VMware vSphere has long been a cornerstone of hyperconverged infrastructure (HCI) solutions, integrating compute, storage, and networking into a single platform. For storage in HCI scenarios (and later in Dedicated/Converged scenarios), VMware uses VMware vSAN, an integrated storage engine that works on the host level. With the recent Broadcom-VMware licensing shifts, budget constraints, and the need for vendor diversity, many organizations are actively exploring alternatives to VMware vSAN.
This comprehensive guide analyzes the top VMware vSAN alternatives on VMware vSphere and other platforms, exploring their key strengths and considerations. In this article, we’ll focus on on-premises solutions only.
Why Consider VMware vSAN Alternatives?
Before diving into the VMware vSAN alternatives, it’s important to understand why organizations might seek vSAN replacements:
- Cost Optimization: VMware’s licensing model can become expensive as environments scale, particularly with per-core pricing structures and additional feature licensing requirements. After Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware, many existing VMware users started seeking both VMware vSphere (as a whole) and VMware vSAN (while keeping vSphere) alternatives.
- Protocols & Flexibility: Some workloads may require specialized storage architectures or storage protocols that better suit specific requirements or infrastructure.
- Vendor Diversification: Reducing dependency on a single vendor can improve negotiating power and reduce risk associated with vendor-specific roadmap changes.
- Feature-Specific Needs: Certain alternatives may offer superior capabilities in areas like data deduplication, compression, or integration with cloud services.
Top VMware vSAN Alternatives
Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct (S2D)
Storage Spaces Direct is Microsoft’s software-defined storage solution, tightly integrated with Windows Server and Hyper-V environments.
Key Benefits:
- Native integration with Windows Server and System Center
- No additional licensing costs beyond Windows Server Datacenter
- Great performance with ReFS file system and tiered storage
- Strong integration with Azure cloud services
- Support for various hardware configurations
Best For: Microsoft-centric environments running Windows workloads and organizations already invested in the Microsoft ecosystem.
Considerations: Limited to Windows environments and requires careful hardware selection for optimal performance and MSPs for proper configuration.
Red Hat Ceph Storage
Ceph is an open-source distributed storage system that provides object, block, and file storage in a unified platform.
Key Benefits:
- Open-source architecture with no vendor lock-in
- Massive scalability supporting petabyte-scale deployments
- Self-healing and self-managing capabilities
- Support for multiple storage interfaces (object, block, file)
- Strong community and enterprise support through Red Hat
Best For: Large-scale deployments, cloud service providers, and organizations prioritizing open-source solutions, storing unstructured data.
Considerations: Requires significant expertise to deploy and manage effectively; complexity can be challenging for smaller IT teams.
Nutanix Acropolis Distributed Storage Fabric (ADSF)
Nutanix pioneered the HCI market and remains one of vSAN’s strongest competitors. Their Acropolis Distributed Storage Fabric provides enterprise-grade storage services with advanced data management capabilities. While Nutanix offering still can be deployed on VMware vSphere, it shines the best on Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor (AHV).
Key Benefits:
- Industry-leading data reduction capabilities with inline deduplication and compression
- Great performance optimization through intelligent tiering and caching
- Comprehensive data protection with built-in backup and disaster recovery
- Strong ecosystem integration with major cloud providers
- User-friendly Prism management interface
Best For: Organizations seeking a feature-rich HCI solution with strong data management capabilities and multi-cloud integration.
Considerations: Higher upfront costs compared to some alternatives but often justified by reduced operational overhead and comprehensive feature set.
HPE SimpliVity
HPE SimpliVity is a hyperconverged platform that combines compute, storage, and networking with built-in data services.
Key Benefits:
- Integrated data deduplication and compression at the hypervisor level
- Global deduplication across the entire federation
- Built-in backup and disaster recovery capabilities
- Simplified management through a single interface
- Strong integration with HPE’s broader portfolio
Best For: Organizations requiring comprehensive data services and simplified backup/DR processes.
Considerations: Not available as a software-only option. HCI-only design may reduce deployment flexibility. Strong VMware focus and tight hardware integration can lead to vendor lock-in.
StarWind Virtual SAN (VSAN)
StarWind Virtual SAN is a “software replaces hardware” for SAN, application that eliminates a requirement in a physical shared storage. StarWind VSAN combines flash and disks of the cluster and forms a virtual shared storage “pool” accessible by all hosts. StarWind shines in 2-node SMB and ROBO scenarios where the management simplicity, high storage performance, and cost-efficiency are deciding factors.
Key Benefits:
- More cost-effective compared to proprietary solutions
- Supports various hypervisors including VMware, Hyper-V, and different flavors of KVM
- Highly available (HA) 2-node cluster configurations, perfect for smaller deployments. No witness node required.
- Hardware agnostic
- High availability without the complexity of traditional SAN solutions
Best For: Enterprise ROBO, SMB businesses, Edge deployments, organizations looking to eliminate SAN hardware costs, and environments requiring simple yet reliable shared storage solutions.
Considerations: May lack some advanced enterprise capabilities found in larger platforms, but this simplicity is often an advantage for SMB environments.
DataCore SANsymphony
DataCore SANsymphony is a software-defined storage platform that can be deployed in hyperconverged or traditional SAN configurations.
Key Benefits:
- Flexible deployment options (HCI or Converged)
- Advanced performance optimization, caching and tiering
- Comprehensive data services including FCP, thin provisioning and snapshots
- Support for heterogeneous storage environments
- Strong disaster recovery capabilities including continuous data protection (CDP)
Best For: Organizations with existing SAN infrastructure looking to modernize and those requiring flexible storage architectures.
Considerations: More complex than pure HCI solutions; may require additional storage expertise.
Key Evaluation Criteria for VMware vSAN Alternatives
When evaluating vSAN alternatives, consider these critical factors:
Performance and Scalability
Assess how each solution handles your specific workload requirements, including IOPS, throughput, and latency characteristics. Consider both current and future scaling needs.
Total Cost of Ownership
Look beyond initial licensing costs to include hardware requirements, operational overhead, support costs, and potential migration expenses.
Management Complexity
Evaluate the learning curve, ongoing management requirements, and integration with existing tools and processes.
Data Services
Consider requirements for features like deduplication, compression, encryption, snapshots, and replication capabilities.
Support and Ecosystem
Assess vendor stability, support quality, partner ecosystem, and integration capabilities with your existing infrastructure.
Migration Path
Understand the complexity and risk associated with migrating from your current vSAN environment to the alternative solution.
Conclusion
So, in this article, we explored leading VMware vSAN alternatives, from enterprise solutions like Nutanix and Microsoft S2D to cost-effective options like StarWind and open-source platforms like Ceph. Each solution offers unique advantages for different organizational needs and budgets.
Before making your choice, thoroughly analyze your specific requirements including performance needs, budget constraints, staff expertise, and long-term strategic goals. The right alternative can deliver significant cost savings and improved functionality for your infrastructure.
