Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs NetApp FAS Series comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Mar 6, 2024
 

Categories and Ranking

Dell PowerScale (Isilon)
Ranking in NAS
1st
Average Rating
9.0
Number of Reviews
46
Ranking in other categories
File and Object Storage (3rd)
NetApp FAS Series
Ranking in NAS
2nd
Average Rating
8.8
Number of Reviews
98
Ranking in other categories
Deduplication Software (5th), Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) (1st)
 

Market share comparison

As of June 2024, in the NAS category, the market share of Dell PowerScale (Isilon) is 24.5% and it increased by 15.1% compared to the previous year. The market share of NetApp FAS Series is 19.6% and it increased by 7.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
NAS
Unique Categories:
File and Object Storage
7.1%
Deduplication Software
3.6%
Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)
14.5%
 

Q&A Highlights

AV
Mar 12, 2020
 

Featured Reviews

YC
May 20, 2024
Helps reduce data silos, improves performance, and flexibility
Our customers have seen improvement in performance, space, and flexibility for growth and management of data protection through snapshots and other systems. The AI models are something we are looking forward to trying but are not there yet. The algorithms are specific to each company and their industry. One of the most important things is the data localization. Many scenarios require the project data traffic to be close to where it is generated and read. A lot of interaction is between users and systems. So data localization is one of the most important things in terms of using the data algorithm. We don't need to manage our PowerScale and run its storage from any location yet but it is something that is coming for sure because several customers have centralized data in main data centers. But in different locations across the globe. So this is going to be a topic. I think that through the different functionalities that the Dell platform can grant, it will be a great player. When it comes to the flexibility for supporting various data workloads while protecting them, the combination of PowerScale and PPDM and all the other components of the data protection solution right now is key. So the automatic integration between the products is one of the killer features of the solution itself. PowerScale helped us to reduce data silos. This has simplified the management of large data environments in terms of scalability and management instead of having a different solution for the right reports to see how the data evolves and how to better manage them. PowerScale can do that in combination with the other components of the ecosystem. In terms of risk reduction, We need to mention the data management and the recovery part, So of course, the integration with the data domain is key. The fact that we can rely on these functions, and the fact that we also manage different customers, and possess the recovery plans and tests that can prove the solution is working.
MC
Mar 12, 2024
Deduplication and compression give us more possibilities, and unified storage capabilities simplify administration
The product does improve our performance. It is scalable enough. For scalability, we've found that even if you have a three-year-old service... the way NetApp works, we must buy new equipment every five or six years. It's as if there's planned obsolescence... we don't have the option to upgrade the solution over a long period. So, for scalability, I'd give it an eight out of ten. There was one instance where we needed to add disks, but the filer was full. We ran out of space to physically add them. We had to buy extra equipment to support adding more disks to the filer when it reached maximum capacity.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The guaranteed performance, combined with the scalability through its scale-out capability, makes it an excellent choice."
"The tool's most valuable features are scalability and stability."
"The most valuable features of the solution are flexibility and ease of implementation."
"The most valuable feature of Dell PowerScale is its scalability."
"The most valuable feature of the solution is its performance."
"The solution has simplified management by consolidating our workloads. Rather than managing all the different workloads on different storage arrays, Windows Servers, etc., we just have one place per data centre where we manage all their unstructured data, saving us time."
"The single pane of glass for both IT and for the end-user is a valuable feature. On the IT side, I can actually control where things are stored, whether something is stored on solid-state drives or spinning drives... The single pane of glass makes it very easy to use and very easy to understand. We started at 100 terabytes and we moved to 250 and it still feels like the exact same system and we're able to move data as needed."
"For maximizing storage utilization, PowerScale is great. When you write the data to it, it spreads it out to all the nodes, so you get all the performance from the entire pool."
"Has rock solid reliability and is easy to use."
"The strong point is that our clients like this are RadLV (Radiology Low-Value). They also use SnapMirror and MetroCluster."
"The input and output per second performance are satisfactory."
"Better performance and lower costs."
"End-users like that they can rely on the Snapshot technology so they can do their restores themselves."
"I have found all the features useful in NetApp FAS Series."
"The initial setup was so straightforward. It was well-documented."
"It is very flexible. It integrates well with the public cloud and other components, so everything can be API driven. Therefore, it is very easy to automate it."
 

