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reviewer909156 - PeerSpot reviewer
VMware Software Engineer at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Easy to manage with helpful technical support and good performance
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution is stable."
  • "The solution is difficult to set up."

What is our primary use case?

The solution can be useful for cloud solutions and they are automatized. Everything is automatized, and it's highly available.

What is most valuable?

The solution is stable.

The scalability is good.

Everything is nice and I like that it is centrally managed. 

It's very easy to manage once you have everything set up.

The performance is great.

Technical support is helpful.

What needs improvement?

We sometimes have small issues with the hardware elements. The network interfaces could be better. The product needs to develop better firmware.  

The solution is difficult to set up. You need to be experienced in the product in order to be able to implement it.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for more than three years in this company, and in my previous company, I used it for two and a half to three years as well. In total, it's been five to six years. 

Buyer's Guide
Cisco UCS B-Series
August 2025
Learn what your peers think about Cisco UCS B-Series. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
865,484 professionals have used our research since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution, for the most part, is pretty stable. There aren't really bugs or glitches and it doesn't really crash or freeze. It's pretty reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of the solution is good. 

I'm not sure how many people are actually using the product. In America, we utilize about 3,000 servers and we utilize 4,000 servers ourselves. That's a total of 7,000 servers.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support has been very good. We don't have any complaints. They are helpful and responsive. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup can be a bit difficult and complex. This is because everything is centralized. That said, once you have everything deployed and up and running, the maintenance is easy and minimal. While you have to sacrifice something during the installation, after that, it's easier to manage. 

It took us about two months to complete the implementation.

What about the implementation team?

We had a third party that handled the implementation process for us. We had a lot of server blades to set up.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I don't have any visibility on the licensing setup. That's managed by procurement, actually. I don't have any information about it.

What other advice do I have?

We use both cloud and on-premises deployment models.

I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten.

I'd recommend the solution to other users and other organizations. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1633284 - PeerSpot reviewer
CTO at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Extremely stable, easy to set up and very reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "The scalability is very good."
  • "The GUI is not the greatest."

What is most valuable?

The stability is very, very good. I haven't had any issues with it whatsoever over the past few years.

The scalability is very good. 

The initial setup is straightforward. 

The solution basically offers us everything we need. It's very complete. 

What needs improvement?

The pricing could be improved, as it is a bit expensive solution.

The GUI is not the greatest. They could work on improving the interface.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using the solution for a few years now. It's been a while. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability, in general, has been amazing. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. Cisco is extremely reliable and offers good performance. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability has been great. We started with a small amount, and we started to test the solution. After that, we grew with it as we needed. It's been great and has fit our needs perfectly.

There are thousands of users on the solution. It's used extensively.

How are customer service and technical support?

We haven't had cause to sue technical support too much. We have Cisco partners we can call if we have issues, however, we haven't had many problems to speak of. 

How was the initial setup?

We have found the initial setup to be very simple and straightforward. It's not a complex process. A company shouldn't struggle with a deployment. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution can be quite expensive and is a bit of a higher cost when compared to others on the market.

What other advice do I have?

We're a customer and an end-user.

Our current version is an older version. Right now, we are considering replacing it with the newest one.

I'd recommend the solution to other users and companies. We've been pretty happy with it overall.

I would rate it at a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Cisco UCS B-Series
August 2025
Learn what your peers think about Cisco UCS B-Series. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: August 2025.
865,484 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Implementation and Support Engineer at PRACSO S.R.L.
Real User
Extremely stable with robust hardware and good technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is pretty simple and straightforward."
  • "The price of this product is too high. They should work to make it more affordable."

What is our primary use case?

The solution is primarily used for computation purposes. 

What is most valuable?

The hardware available for the solution is very good. It's quite reliable and robust.

The visualization is excellent.

The initial setup is pretty simple and straightforward. 

The scalability is excellent. 

We found that the stability is extremely reliable. 

Technical support is very good in general.

What needs improvement?

The price of this product is too high. They should work to make it more affordable.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been dealing with the solution for about three years at this point. It's been a while. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability and performance of this Cisco product are excellent. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's very reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability potential of the product is very, very good. If a company needs to expand it, it can do so with relative ease.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is pretty good. We find Cisco to be knowledgeable and responsive. We're satisfied with the level of support we receive overall. They're great. All UCS products have great support.

