In the world of enterprise IT infrastructure, hard drives are the backbone of storage systems. Whether it’s Dell EMC Unity XT, or PowerStore, businesses rely on genuine, high-quality drives to ensure performance, security, and reliability. However, a growing problem has emerged: counterfeit enterprise hard drives flooding the market, often originating from China. These fake drives not only compromise system integrity but can also lead to catastrophic data loss and significant financial losses.

Real Customer Encounters with Counterfeit Drives

Several IT professionals and businesses have already fallen victim to counterfeit drives. Below are real-world examples of customers who encountered fake enterprise drives and the red flags they noticed.

Case 1: Unity XT Drives with Invalid Serial Numbers

A customer recently checked a drive’s FC serial number and found it to be invalid. EMC also confirmed that genuine Unity XT drives only started shipping in late 2019, yet the drive in question had a manufacturing date of 2018. This discrepancy strongly indicated that the drive was counterfeit. PreRack IT noted:

“Beware who sold you these drives is counterfeiting the drives. Pretty sure they are from China. Good luck and be careful.”

Case 2: Fake VMAX Drives Sold as Unity XT Drives

Another customer discovered that the drive they purchased was never assigned to a Unity XT system. The serial number (118000203) was never listed on any genuine D4 3.8TB drive, and further investigation revealed that the drive was actually a converted VMAX drive being resold fraudulently. PreRack IT provided the customer an example of such a listing found on eBay:

Fake Drive Listing on eBay

Case 3: Lack of APM Serial Number on EMC Drives

PreRack IT pointed out to a customer that EMC tracks drives using an APM serial number rather than the actual OEM serial number. When they attempted to verify the authenticity of a Unity drive, the absence of an APM serial number was a clear indication that the drive was not genuine. PreRack IT asked:

“Do you have the screenshot? Do you have the APM serial of one of your drives? All the products made by EMC for the Americas must have the APM serial.”

Case 4: Unrealistically Low Pricing

One of the biggest red flags for counterfeit drives is pricing that seems too good to be true. A customer inquired about matching a price of $400 per Unity XT drive, which was nearly three times lower than the standard market price. A professional response clarified the situation:

“If you are getting that price for these drives, they are counterfeit. People have been selling old VMAX drives as Unity XT drives. These drives are selling at close to $2K a piece. I would not buy $400 XT drives and put them into a system.”

Case 5: PreRack IT Helps Customer Identify Fake PowerStore Drives, and Sells Correct Drives

In a recent case, Pre Rack IT assisted a customer in navigating a situation involving counterfeit PowerStore drives. Initially, the customer inquired about purchasing just the drive caddies. However, after inspecting their existing drives, it was discovered they were generic SAS SSD drives likely being sold as counterfeit PowerStore drives.

Pre Rack IT recommended returning the questionable drives and instead provided genuine 7.68TB NVMe drives at a negotiated price of $3,500 per drive. The final order was placed, ensuring that the customer received authentic enterprise-grade hardware instead of counterfeit products.

Why Are These Drives Being Sold as Counterfeit PowerStore Drives?

The investigation into fake enterprise drives revealed common characteristics that helped identify counterfeit products:

1. Missing EMC Pin Number (118) – Genuine EMC drives have a specific pin number that starts with 118. If this is missing, the drive is likely fake.
2. No NVMexpress Logo – Authentic NVMe drives always have an NVMexpress logo. Fake drives often lack this branding.
3. Shipped Without a Caddy – Genuine PowerStore drives are always shipped in a caddy because each drive is “married” to the interposer on the caddy via a unique chip. If a drive is sold without a caddy, it’s highly suspect.

Dell SKUs for PowerStore Drives

• PowerStore 1.92TB NVMe SKU: 400-BGGI
• PowerStore 3.84TB NVMe SKU: 400-BGGM
• PowerStore 7.68TB NVMe SKU: 400-BGGP
• PowerStore 15.36TB NVMe SKU: 400-BGGK

The Dell Internal SKU #’s are very similar across most NVMe drives. When you put them in Google results start showing for both server and storage drives. This causes extreme confusion in regards to pricing when you see a generic server NVMe PCI slot drive that is 1/5th the cost of NVMe storage drive.

How to Protect Yourself from Counterfeit Enterprise Drives

1. Verify Serial Numbers – Check with the original manufacturer (Dell EMC) to confirm if the serial number is valid.
2. Be Wary of Extremely Low Prices – If a deal seems too good to be true, it probably is.
3. Look for Authentic Branding – Ensure the drive has the correct branding, including EMC Pin numbers and the NVMe logo.
4. Purchase from Reputable Vendors – Stick to authorized resellers or well-known enterprise IT suppliers.
5. Check Packaging and Caddies – Genuine drives should come pre-installed in a caddy with firmware tied to the interposer chip.

Final Thoughts

The prevalence of counterfeit enterprise hard drives poses a significant risk to IT infrastructure. By staying informed and vigilant, businesses can protect themselves from fraudulent hardware and avoid costly mistakes. Always verify the authenticity of your enterprise drives and work with trusted vendors like Pre Rack IT to ensure you’re getting genuine, high-performance storage solutions.

If you have concerns about the authenticity of your enterprise hard drives, contact Pre Rack IT today for expert guidance and genuine storage solutions.