedded management for the installation. It made the latter part of the deployment easy, but the first part was very complicated for us.

    What about the implementation team?

    The deployment was done directly with Hitachi.

    What was our ROI?

    We have seen ROI.

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

    The main difference between Hitachi and other vendors is the cost. At the time that we bought the solution, it was the best option but the price, compared to other vendors, is a little high.

    What other advice do I have?

    Once the platform is up and running, it's very fast. But for integration, it's not the best option.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Private Cloud
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    IT-chef at a logistics company with 51-200 employees
    Real User
    Reliable, quickly address issues, and the IOPS and latency are great
    Pros and Cons
    • "Hitachi's technical support is perfect."
    • "I would like the fan noise to be automatically adjusted based on the drive's current workload."

    What is our primary use case?

    Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform is used for our storage area network.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Hitachi's ability to quickly impact and resolve issues is good. When we had an issue a few months back, we were contacted by Hitachi and they upgraded us free of charge automatically.

    Hitachi's roadmap is important because, without it, our organization would not run properly.

    We are very satisfied with our decision to purchase Hitachi products. We originally planned to buy Dell products, but they were unable to deliver them due to a chipset shortage. We are fortunate that we chose Hitachi, as their products are incredibly fast and the price was good. We have no regrets about our decision.

    Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform's IOPS and latency are great.

    Compared to Dell, the Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform is much faster. We can start 50 servers at one time on the host without seeing the dial drop.

    It is important to our organization that we have flexible media options such as NVMe with the solution.

    Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform's adaptive data reduction technology helps us reduce storage on a ratio of 1:3.

    The embedded management for installation simplified the solution's ease of management.

    Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform's embedded management is more powerful and efficient than the previous solution. It has been so easy to use that we haven't had to do anything manually in the past year.

    What is most valuable?

    Reliability, compression, and speed are the most valuable features.

    What needs improvement?

    Although the speed is good, there is always room for improvement.

    I would like the fan noise to be automatically adjusted based on the drive's current workload.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using the Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform for 15 months.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform is stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform is scalable.

    How are customer service and support?

    Hitachi's technical support is perfect.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is straightforward. I completed the deployment myself, which took one week. 

    What about the implementation team?

    The implementation was completed in-house.

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

    I give the price of Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform a nine out of ten.

    What other advice do I have?

    I give Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform a ten out of ten.

    80 percent of our employees in-house are using the solution with additional people around the world.

    Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform notifies us if any maintenance is required.

    I recommend Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform.

    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.
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    PeerSpot user
    Paolo Brega - PeerSpot reviewer
    Business Developer Manager & Marketing Manager at TAI Software Solution
    Real User
    It is inexpensive, flexible, and absolutely reliable, and their support is excellent
    Pros and Cons
    • "It is very flexible, and it is very useful when you want to virtualize different storage from different vendors."
    • "In terms of ransomware, Pure Storage is probably a couple of steps ahead of Hitachi, but Hitachi does not rush in terms of features. They want to be really sure that the hardware works properly without any kind of problem in new environments, and the implementation or improvement does not affect the customer installation. They really want to make sure that customers are not affected in any way."

    What is most valuable?

    It is very flexible, and it is very useful when you want to virtualize different storage from different vendors.

    It is absolutely reliable.

    What needs improvement?

    In terms of ransomware, Pure Storage is probably a couple of steps ahead of Hitachi, but Hitachi does not rush in terms of features. They want to be really sure that the hardware works properly without any kind of problem in new environments, and the implementation or improvement does not affect the customer installation. They really want to make sure that customers are not affected in any way.

    They should support the real Metro Cluster also for the small systems.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We started to work with this storage about two years ago. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It is very stable. We have had just one failure on a disk, but due to the protection, we didn't lose any data.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It can scale a lot, much more than our needs.

    How are customer service and support?

    We have had only one instance when we had the disk failure, and we received some calls from them asking about the instance and applying a new update. They were very good. 

    Their support team is absolutely on top of my list due to their knowledge and effectiveness. They can really assist you in any case. If you need any assistance with the configuration, they will be able to assist you. I would rate them a five out of five.

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

    We had another Hitachi system. I don't remember the model, but it was hybrid storage.

    How was the initial setup?

    It is pretty simple. I would rate it a four out of five in terms of ease.

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

    It is cheap. It is not very expensive. If you decide to expand the system, the cost is pretty low as compared to other vendors, such as Dell.

    What other advice do I have?

    It is a very flexible solution. If we consider the Hitachi brand with other storage brands, it is on the top of the list. We are very satisfied with its stability, reliability, and affordability.

    Any organization deciding to put in place a Hitachi storage solution is doing the right thing. It is probably not the best, but it is absolutely the right solution. They will forget all the problems connected to storage. That's because it works very well, and their support is also very good.

    I would rate it an eight out of 10.

    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 Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: May 2023
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.