Enables effective data management with reliable backup and recovery
What is our primary use case?
Our customers use Cohesity SmartFiles in conjunction with Cohesity SpanFS for network NAS storage. Additionally, we have a financial institution customer that uses it to record and transform customer audio calls into text files.
What is most valuable?
Cohesity SmartFiles aids in data management with features like full-text search through indexed documents. The architecture supports backup, ransomware awareness, and data management on a converged platform, offering triple-protocol access (NFS, CIFS, and S3) while facilitating gradual improvements in access rights management. It allows for redundant setups, with automated backup and recovery options in a cloud environment.
What needs improvement?
Users must remember that running DataProtect and files on the same cluster could threaten access if there is a platform failure. It's not suitable for applications needing high I/O or low latency. An alternate cluster or cloud replication is recommended.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
Issues arise mostly concerning access rights and legacy systems, especially from Windows file servers with complex legacy configurations.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is important to ensure redundancy to avoid potential issues with platform access in case of failure.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I have experienced no issues with scaling, even with up to seven petabytes. The architecture does not have a natural limit.
How are customer service and support?
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
Setting up SmartFiles is generally a task of a few hours, but addressing legacy access right configurations should be done carefully.
What was our ROI?
SmartFiles is cost-effective and simplifies data management offering dual benefits of the architecture in terms of backup and storage, affecting operational cost and efficiency.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
SmartFiles is an economical solution, priced per terabyte on the backend. Initial setup and licensing costs align with the added value provided by simplifying infrastructure management through a converged platform.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I considered alternatives like NetApp, which provides a different solution for low-latency storage; however, it depends on specific use cases.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend addressing legacy access rights to improve security. Overall, I rate Cohesity SmartFiles a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
