We primarily use the solution for high data reduction. We use it for compression and deduplication.
Head system admin deviation at Unibank
Excellent data reduction and compression with fast support
Pros and Cons
- "The most value aspect is the data reduction and compression."
- "It can be less expensive."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most valuable aspect is the data reduction and compression. Space is important for our company and more space can get very expensive. Compression of data helps cut costs. If we have 100 TB of data, it can compress this quite well.
It's very secure and reliable. It offers good high-level storage.
We use the on-prem interface, not the cloud interface. We always use Alletra as a local management solution.
It's predictive and offers a good high level of prevention for problems. It will go ahead and open a case if there is a problem.
Storage provision is good. It's easy to use.
The guarantee of data availability is important.
We've been able to improve our storage performance in terms of IOPS. I've checked it recently and saw that it's improved.
We've been able to reduce the time spent resolving storage-related tickets. Now, it takes a maximum of two hours.
What needs improvement?
We haven't seen any negative issues.
It can be less expensive. It's very expensive for us.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using Alletra for approximately four years.
Buyer's Guide
HPE Alletra Storage
November 2024
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is highly scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is fast and responsive. At a maximum, we'll get a resolution in one day. However, it's usually one to two hours.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We did use 3PAR and Primera among other solutions.
We liked Alletra's high-level storage.
How was the initial setup?
The deployment was really straightforward and easy to manage. It's very user-friendly. You simply click through.
What was our ROI?
We have yet to witness any ROI.
What other advice do I have?
We have two Alletra models and have recently added another product.
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten. It's reliable. It has many features, and the data reduction and compression are great.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jul 22, 2024
Flag as inappropriateSenior Storage Consultant at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Enables us to check every metric, including bandwidth and latency, at a granular level
Pros and Cons
- "We have the most advanced HPE products available that we can monitor with the HP InfoSight feature, which enables us to check every metric, including bandwidth and latency, at a granular level. Alletra's mechanism is excellent and can handle multiple traffic sources. Anything is possible. Regarding your application, the IO behavior can be random, sequential, or a database. It serves web and e-commerce applications better."
- "More training videos would help. We could learn some best practices. Sometimes, people may not follow the best practices and reach out to support, who will tell them that they need to follow these best practices to get this performance or result."
What is our primary use case?
We typically use Alletra NVMe drives for high-performance applications requiring more than 200,000 IOPS per second. We also have HPE's 3PAR, the most advanced version of the storage array. It can address most application issues and has less than 2 millisecond latency.
How has it helped my organization?
We had faced issues with 3PAR because the drives slowed down, and we constantly had to change the capacity. There was too much incoming data, and the CTDs were always full. We needed some compression, deduplication, and provisioning. Even after applying all these techniques, we still faced some issues with space.
But Alletra has high-capacity NVMe drives, so we no longer have a problem. There are no spikes, regardless of our incoming IOPS or my customer's application requirements. The solution immediately addresses the needs of any applications.
Also, you need not worry about backend vulnerabilities. It is an awesome product. You deploy and run it without worrying about what's happening at the security level. It's better than other storage classes like MSS. These NVMe models have played a significant role here.
We achieve storage availability by maximizing usable storage while minimizing hardware storage requirements. We have almost three petabytes of data space, and we're only using one petabyte, leaving two petabytes available.
What is most valuable?
We have the most advanced HPE products available that we can monitor with the HPE InfoSight feature, which enables us to check every metric, including bandwidth and latency, at a granular level. Alletra's mechanism is excellent and can handle multiple traffic sources. Anything is possible. Regarding your application, the IO behavior can be random, sequential, or a database. It serves web and e-commerce applications better.
HPE InfoSight lets you see all the alerts from SSMC and proactively log cases. It will automatically raise a ticket to HPE when critical hardware fails. You get an idea about what will happen and be proactive. You can see when a node will restart so we can investigate and work with support. We can also see how nodes and ports are performing.
DataCare helps you manage allocation mapping and firmware upgrades. We can also replace drives, troubleshoot, set up applications, update proxies, and take backups through DataCare.
What needs improvement?
More training videos would help. We could learn some best practices. Sometimes, people may not follow the best practices and reach out to support, who will tell them that they need to follow these best practices to get this performance or result.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have used Alletra for nearly two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The batteries, BIOS configuration, and power supply are much more stable than the previous models.
How are customer service and support?
I rate HPE support eight out of 10. Their support is kind, and they respond quickly.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have IBM's flash array. We face too many problems with IBM's flash array because the code is unstable and nodes must be restarted. We haven't seen these issues with Alletra. We also use Oracle Cloud and plan to use AWS, but the cost is too high.
How was the initial setup?
Alletra is straightforward if you connect it properly. Once it's plugged in, you assign IP addresses and start configuring the security
What other advice do I have?
