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it_user699828 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Architect at Broncos football club
Vendor
We run much of our infrastructure within this environment.

What is most valuable?

One of the valuable features is that there is generally one throat to choke, if you will.

If you have any problems you can talk to anybody and they'll understand the technical environment you are in, so it makes it easy to troubleshoot.

Whether it's an implementation or a new feature you want to take advantage of, you're troubleshooting an actual problem.

We run pretty much our entire infrastructure within our VMware FlexPod environment. We have application servers, SQL database servers, network monitoring servers, and all our users' data.

All of this is part of the same NetApp system. So pretty much everything that runs at our company, whether it is comprised of financial databases or football analytics, it all runs on a virtual server which is running within FlexPod.

How has it helped my organization?

The benefits of Flexpod are that we have a small IT team and it makes it easy for everybody to run and connect things. It just works. If we ever do need to troubleshoot, or increase a feature set, or things like that, just knowing that we can talk to someone who understands the environment makes it a lot simpler to get things moving forward so the whole process goes quicker.

What needs improvement?

ACI is coming and we're going be working with that. The ability to get that implemented within the VMware, Net App, and Cisco environments, so we can have a little better mobility between our different sites would be helpful. I think right now, that's probably a little complicated for us. Other than that, we've just recently moved to flash for our VMs and everything is pretty solid for us and it is working well.

I am referring to how can we improve our NetApp/Cisco/VMware Flexpod installation. Cisco’s ACI is something we are looking into to see if we create even more flexibility with the networking and security of our Flexpod between our sites and our virtual server infrastructure.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've been using NetApp since 2004, and we've evolved to FlexPod in 2009. I've been involved in the steps all the way, and we've had a great relationship with our integrators, NetApp in general, with Cisco, and VMware.

Buyer's Guide
FlexPod XCS
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about FlexPod XCS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It really is kind of "set it and forget it" solution. In my job, I'm kind of a Jack-of-all-Trades, if you will. We have to do a lot of different things, so I'm doing not only the VMware, the storage, and the networking, but I also do firewalls, email, and all the other application servers.

The simplicity of the FlexPod and how well it all works together with all the different systems really is a time saver. It's also easy to help teach other people in our department how to handle things. The training process isn't too long. We've been in it for a long time and it's pretty straightforward and we haven't really had any problems with the inner workings of the different systems.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In terms of scalability, we are a highly visible company and we have ten to twelve days a year where there are eighty-thousand people in the stadium. You need everything to work.

On the whole, we are a small, to mid-sized company and everything's worked well. We've scaled it up slowly over the last ten to twelve years, and we've been using our NetApp system and our Cisco network. I know it would scale really large for us, but we're generally a smaller scale.

How are customer service and support?

I've always had great technical support when it comes to NetApp, or even calling Cisco, or VMware. NetApp has always been really solid for us, and we've been big fans. You get connected pretty quickly to someone, especially if you have a large problem. We don't have a lot of problems, so it's usually not hard to reach somebody, get answers, and find out what we need to do make things work.

How was the initial setup?

The setup was pretty simple. It works well, it's not too hard to get everything connected, and you can use the most efficient and best practices.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We went through a process recently and we probably looked at six or seven vendors and this solution kept coming back to us. We are a smaller shop, and the flexibility of the FlexPod system, in particular the FAS2650 for us, and all the different protocols that we're running on an all-in-one system, was a no-brainer for us.

When it came back to it, we just stuck with NetApp because it was really the best solution for us. We looked at Pure Storage, Nimble, and Tintri. They all have great feature sets and things like that. However, the assortment of protocols for us was a huge feature set, and not being locked into just doing the block level protocol. We really wanted to keep our systems in place. It's really nice to have just that one pane of glass for our storage system. So, NetApp was really a no-brainer to stick with.

What other advice do I have?

I guess it depends what your roles are. We are a one-stop shop, so we have to do all these different things. So for us it was important to accomplish a lot of different goals with one system. So, I would just ask someone: "How easy do you want things to be? Is support important to you? Is it important to work with different vendors who all know how the whole system works? How much time do you need to save when you're doing support?"

