HPE SimpliVity Reviews

"Less space and power, less management". We have stored all data, compressed and deduplicated, with less transfer over the WAN.

Adding a node to the federation is as simple as plugging it into the network, selecting it in the GUI, and clicking "Join".

I would like to see a better price/performance in comparison with a standard ESX servers/storage farm solution.

As a trade and service SimpliVity partner since 2013, we have sold and installed dozens of systems based on CN-3000/5000 in various configurations. These include models from: CN3400-12abc, miniCube, 2xE5-2640v3, 16C, 4x400GB SSD, 20x1TB HDD, 256GB Memory to models CN5000-bcc - OmniCube CN-5000 platform, Dual 12 Cores, 384 RAM, 400GB SSD, etc.

In multiple cases, we have upgraded the first versions of OmniCube Box (delivered in 2013/2014) based on the request of our clients to higher configurations, in a time span of 12-18 months. Our company has been using the OmniCube CN-3000 system internally since 2013.

We did not have any issues with stability.

The scalability options are clear and mostly satisfying.

Technical support varies based on the level of paid service (Gold/Silver).

The SimpliVity OmniCube solution was the first that we have used for software defined, data center field. We have been using it ever since

The initial setup was fairly simple. SimpliVity offers high-level technical training and the system itself is well documented.

The price of OmniCube Box is still higher compared to standard ESX server/storage farm solutions. Its advantages are only appealing to clients who:

• Want to increase the efficiency of both physical and human resources
• Want to decrease complexity
• Are lacking data room space
• Have more branches

SimpliVity can help organizations take on the challenges of maximizing efficiency while reducing costs.

Performance scalability was easily achieved for a virtual environment running a mix of common IT business applications, while providing fast, predictable response times.

Combined with the ability to offer the same level of administrative simplicity, data efficiency, complete functionality across data centers around the globe, and low-cost cloud capabilities, SimpliVity OmniCube is noteworthy.

Visit the SimpliVity website for reference information and familiarization with the product.

The most valuable features are the compression and backup.

Backups are done on disk, and no longer use tapes. Also, restoration of backups is within seconds.

None on technologies side, but the cost of the solution and support would need some improvement

I have used it for one year.

We have not encountered any deployment issues.

We have not encountered any stability issues.

We have not encountered any scalability issues.

Customer service is 10/10.

Technical support is 10/10.

We previously used regular Windows servers. We switched for better efficiency of storage and backup.

Initial setup was straightforward.

A vendor team with good knowledge implemented it.

ROI is 100%.

Pricing and support is on the high side, but well worth it.

Before choosing, we also evaluated Nutanix and Cisco.

The built-in backup data protection is the most valuable feature.

We streamlined our production servers in the way of space management, better redundancy, and efficiency.

• Back-end training for sysadmins

I have used it for one year.

Some things were not fully set up during deployment by their engineers.

We have not encountered any stability issues at all.

I have not scaled yet.

Customer service is good; not the best, but it's good.

Technical support is very good.

We previously used a centralized VMware solution; not enough resources and internal support was lacking. We needed more control over our environment.

Initial setup was both straightforward and a little complex. I think they can come up with a better way to automate some of the process for the end user sysadmin.

Implementation was through Simplivity's team.

Still working on ROI.

Depending on the vendor, Simplivity will try to work with you on the pricing.

Before choosing this product, we also evaluated Nutanix and VMware centralized solutions through our institution.

I highly recommend Simplivity to fill any hyper-converged needs.

• Inline deduplication and compression
• Rapid cloning and provisioning of VMs
• Remote backup functionality
• Easy handling within vSphere client due to the Simplivity plugin

• Standardization of ROBOs

I have used it for two years.

There were minor bugs that were fixed.

There were minor bugs that were fixed.

So far, we have not encountered any issues with scalability.

Customer service is very good; fast reaction time.

Technical support is very good; always solid statements.

We didn't previously use a different solution.

Setup was easy.

A technical engineer from Simplivity implemented it.

Price-performance is good.

Before choosing, we evaluated Nutanix, but didn't like the 3 nodes concept at that time.

• Redundancy
• Cross-site federation
• Data virtualization
• Integration with vSphere

We introduced OmniStack as a tool in helping effect a datacenter migration and its ability to execute rapid backup and migration of VMs across geographically distant sites was integral in the success of the project. By placing OmniCubes at both datacenters and federating them together, we were able to pre-populate the destination site's nodes with the unique 4K blocks composing our VMs and make the final production move in a matter of hours instead of days.

There are some maintenance features (replica copy load-balancing) that could stand to be automated and/or streamlined for customer execution. Also, the ability to scale compute and storage independently of one another would be a way to add value to the entire product line.

I have used it for 18 months.

We encountered some deployment issues as part of the complexity of hardware refreshes and datacenter moves; none related to SimpliVity's technology itself.

We have not encountered any scalability issues.

Customer service is excellent. Deployment and turn-up was a white-glove experience, with dedicated technical staff (Richard Gay) and very attentive account managers (Ryan Huhtala).

Technical support is excellent. Support staff are responsive and knowledgeable, and we have had all concerns about which we've called in resolved to our satisfaction.

We wanted the advantages of HCI versus legacy stacks as a means of expanding our capabilities, as we are a VMware-based environment and make heavy use of cloning and templates which OmniStack can deduplicate efficiently.