I rate HPE Alletra nine out of 10.
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.
Last updated: Oct 7, 2024
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HPE Alletra Storage
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about HPE Alletra Storage. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
815,854 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Technical Support Computer Services Unit Faculty of Health Sciences Lead at a university with 5,001-10,000 employees
Helped reduce the time spent on storage provisioning
Pros and Cons
- "It took nothing really to set it up. It was all online, and we were able to set it up and start using it within about three hours."
- "Sometimes, with HP, there may be language barriers, and they seem to cycle through tech a lot more. That said, overall, I always get the answers I need."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for VMware.
What is most valuable?
The ease of operation and ease of use are important aspects for us. The throughput of the units itself is really impressive.
The solution provides cloud-like operational model on-prem for managing data. You manage it through the cloud or on-prem as well. It wasn't a drastic change from what we used before, as we used HPE products. It's all NVMe-based. The IOs were through the roof compared to what we were using before. We'd see bursts of up to 17,000 IOPs, whereas before, we saw maybe 5,000.
I've logged into the analytics program, InfoSight, and it's good. With InfoSight, we can get on there and it can give us pointers about if we need more storage, for example, or insights into caching.
The guarantee of data availability was very important when we were deciding on a solution. With HPE's background and the support we knew we were making a smart decision.
We've been able to reduce the time spent on storage provisioning. Compared to other HPE products that we've used, we have an ISCSI setup and we were able to build our storage setups very quickly. The simple UI made it so that it's just a few clicks to provision.
What needs improvement?
With what we've used the solution with right now, I haven't faced any issues.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is good. I haven't had an issue with it yet.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I'm assuming we can just add more drives if we need to. I haven't had to scale. We have two Alletras and they are sized for 100 TBs with current storage (with deduplication and compression) is maybe 50 TBs.
How are customer service and support?
Support is good. I get all the answers I need. Some vendors were able to bring HPE people to answer support questions. I haven't had any issues when dealing with them.
Of course, support always depends on who you talk to on the other end. Sometimes, with HP, there may be language barriers, and they seem to cycle through tech a lot more. That said, overall, I always get the answers I need.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We've used HPE products previously. We also have Pure Storage.
How was the initial setup?
It took nothing really to set it up. It was all online, and we were able to set it up and start using it within about three hours. We had experience with HP products that we used before.
What about the implementation team?
We deployed the solution ourselves.
What was our ROI?
We have not witnessed an ROI just yet. It has improved speed and performance overall.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did evaluate other options, and we have other storage that we have on-site as well. For what Alletras does, in terms of throughput, the cost is good.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jul 24, 2024
Flag as inappropriateSenior Consultant at Inacomp
Good integrations, helpful reporting, and helps save time spent on storage usage
Pros and Cons
- "It's got an integration with InfoSight."
- "I would like to see some form of direct connect fiber channel options."
What is our primary use case?
The solution is our primary storage for virtualization.
What is most valuable?
It's got an integration with InfoSight. There are metrics that are provided by it and the support that we get from Nimble Alletra Support is great. The insights we get are important. All of the reporting we get and the recommendations we get on performance impacts are helpful. It predicts problems and helps prevent issues.
It's helped us save time spent on storage usage. Due to its integration, we've had an 80% to 90% reduction in storage provisioning time.
It's helped improve IOPs. We size the solution properly and customers have been happy with the results.
What needs improvement?
I would like to see some form of direct connect fiber channel options.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used Alletra Storage for a long time.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is good. There are options.
How are customer service and support?
Support is fantastic for Allerta. Everything else from HPE isn't as good.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Our customers are switching from other vendor options. I've been recommending Alletra to them.
I have experience with other storage solutions within the HPE family. I haven't used other vendors. Alletra is top-notch within the HPE family in terms of performance and support.
How was the initial setup?
I've deployed the solution before. An Alletra by itself is simple to implement. When partnered with dHCI, it's a bit more complex.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is good for the market that I serve. The subscription model is tough for them. We can do multiple terms now.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution nine 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: Partner
Last updated: Jul 17, 2024
Flag as inappropriateIT Infrastructure Manager at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Provides a single point of management and helps prevent and predict issues before they arise
Pros and Cons
- "Alletra's performance has been very good."
- "Technical support from HPE can be hit and miss."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution as block storage for VMware.
How has it helped my organization?
For us, the benefits that translate to the organization include less cost, maintenance, and management.
What is most valuable?
The simplicity of the platform is its most valuable asset. The management is very simple and it's straightforward to use.
Alletra's performance has been very good.
The solution provides a cloud-like operational model on-prem for data management. It has improved our operations. As things progressed, we've been able to bring more of the HPE stack into GreenLake for management and monitoring. That's been very beneficial. It provides a single point of management.