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
it_user699810 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network infrastructure manager at Iberia Bank
Vendor
It is an integrated system with a single address for support.

What is most valuable?

It's an integrated system with a single throat to choke for support. It's one phone call and if we believe it to be a Cisco problem, we call Cisco tech. If it turns out that it becomes a NetApp problem, then Cisco tech will engage the NetApp folks for support. It's a single phone call. We don't have to hang up and call the other and get into a finger pointing game. It is a time saver.

How has it helped my organization?

We have a lot of home-baked bank applications. We also use PointShop, so we run a lot of Microsoft boxed applications as well.

We're a VMware shop. We are a 98% plus virtualized in our environment. I appreciate the consistency in which it works. It stores data very efficiently. Those of us on the network side provide the path to get to it. We also provide the accesses, and it saves us a great amount of time because of that single feature of a single phone call.

It's been a very sturdy system. It's been a very reliable system and we've had no really great outages over the last six years related to the FlexPod environment. It saves us a lot of money, time, and resources.

What needs improvement?

I don't really have a great answer, other than a more scalable switched environment. That is what the Nexus 9K is going to provide for us. Nothing's perfect, so I guess we had some growing pains early on.

Some of it was teaching our staff how to deal with the new technologies, how to use it, and how to troubleshoot it. It wasn't perfect in that sense, but the product itself, it was very good.

It was complex to train people in with it. It was a newer technology for our resources, so it did take some time to get them up to speed.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

There has been no downtime in six year, related to the actually filer, UCS compute, or switchback involved in the FlexPod.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's scaled very well for us. We were able to add filers as we needed more storage. We were able to scale out on the existing 5K Nexus environment that we had.

So over the last six years, it's scaled well enough for us to acquire banks at the rate of about four or five banks per year. Now, in 2017, we continue to acquire banks and we're going to move our FlexPods into core locations. So we're going to buy new FlexPods and continue to scale and buy banks off of those.

How is customer service and technical support?

We deal mostly with the Cisco technical support, but we make a single phone call, we're directed to FlexPod representatives who help to support the FlexPod environment or the NetApp environment, if you will. That has been very good.

We also have a resource from NetApps, specifically, who is a liaison for us to support and that resource is on call for us 24/7. That's been a great help as well.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup went very well. We provided the information about configurations that we would have liked to have seen. At the end of the day, after four or five meetings, we provided that information. FlexPod then showed up in a crate, ready to be powered on in the data center and start to switch data.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did a bake-off between the VCE and the FlexPod. We did look at the Dell solution back then, it did come down to VCE and FlexPod.

FlexPod won out for two reasons.

  • Pricing
  • The resource that manages my data center was historically a NetApp guy. He liked that app and was comfortable with it, and that's what I think the deciding factor was.

To summarize, the comfort level with NetApp and the price.

What other advice do I have?

I would tell them my story, about six years ago buying the FlexPod and how we purchased banks and scaled through it seamlessly. I have never had any downtime, and I feel like the support has been what has been advertised. I would certainly suggest buying that environment.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
FlexPod XCS
December 2024
Learn what your peers think about FlexPod XCS. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2024.
824,067 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user692451 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager with 201-500 employees
Vendor
Integrates well with Cisco and NetApp.

What is most valuable?

The FlexPod technology is really reliable for us. We have no complaints about the reliability and the stability of the product.

How has it helped my organization?

We had an older SAN that needed to be improved and the FlexPod technology was chosen for the integration with Cisco and the NetApp storage. We used to have NetApp and Cisco on-site. It was just a natural merge to add the FlexPod technology.

What needs improvement?

The downside is that the administration is a little bit complex.

Also, don't use the NetApp team to implement it. I did so previously, and it was not the best experience of my life. It is a drawback that you need to use the NetApp team to implement it. It's not easy to work with them and not every technical specialist is a specialist.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using it for two years now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable. There has been no down time.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In terms of scalability, we have a project that is ongoing for the next few months. We are going to get into the scalability portion soon.

How are customer service and technical support?

