The NetApp FAS Series and IBM FlashSystem compete in enterprise storage solutions. Users have pointed out that while NetApp offers a comprehensive set of features, IBM stands out in performance, particularly for high-speed, low-latency scenarios.
Features: The NetApp FAS Series provides robust data management with features like data deduplication, high availability, and ONTAP for multiprotocol support. It's well-regarded for its integration with large virtual environments, notably VMware. IBM FlashSystem is noted for speed and simplicity, excelling in low latency and IOPS management. It incorporates features such as compression and effective data handling, supporting performance-critical applications efficiently.
Room for Improvement: NetApp FAS Series could benefit from better pricing structures, improved interoperability with evolving cloud technologies, and enhancements in user experience for management and automation. Users of IBM FlashSystem suggest a need for better scalability, enhanced compression capabilities, and cost efficiency, along with improved cloud integration and responsive technical support.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both NetApp FAS Series and IBM FlashSystem are commonly deployed on premises, offering hybrid cloud options. NetApp FAS is praised for its extensive support resources, although some users report delays from third-party support. IBM is appreciated for its knowledgeable support, although improvements in timeliness and technical adaptability are desired. Customer service for both is viewed positively but can improve in field assistance during complex setups.
Pricing and ROI: NetApp FAS Series is competitively priced with bundled features providing good value for multiprotocol environments. Pricing varies based on specific configurations, with suggestions to improve support costs. IBM FlashSystem, with a potentially higher price point, justifies costs with its performance metrics. Both systems demonstrate positive ROI, contingent on specific deployment requirements and scalability needs.
Rather than Pure just saying it's Cisco's problem, call Cisco, they actually got on with a TAC engineer and talked us through it.
The guys in South Africa, and they're very, very good.
What I like about Pure Storage technical support is that when you enter a request, you immediately get a response.
Customers of alternatives like Dell and Hitachi enjoy more reliable and comprehensive support services directly from vendors rather than third-party subsidiaries.
IBM customer support is responsible, efficient, and responsive, though it is expensive.
I want to see Pure Storage not only be for fast storage, but I want to see it be for the entire data center.
We've seen that when we create a POD in synchronous mode, it increases the latency.
We would like to see VNC integration or be able to use Pure Storage with VNC.
Despite marketing promises, these features do not function effectively and can impact performance.
There is room for improvement in the troubleshooting part, specifically related to IBM Spectrum for Insight.
We also have an X90R2 with two petabytes of NVMe in it which fits in about six rack units of space.
We are able to push the X70 way past our current needs from a throughput and IOPS perspective – without any degradation on latency.
We have also performed storage and controller upgrades live with zero downtime.
For larger enterprises, scalability is an issue as the price becomes prohibitive.
The problem arises when migrating data to a later IBM FlashSystem version due to issues with firmware compatibility.
While the prices may be higher than those of other vendors, we see it as a market leader with benefits.
The support can be a bit pricey, but the solution is more cost-effective than anything else out there.
We pay approximately $50,000 USD per year in licensing fees.
To install or upgrade any software features, the cost is high, which makes it challenging for smaller companies who do not require advanced features like deduplication or compression typically needed by larger organizations.
We have gone through multiple software upgrades, as well as completely non-disruptive hardware upgrades.
During the eight years, there have been no problems such as hardware failure or stopping.
There was one minor issue when the M70s were first released – but they have been 100% stable since.
Customers have infrastructure that is 100% stable.
Going from a legacy vendor to Pure Storage, we saw reductions in MRP reports previously running at six hours going to 30 minutes.
The most valuable features of this solution are its ease of use and performance.
The most valuable feature of this solution is its ease of use.
There is built-in compression, a data reduction feature, and artificial intelligence-driven insights that calculate warnings and errors to redirect to customers automatically.
IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe is offered at a very low cost in Israel, which is advantageous for small companies.
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.
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.
NetApp FAS series is an enterprise-level storage system that provides a wide variety of data management services, including data protection, block and file storage, and data management.
NetApp FAS is designed to be highly scalable, allowing your organization to grow storage capacity on demand. NetApp FAS also supports multiple protocols, including NFS, SMB, iSCSI, and Fibre Channel, as well as various storage architectures, including SAN (Storage Area Network) and NAS (Network-Attached Storage).
The FAS series has multiple data protection and data management features, including snapshots, cloning, replication, and deduplication, to help secure your data and manage it more efficiently. The system integrates with other NetApp products and solutions, to create a unified data management platform. The system can be deployed on-premise, on multi-cloud environments, or hybrid.
NetApp FAS Series Benefits and Features
NetApp FAS series provides its users with several key benefits and features, including:
Reviews from Real Users
NetApp FAS Series stands out among its competitors for a number of reasons. Several major ones are its speed, reliability, and a wide variety of features.
Adriano S., IT project and infrastructure service manager, writes, “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.”
Temitope O., a NetApp product manager at Hiperdist Ltd, says, “I like the unified management feature because sometimes you end up running a single protocol on the entire system. You rather have a system for a particular protocol and another system for other protocols, especially in a big environment like mine.”
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