Storage | News

Hempstead SD Implements Solid-State Flash Storage Array for Virtualization

• By Leila Meyer
• 03/06/12

Hempstead Public Schools district in Long Island is implementing a solid-state storage array as a storage hub for its VMware View virtual desktop infrastructure.

Administrators for the school district had been looking for a storage solution that met a number of criteria. They wanted a solution that would be easy to deploy and maintain while offering scalability across the district's networks and desktops. They also wanted a solution that could support large volumes of write IO to ensure high performance and availability of the virtual desktop infrastructure during computer classes. The district also needed the cost of the new storage array to fall within its budget, without a large infrastructure investment up front.

The district's technical team evaluated a number of potential solutions and selected WhipTail, an enterprise-class solid-state flash storage array that behaves like a traditional storage array.

WhipTail runs on less than 200 watts of power and, according to Dan Crain, CEO of WhipTail, provides organizations with up to 80 percent energy savings compared to traditional storage. It operates at 250,000 IOPS (input/output operations per second) and, according to WhipTail, it is tuned for low latency, high IO environments.

WhipTail employs multilevel cell (MLC) technology, a high-capacity flash memory that writes two data segments to each cell. MLC flash has been criticized for having low write IO and poor longevity. WhipTail claims to have overcome these challenges with its proprietary operating system.

Hempstead Public Schools serves approximately 7,000 students from Pre-Kindergarten through grade 12, as well as adult and community education students. It is one of the largest school districts in Long Island, New York.