We did call technical support a couple of times and we had great support from them. They've been responsive to us.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

They made the decision before I started working here. I know that they chose it for the reasons I mentioned.

How was the initial setup?

It is complex to set up.

What other advice do I have?

I know that it is really a good product. In the end, it is doing the job.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user330843 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at a comms service provider with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
The ease of configuration saves us time and we can stand up in remote offices without highly-trained people. However, I think the support has been our pain point.

Valuable Features

The ease of configuration and the reliability are the most valuable features.

Improvements to My Organization

Every deployment we’ve done has been on FlexPod. The ease of configuration saves us a lot of time and we can stand up in remote offices without highly-trained people.

Room for Improvement

I think the support has been our pain point, the hardware and setup are pretty good, and solid but the support could be improved. We always tell them about that.

Use of Solution

We’ve been using it since 2009.

Stability Issues

So far it’s been really good. It was rough for the first year or so on the Cisco side but last couple of years it’s been pretty stable.

Scalability Issues

It’s really easy to scale out, and I feel like it scales very well.

Customer Service and Technical Support

It's gotten better, as it was rough at the start. On the NetApp side they will open up the case for you with the other vendors. I had experiences where they didn’t know why we were calling or what a FlexPod was, but that was years ago and since then it has gotten far more streamlined.

Initial Setup

Very straightforward and easy.

Other Advice

Peer reviews are not as important as user conferences but market research is there for a reason.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user330099 - PeerSpot reviewer
System Engineer at Thin Technologies
Vendor
It's scalable out or up: if we need hardware or more storage, we just buy them separately. However, the UCS firmware code upgrade can totally stall and become a brick.

Valuable Features

Scalability is, to me, the most valuable feature, as it's easily scalable out or up. If we need hardware we buy it, and if we need more storage we can buy that separately. The profile/policy-driven profiles and initial config can take a while, but once it's done deploying, a new server is done very rapidly.

Room for Improvement

The UCS firmware code upgrade can totally stall- it’s a brick. Cisco support has been able to help us, but this can be better. They've destroyed equipment and I have lost a few days of deployment.

It’s an expensive product for sure. It’s a Ferrari price for a Ferrari. Not perfect but a very good solution.

Stability Issues

It’s super stable, especially after the v2.2 release, which has been awesome in terms of bug fixes and feature sets. It’s very reliable.

Scalability Issues

Outward scalability is incredible. I did a customer site to help expand their development (a university in New York) and I helped them scale. They started with a large deployment, and now they have expanded out within a short time. They are experiencing awesome scalability from the NetApp model.

Customer Service and Technical Support

Technical support is amazing, that’s the reason people buy it. Otherwise you have to buy separate contracts. Cisco and NetApp work so well together, and it's unheard of for hardware vendors to do that.

Initial Setup

You have to do due diligence to configure the settings correctly.

Pricing, Setup Cost and Licensing

Don’t let the price point scare you away because what you’re gaining is not only scalability, but a product that is easily manageable.

Other Advice

You have the functionality that UCS brings, and that NetApp bring, in terms of their replication and backup products. It's got great potential. Don’t set it up by yourself, pay the professionals, as if it's deployed incorrectly, it can create giant headaches.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2304771 - PeerSpot reviewer
Storage Administrator at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
A flexible solution for storage that needs to reduce pricing
Pros and Cons
  • "The tool's most valuable features are the flexibility and ability to adapt to redundancy."
  • "FlexPod XCS' pricing could be cheaper. You need to find the right person for support."

What is our primary use case?

We use FlexPod XCS to provide primary storage for production data. 

What is most valuable?

The tool's most valuable features are the flexibility and ability to adapt to redundancy. 

What needs improvement?

FlexPod XCS' pricing could be cheaper. You need to find the right person for support. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the product for ten years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The tool's stability is rock solid. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

FlexPod XCS is scalable and flexible. 

How are customer service and support?

FlexPod XCS' support has always been there for us. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated HP, Dell, IBM and Cisco. 

What other advice do I have?

The tool helps to save TCO by consolidating our workloads into smaller footprints. 

FlexPod XCS helps us save money. 

