Item: Pure Storage FlashArray
Rating: 10
Author: John Bartch

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

The Pure Storage Flash Array is used for our VDI environment(s), of which we have three. This allows us to have the best performance for VDI, in regards to the storage aspect of it. We are currently using the VDI for mostly non-persistent desktops. We have also used the snapshot and replication features of the array(s) to provide backup from site to site.

Pros and Cons

Very simple administration of the array.
No training necessary.
Fault tolerance is top notch.
Pure Storage support monitors array(s) and is very responsive.

Honestly can't think of anything that I wish the arrays had that they don't.
Haven't had one problem to complain about.
Pretty expensive, but you get what you pay for...

Return on Investment

I am not responsible for determining ROI.
The performance and reliability have allowed us to implement VDI without any hangups around storage.
The simplicity of the product allows for efficient operations.

Alternatives Considered

Pure Storage had a much simpler interface and the dedupe and compression was better than all the other products we considered. Other vendors we looked at were Dell, Nimble, Tegile, and a few others I can't remember the names of.

Other Software Used

VMware ESXi, VMware Horizon (formerly VMware View)

Likelihood to Recommend

I have only used the Pure array(s) in our VDI environment(s). It's been so simple to administer. Pure Storage has monitored for problems, alerted us promptly, and sent out replacement parts quickly. The array's have not had any unscheduled downtime since we bought them and I have had no problems administering them. The fault tolerance built into the system allows for upgrades and replacements without any downtime.

Pure Storage is Pure Simplicity and Pure Bliss

Overall Satisfaction with Pure Storage FlashArray