Dell EqualLogic PS6000 Storage Arrays, Enhanced Software Suite Provide Customers Increased Performance and Value

Dell announced availability of the Dell EqualLogic PS6000 series of storage arrays that offer customers increased performance, advanced virtualization capabilities and even greater value than previous generations. To help enterprises preserve and extend their existing investments, the EqualLogic PS6000 series integrates seamlessly into existing EqualLogic storage area networks (SANs) to form a virtualized pool of storage. The new Dell EqualLogic hardware and software, which are a part of Dell’s broad storage portfolio that includes the Dell PowerVault and DellEMC product lines, help enterprises easily enhance existing installations.

• PS6000 Series includes Solid State Drive array to boost database and virtual desktop performance.
• New EqualLogic SAN HeadQuarters software offers centralized monitoring and event reporting at no additional cost.
• Dell EqualLogic snapshot integration with Microsoft Hyper-V allows for rapid restore of virtual machines.
• New Dell ProConsult Storage consulting services that help customers better manage their data.
• Dell NX4 availability extends already robust storage portfolio to address customer’s enterprise file storage needs; demonstrates two companies continued commitment to partnership.

In addition to product advancements such as solid state drives (SSDs) and an expanded, all-inclusive EqualLogic software suite, Dell also unveiled new Dell ProConsult infrastructure consulting services to help customers plan and deploy EqualLogic SANs.

The News:

Dell announced five new EqualLogic PS6000 series of storage arrays - PS6000E, PS6500E, PS6000X, PS6000XV and PS6000S. The new products combine a virtualized storage architecture and sophisticated management software with new high-performance hardware components designed to help customers lower costs, reduce complexity and free up resources.

The Dell EqualLogic PS6000 series:

• Performs up to 91 percent faster for sequential write workloads and up to 29 percent faster for sequential read workloads when compared with previous generation.
• Is the first EqualLogic generation to include a Solid State Drive array. The PS6000S delivers SSD technology at an affordable price so more enterprises can practically apply its performance benefits for their critical applications.
• PS6000S arrays each have dedicated controllers for the SSD drives and can be combined together to scale performance linearly.
• Can support over 500 TB of storage per PS Series group.

Dell is significantly enhancing its all-inclusive suite of EqualLogic storage software. New support for Microsoft Hyper-V Smart Copysnapshots builds upon the PS Series’ existing integration with Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL, VMware and Citrix XenCenter and enables rapid recovery of Hyper-V virtual machines in as little as seconds. Additionally, the Dell EqualLogic PS6000 series of arrays are VMware vStorage-ready, a technology which aims to make more efficient use of storage, networking and hypervisor resources by virtual machines.

Dell is also making available SAN Headquarters, a centralized dashboard that monitors performance and events for dozens of PS Series groups. SAN HeadQuarters is available to all Dell EqualLogic customers under a valid warranty or service agreement no additional cost.

New Dell ProConsult (Dell ProConsulting Services in EMEA) and expanded Dell ProSupport consulting and customer service offerings are now available to help customers and partners plan, deploy and protect storage investments. In addition to existing storage assessment and migration services Dell is bringing to select markets four new Dell ProConsult design and implementation services that help customers get the most of their EqualLogic investments.

List pricing for the PS6000 arrays starts at $17,000 (USD). The starting price for PS6000S, the model with the Solid State Drives, is $25,000 (USD). The PS6000 series and associated services are available worldwide from Dell and its global PartnerDirect channel partners.

As previously announced, the addition of the Dell NX4 to the company’s broad portfolio of EqualLogic, PowerVault and DellEMC storage solutions expands the range of products Dell can offer its customers and demonstrates the two companies continued commitment to their long-standing partnership. The product offers no-compromise availability and advanced file management for Windows, Linux, and UNIX environments, as well as the flexibility to consolidate file and application storage via iSCSI or Fibre Channel.

Quotes:

"With the new EqualLogic PS6000 series, Dell has delivered platform and information management advancements that allow our customers to meet growing storage needs in a simple and cost-effective way,” said Darren Thomas, vice president and general manager, Enterprise Storage, Dell. “Features such as solid state discs, all-inclusive monitoring tools like SAN Headquarters, and seamless integration with prior SAN generations, are differentiating Dell from the other storage vendors and delivering on our promise of simple, capable, affordable storage.”

“While storage remains one of the few bright spots across the IT landscape, it is clearly not immune to the realities of the day,” said Steve Duplessie, Founder of ESG. “Cutting operating costs is paramount and gaining efficiency everywhere you can is all that matters. This is exactly why we are seeing accelerated interest in technologies such as iSCSI, and for Dell specifically, as they just keep on adding more and more value to their Equallogic line while effectively lowering the real cost of owning and operating their systems. This is nothing but good for Dell.”