StarWind Virtual SAN Reviews

In our company, we started searching for a cost-effective SDS solution to include in our portfolio since there aren't many reliable and affordable alternatives around. 

For testing, we've set up a small VMware environment with a couple of VMs and connected to StarWind VSAN through Fibre Channel. This is a common environment for most of our customers, who tend to be SMBs, and their environments go from one to six hosts and one block/file storage, on average. 

However, the most frequent pain point is managing and delivering storage for different applications while maintaining reliability and performance. That’s where StarWind comes into play.

We have come to the conclusion that it fits nicely in small/medium environments that, despite their size, still need a swift and reliable storage delivery while being affordable. 

In smaller markets, like the one we operate in, there’s not much money hanging around to spend on software, especially when SMBs have budget constraints and must choose between keeping IT staff or improving the infrastructure. That said, spending $100k+ on VMware vSAN is madness. 

StarWind VSAN offers an interesting alternative that is both enterprise-level and cost-effective without compromising companies' budgets. Having a free version is also a nice, welcoming sign of commitment.

Being hardware agnostic is a must and definitely scored points for us. Despite our portfolio being a little selective, it was nice to see that our hardware options were also supported and there would be no surprises in the future.

The simple (a little dated, yet easy-to-use) GUI was another good thing. We’re in 2024, and most SMBs can’t afford IT-specialized teams, so they rely on service providers like ourselves to keep things running. 

VMware/Hyper-V compatibility has got us all covered since our customer base all runs on one of those two players. However, after three months of testing, we still haven't tested replication features. We'll do it soon.

The GUI deserves a little love. It is simple and works fine. However, the overall design is a little bit dated. 

Updating the documentation would be welcome, too, since there are docs that point to Windows Server 2016 as the latest version, and the vSphere guide comprises 6.5, while we’re currently on 8. 

Being ZFS-based, it would benefit so much to have deduplication and encryption. Immutability would also be a nice addition as it is a hot topic on data protection, and the solutions that offer it are either too convoluted or too expensive.

I've used the solution for three months.

We have been running Starwind Virtual SAN in a production environment since 2009 with VMware.

We run all types of software on top of Starwind (Different types of databases, factory software, security software, ERP, etc.).

We don't have performance issues with the software in fact it responds more than enough to our needs.

Since we are a mid-size company; Starwind is perfect for us.

Not everything is great, in the very first editions (a long time ago) there were some annoying issues with the software however, naturally, it evolved.

For us, in the last six or seven years, the uptime has been 100%. It has proven to be a great choice for us and of great value for money.

There are no future plans in changing to a different solution.

We have had Starwind in our infrastructure for about 13 years. It's easy to manage and understand. You can learn it very fast.

For those that aren't familiar with it, they can do a trial try and I am sure users will be surprised at how well it works. It has been a great investment!

Our Datacenter is based on VMware vCenter and initially, after some testing with other vendors and VMware vSAN itself, Starwind, in our case, was a better solution. We prefer to have the storage layer separated from the hypervisor kernel.

We have also products in our Datacenter like VxRail, however, in an honest storage level, in comparison, Starwind has an easier interface.

It's quite easy to manage. Good storage hardware is a must in our case, however, you can also run it in a software solution despite not being recommended in some cases.

Like many solutions today, Starwind should focus a bit on the alarmists of the product.

NVME Target for windows is taking a bit to become available!

There are so many potential alarmistic features and protocols that should be incorporated into the software.

Security on the ISCSI protocol could be improved by adding features like OS-type control access, especially for the data center environment.

I have seen 13 years of evolution in the product. Previously, it was short in features. Many customers' requests have been done. I do hope the solution continues to evolve in this way. 

I've used the solution for more than 13 years.

The solution offers good value for money.

Licensing needs to consider future needs.

We also looked at Microsoft and Dell.

The solution is very stable.

The MSP that I work for brought on a client who realized they needed help with IT after the acquisition of another company. In the space of a few weeks, that client nearly doubled in size, and the aged tech in use at each location previously wasn't going to cut it. 

While we originally quoted a traditional SAN deployment for the client, they were concerned about having a single storage unit with two very distant servers. They weren't interested in buying two SANs so that each location could host one. StarWind vSAN allowed us to keep their data synced between two sites without the extra hardware expenditure.

For my MSP, this successful deployment has earned us another happy customer and another potential future sales lead. The client has expressed no concerns about the deployment since implementation in the handful of times we've reached out to them since the project wrapped up.

Additionally, we have been able to use this deployment solution for the training of lower-level staff to get them familiar with the underlying generic concepts of SANs, both virtual and physical (or at least as much as we can for physical SANs using a virtual SAN as the lab environment).