Cons

"We lost our technical sales reps about two years ago. We haven't gotten one assigned to us and we'd love to have one."
"If they integrated some functions, as they have on Data Domain with a cyber recovery vault, it would be ideal."
"It would be good to have synchronized mirroring between two clusters without using a third-party program."
"There aren't many templates still coming out for it. They need to provide templates so we can copy and paste what we've done in the past to future, new things."
"Dell PowerScale can improve on its multi-tenant part because as a service provider, we have bigger clusters in data centers where we can serve multiple customers and grant them dedicated management points and automation features that can be managed in a multi-tenant environment."
"Dell PowerScale (Isilon) is a bit expensive compared to other products."
"Dell PowerScale needs to reduce its price."
"The solution can be a bit complex for those not well versed in the technology."
"I think this kind of infrastructure is mostly obsolete. To keep up with developments in this space, you need to move all these features to an All-Flash solution."
"Its licensing cost can be improved."
"The solution's configuration is not flexible."
"Needs more SAN support."
"I’ve found that I use command line more often than I thought needed. Some things should be done in the GUI, and command-line switches can be overwhelming and take up a lot of time."
"NetApp is costly when compared to Dell."
"The user interface could be improved."
"It's not a cheap system. It is very expensive. The pricing has been ridiculous every time that we had to renew the support."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We use the TNA approach which is a great opportunity for us to better manage the licenses based on how much consumption is available for the different customers so we can use that approach and scalability."
"Pricing for this solution is reasonable."
"The price of the solution is high."
"This solution is priced slightly higher than others on the market but does offer good quality. With this solution's data reduction and compression, we were able to purchase less. Costs have dropped because of the data rate of compression and deduplication."
"Dealing with the product costs and licensing areas is getting easier since Dell is simplifying the licensing process and licensing packages offered to users."
"Our company finds the pricing high, but it decreases over time."
"I always want things to be less expensive. However, I would say the pricing is fair. Their costs are in alignment with their competitors. It is a good value for the money."
"Dell PowerScale is an expensive solution compared to other products like Qumulo."
"The tool is expensive."
"Low-priced product, but pricing could still be made more attractive."
"If we want a ransomware solution with the product or other extended features, we need to pay an extra cost."
"I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten, with ten being expensive. We pay a one-time purchase price."
"In general, I find NetApp to be very expensive. That's the main issue I have with them. So it's a drawback in terms of pricing."
"It's not cheap, but at the same time, it's also inexpensive. It's somewhere in between."
"NetApp FAS Series could be less expensive."
"The licensing cost is on yearly basis."
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Answers from the Community

AV
Mar 12, 2020
Mar 12, 2020
Isilon is Scale-out storage, while NetApp is Active-Standby storage. Regarding the performance issue based on the field engineer’s experience, Isilon is better than NetApp in case of a huge amount of io, while NetApp is better than Isilon in case of a medium amount of IO.
2 out of 3 answers
BH
Mar 9, 2020
My recommendation is to take a close look at our CS Concerto Scale-Out Cluster system.
SK
Mar 10, 2020
Isilon is Scale-out storage, while NetApp is Active-Standby storage. Regarding the performance issue based on the field engineer’s experience, Isilon is better than NetApp in case of a huge amount of io, while NetApp is better than Isilon in case of a medium amount of IO.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
23%
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
59%
Computer Software Company
7%
Manufacturing Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
4%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?
The solution provides massive performance, scalability, efficiency, and ease of management.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?
It is a really expensive solution. I would rate the pricing a nine out of ten, with one being low price and ten being high price.
What needs improvement with Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?
Dell PowerScale (Isilon) is a bit expensive compared to other products.
Which SAN product would you choose: IBM FlashSystem (FS9500) vs PureFlash Array/X NVMe vs PureFlash Array/XL NVMe?
Have you considered a NetApp FAS Storage for your NAS needs? I am sure it fits very well.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetApp FAS Series?
I would rate the pricing a seven out of ten, with ten being expensive. We have a contract and pay a one-time purchase price. We're currently evaluating the AFF A150... that's approximately (FRF)106...
 

Also Known As

PowerScale, Dell EMC Isilon
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

OMRF, University of Utah, Translational Genetics Research Institute, Arcis, Geofizyka Torumn, Cyprus E&P Corporation, Colburn School, Columbia Sportswear, Harvard Medical School, University of Michigan, National Library of France,
Children's Hospital Central California, Plex Systems, PDF PNI Digital Media, Denver Broncos, PDF KSM Legal, Clayton Companies, Virginia Community College
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs. NetApp FAS Series and other solutions. Updated: May 2024.
787,061 professionals have used our research since 2012.