Dell PowerScale for AWS

The product is an on-demand service used for IT infrastructure, similar to HPE GreenLake , allowing the purchase of on-premise solutions, such as servers and storage, where users pay based on their consumption. It provides flexibility to handle varying demand in business environments.

I found this product to be beneficial due to its consumption model, which allows businesses to acquire infrastructure that supports peak demand scenarios while only paying for what is used. This model makes the purchasing process easier and more efficient.

In Latin America, they need to add more services to complement the solution and provide more options for managing the environment as some customers prefer not having responsibility for infrastructure.

The stability of the solution depends on the products that are part of the entire environment. It is essentially a sensor that provides visibility into the environment's health.

Scalability is integrated into the solution's design. If unexpected growth occurs, additional hardware can be added, adjusting the billing accordingly.

I have rated their customer support 8.5 out of 10, though I have not directly interacted with their support before.

Positive

I have used public cloud solutions like AWS  and noted that they lack the capped billing provided by APEX, which assures knowing the maximum possible bill.

The initial setup involves configuring a virtual host to track resource usage and billing. The other installations are standard, like storage and backups. It is not complex to set up.

The installation is handled by Dell specialists, potentially with support from engineers with Dell certifications.

The pricing is appealing because customers can compare the advantages of different financial models like investment, leasing, or APEX on Demand. Many customers, including those in the finance industry, find APEX on Demand to be a viable solution.

I rate APEX nine out of ten. It prepares businesses for their worst scenario while providing financial predictability.

The primary use case for Dell APEX  is endpoint backup for endpoint security. We are planning to expand and include our server model and SAP data backup through Dell APEX  in the near future.

Dell APEX has provided peace of mind by safeguarding our data. Though there hasn't been a noticeable impact yet, it offers a security backup for endpoint users.

The most valuable feature of Dell APEX for us is data availability, ensuring data resiliency and offering protection in case of data loss.

Dell APEX needs a dedicated support channel to raise support tickets easily. I also feel the support tab should be integrated into the APEX dashboard.

There have been instances where some users complained about storage issues, indicating potential stability problems.

Currently, we are using Dell APEX for over 100 users, primarily for endpoint backup at the executive level, with plans to expand for server and SAP data backups.

Though I'm pleased with Dell's overall services, I faced challenges with Dell APEX support. The support system for APEX lacks a dedicated portal, and it sometimes takes time to connect with the right person.

Positive

The pricing for Dell APEX is not reasonable. The value is realized primarily during a data breach, which we have not experienced, so it is still an expenditure for management.

While I would recommend Dell products to others, I have no specific companies in mind that I would not recommend.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

I use the solution in my company to store and offer some services associated with emails.

The most valuable features of the solution are that the support is really good and the deployment is really easy. There are a lot of good things about Dell APEX.

There needs to be some improvement in the response time of the tool's support team.

I have been using Dell APEX for two years. My company has a partnership with Dell.

It is a really great and stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

The tool's scalability is really good. You can do deployments in a few seconds, and it uses Amazon as a base so that the deployments can be made easy and quick.

The solution's technical support is better than what VMware offers, especially when you want to change to an on-premises environment due to the security in the cloud offered by Dell.

If ten means it is really easy to set up the tool, I rate the product's initial setup phase as an eight.

The solution is deployed on the cloud.

You don't have to deploy people to support the tool, and it is really very clean and easy to manage with the support, which is really good. The tool saves more than 50 percent of our company's time.

The product's prices are great. Right now, I don't have the details of the tool's cost, but the price depends on the size of the company and what kind of services you want from the solution. There are some additional costs attached to the tool. Some aspects of the tool are less expensive, while others are almost the same price as the other solutions in the market, so it is fairly comparable to the competition.

For our company's clients, the AI-driven part of the tool is good. Our company uses AI in reporting. The product provides automatic reports about what is happening with your system and what you can improve if there are some problems in the solution.

I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

We use it to handle our internal storage needs across the organization.

The two key factors are ease of deployment and flexibility in utilizing and configuring storage as needed.

They all need to work on their pricing because you always want to get more for less.

I have been using Dell APEX for four to five years.

Dell APEX offers scalability by enabling cloud utilization and providing a subscription-based solution. You can have Dell manage everything, whether the infrastructure is in the cloud or on-premises. They handle all the patching, updates, and maintenance, freeing up your team to focus on more strategic projects. The main challenge is often cost—comparing the total cost of ownership to purchasing and managing on-prem hardware yourself. However, recent price reductions have made it more competitive. With APEX, maintenance costs are built into the monthly subscription, so your team doesn't need to spend time on operational tasks, allowing them to concentrate on engineering, architecture, and design.

I haven't had any real issues that they have been unable to address.

Positive

At this stage, NetApp currently offers more options across its environment than Dell. However, Dell could change that, depending on how it continues to develop its offerings. 

The initial setup was straightforward and without complexity and offered flexibility in configuring the available options. This allowed us to use it with various systems we have acquired over the years, accommodating different types of data and presenting it in the way we wanted, providing the flexibility we needed.

A couple of guys are working with the Dell folks.

Dell engineers helped us to deploy it within a week, and we had it up and running. 

Dell APEX includes maintenance as part of the solution, so you don't need a separate maintenance agreement or worry about renegotiations. It's an all-in-one service where you pay for what you use. There's no need to overprovision storage upfront since it's available on demand—request more when needed, and you'll be billed accordingly. This approach avoids paying for capacity during acquisition, leading to better pricing per gigabyte over time. While other vendors also offer similar on-demand capacity solutions, Dell APEX now provides pricing comparable to traditional CapEx investments, making it a viable option for reducing operational costs and simplifying management through automation and vendor responsibility.

I rate the product’s pricing a seven out of ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive.

It depends on the use cases. Different technologies are suited to different needs. Dell APEX is a niche product used primarily for specific storage needs in our labs. While we rely on NetApp for most of our storage and Data Domain for backups, Dell APEX fills a unique gap by providing the flexibility we need at a reasonable price point.

Dell does maintenance.

From a security perspective, our data is encrypted, but Dell APEX doesn't handle our audits or manage our data setup. Those responsibilities lie with us. However, we are confident that the platform is secure and our data is adequately protected and encrypted.

There are many capacity-on-demand solutions available, including Dell APEX. Whether it's a good solution depends on your specific use cases and budget. It's a great option if it meets your needs at the right price. However, it might be worth waiting for better pricing before committing if the pricing isn't favorable.

Overall, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.