Item: Scale Computing Platform
Rating: 9
Author: Ryan Janzen

Overall Satisfaction with Scale Computing HC3

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Previously we had nine physical servers in our environment that were out of warranty and had no room for expansion. Since upgrading to the new three node HC3 solution, we now have the ability to assign more system resources to business critical systems. This new solution gives us redundancy, room for expansion and is incredibly easy to use.

Pros and Cons

Pros

The HC3 web console is user friendly and easy to use.
Implementation of the hardware and setup is fast and simple.
Scale support is easy to reach and keep in touch until all issues are resolved.
With HC3 v8.8 agent less backup works with ease

Cons

The web UI although it is very easy to use, I think could see benefit to perhaps almost an 'advanced' view, where you could get more detailed or granular options.
I think the procedure of importing of VM's from other architectures could be more fine tuned.

Support Rating

Any time that I have ever reached out to scale support over the phone, I have always gotten a technician on the phone in less than 10 minutes. All issues have either been resolved on the initial call or I have been in constant contact with the technician through the entirety of the trouble ticket until completion.

Return on Investment

We are now running in an environment that is under warranty.
We have complete redundancy of all our business critical systems.
We also have the ability to delegate HC3 admin roles to various staff.

Alternatives Considered

VMware vCenter Server

Easier to manage, console is easy to use, backups and moving vms between hosts is a breeze

Likelihood to Recommend

I think in small business scenarios where the amount of servers is small and not quite as much granular access to the VM's and datastore is required, this solution meets the business needs quite well and is a great bang for the buck.

In large enterprise scenarios where there are higher volumes of VM's and greater details regarding VM's, resources and datastores are needed this solution is probably not the best fit.

User Experience with Scale Computing

Key Insights

Do you think Scale Computing Platform delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Scale Computing Platform's feature set?

Yes

Did Scale Computing Platform live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Scale Computing Platform go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Scale Computing Platform again?

Yes

Usability

It's incredibly easy to use and user friendly from the junior up to the senior admin level role. Highly recommended for any small to mid size business

Exceptional Examples of Scale Computing Platform Support

I'd be hard pressed to find just one time as every time I have called their support line I have received top notch support from the opening of the incident to the close of the incident.

Using Scale Computing HC3

Users and Roles

1 - It is just me as I am the only person in the IT department in my organization.

Support Headcount Required

1 - Technical background with familiarity in virtualization and different hypervisor experience is definitely needed to understand the technologies.

Business Processes Supported

Redundancy
High availability
Performance

Innovative Uses

Virtualization of all stand alone app server PC's
Segregated all roles to various server vm's
Through use of agent less backup we've been able to reduce back over head on servers

Future Planned Uses

We are looking to build a disaster recovery solution utilizing additional scale nodes

Likelihood to Renew

Only reason I see us moving away from scale is if their product performance drops or their support level decreases.

Other Software Used

SolarWinds Network Performance Monitor (npm), SolarWinds NetFlow Traffic Analyzer (NTA), Trend Micro Apex One (formerly OfficeScan), Trend Micro Deep Security for the Hybrid Cloud, Trend Micro Cloud App Security

Evaluating Scale Computing HC3 and Competitors

Products Replaced

Yes - We replaced the need for Microsoft's Hyper-V and the scale solution provided a much more redundant fault tolerant solution.

Key Differentiators

Advisor recommendation
Implementation support

Support is a huge factor in our environment with it just being a one man show.

Evaluation Lessons Learned

I would have verified our hardware specs to ensure we had dual power supplies in our nodes.

Scale Computing HC3 Implementation

Implementation Details / Implementation Partner

Implemented in-house

Implementation Phases

Yes - Network Planning
Installation of hardware
Migration

Change Management Lessons

Change management was minimal

Scale Computing HC3 Support

Scale Computing Platform Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed No escalation required Immediate help available Support understands my problem Support cares about my success Quick Initial Response	None

Premium Support

Yes - I am the only IT staff in our organization so support is essential

Bug Resolution