Pure Storage FlashBlade Reviews

Name: Pure Storage FlashBlade
Brand: Pure Storage
Rating: 4 (36 reviews)

4.4 out of 5

36 reviews
97% willing to recommend

202 followers

What is Pure Storage FlashBlade?

FlashBlade is the industry’s most advanced scale-out storage for unstructured data, powered by a modern, massively parallel architecture to consolidate complex data silos (like backup appliances and data lakes) and accelerate tomorrow’s discoveries and insights.

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Pure Storage FlashBlade is the #5 ranked solution in top File and Object Storage solutions and #18 ranked solution in best All-Flash Storage Arrays. PeerSpot users give Pure Storage FlashBlade an average rating of 8.8 out of 10. Based on the analysis of the 36 most recent Pure Storage FlashBlade reviews, the overall sentiment is positive, with a sentiment score of 8.0. (Among the highest in the category). Pure Storage FlashBlade is most commonly compared to Dell PowerStore: Pure Storage FlashBlade vs Dell PowerStore. Pure Storage FlashBlade is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 45% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a educational organization, accounting for 37% of all views.

Buyer's Guide

Pure Storage FlashBlade

October 2024

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Featured reviews

Eric Black

Solutions Architect at Recovery Point Systems

The performance of FlashBlade is excellent. It does not necessarily leverage the SOS API that some of the newer products leverage, but I found its speed pretty much on par and comparable. It is fast, and it does what it is supposed to do. With some of the S3s we had, there were issues with garbage collection routines or the algorithms that ran the garbage collection. If a customer's immutability period is 14 days, a block generation time frame is assigned to that, which adds another 28 days to it, so it cannot over-allocate the API calls to it and crush the box. They have that kind of period in there. What I found with FlashBlade compared to our ECS system or some of the other S3s that we have run is that it is significantly faster in the purging process and garbage collection process, which is a big deal to us. We have so many customers in there, and they are constantly removing backup chains and things like that, so there is a lot of churn that happens. FlashBlade is probably one of the best ones that we have had that manages that churn appropriately.

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Dale Sides

Managing Partner at StoneCreek Technologies

We use the solution for S3 storage and Kubernetes backup FlashBlade is so much easier to use than the previous solution; it reduced the time to market to serve our customers. I like the way it streams data performance for S3 workloads and object workloads. FlashBlade could improve its…

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Pandurangan Parisa

Lead System Analyst at a computer software company with 501-1,000 employees

It is a path-breaking storage. I have previously worked with Dell EMC and HPE storage. Pure Storage FlashBlade is path-breaking and necessary to meet the current needs. It makes data access more flexible than before. It has significantly saved time for our organization, particularly regarding latency in data retrieval and storage capacity. Previously, we faced limitations with other solutions like Dell EMC and HPE, but FlashBlade allowed us to allocate larger TB amounts, which has been a big benefit. The time-saving aspect and reduced latency are the main benefits we have experienced. We were able to realize its benefits within a week. We found its speed, flexibility, and load balancing very impressive. We realized very early on that it is the best product in the market. Being an all-flash storage, there is no noise like hard drives. There is also a dedicated cache. It is very impressive. As compared to our previous storage, it is very easy to access. The GUI is also very good. Pure Storage FlashBlade helped in keeping our data encrypted and secured.

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Pure Storage FlashBlade mindshare

Product category:

As of November 2024, the mindshare of Pure Storage FlashBlade in the File and Object Storage category stands at 6.4%, up from 5.8% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

File and Object Storage

Key learnings from peers

Last updated Nov 1, 2024

Valuable Features

Pure Storage FlashBlade offers ease of use, fast performance, and straightforward integration. Users highlight its seamless data backup and recovery, scalability, and strong performance analytics. Benefits include reduced latency, excellent throughput, and simplicity in management tasks. The solution's inline deduplication, compression, and predictive performance features are significant advantages. Customers find it user-friendly, with powerful replication features and cost-efficient scaling options. Safety measures and SSD storage contribute to security and operational efficiency.

"Among its most appealing features are its ease of handling and minimal maintenance requirements."
"The most valuable features of FlashBlade include its replication capabilities, reports, and easy allocation. Everything is user-friendly."
"FlashBlade offers low latency, high throughput, and seamless scalability."

