Azure Stack HCI vs VxRail comparison

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.

• 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.

• 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.

VxRail is a hyper-converged appliance based on VMware virtual SAN Software and is jointly engineered and built with VMware, for VMware, to enhance Vmware. VxRail software-defined architecture simplifies compute, storage, virtualization, and management. It will safeguard performance, reliability, and flexibility across your organization with a broad range of workloads and applications from business-critical to next-gen. With VxRail, you are covered.

VxRail is a single turn-key appliance that is a validated, fully integrated, pre-configured,  pre-tested solution and offers non-disruptive scaling. Every node includes compute storage and IO. All-flash configurations can contain between 12-28 cores per node. The storage capacity options run from 7.6 TB to 19TB with either 256 GB or 512GB of memory. Hybrid appliances may have 6-20 cores per node, 3.6 TB to 10 TB of storage capacity, and 24GB to 256 GB of memory. 

VxRail offers high availability fail-over, an active/active stretch cluster, and VSan Kernal integration. VxRail is a power-edged server with APIs built on automation. There are over 15 million different combinations of hardware available with VxRail. VxRail provides a simple, cost-effective solution that solves a large range of use cases. Additionally, you also get a mixed workloads automated system that is backed with fully automated system updates, and complete end-to-end lifecycle management all in a single two-rack appliance. 

VxRail is a value-added suitable solution for distributed small to mid-sized enterprises, remote offices, private clouds, and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI). You choose the deployment option that best suits your organizational needs, from appliance to integrated rack offerings, with or without networking, and it will be delivered to you, ready to deploy out-of-box. 

If you know VMware, you know VxRail.

VxRail Features and Benefits

• Seamlessly accelerate deployment to a hybrid cloud 
• Fast data center modernization
• Create developer-ready Kubernetes platforms

• Powerful performance and reliability
• Improve and simplify operational efficiency
• Excellent integration 
• Save time
• Reduce costs

Reviews from Real Users

VxRail is an all-in-one solution: "You don't have to worry too much about the hardware and you don't have to work on integrating a storage device. We instead have this as an all-in-one solution and everything is available as a box."

VxRail is remarkable: “The cover points feature in VxRail is remarkable. It's unique. It has an intervention failover system as well as an automatic failover system, reaching clusters existing in VxRail…”

VxRail is a powerful performer: “...VxRail delivers a very high number of IOPS for a hybrid configuration or an all-flash configuration. The processors that are available in the Xeon family are very powerful. They are multi-core with typically 2 gigahertz, 2.4 gigahertz, or higher frequency, so the performance is very much appreciated.”