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HPE MSA vs NetApp FAS Series comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

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
NetApp FAS Series
Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)
1st
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
100
Ranking in other categories
Deduplication Software (5th), NAS (3rd)
 

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 NetApp FAS Series is 17.2%, up from 14.3% 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.
Paweł Jabłoński - PeerSpot reviewer
Jun 6, 2024
Used for VMs with replication a feature, but need upgraded SSDs
We use the solution for multipurpose VMs The replication feature protects us from data loss. The plan is to go with all SSDs and use MDM, rather than sticking with traditional disk drives. The goal is to have all SSDs for better maintenance speed, which is essential for applications that need to…

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 pretty transparent and works well."
"MSA performs exceptionally well, particularly in regions with frequent power outages."
"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."
"HPE StorageWorks MSA is an entry-level, cost-effective solution for SMB customers."
"The solution is very easy to use, it is not really complex for any user, such as non-technical individuals."
"The most valuable feature of HPE StorageWorks MSA is its flexibility."
"The cost to performance for HPE StorageWorks MSA is good."
"The solution is scalable and easy to manage."
"You can use different protocols at the same time. Monitoring is also very easy in NetApp FAS Series. There is a free tool for monitoring."
"Can use both SAN and NAS at the same time."
"Saves space with deduplication"
"The best feature is its ONTAP product line for Ransomware protection. It also has features for file storage and block storage. The solution is stable. We've had no issues with it. The tool is scalable and meets our requirements. The technical support and the supporting partner are great. The initial setup is straightforward. It is very easy to maintain the product. The feature set is excellent. I recommend the solution."
"The solution is stable."
"The replication feature is noteworthy because it's faster than most and it uses little bandwidth. Then there's the friendly interface that the equipment offers. With this interface, it is very easy to manage."
"Compression of the backup Oracle by RMAN on NFS saves space 5:1."
"NetApp FAS Series is simple to set up."
 

Cons

"The support contract is expensive, although they are very responsive."
"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 solution requires hardware."
"The solution's license should be integrated and not separate."
"The platform’s monitoring capabilities could be enhanced."
"HPE StorageWorks MSA could maybe include a pay-top of texture feature or something like job replication."
"We faced a lot of challenges with our custom configuration during installation."
"The user interface could be improved."
"Cluster mode needs to be more ubiquitous."
"Needs more SAN support."
"It's not a cheap system. It is very expensive. The pricing has been ridiculous every time that we had to renew the support."
"The only downside is in ease in management; it is not easy to use."
"The NetApp FAS Series is not as high-performing and is not as fast. Its speed needs improvement, but this could only be done if it's an all-flash solution."
"The high cost of the product is an area of concern, so from an improvement perspective, the tool needs to be made cheaper."
"We no longer have OEM support in South Africa which is not helpful, it can be difficult. They should add an office back to the country because it was better."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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’s pricing is reasonable."
"This solution involves a one-time CapEx payment, followed by warranty extensions."
"When we bought this solution it was very reasonably priced and they were willing to deal."
"The solution can be a bit expensive."
"I would rate the pricing as nine out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive."
"This solution is quite expensive; they should lower the cost."
"HPE StorageWorks MSA's licensing is perpetual and not integrated."
"The product's pricing is reasonable."
"The solution is more expensive than other vendors."
"I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten, with ten being expensive. We pay a one-time purchase price."
"Low-priced product, but pricing could still be made more attractive."
"Cost effective storage for all performance levels (including all-flash)."
"We are on a perpetual license."
"The price it not low, but comparing features to other vendors, the price can be balanced."
"The tool is expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
21%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Government
8%
Real Estate/Law Firm
6%
Educational Organization
61%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Financial Services Firm
4%
 

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.
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.
Which SAN product would you choose: IBM FlashSystem (FS9500) vs PureFlash Array/X NVMe vs PureFlash Array/XL NVMe?
Have you considered a NetApp FAS Storage for your NAS needs? I am sure it fits very well.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetApp FAS Series?
The pricing depends on the disks we choose. We got quite a good price compared to Huawei Dorado because we compared the prices between NetApp SSD and Dorado, and the price was quite similar.
 

Also Known As

HP StorageWorks MSA
No data available
 

Learn More

 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Femsa CSC, TTX, Rabobank
Children's Hospital Central California, Plex Systems, PDF PNI Digital Media, Denver Broncos, PDF KSM Legal, Clayton Companies, Virginia Community College
Find out what your peers are saying about HPE MSA vs. NetApp FAS Series and other solutions. Updated: October 2024.
815,854 professionals have used our research since 2012.