Buying Guide: When to Choose EMC CLARiiON Over VNX

There are many reasons to transition your EMC storage environment to the new VNX platform. The powerful performance, SSD options, and unified block and file storage are all tempting features for enterprises looking to upgrade their storage array. However, upgrading to an EMC VNX has its drawbacks. The possibility of a cost-prohibitive forklift upgrade may cause some enterprises to think twice before committing to a VNX.
So, when should you hold off on investing into the VNX platform and improve your existing EMC CLARiiON system? Here are four scenarios where upgrading your CLARiiON may be a better option:
Choose EMC CLARiiON Instead of VNX When -

• You Need to Build Out a DR Environment: A disaster recovery environment needs to be reliable and highly available, but it doesn’t have to be the most expensive system on the market to protect your most valuable data. Implementing a used EMC CLARiiON storage array is the best way to build out a cost effective disaster recovery system if you have an existing EMC CLARiiON storage environment.
Used equipment can be acquired at a much lower cost, helping you purchase up to 100% more storage than if you purchased new gear.

• You Want to Leverage Existing Hardware: If you plan to reuse your existing hard drives when you purchase your new EMC VNX system, think again. Unfortunately, VNX technology is not compatible with the hard disk drives associated with the EMC CLARiiON arrays. Therefore, if you upgrade to an EMC VNX array, your current hard drives won’t be compatible with the SAS hard drive technology of the EMC VNX and you will need to purchase all new drives.
However, if you choose to upgrade to a CX4-480, you’ll be able to reuse your existing Fibre Channel and SATA drives, lowering your TCO significantly. Upgrading to a CX4 can provide you with the performance upgrade you need without the entire system overhaul. You’ll be able to increase your capacity, improve the speed and performance of your applications, and provide your enterprise with room for growth and avoid the cost of purchasing an entire storage environment.

• You’re Experiencing Budget Shortfalls: If your enterprise is experiencing budget shortfalls, now is probably not the time to upgrade to the EMC VNX line. If you need to lower your IT costs, it’s time to make the most of the hardware you already have.
Changing the ratio of hard disk drives in your environment can help you improve your array and maintain your budget. If you want better performance for your Tier 1 applications, adding smaller EMC Fibre Channel drives and increasing spindle count can increase the speed of your applications at minimal cost. If you need more capacity for growing enterprise data, increasing your SATA drive count can increase the capacity of your system. Small, less expensive disk drive upgrades can help you improve your performance without the cost of the VNX overhaul.

• You Want to Save Time and Money: Upgrading to an EMC VNX environment can cost your IT staff additional time to learn new hardware interfaces, as well as the extra implementation time it will take to install and set up the VNX system. Learning new hardware can cost your IT staff both time and money.
Why learn new hardware if you don’t yet need to? You can upgrade components of your EMC CLARiiON environment and experience performance improvements without the time and effort it takes to learn a new system. If your IT department is pressed for time, making small changes to your environment may be a better choice than upgrading your entire system to the EMC VNX.