HPE HDDs deliver large-scale, reliable spinning-disk storage for mission-critical enterprise workloads where capacity, consistency, and interoperability are crucial. Whether used for data-tiering, archival retention, or large-scale SAN/NAS storage, these drives integrate seamlessly with HPE servers and arrays.
As a trusted HPE partner, we bring decades of expertise in enterprise data storage and solutions. Our team has an extensive technical understanding of HPE’s product portfolio – enabling us to assess, integrate, and optimise solutions for even the most complex or high-demand environments.
Expert guidance for the right fit
We don’t just sell IT hardware. Every HPE solution we recommend is assessed against your specific security concerns, performance requirements, and both current and future infrastructure plans. This consultative approach ensures that our guidance is aligned with your bespoke needs, so that you can invest in new data storage with complete confidence.
Exclusive access and strategic advantages
Through our partnership with HPE, your business will gain access to partner-only promotions, bundled solutions, and live demos. Combined with our technical expertise and ongoing support, this ensures your HPE hardware is secure, cost-optimised, and future-ready.
Expert Data Storage Services
When you buy HPE from Steel City Consulting, you’ll receive expert deployment and maximum benefits. We also provide support in the following specialist areas:
| Our service | What to expect |
|---|---|
| Needs Assessment & Capacity Planning |
+ Full audit of the existing environment (on-premise and cloud) + Performance analysis, usage trends and storage forecasting + Risk and gap assessment aligned to best practices + Capacity modelling with “what-if” scenario testing + Strategic recommendations and prioritised roadmap |
| Managed Backup Services |
+ 24/7 monitoring and proactive management by certified experts. + Full encryption during transmission and storage. + Rapid Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs). + Backup flexibility across servers, devices, cloud workloads, and applications. + Cost-efficient pay-as-you-grow model — only pay for what you use. |
| Storage As a Service (STaaS) |
+ Physical-to-virtual (P2V) migrations + Virtual machine provisioning and configuration + Optimised storage, memory, and CPU allocation + High availability, load balancing, and clustering support |
| Disaster Recovery Services |
+ Complete ransomware protection with full system recovery + Automatic failback and flexible restore options + Disaster recovery infrastructure hosted in secure UK data centres + Choice of fully managed or self-managed disaster recovery services (DRaaS) |
What are HPE Spares?
HPE Spares are official replacement parts, issued with spare part numbers.
They are identical hardware to retail drives – brand new with zero runtime – but supplied as service parts rather than retail packaging. Because they are official, they are fully recognised by HPE servers and arrays.
At Steel City Consulting, all HPE Spares are covered by a 3-year warranty, giving customers peace of mind at a lower cost point.
Experience smart savings and enhanced sustainability with HPE Renew.
This circular initiative provides top-quality remanufactured HPE hardware, fully-certified and backed by warranty.
What is the difference between HPE Renew and HPE Spares?
As an official HPE partner, we help enterprises unlock flexible financing options that align IT investment with business goals.
Through HPE Financial Services, we can help your business to:
Unlock smart HPE financing, built for enterprise scale.
As a certified partner, we can unlock exclusive HPE promotions for your business, providing enhanced resilience and efficiency across your network at unbeatable discounts.
Talk to a certified HPE expert. We’ll help you choose the right combination of hardware, licenses, and services.
Considering HPE HDDs? Our FAQ contains 8 common questions.
Q1. What are the benefits of using an official HPE HDD over a third-party drive?
Official HPE HDDs are tested, certified, and qualified for seamless integration with HPE ProLiant servers and storage arrays.
HPE does not provide support when non-HPE hard drives are present — even if the issue is unrelated — and will typically require replacement with approved drives before troubleshooting. Therefore, third-party drives are usually only suited to lab or archive environments where downtime is acceptable.
Q2. Can I use non-HPE drives in an HPE server?
It’s possible, but there are important limitations:
Official HPE HDDs or HPE Renew certified drives are the safer choice, maintaining full functionality and vendor support.
Q3. How reliable are HPE HDDs compared to consumer models, and what is their expected lifetime?
HPE HDDs are enterprise-class drives designed for 24/7 operation, with higher MTBF ratings and endurance than consumer HDDs. While consumer disks are optimised for lighter workloads, HPE HDDs are built for continuous data-centre environments, sustaining far more read/write cycles. Most enterprise HDDs come with a 3-year warranty, and actual lifespan depends on workload intensity, but reliability is consistently higher than consumer alternatives.
Q4. Are HPE Nearline HDDs suitable for always-on environments?
Yes. HPE Nearline HDDs (NL-SAS and SATA) are designed for cost-efficient, high-capacity storage in archive and bulk data tiers. They support 24/7 duty cycles, unlike many consumer-grade disks, but are optimised for read-intensive workloads. For transactional or latency-sensitive applications, enterprise SAS HDDs are generally recommended.
Q5. What tools can I use to monitor HPE HDD health?
HPE HDDs integrate with system management platforms including HPE iLO, HPE OneView, and array controllers to provide SMART data, error logs, temperature readings, and predictive failure alerts. This monitoring allows administrators to identify failing drives early and replace them without downtime.
Q6. Are HPE HDDs hot-swappable, and can I mix different drive models or sizes in RAID arrays?
Most HPE HDDs in supported caddies are hot-swappable, allowing replacement without system shutdown. Mixing different drive sizes or models in the same RAID array is possible but not recommended—performance typically defaults to the slowest drive, and resilience can be reduced. For optimal performance and predictability, use matched drives within RAID groups.
Q7. Can I use SATA HDDs in place of SAS in HPE servers?
HPE servers generally support both SAS and SATA HDDs, but SAS offers higher performance, dual-port redundancy, and better error handling. SATA drives may be used in lower-tier storage or archival scenarios but are not ideal for mission-critical workloads where availability and throughput are essential.
Q8. Do HPE HDDs require firmware updates, and do they need to be aligned with RAID controller versions?
Yes. HPE releases firmware updates for HDDs to improve stability and compatibility. These updates should always be aligned with supported RAID controller and system firmware versions to ensure interoperability. Running mismatched versions can cause drives to be flagged as unsupported or lead to degraded performance.
