Item: HPE MSA
Rating: 10
Author: Josh Rice, MBA, ACSP

Overall Satisfaction with HP StorageWorks MSA

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We are using the MSA for disaster recovery. It holds all of our replication VMs and gives us the ability, with the help of VM software, to roll over to the replication cluster in order to bring our systems back up in the event of a disaster at our primary data center.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Functions well as a disaster recovery cluster repository
Since the space is a spinning disk, it is inexpensive
All of our VMs are stored in a mass storage repository on the system, but we could carve out specific LUNs if needed.

Cons

Since it is a spinning disk, it isn't as fast as flash storage

Return on Investment

We have only been using the MSA for a year so we haven't seen our ROI yet, but we were able to get the same amount of storage on the MSA as Nimble for half the cost.
The MSA is an upgrade to what we previously had.
It is easy to administrate and you can set it and forget it.

Alternatives Considered

HPE Nimble Storage

The MSA is much cheaper than a Nimble. Spinning disk storage is much cheaper than flash storage. Just know that you are going to get what you pay for. The MSA doesn't stand up to what the Nimble can do, but at the same time, it works really well in disaster recovery scenarios.

Other Software Used

Adobe Acrobat DC, Microsoft Exchange, Scrutinizer

Likelihood to Recommend

The MSA is perfect for Disaster Recovery, but I wouldn't advise using it for production. Production is best left to flash storage and not spinning disk. I think the MSA would be appropriate for a test or sandbox network for testing and training as well. The storage is cheap and it is functional.

Using HP StorageWorks MSA

Users and Roles

6 - Information Technology

Support Headcount Required

2 - Network Technician and the IT Project Manager take care of the MSA. If you are familiar with other HP storage products, this should be an easy transition for you. If you haven't used an HP storage product in the past, there will be a bit of a learning curve, but it isn't to hard to pick up on.

Business Processes Supported

Replication
Backup
Disaster Recovery

Innovative Uses

Create a Mass repository for the storage instead of having to build out individual LUNs.

Future Planned Uses

As a temporary production solution in the event of a disaster.

Likelihood to Renew

It is a functioning Replication system for us and checks all the boxes that the auditors are looking for. Further, it is inexpensive and the storage we purchased was cheap. HP has a good reputation in the industry that plays into the decision also.

Comments

Please log in to join the conversation

Replication Win with HP StorageWorks MSA