In the high-stakes game of enterprise storage, cost is a kingmaker. Deciding between industry giants Dell EMC Unity and Pure Storage often boils down to a critical question: which delivers the most value for your budget? While both offer robust features, their pricing models take vastly different approaches. This in-depth analysis deconstructs the cost structures of EMC Unity and Pure Storage, empowering you to make a strategic investment for your data needs.

Understanding Storage Costs: A Layered Approach

Before we get into specifics, let’s establish a framework for understanding storage costs. They typically encompass several layers:

• Hardware Acquisition: The initial purchase price of the storage array itself.
• Software Licensing: Costs associated with additional software features or functionalities.
• Maintenance and Support: Annual fees for ongoing maintenance and technical support services.
• Data Services: Costs for functionalities like replication, snapshots, and encryption for data protection and disaster recovery.
• Power Consumption: The energy required to operate the storage array, impacting your electricity bills.
• Data Efficiency: The ability of the storage system to minimize data footprint, potentially reducing storage hardware requirements and associated costs.

EMC Unity: Unveiling the Hybrid Cost Matrix

EMC Unity offers a hybrid storage architecture, presenting a cost structure with both upfront and ongoing considerations:

• Hardware Acquisition: EMC Unity comes in various configurations, with prices scaling based on storage capacity, performance tier (SSD vs. HDD), and scalability options. The hybrid nature allows you to tailor your purchase to your specific requirements, potentially achieving a more cost-effective initial setup compared to an all-flash solution.
• Software Licensing: While EMC Unity includes basic features, advanced functionalities like advanced replication or data encryption may require additional software licenses, adding to the overall cost.
• Maintenance and Support: Dell EMC offers various support tiers with escalating costs based on response times and service guarantees. Consider your organization’s criticality and choose a support plan that aligns with your needs. Companies like Pre Rack IT, also offers third party maintenance and support services that are more cost-effective than the OEM.
• Data Services: Features like replication and snapshots are often included in base packages, but advanced data protection might require additional licensing.
• Power Consumption: Typically lower than all-flash arrays due to the presence of HDDs, which have lower power requirements than SSDs. However, the exact power consumption depends on the specific configuration and workload.
• Data Efficiency: While not as aggressive as Pure Storage’s deduplication techniques, EMC Unity uses compression and thin provisioning to optimize storage utilization, potentially reducing hardware requirements and associated costs.

Pure Storage: Unpacking the All-Flash Price Tag

Pure Storage focuses exclusively on all-flash arrays (AFAs), resulting in a different cost landscape:

• Hardware Acquisition: Pure Storage arrays generally have a higher upfront cost compared to hybrid options like EMC Unity. Their AFAs prioritize speed and performance, often utilizing high-performance SSDs, contributing to the premium price point.
• Software Licensing: Pure Storage includes a wider range of functionalities within their base packages, potentially reducing the need for additional software licenses compared to EMC Unity.
• Maintenance and Support: Pure Storage offers various support tiers with costs similar to those of Dell EMC.
• Data Services: Pure Storage is known for its aggressive data reduction techniques like inline deduplication and compression. This can significantly reduce the amount of storage needed, potentially offsetting the higher upfront hardware cost over time.
• Power Consumption: Generally higher than hybrid arrays due to the reliance on SSDs, which consume more power than HDDs.
• Data Efficiency: Pure Storage excels in data efficiency. By minimizing storage requirements, it can potentially reduce your overall storage hardware needs and associated costs over time.

Navigating the Cost Maze: Making an Informed Choice

Now that we’ve unraveled the pricing structures, let’s guide you through cost-conscious decision making:

• Short-Term vs. Long-Term Considerations: EMC Unity can offer a more attractive initial price point, but Pure Storage’s data efficiency might lead to lower total cost of ownership (TCO) over time, especially with data-intensive workloads.
• Workload Analysis: Analyze your data mix. Pure Storage shines for hot data-heavy workloads where efficiency offsets upfront costs. Hybrid Unity might be more suitable for mixed hot and cold data scenarios.
• Scalability Needs: Consider your future growth plans. EMC Unity’s modular design provides easier scalability, potentially incurring lower costs for future expansion. Pure Storage also offers scalability options, but the initial premium might translate to higher costs when scaling.
• Hidden Costs: Factor in additional software licenses, maintenance contracts, data services, and power consumption when comparing total costs.

Let Pre Rack IT Help You Make a Decision

In order to make an informed decision on whether Dell EMC or Pure Storage is the right investment for your organization, it’s important to understand both and what they offer.

We can help you determine the best option for your organization and make the transition as seamless as possible. Don’t go it alone – contact us today to get started.