Cisco UCS B-Series vs Supermicro SuperBlade comparison

Cisco and Supermicro are both solutions in the Blade Servers category. Cisco is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.3, while Supermicro is ranked #10. Cisco holds a 8.3% mindshare in Blade Servers, compared to Supermicro’s 5.8% mindshare. Additionally, 98% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 80% of Supermicro users who would recommend it.

Cisco UCS B-Series

Read 73 Cisco UCS B-Series reviews

1,200 Views
798 Comparison Views

98% willing to recommend

Supermicro SuperBlade

Read 4 Supermicro SuperBlade reviews

730 Views
571 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Cisco UCS B-Series

Supermicro SuperBlade

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on May 25, 2025

Supermicro SuperBlade and Cisco UCS B-Series compete in the server blade market. Cisco UCS B-Series has the upper hand due to its advanced features and efficiency, despite Supermicro's competitive pricing.

Features: Supermicro SuperBlade offers versatile power efficiency, high-density computing, and flexible configurations. Cisco UCS B-Series provides robust scalability, integrative management tools, and superior networking capabilities.

Room for Improvement: Supermicro SuperBlade could improve ease of deployment, automation capabilities, and customer support. Cisco UCS B-Series might enhance its complexity in management, reduce costs, and simplify its licensing structure.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Supermicro SuperBlade's deployment is straightforward but requires more manual setup. Cisco UCS B-Series excels with streamlined deployment, advanced automation, and comprehensive support.

Pricing and ROI: Supermicro SuperBlade offers a cost-effective solution with an impressive price-performance ratio. Cisco UCS B-Series, although more expensive initially, provides long-term savings and favorable ROI through improved performance and management efficiencies.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco UCS B-Series vs. Supermicro SuperBlade Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS B-Series vs. Supermicro SuperBlade

June 2025

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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 UCS B-Series

Ranking in Blade Servers

4th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Supermicro SuperBlade

Ranking in Blade Servers

10th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Blade Servers category, the mindshare of Cisco UCS B-Series is 8.3%, down from 10.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Supermicro SuperBlade is 5.8%, down from 7.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Blade Servers

Featured Reviews

DavidMbugua

Group General Manager-ICT at SkyLink

Reliable product with efficient automation capabilities

Cisco UCS B-Series manages various processes, including handling payments for over 650,000 growers, running group financials, managing human resources, and operating our main ERP system, SAP. The servers' resilience was particularly impactful. Even during power outages, the servers resumed operations from the last saved point without human intervention. The enhanced processing speed also allowed us to complete tasks that took two days in just one hour. The automation capabilities enhanced efficiency and facilitated integration with our networking components, particularly since we also used Cisco switches. The servers' security was reliable, and formal training on Cisco products made management easier. I rate the product an eight.

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Gergely Lakos

DevOps Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

With many servers in one, these blade servers are easier to manage

The service could be improved by faster servers, more widely available VMs, and more storage in one place. Then, in the event of a blade failure, we could start our VMs on another blade in a couple of minutes. This is why we wanted to buy storage. But now, we want to buy a twin server with 24 VMware discs to create test storage. The next product release should allow more servers to be controlled simultaneously.

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 platform has valuable features for management and good monitoring tools. It provides efficient insights."

"It's modular."

"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it is easily scalable."

"From a return on investment perspective, Cisco UCS B-Series is worth the money."

"In terms of the flexibility of the tool to adapt to technology needs, I think it is a very good solution."

"Dell has a huge portfolio of products."

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

"Stateless Blade is the best feature."

More Cisco UCS B-Series pros

"I think the IPMI is a really good feature."

"The ability to save resource is a key feature."

"The initial setup was straightforward."

Cons

"The UCS manager interface needs to be cleaned up a bit and can be streamlined, but no major complaints."

"It should be more user-friendly."

"HTML5 interface is a much needed improvement over the old Java interface, but still needs a little work."

"Integration with storage could be improved."

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

"Previously, the unified port functionality allowed the same port to function as both FC and Ethernet, however, this has now changed."

"The solution’s technical support could be better."

"Cisco could improve the user-friendliness for less experienced users."

More Cisco UCS B-Series cons

"Supermicro blade servers are not the best. They could improve in scalability but are not really scalable right now."

"There is a lack of support for fiber channels currently that needs to be added."

"The solution does not scale well."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is expensive."

"The product cost is high."

"Cisco products are at the high end in terms of cost, but everything is included with the licensing fees."

