1.
2020 IT Brand Leader Survey Report
Storage Products

2.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
IT Brand Leader Survey Report
This 2020 brand leader surveys cover 14 storage products.
The report includes results of voting for six categories of brand
leadership for each product: Market, Price, Performance,
Reliability, Service & Support and Innovation.
Numerical survey data is available upon request. Please contact us at
info@itbrandpulse.com.
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2020 Brand Leader Survey
2020 Storage Brand Leader Survey Table of Contents Page
Brand Leader Survey Methodology 4
Brand Leader Voting Definitions 5
Survey Respondent - Title/Job Description 7
Survey Respondent - Data Center Environment 8
2020 Storage Brand Leader Survey Winners Chart 10
Product Category Definitions 11
Summary Analysis 12
Ageless Storage 2020 Brand Leader Chart 13
Distributed Database Backup & Recovery 2020 Brand Leader Chart 14
Enterprise Archive 2020 Brand Leader Chart 15
Enterprise Backup Software & Appliance 2020 Brand Leader Chart 16
Enterprise File Synch & Sharing 2020 Brand Leader Chart 17
Enterprise HDDs 2020 Brand Leader Chart 18
Hybrid NAS Array 2020 Brand Leader Chart 19
Hybrid SAN Array 2020 Brand Leader Chart 20
On-Premises Enterprise Storage as a Service 2020 Brand Leader Chart 21
Scale Out File & Object Storage Appliance 2020 Brand Leader Chart 22
Scale out File & Object Storage Software 2020 Brand Leader Chart 23
Servers for Software Defined Storage 2020 Brand Leader Chart 24
Storage Performance Validation Software & Appliances 2020 Brand Leader Chart 25
Unified SAN/NAS Disk Array 2020 Brand Leader Chart 26
About the Author 27
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2020 Brand Leader Survey
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• Brand Leader reports are designed to measure the pulse of brand leadership in specific product
categories using results from independent, non-sponsored surveys with at least 200 respondents.
• The Storage Brand Leader Survey was conducted in 2020.
– Respondents were solicited from over 1,000,000 members of 100+ online IT groups, and from the IT Brand
Pulse database of 150,000 IT professionals.
– Two hundred IT Pros responded to this survey.
– Responses were collected using an online survey engine.
• In each part, respondents were provided with a product category description, randomly-listed vendor
choices (plus an “Other” answer choice to add a vendor, if applicable), and were asked six questions:
1. Who do you perceive as the <product category> market leader?
2. Who do you perceive as the <product category> price leader?
3. Who do you perceive as the <product category> performance leader?
4. Who do you perceive as the <product category> reliability leader?
5. Who do you perceive as the <product category> innovation leader?
6. Who do you perceive as the <product category> service & support leader?
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4
Storage
Brand Leader Survey Methodology

5.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Brand Leader Definitions
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6.
2020 IT Brand Leader Survey Report
Respondent Profiles

7.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Respondent Title/Job Description:
VAR/OEM
Security Administrator/Architect
Data Center Manager
Network Administrator/Architect
Executive/Management
Storage Administrator/Architect
Other
Server Administrator/Architect
IT Manager/Director
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8.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Your environment is best described as:
Product Development
Public Cloud/Data Center Provider
Other
High-Performance Computing Data Center
Small-Medium Business Data Center
Enterprise Data Center
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9.
2020 IT Brand Leader Survey Report
Survey Results

10.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
2020
Storage
Brand Leaders
Voted by IT Pros
Ageless Storage Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Pure Storage Dell EMC
Distributed Database Backup &
Recovery
Veritas Veritas Veritas Veritas Veritas Veritas
Enterprise Archive Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft
Enterprise Backup Software &
Appliances
Dell EMC
Dell EMC &
Veeam (tie)
Dell EMC
Dell EMC &
Veritas (tie)
Veeam Dell EMC
Enterprise File Synch & Sharing Microsoft Google Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft Microsoft
Enterprise HDDs Western Digital Western Digital Western Digital Western Digital Western Digital Western Digital
Hybrid (HDD & SSD) NAS Arrays Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC
Hybrid (HDD & SSD) SAN Arrays Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC
On-Premises Enterprise Storage
as a Service
Dell Technologies Dell Technologies Dell Technologies IBM Pure Storage IBM
Scale-Out File & Object Storage
Appliances
Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC
Scale-Out File & Object Storage
Software
VMware VMware VMware VMware VMware VMware
Servers for Software Defined
Storage
Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC
Storage Performance Validation
Software & Appliances
NetApp NetApp NetApp NetApp NetApp NetApp
Unified (SAN/NAS) Disk Arrays Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC Dell EMC

