Buyer's Guide
HCI
May 2023
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Technical Manager at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
User
Top 20
Easy to deploy and configure with lots of online videos and documentation
Pros and Cons
  • "StarWind vSAN is easy to deploy and administer."
  • "I'd prefer it if a remote console was provided."

What is our primary use case?

A customer wanted to build a test environment for his VMware. However, he was running out of financial resources. 

I suggested this product (vSAN in particular), and he was quite happy with its features. Later, he decided to convert his test environment into production using the same StarWind products, and to date, he is a happy customer. 

After this success story, I have referred many of my customers to use this product; no complaints so far. 

Happy customers mean good business, and the company is progressing well, so I'm enjoying the benefits as well. 

How has it helped my organization?

StarWind vSAN is easy to deploy and administer. It's a user-friendly solution. We are integrators and deployed vSAN from StarWind with multiple clients and all are happy with its performance. 

What is most valuable?

Creating the new server and deploying it to be used by hypervisors over ISCSI is good. It is very easy to configure. 

What needs improvement?

I'd prefer it if a remote console was provided. That way, the customer doesn't have to log in to a specific server where the product is running. That could be very beneficial. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have deployed this product at multiple locations (for clients) and have had no complaints so far. It is a fully stable product. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability is relatively easy to manage on StarWind. When having real hardware, it's a bit complex to scale, yet way easier with StarWind than with other options.  

How are customer service and support?

Customer service is easily available by email. I have not tried by phone. However, it's my understanding that they would be of great help if I reached out that way too.  

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

I have worked with NetApp, Lenovo, EMC, and some other brands as well for storage with VMware and Hyper V. 

StarWind is easy to manage as compared to these and is a cheap solution with very similar features. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward. Any IT professional can handle it after some studying and training from Youtube. 

What about the implementation team?

After reading the help material and watching some Youtube videos, I deployed this product myself. 

What was our ROI?

A happy customer is the best ROI. I have many happy customers using StarWind. 

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

It's quite easy to deploy this product. 

Any IT professional can read a few documents and watch some videos and maybe go to Youtube to learn about deployment and management. It's a very simple and user-friendly product. 

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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Sysadmin at SUN PEAKS RESORT CORP.
User
Top 20
Cost-effective, easy to use, and quick to deploy
Pros and Cons
  • "The sales process is easy."
  • "Most meetings are done via Zoom, and I'm sure you could switch to a text based conversation if needed as they seem like a very accommodating team. It's not something I would worry about if you are a potential client."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution to provide a safe and secure home for VMs. We are currently only using the computer power, but I like the ability to add GPUs to the device if it is ever needed. We run a bunch of SQL, web services, and remote app servers. The hardware has always been solid, and the 24-hour monitoring is a great safety net. VMs being able to live migrate near-instantly has made updating the hypervisors much easier. The hardware comes from known vendors, so replacement parts are plentiful if ever needed.

How has it helped my organization?

We upgraded from older servers, and the Starwind HCA is much faster and more reliable. All of the old VMs can do the same job they always did but with less waiting. With 24-hour monitoring, we can worry less about hardware and software failures. Every time the system has detected an issue Starwind has emailed us before anything went sideways. Migrating VMs is much easier now that the Starwind team has configured the HCA boxes. All this has been done without the need for a separate storage device.

What is most valuable?

The ease of use is great.

The solution is comprised of high-end hardware components.

The 24-hour monitoring is great.

The sales process is easy.

It is extremely reliable, has very very few issues, and has next to no downtime.

The deployment was very fast, and VMs were migrated without any downtime.

SSD Storage is very fast, and everything I want to do is very very speedy.

It is very configurable, with lots of different options.

What needs improvement?

I can't think of anything that is missing. Everything has been top-notch from start to finish. Every interaction we have had has been 100% positive. If you are hard of hearing some of their team has strong accents, but I have never had an issue understanding them, nor has any of my team that had a bad interaction with them. 

Most meetings are done via Zoom, and I'm sure you could switch to a text based conversation if needed as they seem like a very accommodating team. It's not something I would worry about if you are a potential client.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for about a year.

How are customer service and technical support?

Support exceeds expectations every time we work together. I have always been able to work with the same engineer, and he knows our network.

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

We used a SAN with storage spaces. We switched due to buying new hardware and Starwind offering a one-stop-shop.

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

The solution is cost-effective.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Yes, we looked at HPE and Lenovo.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Buyer's Guide
HCI
May 2023
Get our free report covering Lenovo, and other competitors of Lenovo ThinkAgile SX Series. Updated: May 2023.
708,243 professionals have used our research since 2012.