HPE MSA 2070: The Entry All-Flash SAN, Reviewed
If your organization is still running workloads on aging hybrid storage or an overworked NAS box, the HPE MSA 2070 is worth a serious look. As the flagship model in HPE's MSA Gen7 family, the MSA 2070 delivers all-flash performance at an entry-level price point — a combination that used to require a much larger budget. This review breaks down the hardware, the features that actually matter, the trade-offs you should understand, and how the MSA 2070 stacks up against alternative paths, so you can make a confident, informed purchase rather than a leap of faith.
Whether you're a healthcare organization protecting EHR workloads, a SLED buyer constrained by TAA requirements, or an enterprise team replacing end-of-life Gen6 storage, the MSA 2070 sits squarely in a sweet spot. Here's the full picture. For a broader look at HPE storage options, see our HPE storage products catalog.
What the HPE MSA 2070 Actually Is
The HPE MSA 2070 is a 2U dual-controller SAN storage array and the top model in the HPE MSA Gen7 product line. It replaces the MSA 2062 (Gen6) and is designed for small-to-midsize organizations and department-level deployments that need shared block storage with genuine enterprise data services — without the cost overhead of HPE Alletra or Primera-class systems.
The MSA 2070 ships as an all-flash array in both Small Form Factor (SFF, 2.5-inch) and Large Form Factor (LFF, 3.5-inch) configurations. The SFF chassis holds 24 drives; the LFF chassis holds 12. You can populate either with SSD-only configurations for maximum IOPS, or mix in HDDs and activate automated tiering through the optional HPE MSA Advanced Data Services Suite.
Three host connectivity variants are offered:
- 16 Gb Fibre Channel (4 ports per controller, 8 total)
- 32 Gb Fibre Channel (4 ports per controller, 8 total) — added to the Gen7 portfolio as an upgrade over the previous generation
- 10/25 GbE iSCSI (4 ports per controller, 8 total)
- 12 Gb SAS (for direct-attach or SAS-connected host scenarios)
The back-end controller interconnect runs at 12 Gb SAS, providing the internal bandwidth needed to support dense all-flash configurations without creating a bottleneck between controllers and drives.
Gen7 Performance: What Changed From Gen6
The headline number HPE publishes is up to 783,000 IOPS across the MSA Gen7 family, representing roughly 2x more random IOPS and 30% more sequential bandwidth than the previous MSA Gen6 generation. That improvement comes from updated controller ASICs, optimized cache architecture, and better-aligned firmware across the Gen7 platform.
For context: the MSA 2062, the Gen6 predecessor, was already competitive for entry SAN workloads, but it ran 16 Gb FC as its top FC option and lacked the controller headroom that the 2070 Gen7 brings. If you're running SQL Server, VDI, or Oracle on a Gen6 array and finding yourself CPU- or bandwidth-constrained, the upgrade path to the 2070 is meaningful — not just incremental.
Low latency is the other advantage of the all-flash configuration. Sub-millisecond read latency from NVMe-adjacent SAS SSDs keeps transactional databases and boot storms from becoming bottlenecks. The MSA 2070 doesn't match the microsecond-class latency of HPE's Alletra platform, but it doesn't carry that price tag either.
Capacity and Scalability
The MSA 2070's base unit capacity varies by drive selection. Typical base configurations ship with 12 SSDs pre-installed, providing approximately 23 TB to 46 TB of raw flash depending on whether you choose 1.92 TB or 3.84 TB drives. You can also configure with larger 7.68 TB SSDs for denser base builds.
Scalability is a genuine strength here. The MSA 2070 supports up to nine MSA expansion enclosures, bringing maximum raw capacity to:
- Up to 7.37 PB in SFF (2.5-inch) configurations
- Up to 2.88 PB in LFF (3.5-inch) configurations
That's a very long runway for a system that starts at entry-level pricing. In practice, most MSA 2070 customers won't come anywhere near those ceilings — but it means you won't outgrow the platform before the hardware reaches end-of-life.
Drive type options span three performance tiers when tiering is licensed:
| Tier | Drive Type | Available Capacities |
|---|---|---|
| Performance | Enterprise SAS SSD | 1.92 TB, 3.84 TB, 7.68 TB |
| Standard | Enterprise SAS HDD | 600 GB, 1.2 TB, 2.4 TB, 4.8 TB |
| Archive | Midline SAS HDD | 4 TB, 8 TB, 12 TB, 16 TB |
All three tiers can coexist in a single system — managed automatically by the HPE MSA tiering engine — when the Advanced Data Services Suite license is active.
