Dell PowerStore: the advantages of a unified storage platform

TL;DR

• Dell PowerStore is a unified storage platform, able to provide storage for multiple services with different data-access requirements
• Active/active controller design improves performance and enhances availability
• PowerStore’s AI-powered optimization boosts efficiency while reducing the need for hands-on management
• Scale-up and scale-out design allows allows non-disruptive expansion
• An all-flash architecture delivers the performance and responsiveness needed to service wide-ranging data demands
• Dell PowerStore includes numerous native integrations, to ensure compatibility with industry-standard tools

Businesses are dealing with more data than ever – and they also have to deal with diverse storage demands, as traditional applications, cloud services and AI workloads each require particular data-access models. Dell PowerStore is a single storage platform that can handle all of these differing requirements.

This solution offers big advantages over using multiple independent storage systems. As data demands rise, a fragmented approach becomes increasingly inefficient, and imposes a growing management burden.

Dell PowerStore’s unified storage architecture brings together block and file access within a single physical architecture and management interface, with container workloads supported via native integrations. As a result, businesses benefit from a much simpler infrastructure, while enabling more sophisticated and diverse environments. Let's look at what Dell PowerStore unified storage really means, and the advantages it brings.

A simpler infrastructure supports diverse workloads

Dell PowerStore allows services/applications requiring different access models to be served by a single, centrally managed appliance (or cluster of appliances).

This is a powerful benefit because desktop applications often read and write traditional files, while databases and VMs often rely on block-level storage for fast, low-level access to data. Cloud and DevOps services meanwhile frequently call for persistent container volumes that can be dynamically provisioned and scaled.

Traditionally, businesses have addressed these needs with individual storage solutions, resulting in duplicated headroom, and a lack of flexibility when requirements change. IT staff meanwhile have had to deal with the complexity of managing multiple appliances with different administration interfaces. PowerStore is far more efficient, in terms of both resource usage and management.

Active/active architecture improves reliability and availability

Each PowerStore appliance uses an active/active dual-controller architecture in which two storage controllers work together to handle live data. This helps to provide fast, consistent data performance – and ensures that, in the event of one controller failing, the other one continues doing the work.

By contrast, some legacy systems often use an active/passive controller model, where one controller handles day-to-day storage activity, while a backup controller sits ready to take over should the first one fail. This architecture leads to underutilized assets, as the second controller spends most of its time idle.

The active/active PowerStore platform is designed for “six nines” availability.

Intelligent automation means easier management

Dell PowerStore uses built-in intelligence and automation (including machine learning–driven analytics) to monitor usage and allocate resources automatically. This provides always-on, dynamic optimization across all access models, delivering consistent benefits while reducing the need for manual intervention.

This has major advantages over legacy storage solutions that rely on the administrator to distribute resources, balance workloads and optimize performance.

Non-disruptive scaling allows capacity to grow with your business

Dell PowerStore allows you to dynamically extend storage for workloads with non disruptive expansion. Both scale-up and scale-out expansion are supported. Individual appliances can be fitted with additional drives to add capacity up to an impressive 5.9 PBe (petabytes effective). Plus, four appliances can be clustered together scaling to over 23.6 PBe. And thanks to PowerStore’s unified architecture, all of this capacity can be accessed as a single logical resource – regardless of how it’s physically arranged – and managed from a single dashboard.

All-flash NVMe architecture delivers consistent performance

Dell PowerStore is designed from the ground up for modern NVMe technology. This ensures it can provide the bandwidth and throughput required to support multiple workloads with different data models and access patterns.

The very low latency of NVMe can also speed up operations considerably compared to traditional arrays of mechanical hard disks. For example, a PowerStore deployment can handle busy databases and AI workloads simultaneously,while maintaining consistently high performance.

Hybrid and cloud-native integrations support modern workloads

Dell PowerStore is ideal for businesses using a mix of on premises and cloud services. In addition to supporting file and block access, PowerStore includes native integrations with VMware, Kubernetes and other industry standard technologies—so containerized workloads can consume persistent storage from the same platform.

In modern businesses, workloads change quickly and environments evolve. It no longer makes sense to invest in separate systems for different functions: As unified storage, PowerStore improves efficiency, simplifies automation and reduces infrastructure complexity and management requirements. And Dell PowerStore adds the benefits of lightning-fast flash performance, seamless scaling and enterprise-class reliability.

Optimizing your storage infrastructure can have significant benefits for your workloads today, and for your ability to change and grow in the future.

If you think PowerStore is the right storage solution for your business, find out more on the Dell website: US readers click here and CA readers here.