How was the initial setup?

We found the initial setup to be pretty easy. It's straightforward. I wouldn't describe it as too complex or difficult. A company should have no problems deploying it. 

What was our ROI?

We have seen an ROI and would recommend the solution based on those observations.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is quite expensive. It's pretty high, especially when you compare it against the offerings of other vendors. They need to be more competitive in terms of pricing.

What other advice do I have?

We're a Cisco partner.

We are dealing with the latest version of the solution. I can't speak to the exact version number.

I can recommend the solution wholeheartedly to other organizations. I would really recommend it due to the fact that it's a really stable technology. Also, it can produce a return on investment for organizations as well.

On a scale from one to ten, I'd rate the product at an eight. We've largely been quite pleased with its capabilities.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
IT Infrastructure Manager at a tech company with 11-50 employees
Real User
A user-friendly server that's easy to configure and manage
Pros and Cons
  • "I like that it's very manageable very easy to use and configure. I am not an expert, but the graphic user interface is quite simple very easy to use. It's a complete solution."
  • "We have to have Java to manage the infrastructure. It would be great if we can manage the infrastructure through a web browser."

What is our primary use case?

We use it in our data center. In our infrastructure, we virtualize our servers.

What is most valuable?

I like that it's very manageable very easy to use and configure. I am not an expert, but the graphic user interface is quite simple very easy to use. It's a complete solution.

What needs improvement?

We have to have Java to manage the infrastructure. It would be great if we can manage the infrastructure through a web browser. 

We have Dell EMC, and I would like to connect my product directly to the chassis. I would like to have an interface to integrate the storage directly chassis and not through the network. If that could be possible, that would be great for me. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Cisco UCS B200 since 2015.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We haven't had any problem or any outage, and it's always running. Every process and everything you run, memory and cache memory, is always running. It's very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I think it's very scalable. I have an opportunity to provide for more Blade Servers, and if I need more power or resources, I just have to provide the Blade Servers. Right now, we have two administrators.

How are customer service and technical support?

When we had a problem once with a virtual server, our Cisco partner came to us within three hours and provided support. It was very good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have stand-alone servers, and we used Dell Servers. For example, we installed VMware on top of the server. When we needed more power or infrastructure that's a little bit easier to buy, we bought this Cisco UCS platform.

How was the initial setup?

I don't know if it was straightforward because our partner set up and deployed this solution. It took about 20 days to implement this solution.

What about the implementation team?

We received the infrastructure entirely configured by our partner. It was a very good experience.

What other advice do I have?

Before you buy infrastructure like this, I would recommend some training. It'll help to get really good training in infrastructure management. For example, in my case, a quick overview when I started to manage the infrastructure definitely helped. It's very hard because at the beginning you are a little lost. The infrastructure is easy to manage, but it would be better if you take time before you install the infrastructure to learn more.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Cisco UCS B-Series a nine.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1390341 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Infrastructure Engineer at a government with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
Easy to use GUI, with good scalability and support but the pricing could be reduced
Pros and Cons
  • "The GUI makes is simple to use and deploy."
  • "The pricing could be less."

What is our primary use case?

We are using this solution to connect to a rack system.

What is most valuable?

The GUI makes is simple to use and deploy.

What needs improvement?

Managing could be improved. It's too hard.

The pricing could be less.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Cisco UCS B Series for six years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is stable, we had not had any issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

This solution is scalable. 

The scalability is very good.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is very good. We had two or three issues, but they were able to solve them.

How was the initial setup?

The initials setup is straightforward.

It requires some preparation. It's not as easy as Microsoft, but for Cisco, it's still good.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Pricing with Cisco is very high.

The price is very inefficient.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1365930 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Security Manager at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Stable, easy to set up, and there are many experts available in the market
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is simple, and not very complex."
  • "The monitoring features and integration with other products can be improved."

What needs improvement?

The monitoring features and integration with other products can be improved.

In particular, integration with other products is difficult, especially for logging purposes. In this regard, it is not very good and improvement is required.