Initial setup was more complex for us than for many, as we had to integrate it alongside our legacy equipment and perform a multi-stage transition from legacy gear at our old DC --> legacy/SVT hybrid at old DC --> legacy/SVT hybrid at old DC with SVT at new DC --> SVT at old DC with SVT at new DC --> SVT at new DC. There was some network expansion required, as well as coordinating planned outages in production systems as we migrated from server to server and site to site.

Customers integrating OmniStack at a single datacenter and gradually retiring old equipment will have a more straightforward implementation.

Implementation was a partner effort between SimpliVity and our own IT. Their expertise was unparalleled, with every point addressed and handled without issue.

HCI is going to be expensive compared to legacy architecture or converged stacks. However, in the case of SimpliVity, the benefit is worth the cost in terms of ease of management and efficient use of storage resources. Licensing is the standard VMware pricing model; no different than with any other solution.

Before choosing this product, we evaluated Nutanix, Scale HC3, Nimble SmartStack, and Maxta.

It is well worth seriously considering for any operation that makes heavy use of VMs, particularly clustered servers, VDI, and other highly-redundant data sets. Once installed, OmniStack performs beautifully, integrates painlessly, and can improve virtual datacenter performance magnificently.

Backup and DR applications are very good and easy to use.

Due to inline deduplication, optimization and compression of data, very high IO throughput is possible.

No additional training is necessary for support personnel and engineers, as the SimpliVity federation is managed via a plugin in the VMware vSphere client or webclient.

Our company acts as a SimpliVity implementation partner. We also do platform maintenance/management for customers who do not want to do it themselves. We only get positive feedback from customers as to performance, RTO/RPO times, and day-to-day management.

We would like to see more possibilities to monitor the SimpliVity platform. Also, storage balancing between nodes within clusters with more than two nodes could be better. I believe this is solved in the new release of the software, but we still have to test it.

We have used SimpliVity for about three years now and have done several small and midsize implementations on OmniCube and OmniStack server systems.

Overall stability is great, except for some incidental hardware failures with DIMMs and remote access cards. The SimpliVity software and hardware acceleration card has never let us down. As long you use the BOM (bill of material), you are good to go.

The product is very scalable, if you can work with the building blocks. If you need more computing power, you can add computing nodes, which can be any x86 server. If you need more storage, you need to add a SimpliVity OmniCube or OmniStack node.

The technical support is very good, probably the best we have encountered until now.

In the past, we deployed the more traditional systems, such as a hypervisor with shared storage. We see the advantages of hyperconverged solutions and were impressed by the SimpliVity product, so we have shifted our main focus to hyperconverged solutions; in particular, SimpliVity.

The initial setup demands you to think through the IP addressing plan. Once you have that in place, initial deployment and configuration is very simple.

I don't have any pricing and licensing at hand, so no advice here. Please consult a SimpliVity Partner for that.

We did look into Nutanix and also did a few implementations. We found that if you want the same level of performance and protection for your data, you will need to invest in many more Nutanix nodes. Nutanix has much more overhead, is less efficient in the use of storage capacity, and requires much more platform to get VMs running.

ROBO implementations are much easier and efficient to do with SimpliVity.

Carefully look into your workload and discuss this with a SimpliVity Partner or Solution Architect.

We know that a small set of workloads are not suitable to run OK on the SimpliVity platform. Large database servers could be a problem running on the platform.

It’s a great product for most workloads. It may be less useful with very large database server VMs.

Instant file-level restore is the product's most valuable feature.

We have marketing users that tend to save over their files by accident and before SimpliVity, I could not restore a file from 15 minutes ago. Now, I can do that for my users.

I also was able to install a disaster recovery site with this solution and it has given our IT team peace of mind knowing we have full backups offsite.

The production server infrastructure is an area with room for improvement.

I have used it for six months.

No issues with deployment.

We did encounter stability issues at first due to a CPU issue.

No issues with scalability.

Customer service is top-notch.

Technical support went above an beyond to help get our network environment ready for the upgrade.

We had old end-of-life and end-of-support servers.

Initial setup was very straightforward with fantastic documentation from the project team.

An in-house team implemented it.

I recommend a five-year contract, as it will give you the best ROI.

I researched many different options before choosing.

The most valuable feature is inline deduplication. Inline dedup allows us to support more VMs per host, because less IO goes to disk if you use the same OS on the server side. Deduplication at SimpliVity means that metadata caching and the acceleration card support the efficiency of using less SSD and less HDD access. Only unwritten blocks flow through the system; double blocks coming out of cache. This also helps to reduce latency of the whole system, because the acknowledge to requests of servers are supported faster and out of cache instead from disk.

You can manage at this point more and different workloads, but at least not all. So, the newer systems with full flash supports these requirements better than the hybrid systems.

It has less latency (from 6ms to about 1ms).

Other customers want to see Windows Hyper-V Server 2016 support and also open-source VI. In our case, this is not necessary, but could help in the future to get more market share.

I have used it for one year.

I have not encountered any stability issues.

I have not encountered any scalability issues in my environment and situation.

Technical support is perfect for me.

We previously used a different solution and we switched because of total cost (ROI) and efficiency.

Initial setup is easy and can be done by any technician with a basic understanding of VMware.

Calculate all savings and build an ROI. (Have a look at www.holistic3.com.)

Before choosing this product, I did not evaluate other options because it is clear that SimpliVity provides the best ROI out of all the candidates.

Take care with 10gbE networking. To save a lot of space and power with this solution, use VMware as the primary hypervisor.