StarWind Storage Appliance Reviews

Name: StarWind Storage Appliance
Brand: StarWind
Rating: 5 (10 reviews)

4.5 out of 5

10 reviews
100% willing to recommend

256 followers

What is StarWind Storage Appliance?

For SMB and Enterprises who are looking for high performance primary storage for server virtualization, VDI, database and Big Data scenarios, or inexpensive secondary backup tier, our solution is StarWind Storage Appliance. It unifies commodity servers, disks and flash, and associated software into an easily scalable storage platform.

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StarWind Storage Appliance is the #14 ranked solution in top NAS solutions and #28 ranked solution in best All-Flash Storage Arrays. PeerSpot users give StarWind Storage Appliance an average rating of 9.0 out of 10. StarWind Storage Appliance is most commonly compared to VMware vSAN: StarWind Storage Appliance vs VMware vSAN. StarWind Storage Appliance 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 computer software company, accounting for 21% of all views.

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StarWind Storage Appliance

October 2024

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Featured reviews

Kishore CA

Senior Engineering Assistant at Bharat Electronics Limited

The only drawback is that it takes a bit of time during initial synchronization, especially after restarting the environment. This is a potential area of improvement. There's a synchronization time, but it takes time. Initially, when we start the first environment deployment, it starts synchronizing between the storage. So, it is taking time. One thing is that even when you restart. Let's assume that the synchronization is completed and the storage is synchronized. Both storages are fully synchronized, and it is in sync mode. Now, if we want to restart both nodes, there is a case for maintenance purposes. You took both nodes for maintenance, and we rebooted it. Then, it should not synchronize again. It should be a checksum. And if there is a checksum match, there should be no synchronization again. So, one thing that should be taken care of. Another thing is that I used freeware- the community version, free license, which we deployed using PowerShare. In that case, it was very difficult to bring back another node when one node was faulty. Let's assume that both the nodes are working fine. And we found one node faulty. And we destroyed all the volumes in that and tried to bring it back. So that was a difficult factor. The final solution is that we were not able to bring back the failed node. So, we reconstructed a new data source for that. That is another drawback. In future releases, I would like to see the integration with VMware or some other things as a plugin model for VMware.

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Balaji Velaga

Consultant at HCL

With StarWind Storage Appliance, I have seen that the initial setup phase is a bit difficult most of the time because there are a lot of configurations to be done after the installation since there is a need to connect to a VM. Most of the time, I have seen issues with the initial configuration of the product, making it a bit difficult, but support-wise, StarWind is good. The solution is deployed on an on-premises model. When it comes to the deployment process of StarWind Storage Appliance, the replication part takes most of the time, especially in the initial setup phase, since you need to replicate all the VMDK disks, which will take two to three hours to set up. In our company, I am a part of a two-member team that can easily manage the deployment of the product, including the setting up process. The infrastructure part is taken care of by the data center team in our company while I am involved in the setup phase. If I face any issues, StarWind's support team helps me.

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Valentino Beltramelli

IT Specialist & Project Manager at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees

It functions as intended, making it a suitable choice for small enterprises or those implementing highly available infrastructure in a modest-sized environment. The performance is commendable, and while it may not be as feature-rich as some other solutions, it still provides satisfactory functionality. The maintenance experience is straightforward and user-friendly, ensuring minimal disruption and efficient updates. If you opt for it, I strongly recommend avoiding the use of extremely cheap hardware as the performance of the software is directly dependent on the quality of the underlying hardware, especially in smaller setups. Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

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StarWind Storage Appliance mindshare

Product category:

As of November 2024, the mindshare of StarWind Storage Appliance in the NAS category stands at 1.0%, down from 1.5% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

NAS

Key learnings from peers

Last updated Sep 18, 2024

Valuable Features

Valuable features of StarWind Storage Appliance include its management interface, high availability and fast replication, ability to pause and move the appliance, all-flash arrays for excellent performance, iSCSI support, proactive support, affordability, quality support, user-friendly interface, data protection, easy management, and comprehensive management console. It simplifies operations by handling tasks with just two nodes and integrates well with vCenter without needing frequent updates.

"StarWind Storage Appliance is simpler and more effective than using Microsoft products. We chose it because it can be easily integrated with Microsoft."
"We saw an ROI. We have saved both time and money by using it."
"I would say data protection and easy management are the most valuable features of the product...I rate the technical support a nine out of ten."

Room for Improvement

StarWind Storage Appliance requires better integration with HP, backup vendors, Veeam, Commvault, and VMware. It would benefit from weekly reports on storage status and performance metrics, including IOPS charts. Improvements are needed in initial synchronization time, easier node recovery, and a more flexible demo version. The free edition lacks dashboard features. Some feel the setup process could be simplified to avoid issues. Enhanced flexibility in caching and moving data between nodes is suggested.

