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Cisco MDS Series vs Dell PowerVault comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

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
6.8
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Dell PowerVault
Ranking in Enterprise SAN
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
26
Ranking in other categories
Fibre Channel (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Enterprise SAN category, the mindshare of Cisco MDS Series is 5.9%, down from 24.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerVault is 29.6%, up from 5.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise SAN Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Dell PowerVault29.6%
Cisco MDS Series5.9%
Other64.5%
Enterprise SAN
 

Featured Reviews

OğuzKalaycı - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
RichardLynch - PeerSpot reviewer
Administrative ease and dependable support consistently enhance our operations
I would say my favorite features of Dell PowerVault are that it's pretty easy to use. It has been pretty stable. Firmware updates have been pretty easy to install and updates are pretty easy to do. Replacing a bad drive is fairly simple. It is just fairly easy to administer it.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is security."
"The product is very stable and performs well."
"The product is easy to use."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the devices, databases, and zoning."
"The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is its reliability, support, and scalability."
"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."
"SAN switches in Cisco MDS Series are a valuable feature of the solution for our company."
"The issues with these switches are extremely rare, and the whole product line is very predictable and stable."
"Dell PowerVault is cheap."
"The most valuable feature of Dell PowerVault is its performance."
"The stability is quite good. Once you deploy all the equipment, it's very stable."
"Dell PowerVault offers valuable full flash storage."
"The solution is reliable and stable."
"The initial setup was easy and simple."
"PowerVault comes with free software that performs functions like data deduplication and replication, which is cost-effective and delivers added value to the product."
"It is an inexpensive storage solution."
 

Cons

"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."
"Cisco MDS Series could improve by adding more gigahertz. However, they are doing this over time."
"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."
"The licensing model could be less complicated."
"The solution's management interface and GUI need improvement."
"The product is very expensive."
"Cisco MDS Series can improve by having API functionality for automation and programming."
"The GUI client is Java-based and we know that Java is not secure, so everyone disables it."
"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."
"If the solution came with a synchronous application, it would be particularly advantageous for small businesses operating across multiple sites."
"Dell PowerVault could improve by having a higher cache and file protocol support added."
"I would like to see improvements made to the user interface."
"In the next release, I would like the deduplication and compression included, as well as the flash technology. It doesn't currently use it."
"I would like Dell to improve on the configuration of the disk groups. Only one group is expandable. Once you configure the other disk group types, you cannot expand them. It limits scalability. If you want maybe to grow a disk group, you lose information, and then you need to build it up again, which is not a good use case for customers."
"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."
"The implementation process takes a while."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"The price of the Cisco MDS Series is high."
"It's perpetual licensing and maintenance is a recurrent cost."
"The solution is more cost-effective than the competitors. It’s an affordable option for small businesses."
"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."
"I rate Dell PowerVault a six or seven out of ten for pricing."
"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"
"The price is reasonable and we are satisfied with it."
"The cost, compared to other solutions, is on the higher end."
"I rate the price of Dell PowerVault a nine out of ten."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
23%
Government
11%
Educational Organization
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
13%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Government
8%
Comms Service Provider
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Large Enterprise6
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise10
 

Questions from the Community

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.
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.
What do you like most about Dell PowerVault?
Dell PowerVault offers valuable full flash storage.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerVault?
For the licensing cost of Dell PowerVault, we can recommend it as an eight. The pricing is very good, there's no issue with it, and the price is very cheap. We can take more discounts from Dell acc...
What needs improvement with Dell PowerVault?
I would like Dell PowerVault to be integrated with all other vendor hardware; it requires improvement.
 

Also Known As

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

Overview

 

Sample Customers

National Rugby League
Dayco, FAW Foundry, University of Cambridge, Finder, Stadtwerke Pforzheim GmbH & Co.
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.
867,341 professionals have used our research since 2012.