Dell Technologies (NYSE: DELL) is upgrading the performance ofDell EMC PowerStoreenterprise storage systems with new software and automation capabilities. Thecompany is also introducing 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."   

Dell Technologies, the industry's leading enterprise storage provider¹, has shipped more than 400 petabytes of PowerStore storage-roughly the same as storing 136 billion songs as MP3 files-in more than 60 countries in industries such as education, gaming, transportation, healthcare, retail and financial services.  New PowerStore users include Columbia Southern University, Habib Bank, RealPage, Tech Data, The University of Pisa, Tilly's and Ultraleap.

"Our hand tracking and mid-air haptics technologies are transforming industries like XR, automotive, kiosk and out of home advertising. Dell EMC PowerStore's performance, automation, deduplication and scalability capabilities are helping to transform our IT infrastructure," said Richard Goodwin, group director of IT, Ultraleap. "With PowerStore, we are realizing a 450% performance improvement on some applications and are seeing data reduction rates well above Dell's 4:1 data reduction guarantee. In our world, speed is a key differentiator and PowerStore is helping accelerate access to the critical data and applications we need to bring our innovations to life."

Software innovation

Enhancements in PowerStoreOS 2.0 can be applied to new and existing PowerStore appliances with zero 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).²
• 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 industry's only storage array with a built-in VMware ESXi hypervisor³allows 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.

"Enterprises undergoing digital transformation are looking for performance and flexibility to better help them accommodate demanding new workloads and better consolidate existing ones in distributed environments," said Eric Burgener, research vice president, Infrastructure Systems, Platforms and Technologies Group at IDC.  "The incorporation of new technologies and enterprise-class storage management capabilities into lower cost storage like the Dell EMC PowerStore 500 provide additional options for customers even as they drive more value for the money."

Increased intelligence

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.⁴The 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.⁵
• 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 latency⁶with an investment as low as a single Intel? Optane? D4800X drive.

PowerStore's automation capabilities are complimented by Dell EMC CloudIQ, storage monitoring and analytics software that uses artificial and human intelligence to deliver real-time performance and capacity insights.

Introducing the PowerStore 500

The PowerStore 500 delivers enterprise performance and storage services at an accessible price point. PowerStore 500 is suitable to businesses of any size and can be used in remote or branch locations, edge environments or larger IT deployments. It's also available throughFlex 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 minute⁷and 1,500 VDI desktops per appliance.⁸Customers can combine multiple PowerStore 500 appliances for an affordable cluster that is easily managed with automation and data mobility capabilities. For larger configurations, customers can mix and match PowerStore models to scale as IT needs change.

The Dell EMC Future-Proof Programincludes Anytime Upgrades, the industry's most flexible controller upgrade program.⁹Unique to Dell Technologies, customers can enhance or expand their PowerStore performance and capacity after only 180 days.¹⁰Anytime Upgrades, combined with PowerStore's adaptable architecture, effectively eliminates costly, disruptive platform migrations.

"Dell EMC PowerStore's unique architecture, automation capabilities and performance help our customers tackle today and tomorrow's IT challenges," said Bob Olwig, vice president, business development and marketing, WWT. "The PowerStore 500's low cost and extreme performance make it a compelling addition to the PowerStore family from a partner perspective and new performance and automation updates give customers even more reasons to choose Dell Technologies storage."

Availability

• Dell EMC PowerStore software updates are available for download on June 10, 2021.  
• PowerStore 500 is available for ordering on May 4, 2021 with global shipments starting June 10, 2021.

Additional resources

• Press release:Dell Technologies Bolsters the University of Pisa's Remote Education and Critical Medical Research Projects with Dell EMC PowerStore
• Connect with Dell viaFacebook, YouTube and LinkedIn

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1.IDC WW Quarterly Enterprise Storage Systems Tracker, 2020Q4, March 11, 2021 -Vendor Revenue.

2. Based on Dell internal test of PowerStore 5000 running typical 70/30 random read/write mix, 8K block size on PowerStoreOS 2.0 vs. 1.0,  March 2021.  Actual performance will vary.

3. Based on Dell analysis of publicly available information on current solutions from mainstream storage vendors, April 2020. VMware ESXi Hypervisor is available with PowerStore X models. 

4. 4:1 average rate guaranteed across customer applications.  Rates for individual applications may vary.  See Future-Proof program terms and conditions for details. 

5. Based on Dell analysis of staff time required to deploy and maintain high availability array with Dell's Dynamic Resiliency Engine (DRE) vs. traditional RAID.

6. Based on March 2021 internal Dell tests comparing PowerStore 500 latency with and without SCM metadata tiering, running with 70/30 read/write mix, 8k block size. Actual performance may vary.

7. Based on Dell tests of PowerStore 500T, running SQL Server OLTP (TPC-C-like) workloads.  Actual performance may vary by configuration and workload 

8. Based on Dell analysis of PowerStore 500T test results, March 2021.? Calculations reflect typical knowledge worker profile demands.? Actual performance may vary by configuration and workload. 

9. Based on Dell analysis, April 2020, using publicly available data to compare the highest available program/subscription offers for controller upgrades. Requires purchase of minimum 3-year ProSupport Plus with Anytime Upgrade Select or Standard add-on option at point of sale to qualify.

10. Upgrade available after 180 days. Requires purchase of minimum 3-year ProSupport Plus with Anytime Upgrade Select or Standard add-on option at point of sale to qualify.