Technical support should be more timely.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been working with the Cisco UCS B-Series for more than a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable product.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is good although they respond very late to open cases.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

One of the other products that we currently work with is Huawei, and they give us much cheaper prices. They also have a good product, which is sometimes even better than Cisco. Nonetheless, my team has a lot of experience and expertise with Cisco.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is simple, and not very complex.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing for Cisco products is always high.

What other advice do I have?

My advice for anybody who is considering Cisco UCS is that if it's within your budget, I recommend it because they are popular in the market and it is easy to find experts.

Overall, this is a good product.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Sr. Operations Engineer at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Extremely stable with reasonably priced hardware but needs a better management interface
Pros and Cons
  • "The stability provided by the product is its most valuable feature for our organization."
  • "The management interface needs a lot of improvement. As it is right now, it's a pain to use. It's not user-friendly."

What is most valuable?

The stability provided by the product is its most valuable feature for our organization.

What needs improvement?

The management interface needs a lot of improvement. As it is right now, it's a pain to use. It's not user-friendly.

For some clients, it may be useful if it was possible to switch the role for a server. I myself am running a VMware shop and so I would not personally gain any benefit from this, however, I see the value it would have for others - especially service providers.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with this solution for seven years at this point. It's been quite a while now.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability of the solution is fantastic. It's one of the greatest selling features. It doesn't crash or freeze. There aren't bugs or glitches. It's extremely reliable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution scales pretty well. We have not had any issues with that.

Currently, I'm the only one using the product in our organization.

How are customer service and technical support?

I've never used technical support, so I can't speak to their level of knowledge or responsiveness.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I also have worked with IBM as well. 

At the time, the biggest difference was pricing. Also, there is the ability to switch roles or templates on the servers within IBM. However, it's not anything I have had any use for.

How was the initial setup?

In our case, the solution's initial setup was not straightforward. It was rather complex.

It was part of a FlexPoint solution. And it was one of the first FlexPoint solutions delivered in the country. It was not the same solution delivered as the salesperson had promised.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

You can typically get reasonable pricing on the solution. The hardware itself, however, isn't the biggest cost. The biggest cost is licensing, and that can be quite expensive.

What other advice do I have?

If there are other organizations considering the solution, I'd strongly advise that they get training on the management side. It's very important to do this in order to successfully implement and use the product.

On a scale from one to ten, I'd rate this solution at a seven. It's good, however, it could use a simpler management structure. Cheaper licensing would go a long way as well. The UCS isn't the expensive part. It's more the Microsoft and VMware and the cost of running that.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Neeraj Mehra - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager of Solutions and Support at Esconet Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
Reseller
Top 5
I can connect it to multiple chassis and rack servers using a unified platform, then manage them on a single console
Pros and Cons
  • "I can connect Cisco UCS B-Series to multiple chassis and rack servers using a unified platform, then manage them on a single console."
  • "The configuration is a bit complex, as it requires very high technical expertise to apply it."

What is our primary use case?

We use it for computing and virtualization. All the blade servers are used for database uploads.

We are a system integrator. So, we sell multiple type of software and hardware solutions. We implement solutions and provide support. 

We have multiple versions of the solution currently running. It depends on our customer.

How has it helped my organization?

The overall consolidation of hardware is helping us.

What is most valuable?

  • Manageability
  • Performance

I can connect Cisco UCS B-Series to multiple chassis and rack servers using a unified platform, then manage them on a single console.

For how long have I used the solution?

More than five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. We haven't encounter any failures or problems in these particular servers. We have had three to four years without any downtime happening.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is good from Cisco. The type of service level purchase will determine the level of support response that you receive from Cisco.

How was the initial setup?

The setup is a bit complex in terms of configuration. While as an admin or an end user, it is very easy to use. The configuration is a bit complex, as it requires very high technical expertise to apply it.

What about the implementation team?

We are the integrator. We use two engineers for the deployment.

The time for deployment depends customer to customer and the number of servers that we deploy. For example, our last deployment took three days.

It requires some basic configuration, then you can just plug and play.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We still have multiple vendors that we work with. It depends on the customer requirements whom we select to work with.

We work with this solution because we find that the technology is superior to others.

We have also evaluated Dell EMC blade and rack servers, along with Cisco rack servers.

What other advice do I have?

Our customers are very happy people.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner and system integrator.
PeerSpot user