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Solutions Architect with 51-200 employees
Vendor
VMware Virtual SAN vs. EMC ScaleIO and conventional storage arrays

Software-defined and hyper-converged storage solutions are now a viable alternative to conventional storage arrays so let’s take a quick look at how two of the most popular solutions compare – VMware Virtual SAN (VSAN) and EMC ScaleIO:

Architecture

On vSphere this is an easy win for VMware as VSAN is delivered using kernel modules which provides the shortest path for the IO, has per Virtual Machine policy based management and is tightly integrated with vCenter and Horizon View.

ScaleIO is delivered as Virtual Machines, which is not likely to be as efficient, and is managed separately from the hypervisor – on all other platforms ScaleIO is delivered as lightweight software components not Virtual Machines.

VSAN also has the advantage of being built by the hypervisor vendor, but of course the downside of this is that it is tied to vSphere.

Availability

Win for EMC, since the failure of a single SSD with VSAN disables an entire Disk Group. Although VSAN has the ability to support up to three disks failures where as ScaleIO only one, in reality the capacity and performance overhead of supporting more than one failure means that VSAN will nearly always be used with just RAID 1 mirroring.

If you need double disk failure protection you are almost certainly better off using a storage array.

Performance

Easy win for VMware as VSAN uses SSDs as a write buffer and read cache, ScaleIO does have the ability to utilise a RAM read cache.

Flexibility

Easy win for EMC as with ScaleIO you can:

  1. Utilise physical servers running Windows and Linux
  2. Utilise hypervisors running vSphere, Hyper-V, XenServer and KVM
  3. Utilise any storage supported by the OS or hypervisor
  4. Utilise any combination of HDDs and SSDs as required
  5. Create multiple Protection Domains per system for greater resiliency
  6. Create Storage Pools for each storage tier within a Protection Domain
  7. Mix and match nodes with dissimilar configurations

VSAN has a more rigid architecture of using Disk Groups which consist of one SSD and up to seven HDDs.

Elasticity

Easy win for EMC as ScaleIO supports up to 1,024 nodes, 256 Protection Domains and 1,024 Storage Pools, and auto-rebalances the data when storage is added or removed.

ScaleIO can also throttle the rebuilding and rebalancing process so that it minimises the impact to the applications.

Advanced Services

Easy win for EMC as ScaleIO provides Redirect-on-Write writeable snapshots, QoS (Bandwidth/IOPS limiter), Volume masking and lightweight encryption.

Licensing

This is a tricky one as VSAN has the more customer friendly licensing as it is per CPU therefore as new CPUs, SSDs and HDDs are released you will be able to support more performance and capacity per license.

ScaleIO has a capacity based license which is likely to mean that further licenses are required as your capacity inevitably increases over time. There is also two ScaleIO licences – Basic and Enterprise (adds QoS, Volume masking, Snapshots, RAM caching, Fault Sets and Thin provisioning).

The one downside of VSAN licensing is that you need to licence all the hosts in the cluster even if they are not used to provision or consume VSAN storage.

Conventional storage arrays

What are the advantages of a conventional mid-range array?

  1. Rich data services – most storage arrays include de-duplication, compression and tiering along with many other advanced features
  2. Unified storage – many storage arrays support both block and NAS protocols
  3. Replication – many storage arrays support synchronous and metrocluster solutions
  4. Integrated data protection – some storage arrays do not require a separate backup solution
  5. Usable capacity – most storage arrays support parity RAID which can achieve usable capacity ratios of up to 80%
  6. Double disk protection – whilst this is supported on VSAN it is almost certainly not practical at scale
  7. Turnkey solution – with a single contact for support of all hardware and software

What are the advantages of hyper-converged software-defined solutions?

  1. Multi node failure – can tolerate the failure of more than one node
  2. Rapid rebuilds – as they take place in parallel across multiple drives
  3. Bring your own hardware – take advantage of commodity prices
  4. Built-in “IT Deflation” – as over time hardware unit costs drop
  5. Independent – the software lives on beyond the life of the hardware
  6. Elasticity – non-disruptively grow and shrink as required
  7. Low ongoing costs – perpetual license followed by annual maintenance
  8. Gain new features – just by upgrading the software
  9. Simplified management – compute and storage managed together

So which is best?

As always each vendor will build a strong case that their solution is the best, in reality each solution has strengths and weaknesses, and it really depends on your requirements, budget and preferences as to which is right for you.

For me the storage array is not going away, but it is under pressure from software-defined and cloud based solutions, therefore it will need to deliver more innovation and value moving forward. The choice between VSAN and ScaleIO really comes down to your commitment to vSphere – if there is little chance that your organisation will be moving away, then VSAN has to be the way to go, otherwise the cross-platform capabilities of ScaleIO are very compelling.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: We are Partners with VMware and EMC.
PeerSpot user
Omar_Samir - PeerSpot reviewer
Public Sector Sales Manager and DBA at Diverse
Real User
Very easy to implement in any existing environment
Pros and Cons
  • "Very easy to implement in any existing environment."
  • "Lacks sufficient storage terabytes."

What is our primary use case?