Easily the core of this solution was the utilization of stretched clustering. As the client had acquired another company some distance away, they were concerned about having a single SAN in one location or the other. StarWind vSAN allowed us to keep a copy of the data local to each site without asking the client to pay for two SANs in addition to the two new servers they needed.

On the acquired end of the company, the reduction in hardware also meant that we were able to use their existing server room mounting hardware, as a new server and a new SAN would require a larger rack to be deployed as well.

The documentation listed on the StarWind website indicated that the search result for vSAN was for Windows Server 2016. It wasn't until we got into the article itself that we saw that Server 2019 and 2022 were also supported by the same document.

While my co-workers might not place as much emphasis on this next topic as I do, I did not see any indication that StarWinds vSAN is a usable solution with non-GUI instances of Hyper-V. While it might certainly be possible, the time restraints on the project meant that my plan to roll out hypervisors with as little overhead as possible (e.g., Windows Server Desktop features) had to be placed at a lower priority, and we were never able to look into this as an option.

The MSP I work for deployed StarWind vSAN to a client over the last month. They have been quite happy with it - and with us as a result.

The client has been happy so far, and we feel confident about this solution as an MSP.

Since the solution is built for small and medium businesses, its scalability is intentionally limited.

Our previous one-size-fits-all SAN mindset often priced us out of successful sales with smaller companies.

I'd advise future users to seriously consider the higher-level support packages. These can mean the difference between hours of downtime/angry bosses and a solution before you've even finished your coffee.

While each of my co-workers on this project researched their own solutions to this project, I only brought the idea of StarWind's vSAN to the table.

We were using traditional physical storage for our environment, and it was costly for us. On top of that, the performance was not satisfactory. We started using the StarWind vSAN for virtual storage. 

It is cost-effective and has amazing features. The capacity to scale assets to address changing issues and upgrade execution contrasted with conventional capacity arrangements and therefore is another positive aspect when utilizing StarWind Virtual SAN. 

Utilizing the StarWind Virtual SAN gave us a more steady and adaptable arrangement. I noticed a persistent upgrade in the functionalities of the StarWind Virtual SAN, so its development is great.

We were facing issues with high availability and the integration of virtualization platforms then we started using StarWind vSAN to help us improve the high availability and the integration with the virtualization platform. 

StarWind Virtual SAN permitted me to have extraordinary adaptability in making an exceptionally basic framework, where I could gather total independence over vSAN, yet connect it so that it was fit for working with the VMware Hypervisor. That way, I had a more powerful and dependable framework.

The high availability features helped with storage availability 24/7.

Integration with virtualization platforms helped us to resolve many issues we were facing while using the physical storage.

StarWind Virtual SAN is great for a financially savvy arrangement if you're utilizing Hyper-V or VMware. 

Thanks to a simple execution, you can save your expenses and convey the product with your inner sources with the help of a merchant.

The onboarding is effortless. Setting up and designing the Virtual SAN is clear, with an easy-to-use interface that makes it simple to oversee and screen the capacity climate.

We have an elite execution. StarWind Virtual SAN can convey quick, dependable capacity for virtual machines. Its abiluty to use nearby capacity as a component of a profoundly accessible capacity group assists with guaranteeing superior execution.

The platform needs to improve user management and the web console. 

Improved help for more up-to-date advancements would be ideal. As fresher innovations and guidelines arise, it tends to be provoking programming suppliers to keep up. 

While StarWind Virtual SAN, by and large, works effectively to support the most recent advancements, there might be a few regions where it lingers behind the opposition. Further developing help for fresher advances could assist the product with remaining cutthroat and pertinent.

Upgraded investigating capacities are needed. While the product incorporates a scope of symptomatic and investigating devices, there might be a few regions where it very well may be gotten to the next level. For instance, giving more nitty gritty mistake messages or better direction on the most proficient method to determine issues could be useful for clients.

I have been using the StarWind vSAN solution for the last six months and I found this product exceptional and amazing for virtual storage.

StarWind vSAN allows the use of commodity hardware, reducing the dependency on proprietary hardware. 

It ensures that data and applications are always available, reducing downtime and increasing productivity. 

It eliminates the need for expensive storage hardware and provides an affordable software-defined storage solution. 

By using StarWind vSAN with our current hardware and Microsoft Hypervisor capabilities, expenditure can be reduced. 

The easy-to-use administration interface makes light work of required configuration changes and settings that must be applied.

The customer support provided by StarWind is excellent. The company offers a variety of support options, including phone, email, and chat, and their support team is responsive and knowledgeable. 

