Azure Stack HCI vs HPE Alletra dHCI comparison

Microsoft and Hewlett Packard Enterprise are both solutions in the HCI category. Microsoft is ranked #17 with an average rating of 8.3, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.0. Additionally, 100% of Microsoft users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 94% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

HPE Alletra dHCI and Azure Stack HCI are both key players in the hybrid cloud infrastructure market, each excelling in different areas. While HPE Alletra dHCI leads in customer support and pricing, Azure Stack HCI offers superior features, making it a wise choice for certain businesses.

Features: HPE Alletra dHCI provides robust storage capabilities, seamless data management, and high reliability suitable for enterprises. Azure Stack HCI integrates well with Microsoft’s ecosystem, offers advanced security features, and provides flexibility in hybrid cloud environments.

Room for Improvement: HPE Alletra dHCI could enhance integration options with external platforms, improve its initial setup time, and expand its range of customization features. Azure Stack HCI could benefit from a more straightforward deployment process, reduce its high initial setup costs, and improve the learning curve for users unfamiliar with Microsoft's environment.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HPE Alletra dHCI offers straightforward deployment with exceptional customer service and support, ensuring a smoother integration process. Azure Stack HCI, though more complex to deploy, provides a broader range of customization options, appealing to businesses in need of tailored solutions.

Pricing and ROI: HPE Alletra dHCI presents competitive pricing with a strong ROI, especially for enterprises focusing on storage efficiency and quality support. Azure Stack HCI, despite a higher initial setup cost, offers substantial long-term value with its extended capabilities for businesses prioritizing advanced cloud strategies.

To learn more, read our detailed Azure Stack HCI vs. HPE Alletra dHCI Report (Updated: October 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Azure Stack HCI vs. HPE Alletra dHCI

October 2024

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Categories and Ranking

StarWind Virtual SAN

Featured Reviews

Ahmed Hosni

Senior System Engineer at Giza Systems

Feb 24, 2024

Provides a cost-effective way to run an HCI storage platform for almost any hypervisor

You can maintain and update it with little to no fuss, even the free version is incredibly capable whilst it brings the cost of a Highly Available HCI solution down to a very cost-effective point. Having used Starwind Virtual SAN for many years both for clients and for internal systems, it has always done exactly what it set out to do. It provides a cost-effective way to run an HCI storage platform for almost any hypervisor, but it is most effective with Hyper-V. It's simple and easy to use, The software monitoring should be web-based to be reachable from any VLAN workstation.

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Sushil MIshra

AG at SIS.

Apr 17, 2024

Performs well, provides good features, and has the latest processor

We were looking for a solution with high computing features and IOPS. We also have high network requirements. We have a production environment that runs on Kubernetes The solution has the latest processor. It provides the new SSD and a 25 GB network. The Kubernetes environment is better than that…

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Yudish Jatoo

Business Development Manager at MC3

Oct 25, 2023

Independently scalable solution with the highest resiliency, low latency and intelligence

We use this solution to consolidate IT infrastructure in our data center and DR sites The most valuable features of HPE Nimble dHCI are that you can scale compute and storage independently, Triple+ Parity RAID can tolerate three simultaneous drive failures with any data loss, and HPE Infosight AI…

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Quick setup, great support, stability is great"

"One of the most valuable features is the way it sets up the virtual SAN, because we don't have to buy a separate appliance for storage. It uses the existing storage on the servers, which is definitely a cost savings for us."

"We have been able to use more on-prem hardware to reduce cost and also use old disks that we do not trust enough for ordinary RAID or usage."

"Besides being 80% cheaper than the other alternatives, the simplicity makes reconfiguration and support much easier."

"StarWind Virtual SAN is a highly flexible solution, as it can be deployed on physical servers or on top of virtual machines running on hypervisors such as VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V."

"This was a great implementation for a small to mid-size business."

"Being hardware agnostic is a must and definitely scored points for us."

"The product gave us a cost-effective way to deploy a highly available server environment."

More StarWind Virtual SAN pros

"The most valuable feature of the solution is its ability to manage VMs."

"The solution has the latest processor."

"The features of Azure Stack HCI that have proven to be the most beneficial for optimizing our company's data center operations revolve around its performance."

"In my hybrid cloud setup, there are three features I've found very efficient. The first is software-defined networking. Similar to Azure where you create virtual networks and software load balancing, Azure Stack HCI lets you configure them with a drag-and-drop experience on the on-premises cluster. That's one of the good feature."

"HPE Nimble Storage dHCI is stable."

