it_user672357 - PeerSpot reviewer
Tactical Expert at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Easy to use GUI, both for me and the customers is the most valuable feature of this solution.

What is most valuable?

Easy to use GUI, both for me and the customers is the most valuable feature of this solution. It's very self-explanatory, very easy to install and of course, the IBM Easy Tier function is easy to maintain.

How has it helped my organization?

The benefits are pretty much the same as I have mentioned herein, i.e., it's the time that takes to do an installation as compared to the old products. So, everything is time-related, i.e., the less time you use then it's also cost-effective.

What needs improvement?

I really don't have any preference for it, this is very easy to install and is actually a customer setup. I've talked to many customers, and all of them agree that "This is so simple, so easy, and straightforward", so IBM has done a very good job so far.

For how long have I used the solution?

Since 2012

Buyer's Guide
IBM FlashSystem
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about IBM FlashSystem. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
768,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

Very easy so no problems.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is very good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is also very good because in the first product you could add four expansions to it, but then today, with the later code you can add nine to the controller units. So, it's very good and also, if you put an SVC product on top of it, then it works very well together as we see in all of the products as well.

How are customer service and support?

Customer Service:

Out af 10 I would say 8 for none advanced users

Technical Support:

Very good when it's needed.

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

We are a business partner and what we sell are IBM Storwize products. That's our main focus, we don't sell any other vendors. So, it was a pretty straightforward decision to invest in this solution. But according to what I have seen in the past and worked with than this is without a doubt the most user friendly product.

How was the initial setup?

Actually, I've done many of the installations; it is very straightforward.

What other advice do I have?

This product is so easy to use.

Have it checked over, test it out and try it. Compare it to the other competitors and make a decision from there, because I think this will definitely be a winner.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We are a business partner.
PeerSpot user
Technical Manager at a manufacturing company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Quick operations, reliable, but difficult installation
Pros and Cons
  • "IBM FlashSystem has been stable in our operations."
  • "The solution is not easy to use and could improve."

What is our primary use case?

We use IBM FlashSystem for VM farms, physical SQL servers, and replication.

What needs improvement?

The solution is not easy to use and could improve.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used IBM FlashSystem within the last 12 months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

IBM FlashSystem has been stable in our operations.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is similar to the Nimble Storage solution.

We have approximately 200 users using this solution, and we have plans to increase usage.

How are customer service and support?

We have not used the support from IBM.

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

We previously used free CSS Storage.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is complex and it could be easier. The concept is quite different from traditional storage. The full process took approximately three days.

What about the implementation team?

We used vendors' support for the implementation.

We had approximately three engineers for the implementation.

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

There are no licensing fees, it is a one-time purchase of the IBM FlashSystem.

What other advice do I have?

I rate IBM FlashSystem a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
IBM FlashSystem
March 2024
Learn what your peers think about IBM FlashSystem. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2024.
768,924 professionals have used our research since 2012.
System engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Flexible, good performance, and scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are flexibility and performance."
  • "The Data Reduction Pools (DRP) support could be better."

What is our primary use case?

We use this solution for database system storage in our organization.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are flexibility and performance.

What needs improvement?

The Data Reduction Pools (DRP) support could be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for many years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have found the solution to be scalable.

We have approximately 1,000 users using the solution in my organization. 

How was the initial setup?

The installation is straightforward. The solution is delivered with an operating system, which can be updated in about half an hour. 

What about the implementation team?

We did the implementation ourselves.

We have 10 technicians that do the maintenance for the solution.

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

The solution requires a license and could be less expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I recommend this solution to others.

I rate IBM FlashSystem a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user732741 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sistem Yönetimi Uzman? at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Vendor
​User friendly interface and robust hardware but deduplication is limited

What is most valuable?

  • User friendly interface
  • Robust hardware
  • Good support

How has it helped my organization?

