Dell PowerMax NVMe vs HPE Alletra Storage comparison

Pure Storage FlashArray//X is the world’s first enterprise-class, all-NVMe flash storage array. It represents a new class of storage – shared accelerated storage, which is a term coined by Gartner – that delivers major breakthroughs in performance, simplicity, and consolidation.

Dell EMC PowerMax is the world’s fastest storage array. With end-to-end non-volatile memory express (NVMe), real-time machine learning, seamless cloud mobility, and up to 350GB per second bandwidth, PowerMax features high-speed smarts to power your most critical workloads. PowerMax is true modern scale-up and scale-out storageת designed for mission-critical applications of today and tomorrow – including databases and transaction processing applications as well as real-time analytics workloads that demand uncompromising uptime and extremely low latency.

PowerMax consists of two models, PowerMax 2000 and 8000. The PowerMax 8000 delivers industry-leading performance density with up to 7.5 million IOPS5 per rack and 187,000 IOPS6 per U (rack unit). PowerMax supports mixed open systems, mainframe, IBM i, block, and file environments. The PowerMax 2000 is the entry point into mission-critical storage, high availability, and delivering robust data services in a safe, secure compact package.

PowerMax systems incorporate the most current and robust end-to-end NVMe technology with industry-standard NVMe flash drives, NVMe storage class memory drives, and FC-NVMe host connectivity via NVMe over Fabrics. PowerMax SCM, powered by dual-port Intel® Optane™ technology, offers rapid-fire fast performance and secure low latency ideal for electronic trading, real-time analytics, high-performance databases, and big data workloads.

Features of Dell EMC PowerMax NVMe

Robust architecture with amazing performance combines demanding mixed workloads.

• Built-in machine learning automates data placement for maximum performance with no additional management cost.
• Very secure end-to-end dynamic encryption safeguards digital assets with 3.5:1 data reduction, guaranteed by Dell Technologies.
• Seamless cloud mobility pushes data from PowerMax to AWS, Azure, Dell EMC ECS, and PowerScale for long-term retention on lower-cost object storage.

Benefits of Dell EMC PowerMax NVMe

Powerful Architecture

• Designed for speed – robust multi-controller scale-up, scale-out architecture with built-in end-to-end NVMe.
• Performance optimized – up to 350GB/s sustained bandwidth2, under 100µs read latency3.
• Efficiency without compromise – global inline data reduction with guaranteed 3.5:1 average DRR4.

Simple Operations

• Intuitive storage management – provision storage in less than 30 seconds.
• Workload consolidation – outstanding consolidation of block, file, mainframe, IBM i storage on a single array.
• DevOps automation and containers – workflow automation and streamlined IT processes (vRA, vRO, CSI, CSM, Kubernetes).
• Non-disruptive data migration – initiate data migrations from older arrays to PowerMax in three simple steps.

Trusted Innovation

• Mission-critical availability – proven six nines availability and the best replication for business continuance, disaster recovery (BC/DR).
• Deep VMware integration – mission-critical availability and the most efficient scalability for VMware Virtual Volumes deployments (64,000 vVols).
• Flexible consumption – several options, predictability, and investment protection with pay-per-use solutions and Future-Proof guarantees.

PowerMax sets the standard for data storage today. It is uniquely, intuitively designed with a multi-controller, active/active scale-out architecture, an industry-standard, end-to-end NVMe. Inline, global dedupe and compression add outstanding efficiency to your data center, even while scaling. Additionally, PowerMax offers you the best in remote replication, proven six nines of availability, and end-to-end efficient encryption so that your data is always secure and your resources are fully optimized.

Reviews from Real Users

Ahmed K., a senior storage systems engineer at a pharma/biotech company, says Dell EMC PowerMax NVMe has “secure, fast performance, and good reporting capabilities.”

Nikolay M. a lead system administrator at Central Hospital of Civil Aviation shares that with PowerMax, “we have not yet hit the ceiling in its efficiency, performance, and scalability… Now, with PowerMax, everything runs smoothly.”

“We don't have to manage much at all. It really is like a set it and forget it solution. My storage engineers love the system. It is a lot less work than our previous systems… We are saving dozens of hours per month for our storage team, and that is a real cost in our business," adds Paul C., a Senior Solution Architect at Rackspace.

HPE Alletra Storage is designed for high-performance workloads including virtualization, data centers, VMware storage, and hybrid cloud, delivering NVMe performance with sub-millisecond latency and 100% data availability.

HPE Alletra Storage integrates with technologies like Synergy compute and Hyper-V, offering essential features like deduplication, data replication, cloud integration, and predictive analytics. Its reliability, throughput, ease of use, and simplified provisioning make it ideal for a range of applications, including SAP environments, databases, and financial systems. Room for improvement includes better integration, setup, monitoring, and a more intuitive management interface. Customers seek enhancements in reporting, real-time stats, NVMe support for other storage tiers, smaller chassis, and cost-effective options.

• NVMe Performance: Sub-millisecond latency for high-speed access.
• Deduplication: Reduces storage consumption through data deduplication.
• Data Replication: Ensures data is replicated for high availability.
• Cloud Integration: Seamless integration with cloud environments.
• Predictive Analytics: Uses InfoSight for proactive issue detection.
• Simple Management: Streamlined management interface for ease of use.
• High Availability: Guarantees 100% data availability.
• Fast Provisioning: Quick setup and deployment to save time.

• Improved IOPS: Enhances input/output operations per second.
• Space Efficiency: Maximizes storage use with deduplication and compression.
• Cost Savings: Reduces overall costs through efficient storage solutions.
• Reduced Support Tickets: Lowers the number of support tickets due to proactive issue detection.
• Ease of Use: Simplified management and quick provisioning.

HPE Alletra Storage is implemented in industries like corporate and restaurant data centers, supporting customer and infrastructure scalability environments. It is particularly valuable for SAP environments, databases, and backend storage for applications requiring high throughput and low latency. It's frequently utilized for VMware storage, SAN, VDI, and financial systems, providing reliable and efficient storage solutions. Users benefit from its seamless integration with Synergy compute, Hyper-V, and its cloud capabilities while leveraging its high availability and data replication features.