HPE MSA vs IBM FlashSystem comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and IBM are both solutions in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.0, while IBM is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.3. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 18.5% mindshare in MS, compared to IBM’s 19.8% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of IBM users who would recommend it.

HPE MSA

Read 23 HPE MSA reviews

1,483 Views
1,213 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

IBM FlashSystem

Read 110 IBM FlashSystem reviews

1,558 Views
1,189 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

HPE MSA

IBM FlashSystem

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 2, 2025

IBM FlashSystem and HPE MSA compete in the data storage solutions category. IBM FlashSystem has the upper hand in terms of performance and features for demanding workloads, whereas HPE MSA provides a more budget-friendly option with essential features suitable for simpler storage needs.

Features: IBM FlashSystem is known for its high performance, low latency, and strong virtualization capabilities. It is suited for demanding workloads requiring robust performance and efficiency. HPE MSA, categorized as entry-level, offers solid stability with features such as dual controllers, tiering, and the ability to provide shared storage solutions without high complexity.

Room for Improvement: IBM FlashSystem users have pointed out the need for enhanced scalability, code stability, and more detailed GUI reporting. There is also a call for improved cloud service integration. For HPE MSA, users have noted the need for better scalability and more modern features like deduplication, as well as enhanced cloud integration options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both IBM FlashSystem and HPE MSA are primarily installed on-premises. Some IBM users also manage hybrid or private cloud deployments. IBM FlashSystem receives mixed reviews regarding technical support, with some users praising their experience and others calling for improvement. HPE MSA is generally appreciated for responsive customer service but lacks in supporting new features.

Pricing and ROI: IBM FlashSystem is often perceived as a more expensive option, necessitating careful budget planning, yet offering significant ROI through comprehensive features and performance benefits. HPE MSA, while cost-effective, may still pose financial challenges for smaller businesses, providing a positive ROI as a budget-friendly solution, albeit with fewer advanced features compared to IBM FlashSystem.

To learn more, read our detailed HPE MSA vs. IBM FlashSystem Report (Updated: January 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HPE MSA vs. IBM FlashSystem

January 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

HPE MSA

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

5th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM FlashSystem

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

110

Ranking in other categories

NAS (4th), All-Flash Storage (13th)

Mindshare comparison

As of February 2025, in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category, the mindshare of HPE MSA is 18.5%, up from 17.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM FlashSystem is 19.8%, up from 15.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

Featured Reviews

Pragnesh Sachania

Deputy Manager IT at La Gajjar

Scalable, easy to manage, and used for virtualization environments

We didn't face any issues with the technical functionality. However, we faced a lot of challenges with our custom configuration. The HPE support person who did the installation was very technical. He answered all the queries, and we resolved the entire setup. We set up the storage as per our requirements. We previously used a physical server instead of virtualization. With the help of an HPE engineer and partners, we prepared a strategy for migrating the entire physical servers to our virtualization infrastructure. It took two days to deploy the solution. Six people were involved in the solution's deployment, including two from HPE and four from our IT team.

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Raanan Sitton

Vice President Sales at BELOCAL LTD

Offers cost-effective storage for small companies with budget constraints

IBM FlashSystem 5300 is offered at a very low cost in Israel, which is advantageous for small companies. However, other features like deduplication and compression do not perform effectively. The price sensitivity makes it a viable option for clients with budgetary constraints, as it allows us to secure deals based on the cost rather than advanced performance.

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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 solution is scalable and easy to manage."

"Monitoring is a very big thing. Other great features include block storage; volume creation and the data reliability scalability, which makes the solution really good."

"The solution is pretty transparent and works well."

"The product is very easy to deploy."

"The solution is very easy to use, it is not really complex for any user, such as non-technical individuals."

"The most valuable features were the dual controllers and being able to expand it."

"The most valuable features are the storage levels and snapshot features."

"MSA performs exceptionally well, particularly in regions with frequent power outages."

More HPE MSA pros

"IBM FlashSystem is flexible, quick, and has a solid design."

"The most valuable feature is reliability."

"The most valuable features are, of course, the virtualization of the storage, the performance, and the compression."

"The performance is very good and we use this product to enhance our core system."

"This solution is really user friendly. It also offers good performance and is highly reliable."

"Installing FlashSystem is very easy. It takes less than half an hour, and I can handle it all myself."

"The valuable features are high availability, compression, and a failover mechanism. It's a very highly available storage solution."

"The ability to create LUNs and modify them are the most valuable features of this solution."

More IBM FlashSystem pros

Cons

"This product is getting a little bit older, so new features like deduplication are not included."

"Some clients have suggested room for improvement in expanding storage capacity beyond the base traces."

"It would be beneficial to have an add-on feature to improve analytics or insight capabilities inside the app."

"The solution could improve by adding configuration tools."

"I rate HPE support four out of 10. I'm not happy with them. We purchased mission-critical support, and we're supposed to get a response in four hours. Instead, I'm waiting days for them to replace the drive. They asked me to send back the failed one, and I don't know the address. After I sent it back, they told me they haven't received it. It's a nightmare."