VMware and Hyper-V datastore (with Fiber Connect). All virtual systems are running on the Storwize V7000 storage in our company.

What needs improvement?

Deduplication and DRC synchronization. Deduplication is small, limited. We need better deduplication and disaster recovery.

For how long have I used the solution?

Since 2014.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Good stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No.

How are customer service and technical support?

Global support is good.

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

Yes, I myself have used. The customer decided to switch.

How was the initial setup?

Yes, it is easy in terms of management and installation.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Yes, I evaluated HPE, Dell EMC.

What other advice do I have?

Check IOP values and disk speed. Check often for updates and firmware. Make absolute SNMP settings for warnings and alerts.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Technical Presales Consultant at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
High performance, great technical support, and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "One of the valuable features is the performance, it is one of the best in the market."
  • "The installation is not easy. You need to have extensive knowledge to handle it."

What is our primary use case?

The solution can be used for backing up data, such as in databases and local clouds.

What is most valuable?

One of the valuable features is the performance, it is one of the best in the market.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been involved with IBM FlashSystem for approximately four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would recommend this solution.

IBM FlashSystem can expand very well, it is scalable.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is very good.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is not easy. You need to have extensive knowledge to handle it.

What about the implementation team?

We have a team of three engineers that do the implementation.

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

Overall the price of the solution is expensive and this includes the license.

What other advice do I have?

I rate IBM FlashSystem a nine out of ten. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
System Administrator at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Fast and reliable backup solution
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is straightforward and can be done in an hour and a half by one person."
  • "The data reduction pool feature sucks and is not recommended for use with heavy workloads."

What is our primary use case?

My main use of this solution is for backup.

What needs improvement?

The data reduction pool feature sucks and is not recommended for use with heavy workloads. I also understand that the APIs don't work well and need improvement. In the next release, I would like to see a better monitoring system for metrics.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for around five years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward and can be done in an hour and a half by one person. 

What other advice do I have?

IBM FlashSystem is fast and reliable. However, we also use Huawei, which is more reliable and has less frequent upgrades. I would rate this solution as eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Private Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
MSP
Good price, good performance, and useful for data reduction
Pros and Cons
  • "I like most of the features. Its speed, performance, and availability are valuable. We are implementing the data reduction technology the most."
  • "Their technical support needs improvement in terms of reachability for the clients and response times. They should be more responsive and have more online platforms for support. They should make more technical information available online. There could be some kind of documentation community."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for data reduction technology. We are using this solution on-premises, and we are also providing services to customers.

What is most valuable?

I like most of the features. Its speed, performance, and availability are valuable. We are implementing the data reduction technology the most.

What needs improvement?

Their technical support needs improvement in terms of reachability for the clients and response times. They should be more responsive and have more online platforms for support. 

They should make more technical information available online. There could be some kind of documentation community.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for three or four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We are only using one box or enclosure for now. We don't have experience with scaling the systems. Our companies here don't need big systems for now.

How are customer service and technical support?

Their technical support needs improvement.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very simple.

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

Its price is very good.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution. I would rate IBM FlashSystem an eight 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
PeerSpot user
Technical Head at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Real User
Licensing has everything you need.

What is most valuable?

Auto Tier is 1M-iops.

How has it helped my organization?

It improves our number of TPS.

What needs improvement?

Flash Manager needs to be included.

For how long have I used the solution?

2 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Only battery for controller.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

None so far.

How are customer service and technical support?

If 10 is the highest, I would rate them at 9.

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

We were using a V7000 before, so only upgraded.

How was the initial setup?

Almost straightforward and the same as doing a V7000 series.

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

Licensing has already everything you need like replication, but you need to consider the license cost for the SAN switch.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

EMC Xtreme IO, HPE 3PAR, Nimble.

What other advice do I have?

Consider which type of disk to use: All flash, High Capacity Drives, SSDs.

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 IBM FlashSystem Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: March 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free IBM FlashSystem Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.