Pure Storage rolls out FlashArray//XL for top-tier applications
Pure Storage on Wednesday unveiled the FlashArray//XL, a new top-tier FlashArray system designed for mission-critical enterprise applications like massive databases, or containerized and cloud-native apps. The new system brings higher performance, higher density, and higher resilience to the FlashArray family of products.
Pure said the FlashArray//XL is already resonating with customers that want to standardize their storage environments with Pure's subscription model but needed higher levels of scale. Previously, retiring their last remaining Dell EMC systems "would've required multiple FlashArray//X90s, and that just wasn't price competitive," Dan Kogan, VP of product management and product marketing for Pure Storage, said to ZDNet.
"Now, there's really no level of scale we can't cover," he said.
Combined with Pure Fusion -- a new self-service, autonomous storage environment that leverages a cloud operating model -- the FlashArray//XL can deliver a cloud-like experience for storage teams under pressure to adapt and operate with more flexibility, Kogan said.
"They're getting hit with the need for higher performance systems, more users, more data -- but less resources," he said. "Meanwhile, the IT people very much expect to be able to get a resource whenever they need it, just like they do in the cloud."
FlashArray//XL delivers a nearly 80% improvement in IOPS over the FlashArray//X family.
It delivers up to 5.78 PB effective capacity, as low as 150µs latency, and up to 36 GB/s throughputs, with an industry-leading 5:1 data reduction average.
It's a larger but also denser chassis -- Pure put the NVRAM on the direct flash module, rather than alongside it, which Kogan said results in better performance and opens up extra drive slots for more modules. The larger size also allows for increased space for fans, increasing cooling and efficiency.