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2020 Brand Leader Survey
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Product Category Definitions
• Ageless Storage: Storage that is bought or leased (not Storage as a Service) with upgrades built into the purchase price or leasing terms.
• Distributed Database Backup & Recovery: Enterprise-class distributed backup and recovery for distributed database clusters.
• Enterprise Archive: Long term storage of email and other data that is infrequently accessed, and often must adhere to compliance regulations
such as GxP Data (Pharma), SEC17a4 (Banking), HIPAA, patient record (Healthcare), and product liability (Automotive).
• Enterprise Backup Software & Appliances: Backup products which provide some or all of the following in an integrated appliance: backup to
tape, backup to random-access media (disk, flash, etc.), emulate the previous backup targets (e.g., VTL [VTL]), data reduction (compression,
deduplication, single instancing, etc.), snapshot, heterogeneous replication and CDP (CDP).
• Enterprise File Synchronization & Sharing: EFSS refers to a range of on-premises or cloud-based capabilities that enable individuals to
synchronize and share documents, photos, videos and files across multiple devices, such as smartphones, tablets and PCs.
• Enterprise HDDs: Also known as a disk drive. Enterprise HDDs are disk drives with higher performance, capacity and reliability than HDDs for
PCs.
• Hybrid NAS Array: Ethernet-based hybrid (disk and SSD) arrays which provide access to files using network file sharing protocols such as NFS,
SMB/CIFS, or AFP.
• On-Premises Enterprise Storage as a Service: Storage which is deployed on-premise, but is purchased based on consumption.
• Hybrid SAN Array: Fibre Channel and iSCSI-based hybrid (disk and SSD) arrays which provide access to files using network file sharing
protocols such as NFS, SMB/CIFS, or AFP.
• Scale Out File & Object Storage Appliances: Hardware/software appliances which serve as self-contained repositories for scale-out file and
object storage.
• Scale-out Object Storage Software: Software which runs on standard servers and for scale-out file and object storage.
• Servers for Software Defined Storage: Servers designed for deployment as storage nodes in a software defined storage cluster. Servers for
software defined storage nodes are characterized by their enclosures which house dozens of HDDs or SSDs.
• Storage Performance Validation Software & Appliances: Storage load generation and I/O measurement systems that gather data and then
create a production workload model using the data. The appliances can then run the emulated workload against storage systems to validate
their ability to handle the workload.
• Unified SAN/NAS Disk Array: A disk array which can be partitioned into a block-based SAN array and a file-based NAS array.
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2020 Brand Leader Survey
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Summary Analysis
• Dell EMC Shows Enterprise Storage Leadership, Voted Market Leader in 8 Product Categories, 9 Counting
VMware
– Dell EMC flexes brand muscles to unseat Pure Storage for Ageless Storage Market Leadership. The company was
voted market leader for Ageless Storage, Enterprise Backup Software & Appliances, Hybrid NAS Arrays, Hybrid
SAN Arrays, On-Premises Enterprise Storage as a Service, Unified SAN/NAS Arrays, Scale-out File & Object
Storage Appliances, and Servers for Software Defined Storage.
• Western Digital Displaces Seagate as Leader for Enterprise HDDs
– Western Digital dethroned former seven-time Market leader, Seagate, as IT Pros name them the leader across
the board picking up titles for Market, Price, Performance, Reliability, Innovation, and Service & Support.
• VMware Emerges as Market Leader for Scale-Out File & Object Storage Software
– Despite open source and pure-play software companies pioneering Scale-Out File & Object Storage, VMware’s
massive customer base perceives them as a market leader simply for having an offering available.
• Microsoft Takes Over Enterprise File Synch & Sharing
– Consumer offerings used mostly by PC users have forced their way into the enterprise.
• Veritas Shines as Brand Leader for Distributed Database Backup & Recovery
– IT Pros acknowledge Veritas as the top leader for Distributed Database Backup & Recovery, making this their
second successive clean sweep in this category.
• Every New Technology Matures Sparking a Series of Events
– This year’s survey results highlight a trend we see every time a new technology emerges. A few new companies
will pioneer the new technology, enjoying their moment in the spotlight before the “big guys” enter the market
or acquire the best startups inheriting brand leadership by leveraging their massive customer bases.
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13.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Ageless Storage
13
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
50.00%
Dell EMC (Future-
Proof Storage
Loyalty)
Netapp (Keystone
Ownership Program)
HPE/Nimble
(Timeless Storage)
Pure Storage
(Evergreen Storage)
IBM (Storage Utility)
Market Price Performance Reliability Innovation Service & Support
Who do you perceive as the Market,
Price, Performance, Reliability,
Innovation, and Service & Support
leader for Ageless Storage?

14.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Distributed Database Backup & Recovery
14
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Veritas Commvault Talena Rubrik Datos IO Imanis
Market Price Performance Reliability Innovation Service & Support
Who do you perceive as the
Market, Price, Performance,
Reliability, Innovation, and
Service & Support leader
for Distributed Database
Backup & Recovery?