I rate it an eight out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Service Delivery Director at VORTEX TI
Reseller
Great Converged solution high scalable and true data management.
Pros and Cons
  • "The feature I have found most valuable is data protection."
  • "Areas for improvement would be the support for the engineering team, who seem to have no clue when you open a case, the communication with and recognition of resellers, and the documentation, with could be more detailed."

What is our primary use case?

My primary use case is for private cloud, database servers, and virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI).

How has it helped my organization?

It allows us to deploy and fly fast quickly.

What is most valuable?

The feature I have found most valuable is data protection architecture as a whole. Integrating applications like Oracle, SQL, VMWare is a key differentiator. Operations are elementary and consistent. You realize this when you have to scale, and all the management keeps the same way.

What needs improvement?

Areas for improvement would be the integrated support task force with all vendors, the communication with and recognition program for resellers, at scale documentation I believe it would be more detailed (Graphs and Projections @ latency/IOPs/Throughput). I would like to see more integration with the public cloud in the next release.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using FlexPod for ten+ years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is surprisingly performative and high available. In addition, all components are fully redundant.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution is highly scalable. Because of the nature of flexibility on a solution, we can customize any component, which is great. Still, when we get off the documentation (cause is too flexible), we have to double attention to the limits of individual components.

How are customer service and support?

The technical support for this solution is fine. However, there is some room for improvement, especially when the cases involve the ecosystems. For example, the support team could have a unified war room.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

For the initial customer or engineer, installing for the first time, this product sometimes is challenging to set up. For more senior customers who have automated scripts, it's much easier. Deployment takes a few hours, perhaps around half a day.

What other advice do I have?

When the operations matter, you definitely have to look at FlexPod. I see Flexpod as a singular competitor for two reasons, once you scale the solution as you need and the operations and administrator's effort keep the same. The flexibility allows you to scale just the necessity you need with no waste of investments. I would rate this solution as ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
reviewer1223490 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Manager at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Consultant
Simplified and saved time overall for all of the configuration and deployment but it is not a complete solution
Pros and Cons
  • "Backup, restore, and ease of deployment are the most valuable features."
  • "I would like to have the installation of the top virtualization on its own rather than doing it through the admin. For example, if FlexPod is configured after the configuration of the host, the ESXi is installed also, but it should be part of it rather than doing it as a separate system."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for virtualization, the VMs.

How has it helped my organization?

FlexPod has enabled us to consolidate some of our stuff. 

The validated designs for major enterprise apps are an integral part of our company. We only do validated designs in our thing and then we remove our data center consolidation and move stuff onto that.

It simplifies the infrastructure from edge to core. It simplifies the configuration metrics and saved time. FlexPod simplified and saved time overall for all of the configuration and deployment.

What is most valuable?

Backup, restore, and ease of deployment are the most valuable features.

What needs improvement?

It hasn't changed the application performance in our company but obviously the new hardware gives it the performance increase. Overall nothing more changed.

I would like to have the installation of the top virtualization on its own rather than doing it through the admin. For example, if FlexPod is configured after the configuration of the host, the ESXi is installed also, but it should be part of it rather than doing it as a separate system.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is pretty solid.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's scalable. 

How are customer service and technical support?

I don't remember having needed to contact their technical support. 

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We knew we needed to invest in a solution like FlexPod because we were growing and we have evaluated different solutions and after that we decided.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward because we did not do it, Cisco did it.

What about the implementation team?

I deployed through Cisco. We had a positive experience with them.

What was our ROI?

We have seen ROI. 

It actually initially increased our CapEx.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked at Red Hat, VMware, HP, Cisco. We chose FlexPod because of the consolidation and reduced footprint.

What other advice do I have?

If configuration, unification, and standardization are the concern and if they are using it with Cisco as a network edge then I think it will be a good solution to go with FlexPod.

I would rate it a seven out of ten. Not a ten because a seven means for me that it is more than a five. A 10 would mean that I don't have to do anything else to improve. Improvements could be ESXi installations at vCenter installation and all of that. I have this to do it. It is a solution, but it has stops at a certain point. It is not a complete solution. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user