StarWind Virtual SAN: Product Overview and Insight

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Bottom Line

Companies that have existing storage investments and are looking for a low-cost, flexible software-defined storage (SDS) solution should consider StarWind.

This SDS solution offers numerous advantages. A free version is available for immediate download, so in-house IT support staff can take a look at in their own operating environment before investing. StarWind also comes in paid, supported versions, so staff have a StarWind help if need be. 

Most important: StarWind SDS can run on existing hardware or hyperconverged appliances. That means it’s flexible and able to fit into a wide array of data center environments. It’s not tied to a specific vendor’s platform. This open nature offers cost savings and operational ease.

StarWind, notably, is a “one-stop virtualization shop” that offers hyperconverged appliances and storage appliances as well as Virtual SAN (VSAN) and Virtual Tape Library (VTL) software. It has more than 400,000 users, so clearly the company has a track record.

Product Description

StarWind’s VSAN software comes in free and paid versions, with different editions depending on your choice of hypervisor. The product aims to be as flexible as possible while still offering simplicity and scalability. It is designed to run on StarWind’s hyperconverged appliances but also easily integrates with other storage infrastructure. It also comes with proactive support that fixes problems before most customers notice them.

Type of product:

Software-only or software with a hyperconverged appliance.

Editions available:

The product comes in VSAN Free, VSAN for Hyper-V or VSAN for vSphere versions. The Hyper-V version comes in Standard, Professional, Enterprise and Datacenter Editions. The vSphere version comes in SMB & ROMBO, Essentials and Enterprise Editions.

License:

Proprietary

Key features:

• simple base configuration
• asynchronous replication
• in-line and offline deduplication
• log-structuring
• multi-tiered RAM and flash cache
• perpetual licensing
• easy management
• minimalistic I/O path
• automated storage tiering
• grid architecture
• Web-based management

Target Industries

Any industry that needs a flexible, non-vendor specific solution that can work with hyperconverged hardware.

Customers

Bosch, EC2, Tetraedro, PepsiCo, Arrow ECS, ItnetX AG, SNAMP LLC, Acer, Adobe, Cisco, Continental Airlines, Dell, Hershey’s, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Sony, Verizon, Walt Disney Pictures, Xerox, others

Pricing

Free version available for download; pricing for other editions available on request.

StarWind Virtual SAN Features Chart