Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs IBM Power Systems comparison

Cisco and IBM are both solutions in the Rack Servers category. Cisco is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.6, while IBM is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.9. Cisco holds a 5.1% mindshare in Rack Servers, compared to IBM’s 8.6% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Ser...

Read 31 Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers reviews

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2,387 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

IBM Power Systems

Read 72 IBM Power Systems reviews

3,876 Views
3,876 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Ser...

IBM Power Systems

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers and IBM Power Systems compete in the server solutions category. Cisco UCS C-Series shows advantages in cost-effectiveness and ease of management, while IBM Power Systems have the upper hand in terms of performance and reliability.

Features: Cisco UCS C-Series offers integration capabilities, flexibility, and ease of management, enhancing operational efficiency. IBM Power Systems highlights include reliability, high processing power, and scalability, supporting demanding workloads efficiently.

Room for Improvement: Cisco UCS C-Series could enhance performance under heavy workloads, improve support for high-demand applications, and optimize hardware resources. IBM Power Systems require simpler configuration processes, streamlined management tools, and more intuitive interface options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Cisco UCS C-Series is straightforward in deployment with responsive customer service, facilitating adoption and integration. IBM Power Systems may have a longer deployment curve but are supported by a knowledgeable team for handling complex queries.

Pricing and ROI: Cisco UCS C-Series offers competitive pricing and favorable ROI, appealing to budget-conscious businesses. IBM Power Systems, despite a higher setup cost, deliver robust long-term ROI through superior performance and reliability.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. IBM Power Systems Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. IBM Power Systems

July 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 C-Series Rack Ser...

Ranking in Rack Servers

5th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

4.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Density Optimized Servers (2nd)

IBM Power Systems

Ranking in Rack Servers

4th

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

4.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2025, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is 5.1%, up from 4.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Power Systems is 8.6%, up from 8.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Rack Servers Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM Power Systems	8.6%
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers	5.1%
Other	86.3%

Rack Servers

Featured Reviews

Berthold Manz

CTO at ExperTeach GmbH

Seamless server transitions enhance IT infrastructure for AI projects and improve management capabilities

If you are integrated into the Cisco management solution, it is very easy to handle. The performance aspects of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are very strong. The ability to move from one server to another without changing anything is excellent. We can transfer all the identity of the servers between the servers.

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Foluso Jibowo

Product Manager at Hiperdist Ltd

Has empowered enterprises with secure and cost-effective solutions

When discussing disadvantages, I do not see many areas for improvement because we have received good testimonies from every client. IBM gives customers peace of mind. One challenge, which I would not really call a challenge, is that initially people have the notion that IBM Power Systems is quite expensive. However, IBM does not lose deals based on price. This is a message we need to keep communicating to people who feel that IBM is on the high side in terms of cost. We encourage them to have a discussion with us about their total cost of ownership over three or five years. There is a notion in the market that IBM is expensive, which is false. However, once we engage and show them their return on investments and their total cost of ownership savings, they tend to embrace IBM.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"What I really like about the Cisco USC Server is its service profile."

"The product doesn't take up too much space on the rack and I like that."

"The C-series is the most valuable."

"The solution is scalable."

"The technical support from Cisco is fine."

"In most cases, computes compute, and there isn't much differentiation, but one point of differentiation is Intersight cloud management."

"Excellent server solution with incredible network throughput."

"The hardware customization capabilities are great."

More Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers pros

"Power Systems' best features include its user-friendliness and self-checking/self-healing abilities."

"From a software developer standpoint, virtualization is really the key, as we can more easily spin up a new partition, virtual instance of IBM i."

"PowerVM."

"The uptime feature is great."

"The backups work great, data recovery works great."

"It is a very scalable solution."

"With IBM Power11, downtime is virtually eliminated because the system has been fully optimized."

"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that the hardware is really good and reliable."

More IBM Power Systems pros

Cons

"Its accessibility and manageability can be improved. Currently, we have to visit the office to manage it. It should be manageable outside our network. I would like it to be on the cloud."

"The initial setup could be easier."

"The scalability of the product is an area of concern where Cisco needs to focus on making some improvements."

"Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers can improve by providing customization features to allow us to deploy them on the cloud. For example, we need VMware to allow us to accomplish a cloud deployment."

"The solution needs more capacity and more scalability."

"The warranty and support periods should be extended."

"Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers could improve integration with third-party solutions."

"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."

More Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers cons

"I know lab services does a lot of work but systems, if they could include some kind of lab services and bundling of services to get you to the greatest and latest feature at the already included cost"

"Its pricing could be better."

"In the next release, I would like to see additional graphical dashboards to help the administrators access information more easily."

"Its management can be made easier because it is not easy to manage. They should also find a new way for migrating from an old Power Systems to a new one. The migration process is currently very complicated. It should be made easier to scale. Currently, its scalability depends on the initial sizing, whereas in Nutanix HCI, you can add whatever you need and whenever you need it."

"We have a problem with the storage software. The media to restore data is also not found."

"There is a notion in the market that IBM is expensive, which is false."

"The price has room for improvement."

"One of the main challenges with IBM Power Systems is the functionality of live partnership mobility."

More IBM Power Systems cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is expensive."

"The server itself isn't costly at all, but the CPU and the RAM can be pretty expensive. You can buy a UCS for $2,000, but the RAM and CPU can cost up to $80,000. The most expensive asset is the intel processor, but it depends on how many cores you want and the technology you want to use on your CPU, like Hyper-V, etc."

"The price for Cisco is a bit higher than its competitors. We paid 40k for one server."

"The prices of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are higher compared to the competition. When we try and sell against the competition, then it becomes quite difficult to sell"

"We have to pay for the VMware and Cisco licenses."

"The price of the solution could be better when compared to other solutions. However, when we purchased the solution we received Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers in a bundle with other hardware, such as IP phones and networking switches."

"Best to buy all the blades configured for the same purposes of load balancing and failover or load shifting."

"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis, which is only $2,000 or $3,000."

More Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers pricing and cost advice

"Power Systems is very cheap and provides good value for money."

"When there is an error in the SAS drive of 10,000 RPM, my company buys support for 1,500 USD."

"The pricing is reasonable."

"Its price is too high."

"IBM Power Systems is a really expensive product."

"There is a yearly licensing cost, and it's an expensive solution."

"The price of the solution depends upon the configuration part of it. Based on what configuration you want to go for it, there is a range like IBM Power Systems POWER9 and IBM Power Systems Power10."

"The solution's pricing is very, very high compared to other platforms."

More IBM Power Systems pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

17%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Energy/Utilities Company

Financial Services Firm

14%

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	13

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	17
Midsize Enterprise	18
Large Enterprise	42

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?

The C-series is the most valuable.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?

The solution is moderately priced.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?

I may not be the right person to comment on advanced improvements because we are just using basic functionalities. We are getting all the functionalities which we used to get in other OEM rack serv...

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What do you like most about IBM Power Systems?

IBM Power Systems provides very good performance and stability compared to other brands or processors.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM Power Systems?

There are definitely areas for improvement, but that's not really from the technological side of things. I rarely find any people with Power skills on the market. When I get young people from unive...

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What is your primary use case for IBM Power Systems?

I use IBM Power Systems for online transactional processing, and in parts, also for online analytical processing. We mainly use IBM Power Systems' IBMI, which is an operating system with an integra...

See all answers

Comparisons

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

Compared 54% of the time

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

Compared 23% of the time

Lenovo ThinkSystem Rack Servers vs Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

Compared 9% of the time

HPE Synergy vs Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

Compared 3% of the time

HPE Moonshot vs Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

Compared 2% of the time

More Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers Competitors

Intel Server System vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 33% of the time

Dell PowerEdge R-Series vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 21% of the time

Oracle SPARC Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 16% of the time

HPE ProLiant DL Servers vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 16% of the time

Huawei KunLun Mission Critical Server vs IBM Power Systems

Compared 2% of the time

More IBM Power Systems Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers

September 2025

Download Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM Power Systems

September 2025

Download IBM Power Systems product report

Also Known As

Unified Computing System C-Series, Cisco UCS C-Series

IBM OpenPOWER LC

Overview

UCS C-Series Rack Servers deliver unified computing in an industry-standard form factor to reduce TCO and increase agility. Each server addresses varying workload challenges through a balance of processing, memory, I/O, and internal storage resources.

Cisco

IBM Power Systems are built to crush the most advanced data applications - from the mission-critical workloads you run today to the next generation of AI.

IBM

Sample Customers

Advanced Medical Transport, Aegean Motorway, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Artoni Transporti, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, City of Mississauga, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Kind en Gezin, Kuwait Petroleum Italia, Nationwide, Quest, Talbots, University of St. Gallen

Cipher

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. IBM Power Systems

July 2025

Free Report: Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. IBM Power Systems

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