Dell vSAN Ready Nodes vs HPE Hyper Converged comparison

Dell Technologies and Hewlett Packard Enterprise are both solutions in the HCI category. Dell Technologies is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.7, while Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.5. Dell Technologies holds a 2.6% mindshare in HCI, compared to Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s 2.9% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users who would recommend it.

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Jul 24, 2024

HPE Hyper Converged and Dell vSAN Ready Nodes compete in the hyper-converged infrastructure market. Dell vSAN Ready Nodes have the upper hand due to their superior feature set.

Features: HPE Hyper Converged offers strong integration, reliable performance, and user satisfaction with pricing and support. Dell vSAN Ready Nodes provide advanced scalability, superior resource management, and a rich feature set.

Room for Improvement: HPE Hyper Converged requires better documentation, simplified management, and improved analytics tools. Dell vSAN Ready Nodes need enhancements in resource allocation efficiency, improved analytics, and optimized performance metrics.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HPE Hyper Converged features straightforward deployment but has slow customer service. Dell vSAN Ready Nodes also offer easy deployment with superior customer service.

Pricing and ROI: HPE Hyper Converged delivers an attractive price point and solid ROI. Dell vSAN Ready Nodes, despite higher costs, demonstrate better long-term value and ROI due to advanced features and superior performance.

To learn more, read our detailed Dell vSAN Ready Nodes vs. HPE Hyper Converged Report (Updated: October 2024).

Buyer's Guide

Dell vSAN Ready Nodes vs. HPE Hyper Converged

October 2024

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Categories and Ranking

StarWind Virtual SAN

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the HCI category, the mindshare of StarWind Virtual SAN is 2.3%, up from 1.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell vSAN Ready Nodes is 2.6%, down from 3.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Hyper Converged is 2.9%, down from 3.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

HCI

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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Saleh Khalid

college student at Imam University

Sep 24, 2024

Efficient consolidated storage and plug-and-play with room for more flexibility

We use Dell vSAN Ready Nodes for our insurance systems and employee systems, to host everything in one environment Using Dell vSAN Ready Nodes has consolidated our storage, which lifts most of the heavy work. The most beneficial feature is the consolidated storage which is the vSAN. It handles…

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Yudish Jatoo

Business Development Manager at MC3

Oct 19, 2023

Ensures end-to-end data security with redundancy measures and provides visibility into the system but node expansion challenges

One of the things that can be improved is that today, is supporting VMware, maybe as a hypervisor. But it would be good to have an open kind of platform for other hypervisors, maybe. Like Nutanix is doing, it's very open. Another area of improvement is the expansion node. Because today, we can add a few disks, which is limited. Or scale out. But in the capacity upgrades, there is a kind of limitation somewhere. In future releases, I would like to see more advanced features in terms of replication on the DR side. Because today, the product is doing what should be done. But it's not at the same level with the other third-party vendors like Veeam, applications like Commvault, and other production.

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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

"The most valuable features of StarWind Virtual SAN include its cost-effective repurposing of older hardware, seamless integration with vSphere, and high scalability."

"This solution enables us to make better cost-effective use of our existing hardware and leverage the current infrastructure at a higher level than we could before."

"We are able to do maintenance by bringing down one node at a time, rather than having to schedule a complete shutdown."

"It integrates (fully) with VMware and Veeam, my hypervisor, and backup vendors, so for me, all the puzzle pieces simply fit and work smoothly."

"Immediately we noticed huge performance gains, even on older hardware and once we implemented a 10GB link between both servers, the sync was near-instant after the initial sync was complete."

"When it comes to ease of installation, the whole process is designed to be user-friendly and straightforward."

"The fact that we can expand our storage and add on to our compute nodes easily and how amazing the StarWind technical support team is really adding value to our purchase."

"StarWind vSAN is easy to deploy and administer."

More StarWind Virtual SAN pros

"The most valuable feature of Dell vSAN Ready Nodes is file sharing."

"The most valuable feature of Dell vSAN Ready Nodes is the flexibility of the nodes. Additionally, if there are any critical issues they update us through emails. The issues are taken care of remotely on the system."

"The most valuable feature is the set of user tools that are available."