Room for Improvement

Pure Storage FlashBlade requires enhancements in cloud integration, particularly with public clouds and hybrid solutions. Improvement is needed in deduplication, snapshot features, and SMB support. Users express a need for better integration with Kubernetes and improved VM-Aware features. Suggested upgrades include reduced pricing, enhanced technical support, better file storage capabilities, stronger analytics, and comprehensive documentation. Additionally, relational database management, predictive analytics, and training programs for smaller organizations warrant attention.

"We initially encountered challenges with the assembly process due to issues with the documentation required during setup, an area where Pure Storage needs improvement."
"Recently, while upgrading the version code, one of the controllers failed. Replacing the controller took between 14 to 20 days."
"To improve FlashBlade, some analysts suggest enhancing its handling of relational database management systems and SQL queries."

ROI

Pure Storage FlashBlade offers a notable return on investment through enhancements in operational efficiencies and reduction in total cost of ownership. Users benefit from faster provisioning, improved storage management, and increased virtual machine density without additional purchases. The system's reliability and ability to minimize ransomware impact contribute to its value. Time savings ranging from 20% to 85% and data consolidation further enhance the financial gains for organizations using it.

Pricing

Pure Storage FlashBlade is perceived as expensive but justified by its performance and bundled licensing model. Pricing varies, with some companies finding it reasonable and competitive, while others point to its high cost compared to competitors like VAST Data. Despite the upfront price, customers appreciate reduced administrative overhead and seamless integration. Licensing is included with the system, eliminating the need for separate purchases, though support incurs additional fees fixed over time unless upgraded.

"I understand that it is competitively priced compared to other brands."
"The pricing is relatively expensive due to the FlashBlade technology. However, for companies needing quick and reliable data access, the cost is justified."
"It is within reason for what you get. From what we have found comparing it to other vendors, it is in the same range as others. Given the choice, we would definitely redeploy it based on the cost."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations primarily utilize Pure Storage FlashBlade for scalable flash storage, data center applications, video editing, storage management, databases, backups, replications, enterprise workloads, NAS, file and object storage, big data analytics, and AI training. FlashBlade supports VMware integrations, cloud solutions, S3 storage, Kubernetes backup, and ransomware remediation. It suits industries like media, entertainment, and banking for high throughput and performance due to its cost-effectiveness, performance, and storage capacities, meeting diverse needs.

Service and Support

Pure Storage FlashBlade's customer service and support are frequently praised for being quick, responsive, and professional. Many rate it highly, highlighting efficient issue resolution and proactive monitoring. However, some experience delays and less experienced support staff, indicating areas for improvement. Customers appreciate the 24/7 availability, although faster response times could enhance efficiency. Generally, users find the support reliable, knowledgeable, and on par with leading companies, particularly during technical installations and maintenance events.

Deployment

Pure Storage FlashBlade's initial setup is consistently described as straightforward and simple, often completed within a short time frame. Various users highlight easy configuration and minimal complexity, with tasks like setting up IP addresses and parameters described as uncomplicated. Deployment times vary, but many find it quick, sometimes within hours or a few days. Support from Pure Storage or partners is mentioned, but many users handle setup and maintenance independently with few issues.

Scalability

Pure Storage FlashBlade demonstrates strong performance and ease when scaling. Users appreciate its capacity management and the ability to expand without interruption. The transition to additional blades is generally smooth, though some find the process less intuitive. Most rate scalability highly, praising its flexibility and adaptability across various sectors. It effectively meets the needs of varying storage demands while maintaining reliability. Some users find it less scalable compared to other options but still highly effective.

Stability

Pure Storage FlashBlade consistently demonstrates excellent stability. Users report it's reliable, with zero to minimal downtime and impressive performance. Hardware upgrades occur smoothly without causing any interruptions, and it's often rated as stable, with scores frequently hitting ten out of ten. FlashBlade's track record includes enduring use without significant issues, although there was isolated maintenance at a customer's site. In many cases, organizations appreciate FlashBlade's robustness, handling large databases effectively.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Pure Storage FlashBlade Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.