Enterprise flash array storage software, also known as a solid-state storage disk system, uses only flash media for persistent storage. Flash memory is an alternative to the traditional spinning hard disk drives that were the core technology of older networked storage systems. Flash storage is much faster than traditional disk storage, and it uses less power. It also takes up less physical space, is less prone to mechanical failure and is significantly quieter.
Data compression and deduplication
Disaster recovery
Management console
AI-driven management
REST APIs for cloud orchestration
Support for security standards
Elastic concurrency
High capacity
High performance
Flash array products include native software services that allow users to manage and protect data directly on the array hardware. There are a variety of available algorithms for data management such as:
compression and deduplication
snapshotting
replication
thin provisioning
Flash array storage pricing has been falling in recent years. It is now nearing parity with hard disk drives. The traditional way to compare storage pricing is $/KB, or the cost of storing a single GB of data. However, real cost for the enterprise is much higher due to variability in platform hardware and software costs. This is still a useful place to begin as it provides a basic comparison metric. However, keep in mind that this is just a starting point, and that there is a range of available features that can greatly affect the overall price.
Pure Storage in Mountain View, California offers all-flash array data storage promising affordability, high availability, and consistent performance.
Nimble Storage was acquired by HPE in 2017. The enterprise flash array product line now goes by the name HPE Nimble Storage.
Unity from Dell EMC is a family of all-flash and hybrid flash storage platforms emphasizing value and cost efficiency.
Tintri in Mountain View, California offers flash array storage.
HPE 3PAR StoreServ is a flash storage option, from Hewlett-Packard Enterprise.
SolidFire in Boulder, Colorado offers flash array storage.
Tegile is a flash array storage option now owned and supported by Western Digital since the August 2017 acquisition.
XtremIO is flash storage from EMC.
All Flash FAS from NetApp is a flash array storage option.
Reduxio in San Bruno, California offers flash array storage.
Hitachi offers flash array storage, Unified Storage VM.
Nimbus Data in San Francisco offers Gemini All Flash Arrays storage.
Oracle's FS1 Flash Storage is an enterprise SAN storage.
K2 is flash array storage from Kaminario in Newton, Massachusetts.
The Hitachi Vantara Virtual Storage Platform (VSP) is available in an the all-flash (the F Series) and hybrid-flash (the G Series) editions, as well as VSP for Mainframes, with many models in all series.
NetApp FlashRay is an flash array storage option...
IBM's FlashSystem is a flash array storage option.
SanDisk's InfiniFlash is a flash array storage option now owned and supported by Western Digital since the 2016 acquisition.
SanDisk acquired Fusion-io in July, 2014, and in turn was acquired by Western Digital May 2016.
NetApp's EF-Series is an SSD storage system supporting demanding applications with an emphasis on performance and reliability.
IBM Storwize is a family of recognized all-flash and hybrid storage solutions designed to support the virtualization needs and application workloads of mid-sized enterprises.
Violin Memory in Santa Clara, CA offers a flash storage platform emphasizing cost-efficient storage that yet still supports applications at high performance.
E8 Storage, founded in 2014, offers an all-flash-array boasting high performance and availability.
Huawei offers OceanStor Dorado, an all-flash storage system boasting a wide range of applications and versatility to meet the needs SMBs, larger enterprises, or vertical industry applications.