I use the solution for routing.
ICT Manager at National Geospatial and Space Agency
Delivers unified computing in an industry-standard form factor to reduce total cost of ownership and increase agility
Pros and Cons
- "The C-series is the most valuable."
- "The improvement should be done as per customer requirements."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The C-series is the most valuable.
What needs improvement?
The improvement should be done as per customer requirements.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers for four years.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers
November 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a highly stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a highly scalable solution. Twenty four users are using the solution. I would rate the scalability a ten out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy. It's just create a script and then you upload it. The deployment takes two to three hours.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is moderately priced.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate the overall solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Chief Information Security Officer at KNS
Allows the management of multiple sites while maintaining disaster recovery and provides a unified solution
Pros and Cons
- "On the Cisco side, there is a benefit in terms of server management. Cisco provides UCS Manager, which is a multi-tenant site manager. We can manage multiple sites while maintaining disaster recovery, a feature not available on other platforms."
- "There is very little scalability for the cluster. If you need a higher availability, there is a user limitation. So that is the low side."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use is for virtualization.
They are currently used for VMware management.
What is most valuable?
On the Cisco side, there is a benefit in terms of server management. Cisco provides UCS Manager, which is a multi-tenant site manager. We can manage multiple sites while maintaining disaster recovery, a feature not available on other platforms. That's about the added value.
What needs improvement?
For the Cisco side, improvements could be made in terms of scalability, costing, available capabilities, or support for multiple types of hard drives.
Cisco currently supports a limited range of hard drives, so if possible, they can maintain further overhead rates and broaden support for various types of hard drives.
Another areas of improvement include pricing and scalability.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have worked with Cisco UCS for around six years. Some of the servers are still running.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We are stable right now. We are using 50 users. We use Cisco UCS C240 M5 Rack Server.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
There is very little scalability for the cluster. If you need a higher availability, there is a user limitation. So that is the low side.
We have around 5 to 16 customers using this solution. They are mainly in the educational sector.
How are customer service and support?
Cisco's technical and learning support is better than Dell. Cisco provides a learning platform for technical guidance and free access for deployment engineers within our subscription, unlike Dell, where we have to pay for every enrollment.
How was the initial setup?
The setup process of the UCS is simple. But the one setting it up must know how to use the UCS manager.
What about the implementation team?
The deployment doesn't take a long time. UCS provides two options. One is from the local console. The other one is from the UCS manager.
So, from the UCS manager, we can autopilot to deploy into multiple servers at the same time. It takes around 20 minutes to deploy all the hypervisor solutions again.
The deployment process is very simple. We can get the firmware level and the operating system from the website. So we download it from there. And, using the console or the UCS manager, we can enroll it.
We have a Cisco-certified team responsible for managing the Cisco side.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Our customers don't pay for licenses. As a service provider, we cover the costs. They only pay for the services they use.
The subscription fee is on an annual basis. We always use annual. There are no extra costs in addition to the standard licensing fees.
What other advice do I have?
Evaluate the price and look for scalability. Cisco's cost has increased post-COVID, so exploring other options is advisable.
Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten due to its scalability and expansion.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Buyer's Guide
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers
November 2025
Learn what your peers think about Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2025.
872,846 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Opinion Manager at ZONES PVT LTD
The solution is highly stable, and the server can be configured easily
Pros and Cons
- "The server can be configured easily."
- "The product must add customer-friendly monitoring features."
What is our primary use case?
We provide the solution to our customers as per their requirements. Our customers are using the server, and they highly recommend it.
What is most valuable?
The server can be configured easily.
What needs improvement?
The product must add customer-friendly monitoring features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with the solution for more than nine years. I am using the latest version of the solution.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The tool has high stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I rate the tool’s scalability a nine out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
We require technical and pre-sale support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy. I rate the ease of setup a ten out of ten. It is an enterprise-level solution.
What other advice do I have?
Compared to HPE and Dell, the commercial aspect of the product is on the higher side. Overall, I rate the product an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Chief Technology Officer at Mehbub General Trading PLC
Easy to integrate but lacks in customer support
Pros and Cons
- "Cisco rack servers are very easy to integrate with other products from different vendors."
- "Some customers have complained about delivery time. So, the main weakness is the lead time."
What is most valuable?
Cisco rack servers are very easy to integrate with other products from different vendors.
What needs improvement?
Generally, the solution performs well, but some customers have complained about delivery time. So, the main weakness is the lead time.
For how long have I used the solution?
We provide Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers to our customers. However, the lead time for these servers, as well as for the switches, has been very long since COVID. So some people are looking at other products because of that.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very reliable and performs well. The customers never had any problems with them.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is okay. The solution offers good scalability.
How are customer service and support?
I've heard some complaints because Cisco didn't have a dedicated company to manage the accounts. They used to be very vigilant in customer service, but once they were acquired, the customer experience has not been so good, especially regarding technical support.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The solution is very easy to deploy.
What about the implementation team?
For a typical deployment, with the right information, it should take about 2-3 weeks. However, if you need to customize the servers or deploy them in a complex environment, it could take longer.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing is expensive. Compared to its competitors, Cisco servers are more expensive. The price of Cisco servers can vary depending on the configuration, the number of servers being purchased, the amount of RAM, and the storage capacity.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We are working with Cisco, Fortinet, Palo Alto, and all the popular options. We work with everything Cisco offers, like switches, routers, firewalls, and email security.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend them as long as they have the budget for it, but exploring other options is also worthwhile.
Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. In terms of the product itself, I don't think they need to add any features. However, they could improve the delivery charge and technical support price.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
Head of Information Technology at SAFER Exploration & Production Operations Company
Reliable and dependable with excellent support
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is stable."
- "The pricing is too high and no discounts are available for our country."
What is our primary use case?
This solution is for our customers.
The clients care about the basic services on the UCS Server. They just want the server to transfer onto it their virtual machine.
They are looking for data configuration and no point of failure. They want multiple network cards for fiber. They usually ask for 10 gigs or 25 gigs fiber force or even ethernet. That's what they ask for most of the time.
What is most valuable?
The Cisco UCS Servers are very dependable, and they're very reliable. The clients are very happy with the product.
The solution is stable.
Technical support is excellent.
What needs improvement?
The product is losing ground to the competition, such as Nutanix.
It's not a scalable product.
The pricing is too high and higher discounts should be available for our country.
We'd like the solution to have integration with HCI software. As per my knowledge, Cisco doesn't have any HCI software.
For how long have I used the solution?
As a company, we've been dealing with the product for around five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable and reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. We've had no complaints about stability in over five years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution does not scale.
The solution is better suited for SMEs. An enterprise, when they have 20 or 30 servers, prefers something like HCI.
I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. It is very reliable yet very expensive.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is very good. It's one of the best support services.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We've only used Cisco up until this point.
There is a plan to go with HCI.
Many clients are moving based on Nutanix's reputation, basically. One client went with Nutanix, and they're very happy with it. Therefore, other companies are following suit. They usually read Gartner reports and base their product decisions on finding there.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing in Yemen should be lower. It's high for the region.
For Yemen, generally, some manufacturers can't apply the same discounts they give to other countries due to the war and the economic situation. Yet we need more discounts.
What other advice do I have?
We are partners with Dell and Cisco.
I'm responsible for presales in general and management.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Pre-Sales Engineer at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
beneficial server management, reliable, and quick setup
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is server management."
- "Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers could improve by adding a wider portfolio because they only have two main categories, the C-220 and 240. There is no wide range of options as other solutions have, such as Dell. Additionally, if it was more flexible with the configuration it would be good."
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is server management.
What needs improvement?
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers could improve by adding a wider portfolio because they only have two main categories, the C-220 and 240. There is no wide range of options as other solutions have, such as Dell. Additionally, if it was more flexible with the configuration it would be good.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers for approximately 10 years
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is okay. However, we do not have many options in this category.
We have enterprise-sized customers using this solution.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers has been satisfactory. However, not all of the support agents have the same level of knowledge. We can experience some delays in having a response because the issue we are facing has to be escalated to the next level of agent for support.
How was the initial setup?
We did not have any issues with the initial setup of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers. The process takes approximately 30 minutes.
What about the implementation team?
I do the implementation of this solution for our customers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is approximately 20 percent more than other solutions.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
When comparing this solution to others, I prefer Dell. Dell is more flexible and technical support is more accessible here in Egypt because they have a technical support office here. Additionally, Dell has a wider array of options that we don't have in Cisco.
What other advice do I have?
The intersite options for management make life easier for the operations and management teams because it's a single point of management for the whole server infrastructure.
I rate Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
IT Systems Administrator at Moza Banco
The solution implements quickly and can easily integrate with your VMware and storage solutions
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature of this solution is the expansion and replacement of parts."
- "The solution can be improved by adjusting the cost."
What is our primary use case?
The primary use case of this solution is to help manage our infrastructure within our data center service.
How has it helped my organization?
The solution has improved our organization by easily integrating with our VMware and storage solutions.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature of this solution is the expansion and replacement of parts.
What needs improvement?
The solution can be improved by adjusting the cost.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for seven years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
The support team is good, responsive, and helpful.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Before using the solution we used Dell and HP solutions and we switched because of a suggestion from our technology partner.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward and takes a couple of hours.
What about the implementation team?
The implementation was completed through a vendor team.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution requires an annual licensing fee.
What other advice do I have?
I give the solution an eight out of ten.
The solution can be implemented by one person in a couple of hours.
We currently have 1000 people using the solution.
I recommend the solution to others.
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.
Head of IT Infrastructure at AMK Microfinance
A reliable and easy to use solution that is also easy to set up
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is reliable and easy to use."
- "The solution needs more capacity and more scalability."
What is most valuable?
The solution is reliable and easy to use.
What needs improvement?
The capacity is quite small, so I need the CPU performance to be a bit higher. The memory is also limited, and we cannot upgrade more. The solution needs more capacity and more scalability.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with this product for three years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The product is scalable. Currently, we have six people working with it in our company.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support from Cisco is fair.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used HP and Dell servers before. The products are pretty similar, but we use them for different purposes.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was easy. It was not complex. It took around two hours, including the installation of the operating system.
What about the implementation team?
We handled the implementation with help from the local vendor.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price for Cisco is a bit higher than its competitors. We paid 40k for one server. We paid 50% at the time of the purchase order and 50% after the product was delivered.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this solution as a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
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Updated: November 2025
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