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NetApp HCI VS Managed Disks

Compare NetApp HCI VS Managed Disks and see what are their differences

NetApp HCI logo NetApp HCI

NetApp HCI and SolidFire bring together the best of the public cloud and the private cloud to create a seamless user experience and to help you build a true hybrid multi cloud experience.

Managed Disks logo Managed Disks

Azure Managed Disks are the new and recommended disk storage offerings for use with Azure Virtual Machines for persistent storage of data. Try the free trial today.
  • NetApp HCI Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-09-02
  • Managed Disks Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-04-11

NetApp HCI features and specs

  • Scalability
    NetApp HCI offers flexible scaling, allowing users to independently scale storage and compute resources to meet changing workloads and performance demands.
  • Performance
    It provides high-performance storage capabilities, which are particularly beneficial for data-intensive applications, ensuring low latency and high throughput.
  • Efficiency
    NetApp HCI is designed for efficient resource utilization, reducing overhead and optimizing the use of available infrastructure resources.
  • Simplified Management
    The platform offers simplified management through a unified interface, which streamlines operations and reduces the complexity of managing hybrid cloud environments.
  • Integration
    It offers the ability to integrate with existing NetApp environments and public clouds, supporting hybrid cloud strategies and enabling data mobility and protection across different settings.

Possible disadvantages of NetApp HCI

  • Cost
    NetApp HCI can be more expensive than some other hyper-converged solutions, making it a substantial investment for smaller organizations.
  • Complexity of Initial Setup
    The initial setup and configuration can be complex, requiring a learning curve for IT teams unfamiliar with NetApp's ecosystem.
  • Vendor Lock-in
    As with other integrated systems, there is a degree of vendor lock-in, which could limit flexibility in choosing alternative solutions in the future.
  • Limited Customization
    While the system is highly integrated, there might be limited customization options for organizations with specific or unique infrastructure requirements.
  • Resource Boundaries
    Despite its scalability promises, users might encounter resource boundaries within specific configurations, which requires careful planning and management.

Managed Disks features and specs

  • Scalability
    Managed Disks automatically scale to accommodate your storage needs, supporting up to 2 PB per region, eliminating the need for manual disk management.
  • Reliability
    Managed Disks offer built-in high availability with resources automatically distributed across multiple availability zones, ensuring data protection against hardware failures.
  • Performance
    Azure Managed Disks provide consistent and high-performance levels, available in different types like Standard HDD, Standard SSD, and Premium SSD depending on the required workload.
  • Security
    Managed Disks enable Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), encryption at rest and during transport, and integration with Azure Backup for enhanced security.
  • Flexibility
    Various disk sizes and types accommodate different performance levels and price points, offering flexibility to meet specific requirements of applications.
  • Integration
    Managed Disks integrate seamlessly with other Azure services like Azure Backup, Azure Policy, and Azure Disk Encryption, offering a comprehensive cloud ecosystem experience.

Possible disadvantages of Managed Disks

  • Cost
    Managed Disks can be more expensive than unmanaged alternatives, primarily due to additional features such as scaling, redundancy, and ease of use.
  • Complex Pricing
    The pricing structure, involving various disk types and features, can be complex, potentially confusing users about which option is the most cost-effective for their needs.
  • Limited Customization
    Managed Disks, being managed, offer limited customization options compared to unmanaged disks where users can customize storage more freely.
  • Dependency on Cloud Platform
    Using Managed Disks ties users to the Azure platform, which can complicate migration to other cloud providers or on-premises solutions.

NetApp HCI videos

Unboxing NetApp HCI, Hardware Tour

More videos:

  • Review - What You Get with NetApp HCI
  • Review - NetApp Element OS Platform Overview - SolidFire and NetApp HCI

Managed Disks videos

Azure Managed Vs Unmanaged Disks

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to NetApp HCI and Managed Disks)
Cloud Computing
63 63%
37% 37
Cloud Storage
56 56%
44% 44
Storage
100 100%
0% 0
Object Storage
33 33%
67% 67

User comments

Share your experience with using NetApp HCI and Managed Disks. For example, how are they different and which one is better?
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Social recommendations and mentions

Based on our record, Managed Disks seems to be more popular. It has been mentiond 12 times since March 2021. We are tracking product recommendations and mentions on various public social media platforms and blogs. They can help you identify which product is more popular and what people think of it.

NetApp HCI mentions (0)

We have not tracked any mentions of NetApp HCI yet. Tracking of NetApp HCI recommendations started around Mar 2021.

Managed Disks mentions (12)

  • Waiting for Postgres 18: Accelerating Disk Reads with Asynchronous I/O
    Even worse on Azure where we had to ask customers to scale up vcpu to increase iops https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/managed-disks Increasing vcpu also opened up more disk slots to try improve situation with disk striping. - Source: Hacker News / 12 days ago
  • Azure Container Instances vs Sliplane
    In US East, Azure's Managed Disks start at $0.30 for 4 GB plus a transaction fee for read, write, and delete operations. The transaction fee is limited by the maximum number of transactions, e.g., max. $1.00 for a 4 GB disk. For the comparison, I will neglect it, even though a high number of transactions can have a quite significant influence. - Source: dev.to / 2 months ago
  • premium ssd v2
    Https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/managed-disks/ for more information on how this disk is priced. Source: almost 2 years ago
  • Price for unattached disk
    Google p30 and get this Https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/managed-disks/ About 7 usd per month. Source: about 2 years ago
  • copy between disks/mountpoints slow
    What size are your disks as this determines a few things? Credit based bursting is enabled by default for E30 and smaller but you may have to upgrade to premium to get the performance what you need. Look at, Https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/details/managed-disks/. Source: over 2 years ago
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What are some alternatives?

When comparing NetApp HCI and Managed Disks, you can also consider the following products

VMware vSAN - VMware vSAN is radically simple, enterprise-class software-defined storage powering VMware hyper-converged infrastructure. 

Vultr Block Storage Vultr - We are simplifying the cloud. One Login, 9 Countries, 16 Cities, Infinite Possibilities.

Nutanix - Nutanix is a virtualized datacenter platform that provides disruptive datacenter infrastructure solutions for implementing enterprise-class.

Azure Disk Storage - Choose the right disk storage for all of your data workloads in the cloud—and get the durability, scalability, availability, and security you need.

HPE SimpliVity - Simplify your IT with HPE Simplivity hyper converged infrastructure, your all-in one management solution for hybrid cloud and VM efficiency, scalability.

SUSE Enterprise Storage - SUSE intelligent software-defined storage solution enables to transform the enterprise storage infrastructure and reduce costs while providing unlimited scalability.