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Senior System Engineer at Feng Chia University
Real User
Reasonable cost and has good stability
Pros and Cons
  • "The cost to performance for HPE StorageWorks MSA is good."
  • "HPE StorageWorks MSA could maybe include a pay-top of texture feature or something like job replication."

What is our primary use case?

We use HPE StorageWorks MSA for normal servers and as a storage utility.

How has it helped my organization?

The cost to performance for HPE StorageWorks MSA is good.

What is most valuable?

The one feature we value most about HPE StorageWorks MSA is stability.

What needs improvement?

HPE StorageWorks MSA could maybe include a pay-top of texture feature or something like job replication.

Buyer's Guide
HPE MSA
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about HPE MSA. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
815,854 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The prices are low. HPE StorageWorks MSA is better than other products.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate HPE StorageWorks MSA eight over 10 because just for our use it is okay.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user476355 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Systems Engineer at Cardinal Glass
Vendor
We use them at our remote locations. The price point has been good for us.

Valuable Features:

The price point's really good for us. At our remote locations, we've been putting MSAs from 1st generation all the way up to the 2040's. We've been very happy with the product, and have had good luck with them as far as not having any issues.

Improvements to My Organization:

Price is the biggest thing right now. The performance is fine. We use a SAS attached for the MSAs, and it's just been a good product for us.

Room for Improvement:

Maybe a few more feature sets with snapshots and application, and things like that. That's been coming with the 2040's, so they're slowly adding that in. I understand for what I'm paying for, your not getting all the features, but I see they're coming down from there, maybe with some of those feature sets.

Stability Issues:

We had a few issues with some of the firmware codes, probably about five years ago. Other than that, it's been a rock-solid system for us.

Other Solutions Considered:

Dell and EMC, as there's not a lot of smaller vendors. It's a niche that the MSA is in, as far as the price and performance, and there's not a lot of competitors out there on that.

Other Advice:

As far as setup and stuff like that, it's very easy to set up. You've got the different RAID levels that you need to use. I'm sure the other products have that too, so it comes down to what feels right for you.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
HPE MSA
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about HPE MSA. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
815,854 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Technical Account Manager at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Easy to use, user-friendly interface, and responsive support
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is very easy to use, it is not really complex for any user, such as non-technical individuals."
  • "The solution could improve by adding configuration tools."

What is our primary use case?

We use HPE StorageWorks MSA as our central storage for our VMware clusters.

What is most valuable?

The solution is very easy to use, it is not really complex for any user, such as non-technical individuals. We have found it simple to guide our customers when needed. The interface is user-friendly and it is not difficult to configure.

What needs improvement?

The solution could improve by adding configuration tools.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using HPE StorageWorks MSA for approximately 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have found the solution to be scalable.

We have approximately 20 customers using this solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

The support engineers are knowledgeable and resposive.

How was the initial setup?

The installation is straightforward. The time of the installation depends on the environment. However, it typically takes less than one hour.

What about the implementation team?

We use three HPE engineers that do the implementation of the solution.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

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.

What other advice do I have?

This is an entry-level storage system and I would recommend it to others.

I rate HPE StorageWorks MSA an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Computer and Network Engineer at Jooya Informatics Group
Real User
An industry-leading consolidation solution that provide plenty of storage
Pros and Cons
  • "The simple configuration feature is great. It is very simple, allowing you to set up MSA very easily."
  • "Synchronized replication is very important for MSA; however, HPE StorageWorks MSA doesn't provide synchronized replication."

What is most valuable?

Relating to MSA storage, the simple configuration feature is great. It is very simple, allowing you to set up MSA very easily.

What needs improvement?

Synchronized replication is very important for MSA; however, HPE StorageWorks MSA doesn't provide synchronized replication.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using HPE StorageWorks MSA for roughly 15 years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's designed for small businesses, not for a large enterprise. The enclosures are enough for this amount of storage. With the sixth generation, we can have nine enclosures and add them to a base chassis.

The scalability could be improved, but it's enough for a small business. If you have a large business, you should opt for HPE Primera or Nimble.

How are customer service and technical support?

I haven't had to call HP technical support because I am an HP expert and I can set up any HP storage by myself. We have a team of five engineers who handle all maintenance-related issues.

How was the initial setup?

Deployment out-of-the-box until the final configuration took roughly 15 to 30 minutes.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

This solution is quite expensive; they should lower the cost.

What other advice do I have?

HPE OneView is a better solution for managing and monitoring MSA. You can't add MSA Storage to OneView. We can add OneView, but we can't add MSA Storage to OneView for monitoring and management.

Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give HPE StorageWorks MSA a rating of eight. If they improved the central management and lowed the price, I would give it a higher rating.

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