Dell Technologies APEX Block Storage For Public Cloud Overview

Krithika Gopal, a product manager at Dell Technologies, is discussing the features and benefits of Dell APEX Block Storage, which is part of Dell’s universal storage layer initiative aimed at bringing Dell storage to the public cloud. APEX Block Storage is based on PowerFlex IP, a software-defined storage solution that has been around for over a decade, known for its performance, scalability, and flexibility.

APEX Block Storage is available on both AWS and Azure through their respective marketplaces or directly from Dell. It aims to lower the total cost of ownership (TCO) for customers and allows for the deployment of high-performance, mission-critical applications in the public cloud. It also supports seamless data mobility across different environments and offers a unique Multi-AZ Durability feature to increase resiliency.

Krithika highlights the product’s ability to deliver 100x better performance compared to existing public cloud storage, based on internal testing. She explains that APEX Block Storage can scale up to hundreds of nodes, achieving millions of IOPS. The product is designed to not compete with public cloud providers but to enhance the customer experience by addressing needs not currently met in the public cloud.

The discussion also covers the technical aspects of deploying APEX Block Storage, including the use of EC2 instances on AWS and virtual machines on Azure, as well as the integration with Dell Data Domain Virtual Edition for data backup. Additionally, Krithika addresses questions about the product’s performance, cost-effectiveness, software client requirements, and the six-nines availability claim.