"It makes much more sense for individual licenses for distributed environments"

"Pricing will be based on your requirements so it is important to plan, engage, and negotiate directly with the Cisco Account Manager."

"There is a need to pay towards the licensing costs of the solution on a yearly basis. Price-wise, it is an expensive product"

"The cost of the Cisco UCS B-Series is comparable to HP solutions but higher than Dell solutions."

"It is not a yearly subscription but a yearly support renewal that you need to do for Cisco UCS B-Series."

More Cisco UCS B-Series pricing and cost advice

"The product is not expensive."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

19%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Healthcare Company

Manufacturing Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

10%

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco UCS B-Series?

The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that it is easily scalable.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco UCS B-Series?

The licensing cost for three years, followed by an AMC for two years, is reasonable. However, the management software, Cisco One, is priced a bit high but still considered reasonable. No additional...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco UCS B-Series?

Last year, we faced challenges with firmware upgrades, but they were quickly resolved with assistance from Cisco TAC.

See all answers

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Comparisons

HPE Synergy vs Cisco UCS B-Series

Compared 33% of the time

Dell PowerEdge M vs Cisco UCS B-Series

Compared 20% of the time

HPE BladeSystem vs Cisco UCS B-Series

Compared 18% of the time

Cisco UCS E-Series Servers vs Cisco UCS B-Series

Compared 14% of the time

More Cisco UCS B-Series Competitors

Dell PowerEdge M vs Supermicro SuperBlade

Compared 22% of the time

Pure Storage FlashBlade vs Supermicro SuperBlade

Compared 16% of the time

HPE Synergy vs Supermicro SuperBlade

Compared 13% of the time

HPE Integrity vs Supermicro SuperBlade

Compared 13% of the time

Cisco UCS E-Series Servers vs Supermicro SuperBlade

Compared 11% of the time

More Supermicro SuperBlade Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS B-Series

June 2025

Download Cisco UCS B-Series product report

Buyer's Guide

Blade Servers

May 2025

Download Supermicro SuperBlade product report

Also Known As

UCS B-Series, Unified Computing System B-Series

SuperBlade

Overview

Based on Intel Xeon processor E7 and E5 product families, Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers work with virtualized and non-virtualized applications to increase: Performance, Energy efficiency, Flexibility and Administrator productivity.

Cisco

Supermicro SuperBlade delivers innovative computing performance and efficiency, perfect for data-intensive tasks. With its modular design, it optimizes space and power, providing a flexible and scalable infrastructure for demanding business workloads.

Supermicro SuperBlade is specifically engineered for modern data centers needing high-density computing. It offers a compact, modular architecture that simplifies system management and enhances agility. It integrates seamlessly with cloud and virtualization technologies, supporting diverse applications and workloads. Its design focuses on reducing operational costs while achieving peak performance. Users appreciate its balance of power efficiency and high computing capacity.

What are the key features of Supermicro SuperBlade?

High-Density Design: Packs multiple servers in a small form to maximize computing power per square foot.
Scalability: Easily expand or modify with modular components to adapt to growing demands.
Efficient Cooling: Advanced cooling systems ensure optimal performance and energy efficiency.
Built-In Management: Integrated management tools for streamlined operations and monitoring.
Green Computing: Focuses on energy savings for cost-effective and ecological operation.

What benefits and ROI can be expected from Supermicro SuperBlade?

Cost Savings: Reduces energy and operational expenses with its efficient design.
Improved Performance: Delivers exceptional processing power for faster task execution.
Resource Optimization: Maximizes IT resource utilization and efficiency.
Ease of Management: Simplifies management processes, reducing administrative overhead.
Future-Proofing: Provides flexible expansion options to accommodate future growth.

Supermicro SuperBlade is widely implemented in sectors such as finance, healthcare, and research where high computational power and storage are critical. In finance, it's used for real-time analytics and transactions. Healthcare facilities use it for patient data analysis and complex simulations, while research institutions leverage SuperBlade for simulations and data-intensive research tasks. Its adaptability allows enterprises to efficiently meet technical requirements unique to each industry.

Supermicro

Sample Customers

Aegean Motorway, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Anonymous Banking Group, Artoni Transporti, Bellevue, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, Children's Hospital Colorado, City of Biel, Dimension Data, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Hertz, Houston Methodist, Kuwait Petroleum Italia, Lufthansa Systems GmbH & Co.KG, Outscale, Sony Corporation, Talbots

Prace

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS B-Series vs. Supermicro SuperBlade

June 2025

Free Report: Cisco UCS B-Series vs. Supermicro SuperBlade

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