15.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Enterprise Archive
15
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
50.00%
Microsoft Veritas Proofpoint Barracuda Mimecast Smarsh
(Actiance)
ZL Technologies Global Relay Micro Focus
(GWAVA)
Bloomberg
Market Price Performance Reliability Innovation Service & Support
Who do you perceive as the
Market, Price, Performance,
Reliability, Innovation, and
Service & Support leader
for Enterprise Archive?

16.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Enterprise Backup Software &
Appliances
16
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
Dell EMC
(Avamar, Data
Domain and
Networker)
Veritas/Symantec Comnmvault Veeam IBM HPE Cohesity Acronis Quantum
Market Price Performance Reliability Innovation Service & Support
Who do you perceive as the Market,
Price, Performance, Reliability,
Innovation, and Service & Support
leader for Enterprise Backup Software
& Appliances?

17.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Enterprise File Synch & Sharing
17
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
50.00%
Microsoft Google Dropbox Box Citrix BlackBerry Axway
(Syncplicity)
Accellion Egnyte
Market Price Performance Reliability Innovation Service & Support
Who do you perceive as the
Market, Price, Performance,
Reliability, Innovation, and
Service & Support leader
for Enterprise File Synch &
Sharing?

18.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Enterprise HDDs
18
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Western Digital (WD) Seagate Toshiba HGST
Market Price Performance Reliability Innovation Service & Support
Who do you perceive as the
Market, Price, Performance,
Reliability, Innovation, and
Service & Support leader
for Enterprise HDDs?

19.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Hybrid (HDD & SSD) NAS Arrays
19
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
Dell EMC NetApp HPE Oracle IBM Huawei Hitachi Data
Systems (HDS)
Fujitsu
Market Price Performance Reliability Innovation Service & Support
Who do you perceive as the
Market, Price, Performance,
Reliability, Innovation, and
Service & Support leader
for Hybrid NAS Array?

20.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Hybrid (HDD & SSD) SAN Arrays
20
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
Dell EMC NetApp HPE Hitachi Data
Systems (HDS)
IBM Fujitsu Oracle Huawei
Market Price Performance Reliability Innovation Service & Support
Who do you perceive as the
Market, Price, Performance,
Reliability, Innovation, and
Service & Support leader
for Hybrid SAN Arrays?

21.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
On-Premises Enterprise Storage
as a Service
21
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
Dell Technologies
Flex On Demand
Pure Storage as-
a-Service
HPE Greenlake
Flex Capacity
NetApp Keystone IBM Storage
Utility
DXC Storage as a
Service
Zadara Cloud
Platform
Market Price Performance Reliability Innovation Service & Support
Who do you perceive as
the Market, Price,
Performance, Reliability,
Innovation, and Service
& Support leader for
On-Premises Enterprise
Storage as a Service?

22.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Scale Out File & Object Storage
Appliances
22
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Dell EMC NetApp IBM Quantum HDS Cohesity Cloudian DDN Huawei
Market Price Performance Reliability Innovation Service & Support
Who do you perceive as the
Market, Price, Performance,
Reliability, Innovation, and
Service & Support leader
for Scale Out File & Object
Storage Appliances?

23.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Scale out File & Object Storage Software
23
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
VMware Microsoft Red Hat IBM/Cleversafe Scality Cloudian HGST/Amplidata SUSE Nexenta
Market Price Performance Reliability Innovation Service & Support
Who do you perceive as the
Market, Price, Performance,
Reliability, Innovation, and
Service & Support leader
for Scale out File & Object
Storage Software?

24.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Servers for Software Defined Storage
24
0.00%
10.00%
20.00%
30.00%
40.00%
50.00%
60.00%
Dell EMC HPE Cisco Lenovo Supermicro Quanta Huawei Inspur
Market Price Performance Reliability Innovation Service & Support
Who do you perceive as the
Market, Price, Performance,
Reliability, Innovation, and
Service & Support leader
for Servers for Software
Defined Storage?

25.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Storage Performance Validation
Software & Appliances
25
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
45.00%
50.00%
NetApp SolarWinds Virtual
Instruments/LoadDynamiX
SANBlaze Ixia
Market Price Performance Reliability Innovation Service & Support
Who do you perceive as the
Market, Price, Performance,
Reliability, Innovation, and
Service & Support leader
for Storage Performance
Validation Software &
Appliances?

26.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
Unified SAN/NAS Disk Arrays
26
0.00%
5.00%
10.00%
15.00%
20.00%
25.00%
30.00%
35.00%
40.00%
Dell EMC NetApp IBM HPE Oracle Hitachi Data
Systems (HDS)
Fujitsu Huawei
Market Price Performance Reliability Innovation Service & Support
Who do you perceive as the
Market, Price, Performance,
Reliability, Innovation, and
Service & Support leader
for Unified SAN/NAS Disk
Arrays?

27.
2020 Brand Leader Survey
About the Author
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Samantha Griffin
Analyst & Manager, Brand Leader Research
Samantha.griffin@itbrandpulse.com
Harrison Griffin
Analyst & Account Manager
Harrison.griffin@itbrandpulse.com