Alletra helps prevent and predict issues before they arise. We've had a few cases where, based on the data that they're collecting, we've been able to upgrade based on bugs that exist in our installation.
The guarantee of data availability was important to decision-making. We wanted 100% uptime and availability. Uptime is integral to our 24/7 manufacturing operation. It also minimized the need for standby hardware or data copies without having to accommodate a different solution that doesn't have the same uptime.
We've increased uptime with Alletra to close to 100%. Although we have had issues previously, we have yet to have any problems with this solution.
It's helped reduce time spent on storage provisioning by probably at least 75%.
We really haven't had to spend time fine-tuning storage in any way. We just provision and forget about it. The plugins for VMware are also great as we are provisioning VMs. We rarely have to go to the area itself to manage provisioning.
It has improved storage performance in terms of IOPs by 60% to 70% compared to what we were running on previously.
Alletra has reduced the time spent on storage tickets. We haven't had any issues, performance-wise, and rarely have tickets.
What needs improvement?
Technical support from HPE can be hit and miss.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for about a year and a half.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable, performance-wise.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is there. With the models we're using, we have not had to scale up. We are on the small side. Most of our Alletras are anywhere from 42 TB up to 240 TB.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support has been very good. It can be hit and miss. I'm not sure if it is hit or miss or if it is just HPE. It depends on who you get.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Nimble. We also used to be on 3PAR.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was simple and straightforward. We did not have any issues with deployment.
What about the implementation team?
We had some help with the initial setup via our reseller.
What was our ROI?
While I haven't calculated ROI, we have witnessed a positive impact.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing and licensing are good. Alletra's pricing model and configuration options are very straightforward.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did evaluate other storage vendors, including Pure Storage and one of Dell's newest offerings. However, we've always been an HPE storage customer, and it's always worked well for us. We wanted a platform and company that we were familiar with. We chose to stick with HPE. We didn't want different vendors for different applications.
What other advice do I have?
I'm an HPE customer.
I'd rate the solution ten out of ten. I've been very happy with the solution.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jul 24, 2024
Flag as inappropriateStorage and Backup Architect at Concentrix
Reduces storage provisioning time, fast to install, and good support
Pros and Cons
- "Since we've implemented the solution, we've had zero downtime on the arrays."
- "It could use improvement in correctly identifying and naming the systems. The solution keeps changing the names of everything. It's been hard to track."
What is our primary use case?
I use the solution for cheap and deep tier-two VMware storage. I use it for smaller SQL databases as well.
How has it helped my organization?
Since we've implemented the solution, we've had zero downtime on the arrays. We get high-quality replication and a quality product overall.
What is most valuable?
I like InfoSight and now the new GreenLake management platform to help me manage all my arrays in one location.
The product provides a cloud-like operational model on-prem for managing data infrastructure. While I haven't used the on-prem cloud model myself, I've heard it's good.
It's good at preventing problems. The support is really good. They actually fix 90% of errors and remotely fix them. They get there first and log in and I am told before I know there's a failed drive.
It has reduced time spent on storage provisioning. I give VMware admins access to provision their own data storage.
Alletra has improved storage performance for IOPs. I've been using the hybrids and get really good IOPs performance out of the hybrid models. It's even comparable to the Pure X50 systems.
It's helped us reduce the time spent on storage-related support tickets. We rarely have tickets now. We've reduced them by 70% or so.
What needs improvement?
It could use improvement in correctly identifying and naming the systems. The solution keeps changing the names of everything. It's been hard to track.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is very good. It's very stable. I'd like to have a more of a hands-off support solution - an HP technician replace option.
How are customer service and support?
Customer support is very good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We were a Nimble customer previously.
How was the initial setup?
The deployment and implementation were very easy. It went really fast.
What was our ROI?
We have witnessed an ROI. Our ROI is down to two years on the purchase.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is okay. There's not really a smaller-scale model for mid-tier and upper capacities. That said, the pricing is comparable to everyone else.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. It would be a ten out of ten if they could do block and file on the same system.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Jul 17, 2024
Flag as inappropriateManager, Information Technology, Infrastructure at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees
Great deduplication, reduces our footprint, and offers good cost savings
Pros and Cons
- "One of the best benefits I can think of is that the support team is top-tier."
- "I'd like to see a smaller chassis in the hybrid arrays."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for virtualization storage.
How has it helped my organization?
We have different use cases and 30 locations around the country. We use it to either replicate back from site to site or keep our footprint small at the edge.
What is most valuable?
The deduplication is very good. The array replication and V-wall storage are also really useful.
We've been able to reduce our footprint. We get 4X on each array times 30.
The cost savings are pretty good. It does allow us to store more than we normally would.
