NSW Department of Education seeks information from vendors for enterprise storage array solutions to replace DELL UNITY 450F arrays at NSW Government Data Centres. End-of-Service Life: May 2026.

Project goals

The NSW Department of Education aims to:

• Replace existing DELL UNITY 450F storage arrays that will reach End of Service Life in May 2026
• Ensure continuous high availability storage for critical applications like TRIM and SAP TRIM
• Maintain secure and efficient data storage infrastructure across multiple NSW Government Data Centres
• Implement a modern enterprise storage solution with enhanced capabilities for data protection, replication, and cloud integration
• Support separate virtual NAS environments for different AD domains (PROD, PRE-PROD, UAT/DEV)

Scope

The Department seeks information about enterprise storage array solutions that include:

Hardware Requirements:

• All-Flash drive array storage architecture
• Mandatory support for SMB, NFS, and File protocols
• Support for Block, Blob, and Container storage (Desirable)
• Integration capabilities with iSCSI, FC, and NVME protocols (Desirable)
• High-availability enterprise storage with dual controllers for non-disruptive failover
• Multiple Ethernet ports (≥25Gb Data Ports, 10Gb Management Ports)
• Dual power supplies

Software and Management:

• Single-pane management interface for multiple storage arrays and virtual NAS servers
• Multi-factor authentication for administrator access
• Data protection features including snapshots, replication, and DR capabilities
• Data efficiency features including deduplication and compression
• REST API support for automation
• Integration with cloud storage platforms
• Support for secure multi-tenancy
• VMware ESXi integration capabilities

Support and Implementation:

• Delivery required before 30 June 2025
• Installation in first quarter of financial year 2025/2026
• 5-year warranty and parts replacement
• Software support services
• All associated software licenses must be inclusive

The solution must be capable of supporting current applications and data storage requirements while providing scalability for future growth.