Dell Technologies has upgraded the performance of Dell EMC PowerStore enterprise storage systems with new software and automation capabilities.
The company has also announced the PowerStore 500, a lower-cost model suitable for a broader range of businesses and use cases with enterprise performance and features.
“PowerStore is the fastest-growing new architecture in Dell history. New and existing storage customers are seeing first-hand how its unique design, extreme performance and standout automation capabilities help them innovate and maintain a competitive advantage,” said Jeff Boudreau, president and general manager, Infrastructure Solutions Group, Dell Technologies. “With today’s announcements, we’ve made PowerStore faster and smarter while making it easier for a broader range of businesses to get started with the platform.”
Enhancements in PowerStoreOS 2.0 can be applied to new and existing PowerStore appliances with no disruptions to customer operations:
Performance improvements: PowerStore supports a wide range of workloads with its scale-up, scale-out architecture for block, file and VMware vSphere Virtual Volumes. Businesses now get better performance from workloads on their PowerStore, achieving up to 25% more Input/Output Operations Per Second (IOPS).
Infrastructure modernization: PowerStore extends the advantages of NVMe across the data center by adding the option of NVMe over Fibre Channel (NVMe-FC), which requires a simple software update and no additional hardware.
Scale-out with AppsON: The storage array with a built-in VMware ESXi hypervisor allows customers to run applications directly on the system using the AppsON feature for better performance, mobility, and workload consolidation. Scale-out and appliance clustering additions to AppsON provide additional compute power for storage-intensive applications at the edge in areas such as healthcare and big data analytics.
According to Dell, PowerStore updates automate data processes and deliver greater cost savings:
Intelligent data reduction: PowerStore simplifies storage management by optimizing capacity and performance while delivering a guaranteed 4:1 data reduction. The array’s Intelligent Data Reduction functionality is always running without impacting performance.
Greater resiliency: PowerStore’s Dynamic Resiliency Engine (DRE) helps customers maintain performance while safeguarding against dual drive failures. DRE provides up to 98% less management effort compared to traditional RAID configurations.
Smarter tiering: PowerStore uses storage class memory (SCM) as persistent storage and differentiates between SCM and standard NVMe drives within the system, speeding metadata access for up to 15% lower workload latency with an investment as low as a single Intel Optane D4800X drive.
PowerStore’s automation capabilities are enhanced by Dell EMC CloudIQ, storage monitoring and analytics software that uses artificial and human intelligence to deliver real-time performance and capacity insights.
The New PowerStore 500
According to Dell, the new PowerStore 500 delivers enterprise performance and storage services at an accessible price point. PowerStore 500 can be used in remote or branch locations, edge environments or larger IT deployments. It’s also available through Flex On Demand, allowing customers to acquire the technology they need with payments that scale to match actual usage.
The array’s compact 2U form-factor stores up to 1.2 petabytes and is capable of handling demanding enterprise workloads, supporting up to 2.4 million SQL transactions per minute and 1,500 VDI desktops per appliance. Customers can combine multiple PowerStore 500 appliances for an affordable cluster that is managed with automation and data mobility capabilities. For larger configurations, customers can mix and match PowerStore models to scale as IT needs change.