Administrative Assistant at EUIPO - European Union Intellectual Property Office
Real User
Top 5
2025-07-04T11:48:28Z
Jul 4, 2025
The user web interface is a bit slow, but it is really easy to use, although you still have to wait a bit when you send an operation. We have had some drive failures, but with the redundancy, we had no data loss. We just had to replace the disk, and it goes automatically well. The main difficulty is the firmware upgrade of disks, as it means stopping all the servers to make the upgrade. It would be beneficial to have it done in the background, stopping a disk and upgrading it while keeping the system running. Regarding responsiveness of the web interface, the same issue exists with iLO on the servers, where the interface is also a bit slow. However, with the new servers, it is always faster. The small CPU dedicated to that task does not have a lot of power since it is not the main task of the machine, making it less of a real problem and just a question of responsiveness.
Manager, Information Technology at a construction company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Top 20
2025-04-24T08:56:28Z
Apr 24, 2025
Data security features are more important to me than anything else, and I think HPE MSA lacks in this area. The hard disk failures are a major concern as they are risky, causing potential loss of redundancy. HPE needs to incorporate more security features, similar to those Huawei provides.
HPE should reintroduce customizable ports as they were in Gen 5, allowing customers to use both iSCSI or SC on a single controller. Currently, in Gen 6, if a user wants iSCSI, they need a separate controller and storage.
We faced a lot of challenges with our custom configuration during installation. At the time of deployment, there was some communication gap between my partner and HPE.
The platform’s monitoring capabilities could be enhanced, particularly in terms of integration with other tools. While it works seamlessly with PRTG, integrating with Zabbix requires a custom OID.
While HPE StorageWorks MSA meets my needs well, some clients have suggested room for improvement in expanding storage capacity beyond the base traces. There has been occasional feedback about minor glitches and the desire for even greater scalability, possibly accommodating more than the current limit of 138 hard drives for advanced storage configurations.
Manager - IT Business Solutions at Kuwait Automotive Imports Company
Real User
Top 10
2023-11-10T14:40:19Z
Nov 10, 2023
It would be beneficial to have direct cloud connectivity for backups, micro applications, and other data needs. However, these features are only available in enterprise-level solutions, not SMB ones. The products are available, but the pricing makes them unaffordable for many small and medium businesses. If the technology could trickle down to this level, it would allow many more organizations to benefit from these solutions.
There is room for improvement in terms of scalability. There are times when we need to upgrade the device and the firmware. Sometimes, that can be a struggle.
Manager of Customer Services at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
2021-02-10T08:01:52Z
Feb 10, 2021
We are only really using the solution for CCTV purposes. It's very basic. We don't need a lot of bells and whistles. Therefore, for our purposes, we aren't really finding anything that is lacking. It would be ideal if there was a better management interface. The solution should allow for integration with Java.
Whether you need best-in-class performance or are looking to get the most capacity for your investment, MSA has a fast, affordable solution for you. And every MSA comes with an intuitive setup and management interface anyone can master.
The user web interface is a bit slow, but it is really easy to use, although you still have to wait a bit when you send an operation. We have had some drive failures, but with the redundancy, we had no data loss. We just had to replace the disk, and it goes automatically well. The main difficulty is the firmware upgrade of disks, as it means stopping all the servers to make the upgrade. It would be beneficial to have it done in the background, stopping a disk and upgrading it while keeping the system running. Regarding responsiveness of the web interface, the same issue exists with iLO on the servers, where the interface is also a bit slow. However, with the new servers, it is always faster. The small CPU dedicated to that task does not have a lot of power since it is not the main task of the machine, making it less of a real problem and just a question of responsiveness.
If it could be a hybrid with SSDs and hard disks, then it would be more economical and efficient.
Data security features are more important to me than anything else, and I think HPE MSA lacks in this area. The hard disk failures are a major concern as they are risky, causing potential loss of redundancy. HPE needs to incorporate more security features, similar to those Huawei provides.
It needs more details on how to integrate with the cloud for backup scenarios. It should show more options for cloud backup support.
It would be beneficial to have an add-on feature to improve analytics or insight capabilities inside the app.
HPE should reintroduce customizable ports as they were in Gen 5, allowing customers to use both iSCSI or SC on a single controller. Currently, in Gen 6, if a user wants iSCSI, they need a separate controller and storage.
We faced a lot of challenges with our custom configuration during installation. At the time of deployment, there was some communication gap between my partner and HPE.
The platform’s monitoring capabilities could be enhanced, particularly in terms of integration with other tools. While it works seamlessly with PRTG, integrating with Zabbix requires a custom OID.
While HPE StorageWorks MSA meets my needs well, some clients have suggested room for improvement in expanding storage capacity beyond the base traces. There has been occasional feedback about minor glitches and the desire for even greater scalability, possibly accommodating more than the current limit of 138 hard drives for advanced storage configurations.
It would be beneficial to have direct cloud connectivity for backups, micro applications, and other data needs. However, these features are only available in enterprise-level solutions, not SMB ones. The products are available, but the pricing makes them unaffordable for many small and medium businesses. If the technology could trickle down to this level, it would allow many more organizations to benefit from these solutions.
There is room for improvement in terms of scalability. There are times when we need to upgrade the device and the firmware. Sometimes, that can be a struggle.
HPE StorageWorks MSA should add features like adaptive features and storage replication. The solution's license should be integrated and not separate.
The solution requires hardware.
The solution could improve by adding configuration tools.
We are only really using the solution for CCTV purposes. It's very basic. We don't need a lot of bells and whistles. Therefore, for our purposes, we aren't really finding anything that is lacking. It would be ideal if there was a better management interface. The solution should allow for integration with Java.
This product is getting a little bit older, so new features like deduplication are not included. We would like to see the environment updated.
Synchronized replication is very important for MSA; however, HPE StorageWorks MSA doesn't provide synchronized replication.
The support contract is expensive, although they are very responsive.
HPE StorageWorks MSA could maybe include a pay-top of texture feature or something like job replication.