One of the best benefits I can think of is that the support team is top-tier. We've had a lot of good experiences with support, which I can't say for some other vendors.
It's pretty good at predicting and preventing problems. We can receive notifications on most of our problems, and, if not before, very soon after. Most of our problems are just failures such as power failures. We tend to receive notifications just before or right on time. If we didn't get those notifications our environment would be down.
The guarantee of data availability is very important to us. Data runs everything.
It's helped reduce the time spent on provisioning by over 50%. The way that we use it is mainly through the plugin into vCenter. It makes the provisioning of new data storage infinitely faster.
The solution has improved our storage performance in terms of IOPS. When I started, we had some other vendor arrays that were not as great, moving to Alletra, it's improved. We're a big SQL shop, so we're running all their secret reports and all that faster. That's always a plus for the business.
Alletra helps reduce the time spent resolving storage-related support tickets.
What needs improvement?
I'd like to see a smaller chassis in the hybrid arrays. The one they have is a legacy chassis and is a lot bigger than it should be.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for five years. We were originally Nimble customers. We've used a variety of versions, from the C1000s up to the Alletra 530s.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a very stable system. We have no complaints.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is fully scalable. There's no issue adding additional shelving, and we've had zero downtime.
How are customer service and support?
Alletra suport is excellent. They are always responsive and knowledgeable, and our issues are resolved in a few hours. I don't dread opening support tickets with them.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have used EMC and NetApp. We moved all storage over to Alletra. We wanted continuity. We have a small team and Alletra has made it easier to train people when using one platform.
How was the initial setup?
We deployed the solution ourselves. It's really easy to set up and the documentation is step by step. Getting it from out of the box to up and functional we can do in 30 minutes or less.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't know what the pricing is.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We haven't recently evaluated other solutions. The transition was already in motion when I took things over. We don't have plans to change.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten overall. It's reliable, has good uptime, and nice features. It doesn't cause me problems.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
Last updated: Jul 17, 2024
Flag as inappropriateSpecialist management server at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
The configuration capacity it has to create a cluster for replication is excellent
Pros and Cons
- "The configuration capacity it has to create a cluster for replication is excellent."
- "Maybe they could just reduce the number of racks and the amount of rack space."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for our data warehouse. We had a latency problem with data warehouse services. We had 3PAR and we migrated everything to [HPE] Alletra [Storage]. The latency that Alletra gives us is much lower than that given by 3PAR and it has managed to support the number of IOPs generated by the service.
How has it helped my organization?
The execution response times of data warehouse tasks have improved, and the reports have been produced on time as required by the Bank.
What is most valuable?
The configuration capacity it has to create a cluster for replication is excellent.
The latency it gives me is incredible.
Alletra provides a cloud-like operational model on-prem for managing data infrastructure. In terms of administration, we can do stuff from anywhere; we do not need to be on the local management network. That is one of the best benefits. So is the whole subject of team status reports through "GreenLake.
The guarantee of data availability to our organization is important. I work in a financial area, so protecting data is the most valuable task the bank has and we feel safe with Alletra.
Alletra helped reduce the time in storage provisioning. We have reduced it by two hours. Before switching solutions, it used to take us two to three hours, and we have reduced it to about 15 minutes with Alletra.
Alletra improved our storage performance in terms of IOPs. It has been reduced, however, I couldn't say by how much right now. I do know that with the storage we had before, we were already saturated with 30,000 IOPs, whereas with Alletra we have put 50,000 IOPs in it and it has worked well.
What needs improvement?
I haven't found anything that could be improved. It's a good product overall. We didn't buy it for production purposes. We wanted to use it for development. That said, due to the efficiency it has, the company is already thinking about putting it into production.
Maybe they could just reduce the number of racks and the amount of rack space.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
To date, we have not generated any cases for Alletra, which means it has given us 100% stability. In these past two years, Alletra has never generated any cases for us in terms of stability issues - which is a very good sign.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have not had the opportunity to require more resources at the moment.
How are customer service and support?
Support is excellent. It is easy to ask for help, and the response we receive is very specific. We do not give the situation much thought or go back and forth about it.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We used 3PAR. We changed to a new technology due to obsolescence more than any other reason.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was relatively simple. After installation, there were not many configurations. We were quickly up and running. The support was very good.
What about the implementation team?
We used the help of a third-party vendor and received good attention.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The issue of price and cost is handled by another area; I am from the technical side.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated Dell and Pure Storage. With Pure Storage the difference was the price. With Dell, the difference was mostly in the number of IOPs supported by Alletra and the type of rack they used.
What other advice do I have?
I give Alletra a ten out of ten. I have no complaints about Alletra at this time as it exceeded our expectations.
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Last updated: Aug 11, 2024
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Updated: November 2024
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