"I have found the most important features of Dell EMC vSAN Ready Nodes are the capacity to manage the storage because the storage is built in the servers. The type of profiles you can attribute to the storage is a benefit. You can manage the storage by profiles. Overall the solution is a good speed and performance."

"The tool's most valuable features are compression and its usage in Kubernetes."

"We find the initial implementation process simple and straightforward."

"The product is useful for DR and other things."

"It is easy to install."

Cons

"I wish they would improve the documentation for the beginner level as it's not very clear on the web page."

"They need to improve the speed of the interfaces, thus allowing for better traffic on the network."

"Feature-wise we are only waiting for the release of a "planned disaster" feature that would allow us to patch a hypervisor node without having to take the full storage offline."

"I would love to see more vendor selection to be available for the HCA/vSAN appliances."

"Other vendors such as VMware vSAN have a bigger community of users, so it is easier to find more pre-sale or post-sale information from users."

"The system failovers properly on its own without too much worry."

"When you will cease your contract with StarWind (for support) your product won't be updated and that is a big selling point, especially for us, as we have loads of products from StarWind."

"We have found this product to suit our needs."

More StarWind Virtual SAN cons

"Currently, it's like a black box that only Dell technical support knows how to handle."

"The product's price is an area of concern where improvements are required. The price of Dell vSAN Ready Nodes could be lowered."

"Compatibility with other hardware nodes needs to be improved."

"The Dell VxRail solution is based on vSAN Ready Nodes, but the Dell VxRail is fully automated. It would be helpful if this automation feature could be added to the Dell vSAN Ready Nodes. For example, we need to install VMware ESXi, and manually expand the cluster."

"Dell vSAN Ready Nodes doesn't perform as well as IBM. There are significant limitations, especially with scalability and flexibility over time. For example, adding drives can be problematic if the specific drives aren't available with older nodes that are four or five years old. Unlike IBM, Dell vSAN Ready Nodes isn't as flexible and doesn't scale easily. Additionally, while present, features like deduplication and compression don't perform as efficiently as they do on IBM. Our experience shows that the tool isn't as robust or flexible as advertised."

"The solution should provide daily task alerts for data recovery maintenance, usage, and other instructions to ensure the systems are in a good status."

"The power switch on the hardware is located in a poor location where it can accidentally be pushed. In an update, they should solve this issue so people do not push it accidentally to have their service go down. A possible solution is the switch should be inside."

"There is room for improvement in the maintenance pricing. Maintenance isn't difficult, but the prices are high and ridiculous. Some customers feel it is better to go with a new solution rather than renew this one."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Their pricing seems pretty good, and their licensing structure is pretty straightforward."

"For two nodes, it cost us $10,000, and we spend $2,000 a year on support."

"If you are looking at a traditional SAN for a small cluster, give StarWind vSAN because you will save thousands without any compromise."

"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."

"The cost was ultimately low to implement, which allowed us to be 3-2-1 complaint."

"The setup cost, pricing, and licensing are very straightforward. They are exactly what you expect."

"We are happy with the price."

"I think the cost of this solution is quite fair."

More StarWind Virtual SAN pricing and cost advice

"The tool's pricing is competitive compared to others. The tool's licensing is based on annual subscriptions."

"Comparing the price of Dell vSAN Ready Nodes to other solutions it is not expensive."

"We have a four-year contract to use Dell EMC vSAN Ready Nodes."

"There is a problem, which is the lack of an integrated price structure."

"My company makes yearly payments towards the licensing charges attached to the solution. The solution is expensive."

"The solution is more expensive than a traditional array. The prices are skyrocketing."

"The price of the solution was reasonable."

"It could be cheaper, everything could be cheaper."

"With this solution, I buy everything together, pre-packaged, pre-installed, and in just 15 minutes, it's installed."

"There are costs in addition to the standard licensing fees."

"HPE Hyper Converged is an affordable solution."

"Pricing with Dell EMC is double the price which I paid for HPE. However, in the end, Dell EMC is double in performance. This is not an apple to apple comparison though, as I have a four node from Dell EMC and a three node."

"The product's pricing is very competitive because HPE provides a buyback policy to users...Users can make either monthly or yearly payments towards the licensing cause of the solution."

