What is our primary use case?
I have been using Dell PowerEdge C-Series for at least five years.
I use Dell PowerEdge C-Series extensively for scalable workloads, including machine learning, AI, big data, and cloud computing in a hybrid environment. I also use it for hosting applications.
In my case, I have applications that need to be hosted in the cloud and connected to the cloud but also need internal communication with on-premises servers. I use Dell PowerEdge C-Series for this purpose because it is highly scalable and offers fantastic performance with Intel Xeon Scalable CPUs and high-speed DDR5 memory. I mainly use it for bidirectional communication between an application that is in the cloud and requires information stored on this server. This is a hybrid environment where the application is in the cloud but queries various information such as databases and other data that are on this server.
I have fully on-premises servers and also a private cloud. I have another Dell PowerEdge C-Series server that is used as a private cloud.
What happens in this case is that I have an application that is hosted on AWS and consumes some resources from this server that is in this private cloud. In this private environment, which in this case is a relational database, I have an application running on an AWS ECS service that scales EC2 instances, and I have an internal server sharing information like a database that the application constantly uses.
What is most valuable?
Dell PowerEdge C-Series servers have compatibility with high-performance NVMe SSDs, support for hardware and software RAID, support for GPUs and other accelerators. They have good energy efficiency and power management, as well as advanced management features.
It offers high compute density and is designed for scalable workloads with Xeon processors that are suitable for running high-performance applications. There is also advanced management with iDRAC, which is phenomenal. I can see if there is any issue on the server or any point that needs attention. There is also high availability and simplified maintenance. I can hot-swap disks and power supplies. There is built-in enterprise security by default, such as Secure Boot, TPM 2.0, cryptographically signed firmware, Secure Erase, and other features that are ideal at the enterprise level.
With iDRAC, I can see the temperature the server is running at in that moment. I can see if there was any kind of physical intrusion on the server, such as if it was opened improperly by someone in IT without prior alignment. I can see if it is showing any kind of problem with RAM or with the disks. I can monitor events that occur on the server itself. I have complete management, and iDRAC allows me to have full control of the server. It is an outstanding card that comes integrated and is phenomenal for IT administrators.
I can run LLM models on this server, for example using relatively small models. I have already run some tests and can get very good performance and deliver very good results.
Maintenance downtime was reduced precisely because it allows highly efficient hot swap. I can make replacements of disks and power supplies more quickly without necessarily having to completely shut down the server. I have gained in both reliability and availability.
If I say it affected me, it would only be positively. I have been able to have greater resilience, a higher level of service delivery, and I managed to solve several problems that I had before with older servers.
What needs improvement?
The main issues are the acquisition cost, which is really high, and when it is necessary to replace parts, the cost is also a bit high. I think there are points for improvement in support as well.
What was missing to reach a perfect rating is exactly the high acquisition and maintenance cost of these servers.
Cost is really a sticking point. There is a relatively high cost, both for acquisition and for licensing some Dell software, such as the paid iDRAC licenses. I believe the cost, depending on how I use it and the workload I need, is worth it. However, I cannot forget that it is, in a way, an expensive solution.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with infrastructure technology for more than seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
My previous server was assembled piece by piece. It was a server that was built component by component with the case, motherboard, processor, memory, and disks all purchased separately, and they were mostly low-quality parts. I was demanding a lot from it, which created bottlenecks and unexpected outages. Disks would stop working, and the motherboard sometimes had issues or incompatibilities, even with updates that were applied and forced me sometimes to downgrade versions. There was a series of problems with that previous server, which had been built piece by piece.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In terms of scalability, I have to consider how much the application will scale over time. When purchasing a server, I plan how much my application will grow each semester or year. In general, Dell PowerEdge C-Series servers offer great scalability. I can upgrade them, and I have that flexibility with relatively low time required to perform upgrades. When acquiring a server, I must consider how much I expect that application or database to grow over time, and based on that and considering the acquisition cost, I choose the best model or specifications to meet my needs.
How are customer service and support?
Support is good. I believe there are points that could be improved, but overall it is good support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Time savings were one of the main benefits because before I had legacy servers and a lot of downtime and unavailability. That affected both the internal team and customers. Once I decided to invest in Dell PowerEdge C-Series, I began to have much greater time savings for the team due to fewer unplanned outages. I also had higher customer satisfaction and higher satisfaction among internal employees. I saved team time and, in a way, money, because every unplanned outage has a cost, even if only reputational.
What was our ROI?
Looking at the medium and long term, there is a return on investment. There is a curve where, as time passes, that initial acquisition cost is diluted. Obviously, every month that goes by, that cost is diluted and reduced, and the gains keep increasing. Compared with other types of servers delivering what this server delivers, it was the best option. I estimate about a 10 to 15 percent reduction, considering other vendors delivering the same level or basically the same level of reliability, availability, support, and performance that I have with these servers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Dell PowerEdge C-Series is already a Dell server, a globally recognized brand that offers high reliability. Dell support meets my needs perfectly. The server offers high performance, so it meets the workloads that are put on it. I have already used Dell PowerEdge C-Series for other applications and it performed perfectly. It delivers excellent performance with very good reliability. The cost is a bit high, and I cannot ignore that the acquisition cost of these servers is somewhat high, but depending on the workload I will run and if I have the budget, I believe it is the best choice.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I focused directly on Dell because I already knew their enterprise line, so I did not actually evaluate other options. It was really my first choice.
What other advice do I have?
I have two Dell PowerEdge C-Series servers, as I mentioned. One is located on-premises and another that I use as a private cloud. In terms of energy efficiency, they do have power-saving modes that meet expectations. Energy efficiency levels are very good overall with what Dell delivers.
The best advice I can give is to evaluate your workload, the application you need, everything you need, and based on that and how you expect that application or database to grow, choose the best model that will meet your needs. You must do a proper analysis so you do not size a server far above what you need and end up overpaying, nor choose one that is too small and causes your application to suffer from bottlenecks, unexpected outages, and exceptions.
I would rate this solution a 9 out of 10.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Amazon Web Services (AWS)