"It is easier to manage compared to the other vendors."

"So far, the solution's performance is very good."

"We have this feature in Nimble dHCI, wherein we can upgrade individual components in the infrastructure."

"Simply being able to move objects and the duplication feature have been quite effective."

"With regards to performance, configuration, and longevity it is upgradeable, which means it has a good TCO rate. These are valuable aspects to me."

"Very good in-line compression."

"The solution is useful for taking storage snapshots, has high performance, and the CASL architecture is good for optimizing workloads."

More HPE Alletra dHCI pros

Cons

"vSAN's free version does not have a graphical user interface."

"I would like to see more advanced free versions."

"There is no IPv6 support. That is our only issue at this time."

"New versions of this solution should be tested more thoroughly before the release as we had a few problems with one version due to a bug."

"StarWind Command Center's single-pane management solution only works with Hyper-V."

"While we had no problems setting the system up, and service technicians from StarWind could assist us very well, they could provide some form of in-depth documentation."

"The Command Center, a free guest VM for management and monitoring, leaves something to be desired. It could have more accurate real-time information and better reporting visuals, which seem to be an afterthought."

"The interface of the management console of the StarWind Virtual SAN is complex, and it's difficult for the novice user to interact with the management having less knowledge or training in the product."

More StarWind Virtual SAN cons

"The product's initial setup phase can be a bit complex, making it an area where improvements are required."

"We faced multiple problems with the product’s stability."

"There are a lot of areas for improvement. Since I've been working very closely with this product, there are many areas, especially in software-defined networking. We had to improve multiple areas because we depended on the service fabric cluster to manage the software-defined network. That means we're already running a hypervisor inside a VM, and we're managing the control plane of the software-defined network. That's another cluster. So, multiple layers make the complexity more. So, from an operational perspective, it's very difficult to manage."

"The biggest challenge with the tool is not being able to manage everything from Microsoft Azure Portal."

"I'm not sure if there are features lacking."

"Software upgrade is still more complicated than the competitors, so that's an area of improvement."

"This year 2022, we have the possibility to include new kinds of storage with a high disk availability, such as Alletra 6000 and Alletra 9000. Those are the new storage available. If we would like to improve the quality and the capability and the high availability of these products, we can choose between different costs. This is another benefit from this HPE Nimble Storage dHCI solution of hyper-converged."

"The solution must be hypervisor-agnostic."

"They could expand product support to Microsoft Hyper-V and Red Hat Linux platforms."

"Nimble Storage's integration with the management software could be better."

"Lacking integration to the cloud."

"I rate Nimble one out of 10 for ease of setup. Setting up Nimble Storage was a nightmare. It took us three months to deal with all the kinks and bugs. We had two people from HPE assisting us and two from our team."

More HPE Alletra dHCI cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"StarWind is best price/performance for SMB."

"I think that purchasing StarWind Virtual SAN Professional Edition would be optimal for most."

"The support contract is well worth it. The price for it was very reasonable and their team has been very engaged whenever we reach out."

"Licensing is based on nodes rather than TBs, which means that the users are free to increase storage capacity without putting thought into licensing."

"The pricing is more than reasonable."

"Once you buy the license, you are free to build your own hardware solution based on your needs."

"This solution has competitive prices and the implementation is very easy."

"The licensing is a bit weird. If you license the standard version of StarWind, it allows you four terabytes. Then, they have a pro version, but with the pro version, the only difference is it doubles the terabytes to eight."

More StarWind Virtual SAN pricing and cost advice

"The pricing is high compared to other tools."

"The main licenses are the OS licenses, the OEM licenses, and so on. They are very much aligned with the cost of expectations. We never had any challenges with the licensing at all."

"The product is costly."

"The prices are very high."

"The product licensing costs vary depending on whether VMware or other solutions are used."

"I think it's priced right and it's extremely intelligent."

"HPE Nimble Storage dHCI is much cheaper than the competition and has value proposition. Customers can see an ROI in three months. There are no additional costs, and VMware licenses can be reutilized."

"The product is very affordable."

"The solution’s pricing was very good."

"I would rate the licensing model a three out of ten, where one is extremely expensive, and ten is cheap."

More HPE Alletra dHCI pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about StarWind Virtual SAN?

It is easy to use and can monitor system synchronization and check Storage status. StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN) combin...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for StarWind Virtual SAN?

If you are comfortable with the solution and you feel that you don't need support, you can begin with the free licenc...

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What needs improvement with StarWind Virtual SAN?

