Dell Unity XT 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 Unity XT is one of the best all-flash storage arrays on the market today. Dell EMC Unity XT arrays are designed for performance, optimized for efficiency, and built for a multi-cloud world. In addition, they support digital transformation, enabling businesses to reach the full potential of their data capital quickly and easily. Dell EMC Unity’s All-Flash and Hybrid Flash storage platforms provide the performance, efficiency, enterprise-class software, and virtualization integrations required for running a wide range of virtualized applications.

Dell EMC Unity XT Features

Dell EMC Unity XT has many valuable key features, including:

• Unified storage flexibility: With Dell EMC Unity XT you can consolidate separate storage platforms into a single Unity XT unified storage system via a simple and intuitive (HTML5) management GUI that also connects you to CloudIQ.
  
  
• All-inclusive data protection: Dell EMC Unity XT offers a reliable way to protect application data with all-inclusive data protection services, including snapshots, data-at-rest drive encryption, replication, thin clones, and dynamic pools.
  
  
• Software-defined solutions: Dell EMC Unity XT provides software-defined storage and HA for on-prem and in the cloud solutions.
  
  
• Multi-cloud alignment: With Dell EMC Unity XT you have the ability to build and manage an effective data-first multi-cloud strategy. It allows you to consolidate public and private cloud resources that align with your business goals.
  
  
• Metro node: This feature enables automated business continuity with zero RPO and RTO. It also provides greater flexibility through multi-platform support and replication to any array and has zero performance impact on the storage array.
  
  
• Scalable file system: Dell EMC Unity XT is built with a robust 256TBu file system. The UFS64 file system includes up to 256 independent VMDK clones, 16 thin clones, space efficient snapshots with a simple space reclaim and low IO impact, file system shrink that can reclaim free blocks, simplified Quotas for User, and much more.
  
  
• DevOps integrations: Dell EMC Unity XT supports the Container Storage Interface (CSI) plugin to run Kubernetes workloads.

Dell EMC Unity XT Benefits

Some of the benefits of using Dell EMC Unity XT include:

• High-speed data access
• Low latency
• Dual-active controller architecture
• Multi-cloud
• Intuitive user interface
• Cost efficient
• Solid performance

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by Dell EMC Unity XT users.

A Systems Engineering Manager at a manufacturing company says, "It is definitely one of the most robust, solid, well-performing products that I have dealt with. It is set it and forget it, which is pretty amazing." He also mentions, “We can do both block and file storage on one unit without purchasing a separate device.”

Peter S., Senior Technical Specialist at a healthcare company, states, “The most valuable feature is reliability. At the end of the day, it just runs. This solution is easy to work with and easy to maintain.”

PeerSpot user Melvin T., Senior Systems Engineer at Prosperity Bank, explains that the solution is “easy to use and we can add LUNs or space without interruption to end-users. We're able to access it from just about anywhere, as long as we have access to a browser. That feature is really neat because sometimes we will go to a different data center or a different site, and if we need to access it to see a LUN or to see any type of storage, we can do that. That's one of the big takeaways with Unity."

HPE Alletra Storage provides on-premises cloud-like operations, delivering high-performance NVMe drives, VMware integration, data deduplication, and compression. It's known for simplicity, management ease, and capacity efficiency.

HPE Alletra Storage stands out for its scalability and comprehensive features, benefiting diverse workloads and scenarios. Users report faster IOPS, reduced provisioning time, and fewer support tickets. Its guarantee of data availability and strong support network ensure high operational reliability and cost-efficiency. However, it could improve NVMe compatibility, setup, and connectivity. Enhancing intuitive design and monitoring capabilities while reducing internet dependency and refining integration with existing software would increase user satisfaction. Cost efficiency and streamlined licensing are ongoing concerns, with demands for file-based storage, better scalability, and customizability improvements.

• Cloud-like Operations: Provides on-premises cloud-like experiences.
• High-Performance NVMe: Utilizes NVMe drives for enhanced speed.
• VMware Integration: Seamlessly integrates with VMware environments.
• Data Deduplication: Efficiently reduces data redundancy.
• Compression: Optimizes storage capacity through compression.

• Reliability: High data availability guarantee and strong support network.
• Scalability: Benefits workloads with flexible scaling options.
• Speed: Reports of faster IOPS and reduced provisioning time.
• Efficiency: Fewer support tickets and efficient resource management.
• Cost-Effectiveness: Operational reliability leads to lower costs.

HPE Alletra Storage is widely used in virtualization, VMware, and data center block storage, particularly in financial and healthcare sectors. Organizations utilize it for VM storage, cloud infrastructure, and databases. It supports VDI, hyper-converged infrastructure, and high-performance computing. Businesses leverage its capabilities for data backup, compression, and deduplication, integrating seamlessly with existing environments to meet enterprise storage needs with high throughput and low-latency performance.