Announcing HPE MSA Gen6, the next generation of HPE entry level storage. New high-performance models match today’s workloads, automating and simplifying IT processes, and protecting business data anywhere. The affordable modern storage arrays include a choice of HDD and SSD media.

I have great news for small to midsize businesses! HPE has just announced HPE MSA Gen6, our next generation SMB SAN storage solution. HPE Modular Smart Arrays (MSAs) let businesses secure their most valuable data and make it easily accessible to employees, with a modern architecture that includes a number of new iSCSI, SAS and Fiber Channel high-performance Gen6 controllers and a choice of HDD and SSD media.

HPE’s entry level storage portfolio continues to allow customers to take advantage of performance, simplicity, and flexibility over a wide range of workloads. Enhancements to the Performance Tiering option let you configure a high-performance SAN solution with a minimal number of SSDs, allowing HPE MSA Gen6 to deliver application acceleration to every ProLiant workload without breaking the budget.

Three New Models Make Simple Storage Simpler

A leading entry point solution for HPE ProLiant servers for over a decade, HPE MSA Storage now includes three new Gen6 models that deliver simple, high-performance, flash-ready storage for SMBs:

• HPE MSA 1060: Designed for users with fixed capacity and performance needs supporting smaller IT workloads
• HPE MSA 2060: Offers the flexibility to scale both performance and capacity to meet the most demanding IT workloads
• HPE MSA 2062:  Includes an HPE MSA 2060 bundled with two 1.92TB SSD drives and an Advanced Data Service license, giving the user a substantial savings (up to 31% off list price) and the ability to start day one with a high-performance affordable hybrid-flash storage solution.

Regardless of which model you choose, all MSA Gen6 arrays include a standard set of features that are ideal for SMB customers looking to accelerate to hybrid-flash SAN infrastructure. For starters, the new Gen6 architecture makes interacting with the array and using it simpler than ever. The new HPE MSA Storage Management Utility (SMU v4) provides intuitive, step-by-step guided workflows that configure the array straight out of the box, eliminating common errors and dramatically improving the user experience, especially for tasks users don’t do every day.  Guided workflows simplify these tasks and virtually eliminate the need for a reference manual.

We have also made improvements to the Health Check feature. Want to know how well your system is performing and be certain you are not overlooking anything in system setup? With just a few simple steps, MSA Health Check uses a cloud-based utility to assess your system’s compliance with all known HPE best practices and provides detailed next-step guidance to resolve any issues.

Updated and Automated Features Enhance Performance

While there are several new features and enhancements in these sixth-generation arrays, I want to draw your attention to three enhancements that work in combination to significantly improve performance in the new models.

A new Gen6 RAID controller architecture provides up to 50% higher performance versus the previous Gen5 controllers. System latency is reduced, allowing faster access to applications and data. It’s a substantial performance boost that your users will notice as they use their applications.

Performance Tiering 2.0. The Gen6 models have access to a new “hands-free” Tiering 2.0 algorithm that delivers up to 45% more workload application acceleration than previous Gen4 and Gen 5 models. By automatically responding to I/O changes in real-time, the enhanced Performance Tiering option helps to keep “hot” data on the fastest media (such as SSD Flash) further speeding up access times and improving both system and user productivity. 

MSA Data Protection Plus (MSA-DP+), a new RAID-based data protection feature, brings dramatic improvements to traditional RAID technology. If a drive fails, rebuild performance is up to 25X faster than RAID 6 – which means the drive can be rebuilt in next-to-no time. This new feature can eliminate the need for idle drive spares and dramatically simplify expanding or growing your array’s capacity. MSA arrays using MSA-DP+ now support capacity expansion at a more granular level, allowing the addition of a single drive or whole expansion shelves to an existing configuration.

More than a Decade of Engineering Improvements

HPE MSA has a proven track record that spans well over a decade – with engineering and technology innovations that continue to make affordable SAN storage simpler, faster, and more reliable. Now with MSA Gen6, we’ve improved on that same high quality, reliable product heritage.

Whether you’re buying a new data storage solution, your data storage infrastructure has gotten too complex to manage, or your existing hardware needs a refresh, HPE MSA Gen6 arrays are a smart choice. HPE MSA Storage has always been a simple, affordable storage solution. The new Gen6 models take entry level storage further, matching today’s workloads, automating and simplifying IT processes, and protecting business data anywhere.

For more information on new HPE MSA Gen6 storage solutions:

• Read the press release
• Watch the HPE MSA Gen6 Chalk Talk
• Read the solution brief
• Visit the web page

Britt Terry
Storage Experts
Hewlett Packard Enterprise

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