What is our primary use case?
It is actually a SAN switch, not Brocade Ethernet switches. A switch with the Fibre Channel ports connects storage to Brocade, and for network, we use Cisco switches, but for SAN, we use Brocade.
I use Hitachi TrueCopy, Shadow Image, and we use Protector for transfer from one side to another, as I use something similar to the Hitachi NAS Platform.
Hitachi TrueCopy is very effective for transferring big data from one storage to another. For transferring data on the same storage, we use Thin Image and Shadow Image, but for transferring data from one storage to another, we use Hitachi TrueCopy, and any other product should improve the availability for easy data transfers.
When we buy storage, we purchase a complete solution, and we get Hitachi TrueCopy with it, but I do not know the price only for Hitachi TrueCopy. We have a Hitachi Ops Center, and part of Ops Center is Protector, and part of Protector is Hitachi TrueCopy, but to use Hitachi TrueCopy, we must license it in the storage.
What is most valuable?
In my opinion, the best features of Hitachi TrueCopy include its ability to act similarly to a snapshot from any disk, from any LUN, and for fast data copying from production to test. We use Hitachi TrueCopy and Thin Image. Hitachi TrueCopy allows us to transfer data from one storage to another, for example, when we buy new storage, we transfer data, LUNs, and disks from one storage to another, and we also use Hitachi TrueCopy to transfer data from one site to another site.
We transfer data through iSCSI.
The Hitachi TrueCopy ability to customize replication strategies is a very useful tool for replication.
What needs improvement?
Regarding improvements, I think Hitachi TrueCopy is very effective for transferring big data from one storage to another. For transferring data on the same storage, we use Thin Image and Shadow Image, but for transferring data from one storage to another, we use Hitachi TrueCopy, and any other product should improve the availability for easy data transfers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have worked with the Hitachi TrueCopy solution for about three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We have no problems with the stability of the solution, as it is very reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There are no problems with the scalability of Hitachi TrueCopy, as it works very effectively.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate technical support from Hitachi a seven. When I contact support, the answer is not very fast, and they send an email saying to call your partner, or something similar. It could be better.
Hitachi has very good hardware and equipment, but support and management monitoring are not as good as IBM or HP.
How would you rate customer service and support?
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Hitachi TrueCopy is not difficult. I think it is user-friendly.
What was our ROI?
Our ROI with Hitachi TrueCopy is satisfactory, as we use it not every day, but we have continued replication from one site to another site while using Hitachi TrueCopy and other solutions for asynchronous remote replication.
What other advice do I have?
We deploy Hitachi TrueCopy on-premises, with one instance in our head office, and the second on disaster recovery, but it works for our on-premises needs. On a scale of one to ten, I rate Hitachi TrueCopy an eight.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
