Cisco MDS Series vs Dell PowerVault comparison

Cisco and Dell Technologies are both solutions in the Enterprise SAN category. Cisco is ranked #3 with an average rating of 9.0, while Dell Technologies is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2. Cisco holds a 7.6% mindshare in ES, compared to Dell Technologies’s 30.4% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Dell Technologies users who would recommend it.

Cisco MDS Series

Read 9 Cisco MDS Series reviews

826 Views
536 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Dell PowerVault

Read 23 Dell PowerVault reviews

921 Views
673 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco MDS Series

Dell PowerVault

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco MDS Series and Dell PowerVault based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Enterprise SAN solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault

April 2025

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Helped 849,686 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Cisco MDS Series

Ranking in Enterprise SAN

3rd

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Dell PowerVault

Ranking in Enterprise SAN

2nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Fibre Channel (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Enterprise SAN category, the mindshare of Cisco MDS Series is 7.6%, down from 27.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerVault is 30.4%, up from 4.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise SAN

Featured Reviews

OğuzKalaycı

system engineer at Yaşar Holding

Ensures consistent availability during updates and integrates seamlessly

I am using Cisco MDS in SAN environments for storage connections and server connections The product is very stable and performs well. During the update periods, the devices do not need to reload, ensuring constant availability. It is easy to set up and use. I do not have a central management…

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SigfridCecillon

Director at Arsium

Offers good stability and simplicity

The room for improvement lies in the responsiveness and real-time feedback of the web server setup. We could set up the installation through a web server, but it's not very reactive on the web server. For example, when you launch a task, and you don't know exactly if the task has begun or if the task is in progress, or if it's finished. You have to wait for three to five to ten minutes to be sure that the task is running or in progress or finished. So at that point, it's not very good. For the rest, we have a good organization for the platform. And it's working everywhere. Another area of improvement is duplication.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product is easy to use."

"The issues with these switches are extremely rare, and the whole product line is very predictable and stable."

"SAN switches in Cisco MDS Series are a valuable feature of the solution for our company."

"The most valuable features of this solution are the devices, databases, and zoning."

"The features I found most valuable are the ease of deployment, it's easy to upgrade, easy to configure and easy to administer. There is no need for vendor professional services which saves project cost. The usage of WebUI for all primary features like hostname, IP address, SNMP traps, zone sets, addition and deletion of zone members or zone sets, backup of switch DB is very simple."

"The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is its reliability, support, and scalability."

"The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is security."

"The product is very stable and performs well."

"For us, the initial setup was easy."

"Dell PowerVault offers valuable full flash storage."

"The most valuable feature of Dell PowerVault is its ability to provide small to medium-range storage. It doesn't have any specific standout features, but it's great for applications, such as surveillance where a large number of videos need to be recorded and performance isn't a priority."

"I find this solution to be cost-effective in providing data storage for clients."

"The solution is reliable and stable."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is that it is easy to manage and easy to use."

"The Dell warranty is the most valuable feature."

"The most valuable features are stability and response time."

More Dell PowerVault pros

Cons

"Cisco MDS Series could improve by adding more gigahertz. However, they are doing this over time."

"The solution's management interface and GUI need improvement."

"The GUI client is Java-based and we know that Java is not secure, so everyone disables it."

"The licensing model could be less complicated."

"I do not have a central management software to manage these products due to the licensing cost. It would be beneficial to have central management software for easier handling."

"Cisco MDS Series can improve by having API functionality for automation and programming."

"The product is very expensive."

"It is quite a stable product. It should be shipped with the latest firmware to avoid download and upload schema at the beginning of the initial setup. There should also be the possibility of downgrading the firmware when required. WebUI needs DCNM instead a web-based GUI should be made available like Brocade san switch."

"In most instances, clients are using Dell PowerVault with tape drives, but we want to transition them away from tape drives due to the risk of data loss."

"PowerVault doesn't integrate with Active Directory. Other storage solutions offer SAN and NAS unified storage in a single appliance, but PowerVault is only SAN."

"Dell PowerVault could improve by having a higher cache and file protocol support added."

"In the next release, I would like the deduplication and compression included, as well as the flash technology. It doesn't currently use it."

"Dell PowerVault is block-oriented storage only."

"The product could support an NVMe hard disk."

"The product is generally stable, but there have been instances, to my knowledge, where we faced issues in the controller during software upgrades. The availability is not at the desired level during these upgrade processes, as we sometimes need to shut down both controllers. This could be an area for improvement."

"There have been situations when our customers requested professional support and the price of that feature is quite high."

More Dell PowerVault cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's perpetual licensing and maintenance is a recurrent cost."

"The price of the Cisco MDS Series is high."

"Pricing cannot be considered an advantageous trait of the solution since it is expensive. I rate the solution's pricing a three out of ten."

"I rate the solution's pricing a seven to eight out of ten."

"It is important to remember that the retail price may seem high, but the final price is usually different."

"I would rate the pricing model a nine out of ten, with one being expensive and ten being cheap."

"The product is inexpensive."

"They are offering a wide range of support models for the customers such as basic support that is budget-friendly, but they also provide a professional support solution that is a bit costly"

"I rate the price of Dell PowerVault a nine out of ten."

"The solution is more cost-effective than the competitors. It’s an affordable option for small businesses."

"The price is reasonable and we are satisfied with it."

More Dell PowerVault pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

24%

Government

12%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Educational Organization

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

10%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco MDS Series?

The product is easy to use.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco MDS Series?

The pricing could be improved as the solution is very expensive. I am on a yearly payment basis.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco MDS Series?

I do not have a central management software to manage these products due to the licensing cost. It would be beneficial to have central management software for easier handling.

See all answers

What do you like most about Dell PowerVault?

Dell PowerVault offers valuable full flash storage.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerVault?

I rate the solution's pricing a seven to eight out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell PowerVault?

The product is generally stable, but there have been instances, to my knowledge, where we faced issues in the controller during software upgrades. The availability is not at the desired level durin...

See all answers

Comparisons

Dell Connectrix vs Cisco MDS Series

Compared 62% of the time

HPE B-series SN6000B Fibre Channel Switch vs Cisco MDS Series

Compared 38% of the time

More Cisco MDS Series Competitors

Dell PowerStore vs Dell PowerVault

Compared 59% of the time

HPE StoreOnce vs Dell PowerVault

Compared 19% of the time

Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) vs Dell PowerVault

Compared 13% of the time

Lenovo Storage V Series vs Dell PowerVault

Compared 5% of the time

Huawei OceanStor SNS vs Dell PowerVault

Compared 2% of the time

More Dell PowerVault Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise SAN

March 2025

Download Cisco MDS Series product report

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerVault

April 2025

Download Dell PowerVault product report

Also Known As

Cisco MDS 9100, Cisco MDS 9222i, Cisco MDS 9700

PowerVault

Overview

Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches have met and often exceeded the demanding requirements for storage area networks for more than a decade. They offer a combination of performance, non-stop operations, and multiprotocol flexibility.

Cisco

PowerVault MD3 storage arrays help you cost-effectively address the challenges of data growth with versatile solutions that are optimized for smaller-scale storage consolidation, flexible virtualization projects and high business continuity.

Dell Technologies

Sample Customers

National Rugby League

Dayco, FAW Foundry, University of Cambridge, Finder, Stadtwerke Pforzheim GmbH & Co.

Buyer's Guide

Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault

April 2025

Free Report: Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

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