The use case is mainly for greenfields deployment. I'm a senior solutions architect and we are system integrators. Our company is a partner with VMware.

What is most valuable?

Very easy to implement in any existing environment.

What needs improvement?

I'd like to see more storage terabytes available after excluding the management. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for two years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. 

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is very good. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward and it's very easy to implement in any X86 server so anyone can use it in their existing environment. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate this solution nine out of 10. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
VMware vSAN
April 2025
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reviewer929742 - PeerSpot reviewer
System support engineer at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Stable, easy to set up and quick to deploy
Pros and Cons
  • "The scalability has been quite good."
  • "We would like to see even more storage capacity."

What is our primary use case?

We have a backup server using this technology. We move data in real-time. 

What is most valuable?

The solution is very stable.

The scalability has been quite good.

The initial setup is pretty quick and easy.

What needs improvement?

We would like to see even more storage capacity. 

Technical support could be more knowledgeable.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for two to three years. It's been a while. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is good. The solution doesn't have bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's very reliable and the performance has been great.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. We have already upgraded to extend it. We do plan to extend it again and we are going to expand.

How are customer service and support?

We've dealt with technical support previously. It would be helpful if they were more knowledgeable. We had a bottleneck with the technical support team. We required a part and we just couldn't get it and it was delayed. It caused an issue around storage for us.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did previously use internal storage solutions.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very straightforward. It's so simple you don't need any technical assistance or anything like that.

The deployment is pretty fast and only takes one to three hours or so. It's not a long process at all. 

What about the implementation team?

We do have an integrator that can assist with the implementation. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

We do have to pay a yearly licensing fee. It's a subscription for the hardware.

What other advice do I have?

I'd rate the solution at a ten out of ten. We are very satisfied with its capabilities.

I would recommend the solution to others.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
reviewer935562 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Buyer at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Real User
Reliable, scales well, and has good documentation
Pros and Cons
  • "I like the tolerance of VMware vSAN."
  • "The integration could be improved. I would like to see integration with other platforms."

What is our primary use case?

We use VMware vSAN to build storage for our virtual machines.

What is most valuable?

I like the tolerance of VMware vSAN.

What needs improvement?

The integration could be improved. I would like to see integration with other platforms.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using VMware vSAN in our environment. I have used this solution for more than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

VMware vSAN is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is easy to scale VMware vSAN.

In our organization, we have 100 members.

We may increase our usage in the future. With the company's growth, there are plans to expand in the future. We may require additional members. It's possible that we'll be able to scale this solution more in the future.

How are customer service and support?

We read the manual, which provided us with a thorough explanation. It was sufficient. We use technical support only on rare occasions.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Nutanix is a product that I am familiar with. We were able to use the Nutanix supported trial version.

In Microsoft's system center, both Nutanix and VMware can be easily maintained.

We will not be using the Nutanx system at this time.

Nutanix's integration with other platforms could be improved.

How was the initial setup?

This solution was easily installed by our team.

We have a team of four people to deploy and maintain this solution, including one administrator and one manager.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

This solution requires the purchase of a license.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Because of COVID-19's impacts, we looked for a different IT system that would match our budget.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend this solution to others.

I would rate VMware vSAN an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
EVP for Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
Real User
Top 20
Offers a single console for management, is easy to set up, and is very stable
Pros and Cons
  • "I have found the solution to be scalable."
  • "The pricing could be better when it comes to renewing the licenses."

What is our primary use case?

We're primarily using this solution for VDI.

How has it helped my organization?

Previously, we were using three-tier architecture. Therefore, we would have three different consoles. However, after adopting a CA solution, we are only on a single console and we have cut down the EU engineers we needed as we didn't require multiple engineers for managing multiple layers. Now, we have a single engineer who can manage everything from the top layer from a single console.

What is most valuable?

The single console for management is the most valuable aspect of the solution. 

The initial setup is very simple. 

The solution has been quite stable.

I have found the solution to be scalable.

What needs improvement?

VMware is currently working on quite a lot of improvements and they're coming out with lots of novel features in their new releases. There's only one improvement area, and that is it needs a little bit more software and hardware to make it similar to Nutanix.

The pricing could be better when it comes to renewing the licenses. 

Technical support could have a faster response time.

It's hard to come up with an exact feature that might be good to include in a future release, as each customer is different and each customer likely has different feature needs.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for almost four years at this point. It's been a while now. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. We have been using VMware for almost more than 10 years and there have been no issues regarding VMware products. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so. 

How are customer service and support?

Technical support is quite good. Occasionally, it could be faster sometimes, however, largely, I have been pleased with the level of response I get. 

How was the initial setup?

The product's initial setup is not overly complex or difficult. I found it to be straightforward and relatively easy. A company shouldn't have any issues with the setup process. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

When it comes to the renewal of the license, it's a very expensive solution.

We require price protection. VMware doesn't provide price protection. Many other products provide that, however, it's not something that VMware does.

What other advice do I have?

We're a VMware partner. 

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten.

