Dell EMC Announces Key Unity, VNX EOL Dates: What Comes Next

Dell EMC recently announced several of its leading legacy data management technologies are set to go end of life (EOL) early next year. With support for these solutions beginning to  wind down, it’s time for businesses to start having the conversation about what comes next for their corporate data centers. Those who fail to get out ahead of these impending changes could find themselves in a tight spot when Dell EMC’s support fully runs out.

What solutions were impacted by this announcement? Let’s take a look at the list as well as Dell EMC’s suggestions on the technologies customers can turn to in order to modernize their data center environments:

  • Unity
    • EOL Model: Unity 600F – Suggested Replacement: Unity 650F
    • EOL Model: Unity 500F – Suggested Replacement: Unity 550F
    • EOL Model: Unity 400F – Suggested Replacement: Unity 450F
    • EOL Model: Unity 300F – Suggested Replacement: Unity 350F
  • VNX
    • EOL Model: VNX8000 – Suggested Replacement: Unity 650F, Unity 600, SC9000, VMAX 250F or XtremIO
    • EOL Model: VNX7600 – Suggested Replacements: Unity 650F, Unity 600 or SC9000
    • EOL Model: VNX5800 – Suggested Replacement: Unity 650F or Unity 600
    • EOL Model: VNX5600 – Suggested Replacement: Unity 550F or Unity 500
    • EOL Model: VNX5400 – Suggested Replacement: Unity 450F or Unity 400
    • EOL Model: VNX5200 – Suggested Replacement: Unity 350F or Unity 300
  • VNXe
    • EOL Model: VNXe3200 – Suggested Replacement: SCv20X0, Unity 300 or Unity 350F
    • EOL Model: VNXe1600 – Suggested Replacement: SCv20X0 or MD3
  • VSS
    • EOL Model: VSS1600 – Suggested Replacement: SCv20X0 or MD3
  • SC Series
    • EOL Model: SC4020 – Suggested Replacement: SC5020

What happens after ‘End of Life?’

Once January 31 hits, the above solutions will no longer be available for new sales. However, a variety of upgrades – including capacity, IO modules, and software – will remain available to customers until January 31, 2020, should they need them. Following that, the next big date organizations will want circled on their calendars is January 31, 2023. That’s the date on which those solutions will all reach end of primary support (EOPS) and all maintenance contracts with Dell EMC regarding them will terminate – unless alternative arrangements are made.

Luckily for customers looking to keep out in front of these dates, the upgrade path can be minimally intrusive, particularly for those upgrading a member of the Dell EMC Unity family. Customers leveraging any solutions from the Unity 300F to 600F product lines have the option to execute a data-in-place upgrade. Any data management systems modernized using this method will be bound to the end of life dates of the newer system moving forward. As mentioned, this option is currently only available for the Unity solutions listed above, but there are plans to expand it next year to cover upgrades from SC4020 to SC5020.

Next steps: Start planning your data center modernization

Want to learn more about the upgrade paths available for these or any Dell EMC solutions? Arraya Solutions’ Data Management team stands ready to help guide you through the upgrade process, connecting your business with the right technology to meet its unique needs. You can start a conversation with our team today by visiting: https://www.arrayasolutions.com//contact-us/.

Leave us a comment on this blog by way of our social media accounts. Arraya can be found on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook. While you’re there, be sure to follow us to stay on top of all our industry insights and special events.

Arraya Insights