"StarWind Storage Appliance's demo version should be similar to the paid one."
"StarWind should improve the synchronization time of its product. There should be a standard operating procedure (SOP) for synchronization to reduce the time it takes."
"With StarWind Storage Appliance, it would be better to have an overall easier setup with a little bit of configuration changes since, currently, even a small mistake may cause the setup process to go wrong."

ROI

Organizations using StarWind Storage Appliance reported substantial cost savings and increased operational efficiency. Users particularly noted a swift return on investment due to reduced hardware expenses, lower maintenance costs, and minimized downtime. Enhanced performance and reliability also contributed to improved productivity, with many stating significant positive impacts on their infrastructure management. The appliance's ease of implementation and robust support were frequently highlighted as key factors driving the notable ROI.

Pricing

StarWind Storage Appliance costs around 50,000 euros. Many users are attracted by its cost-effectiveness compared to competitors like Nutanix or VMware. Licensing is straightforward, per node and capacity with only two capacity tiers. Users appreciate options to install it themselves, saving money, or have it preconfigured and shipped. Cost is determined by storage, nodes, and maintenance duration. It's considered reasonable and aligns well with small enterprises' budgets.

"I rate StarWind Storage Appliance's pricing an eight out of ten."
"We found that the price of StarWind was very good compared to VMware or Nutanix."
"With StarWind Storage Appliance, the payments made towards the licensing part of the product are on a per-node basis, making it cost-effective for us to use the solution in our company."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations primarily use StarWind Storage Appliance for its cost-effectiveness and easy setup, high-availability storage, and seamless integration with Microsoft services. It serves as main storage for Hyper-V clusters, supports ESXi clusters, and performs well in diverse hardware configurations. It is deployed in multiple IT environments, including manufacturing units and remote sites, often in two-node clusters, providing reliable, high-performance storage without the need for expensive fiber links.

Service and Support

Customer service and support of StarWind Storage Appliance is praised for its excellent, knowledgeable, and helpful technical team. The team goes beyond expectations to ensure functionality, available for troubleshooting issues 24x7. Their professionalism and patience are noted despite accents. They proactively call if any issue arises and offer useful videos. The technical support receives high ratings, with one user rating it nine out of ten.

Deployment

Users found StarWind Storage Appliance's initial setup straightforward, thanks to detailed documentation and excellent support. Although some faced complexities with physical installations or VM connections, support was consistently helpful. Automated setup allows installation on various devices, and while some experienced issues with initial configuration and replication, responses from the StarWind community forum were prompt and effective. Deployment typically took a few hours, and users were generally satisfied with the implementation process.

Scalability

StarWind Storage Appliance is known for its scalability, performing well in both small and large environments. Users find it easy to expand storage by adding hard drives or nodes. Scalability depends on the hardware in use and works effectively with two-node configurations. The license model is hardware-independent, allowing flexibility. It has demonstrated scalability in environments with varying user numbers and across multiple sites. Some users rate its scalability highly, though others suggest there is room for improvement.

Stability

StarWind Storage Appliance is rated as very stable. Users report that it operates effectively on Windows OS and that its stability depends partly on the underlying hardware and regular OS updates. Many found it to exhibit robust performance, showing no stability issues during testing. Its performance metrics align closely with the hardware's maximum capabilities. Users collectively rate its stability highly, with one rating it nine out of ten.

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

Download our StarWind Storage Appliance Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

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Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

21%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Government

14%

Retailer

Performing Arts

Real Estate/Law Firm

Manufacturing Company

University

Aerospace/Defense Firm

Non Profit

Venture Capital & Private Equity Firm

Comms Service Provider

Wholesaler/Distributor

Construction Company

Consumer Goods Company

Healthcare Company

Educational Organization

Legal Firm

Library

Logistics Company

Pharma/Biotech Company

Transportation Company

Compare StarWind Storage Appliance with alternative products

Learn more about StarWind Storage Appliance

Additionally, the appliance features an optional gateway to Azure public cloud, which helps to implement an effective Disaster Recovery plan or meet regulatory requirements. StarWind SA scales up by adding individual disks and flash modules, or JBODs, while adding ready controller nodes allows scaling out.

StarWind SA targets those, who need high-performance primary storage or secondary storage for backup. In case there is a whole virtualization infrastructure to build from scratch, StarWind HCA will come in handy. Otherwise, if all the required hardware is present, StarWind Virtual SAN will be enough to build a high-performance virtualization setup.