If you are using VMware for a long time, there is no need to change your platform, and you can easily add vSAN as a solution. On top of that, there are multiple tools available to be able to have a hybrid cloud solution available for vSAN. If you go with the VMware Cloud, you've got the SCA as well as a hybrid cloud solution in a single product. If you are not willing to use VMware, then you can definitely choose either Nutanix or maybe a Microsoft option or any number of other solutions that may be available in the market.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1362099 - PeerSpot reviewer
Software Engineer at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Easy to install, scalable, and stable
Pros and Cons
  • "We have found the solution to be very scalable."
  • "The price for the hard drive, for vSAN, is very expensive."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for data storage for the virtual machines.

What is most valuable?

The solution is quite stable.

We have found the solution to be very scalable. 

For VMware, it's almost perfect.

The installation is straightforward.

What needs improvement?

The cost of the product is very high. The price for the hard drive, for vSAN, is very expensive.

For how long have I used the solution?

We've just recently deployed the solution. It's been about two or three months or so. It hasn't been that long.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability and performance of the solution are good. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's been very good so far, although we haven't used it for very long. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution can scale. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so. 

At this time, the administration team for the vSAN infrastructure is just three people.

How are customer service and technical support?

We do not get support via VMware. We get it through our local integrator.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We did not previously use any other solution.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. It's not overly complex or difficult. 

You need to do it as one complete infrastructure. It maybe takes one hour.

What about the implementation team?

We had an integrator assist us with the implementation process. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of the product is very high. We want to rescale it, however, it's expensive to do so.

What other advice do I have?

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten. We have been pleased with its capabilities so far. 

I would recommend VMware. The vSAN is just part of VMware.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
it_user938985 - PeerSpot reviewer
Customer Engineer at a tech vendor with 51-200 employees
Video Review
Real User
Enables us to scale out nodes independently and flexibly - we can put almost any type of server in them
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features for us are the ability to scale out the nodes independently, and the flexibility of the nodes. We can put almost any type of server in there with our connectivity and everything works great."
  • "Scalability in vSAN has been really good. It's very easy to add nodes in, to automatically generate the drives and the disk groups. It has been a piece of cake, surprisingly so."
  • "The biggest room for improvement I see in vSAN is the lack of SAN connectivity. I've kind of joked around that there is no "SAN" in vSAN. And it's something that we've worked to try and introduce some options for, and we're going to continue to work towards that."

What is our primary use case?

We use vSAN primarily as an R&D tool to test our products and see how they work on it, and it is absolutely phenomenal. It is one of the best hyperconverged solutions I've been able to get my hands on.

How has it helped my organization?

vSAN has improved our organization by allowing us to perform faster workflows, get better overall performance, and create some really new solutions.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features for us are the ability to scale out the nodes independently, and the flexibility of the nodes. We can put almost any type of server in there with our connectivity and everything works great. 

What needs improvement?

The biggest room for improvement I see in vSAN is the lack of SAN connectivity. I've kind of joked around that there is no "SAN" in vSAN. And it's something that we've worked to try and introduce some options for, and we're going to continue to work towards that. But it looks like the door is starting to open and there may be some options, with some of the announcements that came out of VMworld 2018.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

vSAN has been very stable for us. Once we get it up and settled in and the workflows going, usually we don't have to intervene at all. Things just keep working. Stability is important for us with vSAN because it becomes the rock that we depend on. When we need an application to stay up and maintain that ability to bounce between hosts, to work in a true hyperconverged manner, it's the only choice for us.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability in vSAN has been really good. It's very easy to add nodes in, to automatically generate the drives and the disk groups. It has been a piece of cake, surprisingly so.

How are customer service and technical support?

We have not needed to use vSAN tech support, believe it or not. We have not had any kind of an instance where we couldn't resolve it on our own, or it didn't fix itself.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We had no hyperconverged solution beforehand. We knew that we needed to do some testing with them. It started off as a compatibility (test) and just kept ballooning from there until we went and implemented it.

When choosing a vendor, our most important criteria are reputation and stability. You can't go into something without understanding just how good it is, and if you roll the dice, sometimes you get burned. We're a risk-averse company.

How was the initial setup?

I was involved in the initial vSAN setup. The experience was really wonderful, it was really easy, it was very intuitive. There were some learning curves for us because we had never done it before but, overall, the wizard and the experience with the online tutorials that we were able to find solved every concern or question that we had, very quickly.

What was our ROI?

ROI for us comes in uptime, keeping applications up and running. That's important to us because that's directly attributable to our revenue stream.

What other advice do I have?

Do your research, dig, find out what your particular needs are, what would the overall cost be to - sometimes it's a forklift, sometimes it's a migration. But look at all the factors, look at the requirements of vSAN, look at the requirements of other hyperconverged solutions, and then make the decision.

I would rate vSAN as a solid nine. To get it to a ten it would need: the ability to support a SAN and a little bit of a larger scale. Those would be the two things that I would request.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner.
PeerSpot user
Manager at IRSANE TECH
User
It is easy to use. Raw disk and block disk could use improvement

What is our primary use case?

Virtual Desktop.

How has it helped my organization?

Easy to use.

What is most valuable?

Horizon VDI

What needs improvement?

Raw disk and block disk.

For how long have I used the solution?

One to three years.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free VMware vSAN Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2025
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free VMware vSAN Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.