Data Services: What's Included vs. What's Optional
This is where buyers need to read carefully. The MSA 2070 includes a base set of data services out of the box:
- Dual active-active controllers with automatic failover
- 64 snapshots (redirect-on-write technology, no performance penalty)
- RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, and 10 support
- SSD Read Cache — SSDs can act as cache without requiring the full ADS license
- Volume copy and remote snapshot replication (requires ADS license)
The HPE MSA Advanced Data Services Suite is a separately purchased license that unlocks:
- Automated sub-LUN tiering — the system monitors I/O patterns and migrates hot data to SSDs, cold data to HDDs, automatically
- 512 snapshots (up from the base 64)
- Remote snapshot replication — asynchronous array-to-array replication over FC or Ethernet for disaster recovery
- Performance tiering — fine-grained data placement across all three drive tiers
For all-flash MSA 2070 deployments where you have no HDDs in the system, you generally do not need the ADS license to get strong performance — all data lives on flash and tiering is irrelevant. The license becomes critical when you mix media types or need remote replication for DR.
By contrast, the MSA 2072 — the step-up model — includes the ADS Suite at no extra cost. If you know you need tiering and replication from day one, factor that into your MSA 2070 vs. 2072 comparison.
MSA 2070 vs. MSA 2072: Key Differences
Both arrays are Gen7 platform, same chassis options, same controller architecture. The distinction is what you get bundled:
| Feature | MSA 2070 | MSA 2072 |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Data Services license | Optional (add-on cost) | Included |
| Snapshot count (base) | 64 | 512 |
| Remote snapshot replication | Requires ADS license | Included |
| Automated tiering | Requires ADS license | Included |
| All-flash capable | Yes | Yes |
| Hybrid (SSD + HDD) | Yes (ADS license required for tiering) | Yes (tiering included) |
| 32 Gb FC support | Yes | Yes |
| Max raw capacity (SFF) | ~7.37 PB | ~7.37 PB |
If you're deploying a pure all-flash SAN with no tiering requirement and no immediate need for asynchronous replication, the MSA 2070 is the more cost-effective choice. If you need built-in DR replication or plan to run a hybrid-flash configuration from day one, the MSA 2072 often delivers better total value because the bundled license offsets the incremental price difference.
Need help modeling which configuration fits your budget? Our team can build you a custom quote that compares both paths.
Security and Compliance Capabilities
For federal, SLED, and healthcare buyers, storage security isn't optional — it's a procurement requirement. The MSA 2070 addresses this through several mechanisms:
Self-Encrypting Drives (SED): The MSA 2070 supports SED SSD and HDD options across both SFF and LFF configurations. These drives implement FIPS 140-2 Level 2-certified encryption at the drive hardware level, meaning data-at-rest is protected even if a drive is physically removed from the array.
TAA-Compliant Models: HPE offers TAA-compliant MSA 2070 models specifically for U.S. Federal Government procurement under the Trade Agreements Act. TAA compliance requires that the final product be manufactured or substantially transformed in a TAA-designated country. When ordering TAA configurations, a minimum of six HPE MSA drives must be added at the factory via HPE Factory Integration Services.
Controller-Level Security: Dual redundant controllers with no single point of failure, plus support for role-based access control (RBAC) through the MSA management interface, round out the security posture.
For healthcare buyers subject to HIPAA data integrity requirements, the combination of SED encryption, RAID redundancy, and snapshot-based recovery points gives a strong baseline. For SLED buyers subject to state procurement rules, the TAA models satisfy most Buy American/Trade Agreements requirements.
Management and Ecosystem Integration
The MSA 2070 is managed through the HPE MSA Management Utility — a browser-based GUI that doesn't require a separate management server. Initial setup is straightforward: out-of-box configuration takes most experienced admins under an hour. The management plane supports:
- Unified view of controllers, drives, volumes, and host connections
- Performance monitoring with per-volume IOPS and latency graphs
- Firmware updates with minimal disruption
- Integration with HPE InfoSight for predictive analytics and proactive issue detection (where licensed)
On the host side, the MSA 2070 integrates cleanly with major hypervisor platforms. VMware vSphere VAAI support enables hardware-accelerated storage operations, reducing CPU load on ESXi hosts. Microsoft Windows Server and Hyper-V environments are well-supported, as is Red Hat Enterprise Linux and other major Linux distributions.