"I would rate the price at seven out of ten. There are no additional licensing fees, but it would be cheaper to go with a dHCI solution."

"The solution is expensive - not only the hardware costs but server costs too. And the more you scale, the more expensive it gets."

More HPE Hyper Converged 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

15%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

15%

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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...

See all answers

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...

See all answers

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 Dell vSAN Ready Nodes?

If I consider the overall product, I would say that it is an excellent solution that offers very good performance and...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell vSAN Ready Nodes?

Comparing it with similar solutions, it was more pricey. Including the VCF solution, it was at a higher price point.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell vSAN Ready Nodes?

The solution should offer more flexibility and freedom for the customer. Currently, it's like a black box that only D...

See all answers

What do you like most about HPE Hyper Converged?

The solution's most valuable features are scalability, easy migration, easy recovery, and flexible backup possibilities.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE Hyper Converged?

On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with HPE Hyper Converged?

The solution's pricing for the hardware and support could be reduced.

See all answers

Comparisons

VMware vSAN vs StarWind Virtual SAN

Compared 28% of the time

StorMagic SvSAN vs StarWind Virtual SAN

Compared 19% of the time

Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct vs StarWind Virtual SAN

Compared 17% of the time

Red Hat Ceph Storage vs StarWind Virtual SAN

Compared 13% of the time

DataCore SANsymphony vs StarWind Virtual SAN

Compared 6% of the time

More StarWind Virtual SAN Competitors

VxRail vs Dell vSAN Ready Nodes

Compared 39% of the time

VMware vSAN vs Dell vSAN Ready Nodes

Compared 15% of the time

Dell PowerFlex vs Dell vSAN Ready Nodes

Compared 11% of the time

Lenovo ThinkAgile VX Series vs Dell vSAN Ready Nodes

Compared 10% of the time

Lenovo ThinkAgile MX Certified Node vs Dell vSAN Ready Nodes

Compared 5% of the time

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

StarWind Virtual SAN

October 2024

Download StarWind Virtual SAN product report

Buyer's Guide

Dell vSAN Ready Nodes

November 2024

Download Dell vSAN Ready Nodes product report

Buyer's Guide

HPE Hyper Converged

October 2024

Download HPE Hyper Converged product report

Also Known As

StarWind SAN & NAS

vSAN Ready Nodes

HPE Hyper Converged 380, HPE Hyper Converged 250, HPE Hyper Converged 250 for Microsoft CPS

Learn More

StarWind

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Dell Technologies

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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.

Dell EMC vSAN Ready Nodes are pre-configured building blocks that reduce deployment
risks with certified configurations, improve storage efficiency by up to 50%1
, and can help
you build or scale your vSAN cluster faster.14 Whether you're just getting started, and/or
expanding your existing VMware environment, Dell EMC is here for you every step of the
way with consulting, education, deployment and support services for the entire solution.

HPE Hyper Converged solutions combine intuitive software with the reliability of a world class platform to deliver cloud-like simplicity to your business.

Now, IT can become an internal service provider to end-users by quickly delivering the resources they need for application development and consumption. With HPE Hyper Converged systems companies can operate with cloud efficiency to simplify IT operations with one comprehensive control panel to deploy, monitor, analyze and update – with a single generalist; consume with cloud flexibility to deliver a cloud-like experience, with multi-tenant workspaces that eliminate stranded resources and flexes on demand; and deploy at cloud speed to empower developers and lines-of-business with a self-service portal that can instantly compose and recompose VMs in minutes. Built-in enterprise grade features, such as performance and resiliency enable HPE Hyper Converged systems to easily handle a wide variety of virtualized workloads, including general purpose virtualization, virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI), and cloud.

Sample Customers

Baker Tilly BVI, CMS Internet, Board Harpeth Hall School

Rackspace

North Lindsey College, FireWhat?, HudsonAlpha

Buyer's Guide

Dell vSAN Ready Nodes vs. HPE Hyper Converged

October 2024

Free Report: Dell vSAN Ready Nodes vs. HPE Hyper Converged

Find out what your peers are saying about Dell vSAN Ready Nodes vs. HPE Hyper Converged and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.

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