HPE Nimble Storage

HPE Nimble Storage
Name	HPE Nimble Storage
Founded	2008
Founder	Varun Mehta, Umesh Maheshwari, John Colgrove
Fate	Acquired by Hewlett Packard Enterprise in 2017
Location	San Jose, California, U.S.
Industry	Data storage
Products	All-Flash Arrays, Hybrid Storage Arrays, Storage software
Parent	Hewlett Packard Enterprise

HPE Nimble Storage. It is a line of data storage systems originally developed by Nimble Storage Inc., a company founded in San Jose, California and later acquired by Hewlett Packard Enterprise. The product family is known for its predictive analytics platform, InfoSight, which uses cloud computing to provide proactive support and management. These systems are engineered for simplicity and reliability, catering to a range of workloads from virtualization to database applications.

History

Nimble Storage was founded in 2008 by engineers Varun Mehta, Umesh Maheshwari, and John Colgrove, the latter being a co-inventor of fundamental RAID technologies. The company launched its first product, the CS-Series hybrid storage array, in 2010, combining serial ATA hard disk drives with NAND flash memory solid-state drives. It undertook an initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2013 under the symbol "NMBL". In March 2017, Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced its acquisition of Nimble Storage for approximately $1 billion, a move widely analyzed by industry analysts like those at IDC and Gartner. The integration marked a significant expansion of HPE's storage portfolio against rivals like Dell EMC and NetApp.

Technology

The architecture is built on a scale-to-fit design that leverages a CASL (Cache Accelerated Sequential Layout) file system. This technology sequentially writes all data, including random access workloads, to a write cache on flash memory, before destaging to a back-end of high-capacity drives, optimizing performance and longevity. The systems utilize lossless data compression and data deduplication inline to increase effective capacity. A key differentiator is the InfoSight platform, which employs machine learning and big data analytics collected from a global installed base to predict and prevent issues across the entire IT stack, including servers running VMware vSphere and Microsoft Hyper-V.

Product lines

The primary product families include the all-flash array AF-Series and the hybrid CS-Series. The AF-Series, such as the AF3000, is designed for high-performance, low-latency applications like Oracle Database and SAP HANA. The CS-Series, like the CS500, provides a cost-effective tier for mixed workloads. These arrays are managed through the NimbleOS operating system. The portfolio also includes the HPE Alletra series, which represents a convergence of technologies following the acquisition, and solutions for disaster recovery like HPE Cloud Volumes.

Features

Core features revolve around the predictive capabilities of InfoSight, which provides root cause analysis and health monitoring. The systems offer comprehensive data protection with features like snapshots, remote replication, and integration with Veeam Software for backup. Quality of service controls allow administrators to guarantee performance for specific applications. All management is accessible through a single web interface or via REST APIs for automation, supporting integration with orchestration platforms like VMware vCenter and Microsoft System Center.

Integration with HPE

Following the acquisition, the technology has been deeply integrated into the broader Hewlett Packard Enterprise portfolio. It is a cornerstone of HPE's intelligent data platform strategy. The arrays are sold and supported globally through the HPE channel partners network and its direct sales force. They are often bundled with HPE ProLiant servers and HPE Aruba Networking solutions to form converged infrastructure. Development and engineering for the product line are coordinated from HPE facilities in San Jose, California and Fort Collins, Colorado.

Market position and competition

HPE Nimble Storage holds a significant position in the external storage systems market, frequently cited in the Magic Quadrant reports by Gartner. It competes directly with all-flash and hybrid offerings from Dell EMC (PowerStore), NetApp (FAS and AFF systems), Pure Storage, and IBM (FlashSystem). Its strength is often attributed to the InfoSight analytics platform, which contrasts with the more traditional support models of competitors. The solutions are positioned for mid-market enterprises and large organizations seeking to modernize data center infrastructure for cloud-native applications and artificial intelligence workloads.

Category:Data storage Category:Hewlett Packard Enterprise Category:Computer companies of the United States Category:Companies based in San Jose, California