Infrastructure Achievements

Storage consolidation is the process of centralizing, sharing and optimizing data storage resources. It's mainly used for efficient management and maximum use, with minimal storage hardware and management costs. The key factors generally consider for the storage consolidation are better management of future storage growth, improve overall storage management process, consolidate existing storage capacity and improved performance.

UAE University was using Dell-EMC VNX [7500, 7600, 5300] model storage subsystems for data storage. As part of technology refresh and by considering the future storage requirements, we have implemented EMC Storage [Unity 650F], the latest high-performance all-flash storage for storage consolidation.

Dell EMC Unity All-Flash Storage delivers consistent performance with low response times, and it is the perfect fit for our mixed virtualized workloads, unified storage consolidation, application-aware protection, and availability needs. Dell EMC Unity storage systems implement a unified architecture for block, file, and VMware VVol’s with concurrent support for native NAS, iSCSI, and Fibre Channel protocols. Each method leverages dual storage processors, full 12 Gb/s SAS back end connectivity and Dell EMC’s patented multi-core architected operating environment to deliver unparalleled performance and efficiency.

Following are the IT betterments and business outcomes gained by implementing Dell EMC Unity 650F All Flash Array system:

1. Improved Performance - It offers a maximum of 142800 IOPS and delivers consistent performance with low latency.
2. Increased Efficiency - Dell EMC Unity All-Flash storage efficiency technologies include thin provisioning, inline compression for block and file, and space efficient snapshots/small clones, which are designed to meet the expected performance characteristics of virtualized application workloads.
3. Data Center Footage - Reduce the data center footprint drastically with the new design.
4. Power Consumption - Reduces the Overall DC power consumption by having minimal storage enclosures.
5. Scalability - It can go up to 16 Petabyte of storage capacity and can have 1000 disk drives.
6. Support Cost – It saves storage capacity and money with inline efficiency technologies, expandable dynamic pools (All-Flash only) and also eliminates the maintenance cost of the existing storage subsystems.