For organizations using HPE ProLiant Gen10 or Gen11 servers, the MSA 2070 with SAS connectivity provides a tightly integrated, same-vendor storage and compute stack — a meaningful operational simplicity advantage compared to mixing vendors.
The VSS Provider and VDS software for Windows environments, as well as the Storage Replication Adapter for VMware Site Recovery Manager, are available as free downloads from HPE support and extend the MSA 2070's enterprise integration capabilities.
Where the MSA 2070 Excels — and Where to Look Elsewhere
Strong fits:
- SMB and department-level virtualization: VDI boot storms, shared VMware datastores, Hyper-V clusters — the all-flash MSA 2070 handles these well without the management overhead of higher-end platforms
- Transactional databases at moderate scale: SQL Server, Oracle, and SAP workloads that fit within the controller's throughput envelope benefit from sub-millisecond flash latency
- Remote and branch office (ROBO) storage: The MSA 2070's 2U footprint, simple management, and reasonable power draw make it practical in environments without dedicated storage administrators
- TAA-compliant federal deployments: Agencies needing a straightforward, certified SAN with SED encryption and TAA provenance have very few comparable alternatives at this price range
- HIPAA-sensitive healthcare data: SED drives, RAID protection, and snapshot-based RPOs address most healthcare storage compliance requirements
Where you should consider alternatives:
- High-scale NVMe performance: If you need sub-100 microsecond latency at scale, look at the HPE Alletra Storage MP or Alletra 5000/6000 series. The MSA 2070 uses SAS SSDs, not NVMe, so latency floors are higher.
- Multi-site active-active replication: The MSA platform supports asynchronous replication, not synchronous. Workloads requiring zero-RPO replication between sites need a higher-tier platform.
- Workloads above the IOPS ceiling: At 783K IOPS max for the Gen7 family, the MSA 2070 is not intended for hyperscale transactional workloads. Scale up, not out, is limited.
If you're unsure where your workload lands, our storage buying guide walks through the HPE storage portfolio by workload type, or you can contact our team for a no-obligation assessment.
Buying Considerations: Configuration Checklist
Before you place an order, work through these decisions:
- SFF vs. LFF chassis: SFF gives higher drive density and more IOPS headroom. LFF is better for high-capacity archive tiers at lower cost per TB.
- FC vs. iSCSI: 32 Gb FC delivers the highest throughput and lowest protocol latency. iSCSI is cost-effective if you already have a 10/25 GbE fabric and don't need dedicated storage networking.
- All-flash vs. hybrid: For primary workloads, all-flash is usually the right answer — the price delta between SSD and HDD has narrowed significantly. Hybrid makes sense when you need archive-tier capacity for cold data.
- ADS license now or later: The ADS Suite is an add-on for the 2070. If you're certain you'll want remote replication or tiering within the system's lifecycle, buy it upfront. If you're deploying pure all-flash with no immediate DR replication requirement, you can defer.
- TAA compliance requirement: If you're a federal or state government buyer, verify your contract vehicle requires TAA and specify the TAA-compliant SKU at order time.
- SED drives: If your compliance posture requires data-at-rest encryption, add SED drives at order time — retrofitting after deployment is not supported.
For most deployments, we recommend specifying at least the base all-flash bundle with 12 SSDs, the appropriate FC or iSCSI controller, and evaluating the ADS license based on your DR and tiering needs. Browse available HPE storage configurations in our shop or reach out for a configured quote.
How Uniqcli Helps
Uniqcli is an authorized HPE and HPE Aruba Networking partner with direct experience deploying MSA Gen7 storage across federal agencies, healthcare networks, SLED institutions, and enterprise environments. We don't push hardware for margin — we help you match the right platform to your workload, budget, and compliance requirements.
If you're evaluating the HPE MSA 2070, we can help you:
- Validate the right configuration (SFF vs. LFF, FC vs. iSCSI, ADS license or not)
- Source TAA-compliant configurations for federal procurement
- Compare the MSA 2070 against other HPE storage tiers on a total-cost basis
- Assist with HPE GreenLake financing options if CapEx is a constraint
Request a quote or contact our storage team — we'll turn around a configuration recommendation quickly, with no obligation.