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Entry-level Dell EMC SC Series adds data features
Dell EMC's SCv3000 launch includes automated hybrid tiering, data compression and replication with federated clusters. Dell EMC announced a money-back efficiency guarantee.
Dell EMC is trying to move its entry-level hybrid SC Series up the stack by adding features previously available only on higher-end models.
The Dell EMC SCv3000 line introduced this week replaces the SCv2000 building block. Dell EMC SC Series midrange storage is derived from Compellent array technology Dell acquired in 2011, and it's among a handful of competing SAN array platforms inside the company since the 2016 Dell-EMC merger.
The SCv3000's 3U form factor accepts 222 drives and scales to 1 PB of raw hybrid capacity per array. Two base models are available: the SCv3000 and SCv3020, each of which supports three new expansion enclosures. Customers can combine the base configuration and populate it with a mix of disk and flash. New features include data federation and protection and greater third-party software integration.
Brian Henderson, a director of midrange marketing for Dell EMC SC Series, said the merged vendor plans to continue adding data management features to carve a bigger slice of the midrange market. Dell EMC SC Series arrays compete with systems such as Hewlett Packard Enterprise MSA models and lower ends of the Hitachi Data Systems' Virtual Storage Platform.
Even though Dell EMC SC Series and Unity both address the low-end and midrange markets, Henderson said Dell EMC plans to keep both product sets for now. "SC Series and Unity each have their own brands and their own set of customers," he said. "We're not taking anything away.
"The big deal on the SCv3000 is that we took the restraints off the system. The SCv2000 was a competitive product, but it was a little light on the feature set. We've added more horsepower to support a greater range of enterprise-class features," Henderson added.
The SCv3000 launch also kicks off a Dell EMC money-back guarantee on certain flash products, starting with SC Series and Unity products. The vendor guarantees storage efficiency will improve at least 75%.
The guarantee eventually will extend to XtremIO and all-flash VMAX systems, Henderson said.
Compellent technology evolves with SCv3000 launch
The upgrade allows users to federate data moved across multiple SC arrays and replicate snapshots between the SC and Dell EMC PS Series -- formerly EqualLogic -- arrays.
All SC Series arrays run Dell Storage Manager, which supports third-party software integration, quality of service and integration of VMware VVOLs. A single SCv3000 supports 4,000 array-based snapshots.
Dell EMC Core OS supports array-based snapshots, synchronous volume failover between nodes and federated data movement. Dell EMC Data Progression manages the placement of data based on policy-driven usage patterns. Those data features previously were available only on Dell EMC SC Series SC5020, SC7020 and SC9000 arrays.
The SCv3000 integrates compression, but does not include data deduplication, which is available on larger SC models. Henderson said Dell EMC is offering a range of deployment services for midrange customers that want to install SC Series storage on their own.
Dell EMC said the starting price for the SCv3000 is less than $10,000.