"HPE StorageWorks MSA could maybe include a pay-top of texture feature or something like job replication."

"HPE should reintroduce customizable ports as they were in Gen 5, allowing customers to use both iSCSI or SC on a single controller."

"Synchronized replication is very important for MSA; however, HPE StorageWorks MSA doesn't provide synchronized replication."

More HPE MSA cons

"The marketing could be improved."

"The installation is not easy. You need to have extensive knowledge to handle it."

"There is room for improvement in the troubleshooting part, specifically related to IBM Spectrum for Insight. Customers are uncomfortable with remote access, which affects automated remote support."

"Replication features need improvement. Currently, they are there in the product, but I'm not sure as to how it works exactly."

"The solution's infrastructure technology level could be PCI Express 5 instead of PCI Express 4 for the next version."

"The support could improve by allowing you to speak to someone when you call rather than them calling you back. However, once we do have contact with one of their technicians they are excellent."

"The basic setup can be challenging when it comes to certain IP addresses and the configuration of the IP. You have to go in to different menus to makes changes and ensure it is stable."

"IBM should improve its data reduction development."

More IBM FlashSystem cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"HPE StorageWorks MSA's licensing is perpetual and not integrated."

"This solution involves a one-time CapEx payment, followed by warranty extensions."

"I would rate the pricing as nine out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."

"When we bought this solution it was very reasonably priced and they were willing to deal."

"The price of the solution is a little high and they should provide more competitive pricing. If you want to increases the storage size there are additional fees."

"The solution can be a bit expensive."

"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."

"This solution is quite expensive; they should lower the cost."

"The price depends of the technology that our customers need. The price can come at a lower cost but this may increase as storage is added."

"IBM V7000 has a new license and price structure which provides intuitive licensing based on the functions customers wish to enable and use the most."

"Among IBM, Dell EMC, and Pure Storage, IBM is the cheapest. The price is also based on our location, the size of our entity, and our regular annual purchases from them. We are a very big IBM customer, so we normally get very high discounts. We are not a big customer of Pure Storage. We don't buy that much from Pure Storage per year. Everything is included in the price. There is no extra license for different functions."

"The price of IBM FlashSystem is a little high because you pay a premium because the solution is from IBM. We had paid for the SLA prior to using the solution."

"I find the pricing of the solution to be very reasonable."

"I price of IBM FlashSystem is reasonable and competitive."

"Overall the price of the solution is expensive and this includes the license."

"The tool is cost-efficient."

More IBM FlashSystem pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

19%

Manufacturing Company

14%

Government

Healthcare Company

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about HPE StorageWorks MSA?

The most valuable feature of HPE StorageWorks MSA is its flexibility.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE StorageWorks MSA?

I am not satisfied with the licensing model and pricing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with HPE StorageWorks MSA?

It needs more details on how to integrate with the cloud for backup scenarios. It should show more options for cloud backup support.

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM FlashSystem?

It is simple to make an update.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM FlashSystem?

Many factors affect purchasing directly from IBM, often involving a multi-step process. Customers, especially in banking, often use the latest devices as they are upgrading, indicating they do not ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM FlashSystem?

The GUI needs some improvement. An additional function that could be helpful is reducing the time it takes to delete volumes, especially if they are compressed or deduplicated.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 49% of the time

HPE 3PAR StoreServ vs HPE MSA

Compared 16% of the time

Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform vs HPE MSA

Compared 6% of the time

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Dell PowerStore vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 25% of the time

Pure Storage FlashArray vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 8% of the time

Huawei OceanStor Dorado vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 7% of the time

HPE Alletra Storage vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 7% of the time

NetApp FAS Series vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 3% of the time

More IBM FlashSystem Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HPE MSA

February 2025

Download HPE MSA product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem

February 2025

Download IBM FlashSystem product report

Also Known As

HP StorageWorks MSA

IBM Storwize

Overview

Whether you need best-in-class performance or are looking to get the most capacity for your investment, MSA has a fast, affordable solution for you. And every MSA comes with an intuitive setup and management interface anyone can master.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

IBM FlashSystem products are enterprise computer data storage systems that store data on flash memory chips. Unlike storage systems that use standard solid-state drives, IBM FlashSystem products incorporate custom hardware based on technology from the 2012 acquisition of Texas Memory Systems. This hardware provides performance, reliability, and efficiency benefits versus competitive offerings.

IBM

Sample Customers

Femsa CSC, TTX, Rabobank

Celero, Friedhelm Loh Group, Clarks, Mingkang Natregro Health Food Group, Sofia, Etisalat Fights Fraud, UF Health Shands Hospital, Generali, Elecon Engineering Company Limited, Ventiv , Technology, CPFL Energia, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., SciQuest, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, Paddy Power, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Interconnect Services, Severstal IP-Only AB, PVU Group GmbH

Buyer's Guide

HPE MSA vs. IBM FlashSystem

January 2025

Free Report: HPE MSA vs. IBM FlashSystem

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