Another advantage of StarWind vSAN is its performance. The solution is designed to deliver high-speed storage performance, with support for SSD caching and advanced data compression techniques. This can help to improve application performance and reduce latency, particularly for high-demand workloads. 

The product is highly flexible and provides excellent performance and customer support from StarWind Software Inc.

The valuable aspects of the solution include:

Cost-effectiveness. It eliminates the need for expensive storage hardware and provides an affordable software-defined storage solution.

Simplified management. It provides a simple and intuitive interface to manage storage infrastructure.

Flexibility. It allows organizations to use commodity hardware, reducing the dependency on proprietary hardware.

High-availability. It ensures that data and applications are always available, reducing downtime and increasing productivity.

Any product, service, and solution always have room for improvement. By continuing to utilize emerging technologies and integrations with relevant storage technologies, the StarWind vSAN platform has ample room for growth.

Regular updates to the software are required, and subtle design changes would be welcome. 

To make it easier for new customer adoption, the software setup and configuration could be presented in a more simplified manner. Instructions in email communication to obtain support during the implementation and configuration of the software need to be more visible. 

Using a "Newsletter" design approach during email communication would be beneficial. This would allow clients and newcomers to see that StarWind Software Inc. is able and ready to accept support and assistance requests as required. 

I started using the solution this year.

StarWind vSAN is a robust and reliable software-defined storage solution that can help organizations create a highly available and fault-tolerant storage environment. While there may be some challenges with setup and configuration, these can be overcome with proper planning and support from StarWind Software Inc.

We use the solution mostly for the backup sections, VTL and Hyper-v physical tape drive pass-through.

I would definitely, recommend this product. I have been dealing with support for over three years and normally support is the biggest grievance we have in the IT industry. However, support is great, including after-sales support. Sales representatives were knowledgeable and very helpful whether you use the free or paid versions.

This is perfect for mainstream organizations. Even small businesses can use it. They cover legacy methods and all new methods in terms of hypervisors and backup methodologies. I work for an organization that has standalone hosts in rural areas in Africa where tape backup is still a thing. With the assistance of StarWind we were able to share a backup device on "Hyper-V" as Hyper-v does not support pass-through natively.

This is a fantastic software that is highly recommended for the virtualization of storage and for backup methodologies.

The VTL feature is useful as StarWind is the only organization that is suited to the business needs of companies that still run legacy EHR systems.

We have over 30 sites that utilize this technology, and it is very simple and easy to use. Installing the software and maintaining it is very simple. Support and after-sales support are amazing.

It has great free trials that allow end users to test a large variety of their products before deciding to buy the full product.

The team is very knowledgeable, helpful, and willing to see if they can cater to your business needs,

I would like them to release a GUI on the free version

They need to build an interface that will interact with the VTL with a media changer.

I would like to see more advanced free versions.

A suggestion box or feedback box would be a good start with the products.

We need the support of newer VTL technologies and older ones, from LTO4 all the way to LTO8, on one interface.

It would be helpful to have integration with a StarWind backup appliance instead of having a second software to manage the VTL files and operations.

They need to allow us to download older versions of the software and licenses.

I have been using the product for over three years now.

My primary use case was for a SOHO deployment.

We wanted the branch offices to have software-defined storage. For our needs, performance, and costs, StarWind vSAN met our requirements as it was incredibly cost-effective with the best features ever and we did not need a witness for small deploys so the money we spent was on licenses and deployment, with less spent on purchasing another host and licenses for it. 

StarWind Virtual San has improved our organization by giving us access to a product and technology that is very affordable, easy to use and understand, and is covering our backs by offering awesome premium support behind all our operations. You can easily learn the platform, however, you are always being watched by an expert, guiding you all time.

The hardware compatibility list is huge, so everything fits well into what we wanted, and it was just a matter of price and considering future expansions to choose the right product for us.

The most valuable feature, with no competitors, is the two nodes without an agent needed. It is a game changer, I can deploy anywhere with just two hosts (SOHO or small office) and no extra licenses, communication lines, third-party host, or anything else, it just works and does its job correctly.

It integrates (fully) with VMware and Veeam, my hypervisor, and backup vendors, so for me, all the puzzle pieces simply fit and work smoothly.

We are not locked to any vendor. We are free and work with whoever we normally work with, and deploy it on top.

A big improvement would be to make it compatible with NFS protocol, not only iSCSI (for internal communication).

Regarding the free community version, I would love to see a better console/web environment, like the production one, with, of course, limitations - like using it only for lab or internal purposes or limiting the size. Still, I'd like it to be more like the paid version.

They require more media visibility.

I've used the solution for more than two years.