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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 7.8, while IBM is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.6. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 18.1% mindshare in MS, compared to IBM’s 18.2% 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 20 HPE MSA reviews
  • 1,708 Views
  • 1,391 Comparison Views
95% willing to recommend
IBM FlashSystem
Read 107 IBM FlashSystem reviews
  • 1,694 Views
  • 1,332 Comparison Views
91% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between HPE MSA and IBM FlashSystem based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

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To learn more, read our detailed HPE MSA vs. IBM FlashSystem Report (Updated: October 2024).
Buyer's Guide
HPE MSA vs. IBM FlashSystem
October 2024
Download the complete report
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Categories and Ranking

HPE MSA
Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)
5th
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
20
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
IBM FlashSystem
Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)
3rd
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
107
Ranking in other categories
NAS (4th), All-Flash Storage (6th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of November 2024, in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category, the mindshare of HPE MSA is 18.1%, up from 16.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM FlashSystem is 18.2%, up from 15.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)
 

Featured Reviews

Pragnesh Sachania - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 8, 2024
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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Abdul-Salam - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 3, 2023
An easy GUI and simple provisioning but our model does not support compression
Our company uses the solution for robotic process automation, workflow automation, and document management.  The solution is used for certain front-end systems, so users are not aware of the how it operates on the backend. About 30 front-end users access each application across various bank…
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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 very easy to use, it is not really complex for any user, such as non-technical individuals."
"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 cost to performance for HPE StorageWorks MSA is good."
"The most valuable feature of HPE StorageWorks MSA is its flexibility."
"The solution is scalable and easy to manage."
"The solution is pretty transparent and works well."
"The simple configuration feature is great. It is very simple, allowing you to set up MSA very easily."
"The most valuable features are the storage levels and snapshot features."
More HPE MSA pros
"The valuable feature is autoscalling."
"The performance of the All-Flash System is very good. There is more enhanced performance and data production in the solution, which I appreciate."
"The FlashSystem 900 consistently delivers performance below 1ms for read/write. This performance is essential for an effective SVC stretch-cluster configuration across two datacenters, and presenting active-active storage to the customer."
"When it comes to the interface of the solution we did not encounter any challenges. Additionally, the solution has good documentation."
"The price-performance ratio is most valuable."
"The GUI is very easy and performance is also good."
"The most valuable features were the performance of the array, i.e., very low latency and high IOPS. Plus, the management interface is very easy to use."
"The maintenance service and support from IBM is very good."
More IBM FlashSystem pros
 

Cons

"It would be ideal if there was a better management interface."
"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."
"This product is getting a little bit older, so new features like deduplication are not included."
"The platform’s monitoring capabilities could be enhanced."
"The solution's license should be integrated and not separate."
"We faced a lot of challenges with our custom configuration during installation."
"Some clients have suggested room for improvement in expanding storage capacity beyond the base traces."
"There is room for improvement in terms of scalability. There are times when we need to upgrade the device and the firmware. Sometimes, that can be a struggle."
More HPE MSA cons
"We had issues when attempting to do a flash, we hope to resolve it soon."
"One area for improvement is in the GUI, where host clusters are not properly dealt with. With Hypervisor host clusters, all hosts must see the same volumes in the same order. Using the concept of a “host-group” has been around (even with IBM) for many years, so why not with the V7000?"
"A big area for improvement is that the data reduction pool feature is not recommended for use in a production environment because it has stability and performance issues."
"It has room for improvement in the area of stability."
"The deduplication and compression ratio is not very good. It's not reaching a very high ratio."
"IBM could do more marketing and improve brand awareness. I had never heard of this product until a colleague told me about it. FlashSystem could add a few features, but it would probably increase the price. For example, Pure Storage offers instant snapshotting and partitioning. That would be nice to have, but I think the cost would go up."
"GUI interface should be enhanced more as there is some issues in copy services."
"This solution needs a management console where we are alerted to issues and can report them, or escalate them through email or another method."
More IBM FlashSystem cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"When we bought this solution it was very reasonably priced and they were willing to deal."
"The solution can be a bit expensive."
"This solution involves a one-time CapEx payment, followed by warranty extensions."
"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."
"This solution is quite expensive; they should lower the cost."
"I would rate the pricing as nine out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."
"HPE StorageWorks MSA's licensing is perpetual and not integrated."
"The solution’s pricing is reasonable."
"The total storage capacity vs price is still quite high for the IBM Flash Array."
"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 price of IBM FlashSystem is reasonable and competitive."
"I find the pricing of the solution to be very reasonable."
"We have no issues with the price as it is very competitive."
"The cost is pretty high in terms of licensing. We pay at least $100,000 USD in licensing fees for the storage."
"They've been much more aggressive in the last five, six years than they were before that."
"Its price is very good."
More IBM FlashSystem pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
21%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Government
8%
Real Estate/Law Firm
6%
Computer Software Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
 

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?
The solution’s pricing is reasonable.
See all answers
What needs improvement with HPE StorageWorks MSA?
We faced a lot of challenges with our custom configuration during installation. At the time of deployment, there was some communication gap between my partner and HPE.
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?
The product is expensive. It costs around 150k for five years.
See all answers
What needs improvement with IBM FlashSystem?
The product could be cheaper.
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 26% of the time
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Compared 9% of the time
Huawei OceanStor Dorado vs IBM FlashSystem Logo
Huawei OceanStor Dorado vs IBM FlashSystem
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Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform vs IBM FlashSystem
Compared 6% of the time
Lenovo ThinkSystem DE Series vs IBM FlashSystem Logo
Lenovo ThinkSystem DE Series vs IBM FlashSystem
Compared 4% of the time
More IBM FlashSystem Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
HPE MSA
November 2024
HPE MSA reportDownload HPE MSA product report
Buyer's Guide
IBM FlashSystem
November 2024
IBM FlashSystem reportDownload IBM FlashSystem product report
 

Also Known As

HP StorageWorks MSA
IBM Storwize
 

Learn More

Video not available
Hewlett Packard Enterprise
IBM
 

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.

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.

 

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
October 2024
Free Report: HPE MSA vs. IBM FlashSystem
Find out what your peers are saying about HPE MSA vs. IBM FlashSystem and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
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We monitor all Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.