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Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs Lenovo Edge Servers comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

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
31
Ranking in other categories
Density Optimized Servers (2nd)
Lenovo Edge Servers
Ranking in Rack Servers
12th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
2
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is 5.3%, up from 4.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Lenovo Edge Servers is 1.5%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rack Servers Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers5.3%
Lenovo Edge Servers1.5%
Other93.2%
Rack Servers
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1441011 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr, Manager- Network Solution Architect at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Comprehensive support and integration ensure smooth cloud infrastructure operations
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 servers. Potential areas for improvement may include a more flexible pricing model, better technical support, or tutorials from the vendor for users.
Hawi Nadew - PeerSpot reviewer
Data center and cloud solution engineer at IE Network Solutions PLC
A budget-friendly tool that offers good stability
I don't have much to comment on what requires improvement in the product because my company is more engaged with Dell's servers than Lenovo's ones. I'm not that much familiar with Lenovo. My company has seen that the servers from Lenovo offer good performance and high scalability, so I don't see any scope for improvement in the solution. With Lenovo, when it comes to its HCI-related part, which includes ThinkAgile, users may face issues as VMware licenses are not linked with ThinkAgile. With ThinkAgile in the picture, there are two different vendors, Lenovo and VMware. Suppose VMware and Lenovo come together, then they produce a common product. In the case of the servers under Lenovo, the virtualization software is again both from VMware and Dell, and the licenses are deployed on the server. Different vendors manage the servers from Lenovo that fall under ThinkAgile and VMware, so if there is a way that allows Lenovo and VMware to produce a system together like ThinKAgile, then it would be a good improvement.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The VIC card is the most important feature."
"In terms of the features that I have found most valuable, that is basically the hardware, which is more dynamic."
"The processors are so strong that they can deliver AI solutions without any additional GPU card, but we are also using some GPUs, which surely gives even better results."
"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."
"It is very nice and stable with an easy administration GUI."
"In most cases, computes compute, and there isn't much differentiation, but one point of differentiation is Intersight cloud management."
"The product doesn't take up too much space on the rack and I like that."
"Cisco rack servers are very easy to integrate with other products from different vendors."
"I like Lenovo's XClarity Controller, and the ability to control and deploy Edge Servers through this XClarity interface."
"It is a stable solution. The product doesn't have any problems when it comes to stability."
 

Cons

"I think the pricing is high. Cisco has to look for bundling this solutions with other applications."
"The C-Series is not designed to be as scalable. They are designed to have enough RAM and enough CPU on their own side. If you want scalability, it's better to choose the B-Series— the Blade Servers — because those are much more scalable with Fabric Interconnect."
"The warranty and support periods should be extended."
"The scalability of the product is an area of concern where Cisco needs to focus on making some improvements."
"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 solution can be improved by adjusting the cost."
"On the contact center and video conferencing, I would definitely like to see more AI features. The AI features are key for us. You will find a lot of them in the cloud-based solution, but in the on-premises solution, they're hardly there. I would like to see the same AI features that are there in the cloud-based Cisco UC."
"The pricing is too high and no discounts are available for our country."
"Airflow in the servers can be a problem. Sometimes we cannot add CPU to Edge Servers because there's not enough airflow in the appliance."
"With Lenovo, when it comes to its HCI-related part, which includes ThinkAgile, users may face issues as VMware licenses are not linked with ThinkAgile."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"This product is quite expensive and it would be better if it were cheaper."
"Cisco is expensive, but we didn't look at the cost of the product. We were looking at reliability and support."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis, which is only $2,000 or $3,000."
"The pricing is expensive."
"If they plan to expand their infrastructure in periods, then simply Cisco is not a good choice."
"The solution requires an annual licensing fee."
"The solution is moderately priced."
"The solution is available to users at a low price."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Retailer
8%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise13
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

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...
Ask a question
Earn 20 points
 

Also Known As

Unified Computing System C-Series, Cisco UCS C-Series
ThinkSystem Edge Servers, ThinkSystem SE Series, Lenovo SE Series, Lenovo ThinkSystem Edge Servers
 

Overview

 

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
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Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. Lenovo Edge Servers and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.