Areas for improvement in StarWind Virtual SAN include simplifying the setup process, especially for users with limite...

See all answers

What do you like most about Azure Stack HCI?

The solution has the latest processor.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Azure Stack HCI?

The pricing is high compared to other tools.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Azure Stack HCI?

Speaking about the tool's challenges, I would say that if you know the product, you probably know why there are chall...

See all answers

What do you like most about HPE Nimble Storage dHCI?

The solution is easy to use.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE Nimble Storage dHCI?

It has competitive pricing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with HPE Nimble Storage dHCI?

The roadmap could be improved.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Red Hat Ceph Storage vs StarWind Virtual SAN

Compared 13% of the time

DataCore SANsymphony vs StarWind Virtual SAN

Compared 6% of the time

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Compared 49% of the time

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Compared 15% of the time

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs Azure Stack HCI

Compared 13% of the time

Sangfor HCI - Hyper Converged Infrastructure vs Azure Stack HCI

Compared 6% of the time

Red Hat Hyperconverged Infrastructure vs Azure Stack HCI

Compared 3% of the time

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Compared 21% of the time

Dell PowerFlex vs HPE Alletra dHCI

Compared 19% of the time

HPE SimpliVity vs HPE Alletra dHCI

Compared 19% of the time

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs HPE Alletra dHCI

Compared 17% of the time

Hitachi Unified Compute Platform HC Series vs HPE Alletra dHCI

Compared 1% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

StarWind Virtual SAN

October 2024

Download StarWind Virtual SAN product report

Buyer's Guide

Azure Stack HCI

November 2024

Download Azure Stack HCI product report

Buyer's Guide

HPE Alletra dHCI

October 2024

Download HPE Alletra dHCI product report

Also Known As

StarWind SAN & NAS

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HPE Nimble Storage dHCI

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StarWind

Microsoft

Video not available

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Overview

StarWind Virtual SAN provides high availability and fault tolerance for virtualized environments without the need for dedicated SAN hardware. It allows for real-time replication between servers, shared storage for Hyper-V clusters, and enables vMotion and High Availability features for VMware vSphere. The solution reduces costs and leverages existing hardware while providing a scalable and reliable infrastructure. Valuable features include ease of use, scalability, top-tier support, hardware agnosticism, and the ability to use off-the-shelf standard servers to increase storage space. StarWind VSAN has helped organizations improve performance, data availability, and data security while reducing downtime and providing cost-saving storage options.

Azure Stack HCI is used by government organizations to maintain local data center operations while accessing cloud services, offering efficient management of VMs through a single console.

Azure Stack HCI effectively supports environments with high computing and network demands, such as Kubernetes. IT professionals advocate its use for managing functional areas and KPIs. Key features include software-defined networking and integration with Azure Kubernetes Service, enabling efficient microservices deployment. Organizations benefit from enhanced performance with the latest processors, SSDs, and robust network capabilities. Challenges include simplifying its deployment process and improving stability, especially in multi-cluster management.

What are the important features of Azure Stack HCI?

Software-defined networking: Efficient management with a drag-and-drop interface.
Azure Kubernetes Service integration: Seamless deployment of microservices.
Virtual machine management: Robust management of numerous VMs under one host.
Enhanced hardware support: Utilization of latest processors and high-speed SSDs.

What benefits should be considered in reviews?

Single console management: Ease in monitoring and managing VMs.
High performance: Supports up to five million applications.
Resource optimization: Efficient use of computing and networking resources.

Azure Stack HCI is implemented in industries with heavy data processing needs, such as government entities requiring local control of data centers while integrating cloud capabilities. It offers specialized support for demanding environments like Kubernetes, significantly benefiting IT operations.

HPE Alletra dHCI, a data storage solution from Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), offers Disaggregated Hyperconverged Infrastructure (dHCI), separating storage from compute resources for independent scaling and management. Utilizing HPE Nimble Storage technology, known for AI-driven optimization, it ensures high performance and management efficiency. With scalability and agility, users can effortlessly expand storage or processing power as data requirements evolve. Additionally, boasting rapid deployment in under 15 minutes and a claimed 99.9999% data availability, HPE Alletra dHCI promises robust and reliable storage solutions.

Sample Customers

Baker Tilly BVI, CMS Internet, Board Harpeth Hall School

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Buyer's Guide

Azure Stack HCI vs. HPE Alletra dHCI

October 2024

Free Report: Azure Stack HCI vs. HPE Alletra dHCI

Find out what your peers are saying about Azure Stack HCI vs. HPE Alletra dHCI and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.

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