March 30, 2019

Scale Computing HC3 Review: "Scale Computing, the right systems for the right time."

Director of Information Technology

Jerry's EnterprisesSupermarkets, 1001-5000 employees

Score 10 out of 10

Vetted Review

Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Scale devices will replace our internal VMWARE/SAN/HPE environment at corporate and our DR site. Additionally, we will be using it to power 25 (50%) of our bigger retail stores. If this is successful and we see enough ROI we will implement a smaller version of the solution Scale is working on in the rest of the 25 retail stores. I expect this will increase up-time to almost 100% and allow upgrades and changes without issue. Additionally, these units will assist during power events as they have great redundancy.

Pros and Cons

Redundancy
Simple interface
24/7/365 support (onshore)
Relatively inexpensive compared to VMware/SAN solutions.

Needs a much more robust multi-site management suite
Hardware choices need to be expanded. I know they are working on this actively.
More detailed backup instructions. The interface is too simple.

Support

Support has been perfect so far. Always available. The remote control and assistance help is bar none amazing and so much easier than the competition, making everyone else look like a joke. It's not inexpensive support, but amazingly great value for what you get. I cannot buy similar support for any of the devices we have except maybe Cisco and Verizon. Scale matches or exceeds support offered anywhere.

Apps Run

Human Resources
SQL Databases
Accounting software (ERP)
Point of sale servers
Video Security
Email
Messaging/Chat
Sharepoint

Return on Investment

Too soon to tell, but I project an overall reduction of about 40% in software and hardware.
Training and support should be able to be done in house as opposed to outsourced. Probably close to 100K savings each year for HQ alone.
Remote site support and time to resolution should be cut in half or better.

Alternatives Considered

VMAWARE/SAN
HPE solutions
Simplivity
Cisco Hyperflex
Nutanix

All were more complicated and more expensive than Scale.

Likelihood to Recommend

It's well suited for big video/security installations that need redundancy and any kind of redundant situation. If IT resources are scarce or lacking (like can't afford a VMware Jockey) buy Scale instead. If you need less storage and smaller edge redundancy, Scale is not there yet but they are within this year of having it happen.