Cisco UCS E-Series Servers vs Dell PowerEdge M comparison

Cisco and Dell Technologies are both solutions in the Blade Servers category. Cisco is ranked #12 with an average rating of 8.0, while Dell Technologies is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2. Cisco holds a 2.4% mindshare in Blade Servers, compared to Dell Technologies’s 18.6% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of Dell Technologies users who would recommend it.

Cisco UCS E-Series Servers

Read 8 Cisco UCS E-Series Servers reviews

292 Views
120 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Dell PowerEdge M

Read 25 Dell PowerEdge M reviews

2,389 Views
1,670 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Cisco UCS E-Series Servers

Dell PowerEdge M

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

Dell PowerEdge M and Cisco UCS E-Series Servers are key players in the enterprise server market. Dell PowerEdge M appears to have the upper hand in centralized management and scalability.

Features: Dell PowerEdge M offers high density, supporting over 25 VMs efficiently, excellent manageability via iDRAC and OpenManage, and robust hardware for scalability and energy efficiency. Cisco UCS E-Series Servers provide reliable disaster recovery management, network provisioning through UCS Fabric Interconnects, and seamless integration with Cisco security tools for stability.

Room for Improvement: Dell PowerEdge M struggles with boot time due to POST checks, complex iDRAC navigation, and limited networking options. Users desire improved firmware upgrade processes. Cisco UCS E-Series requires better documentation, cost-efficiency, and integration with multi-vendor ecosystems. It can be challenging for those without advanced networking skills.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Both products are primarily deployed on-premises. Dell receives mixed reviews for technical support with variability in consistency, while Cisco users appreciate strong technical support and straightforward upgrades, despite some complexity issues.

Pricing and ROI: Dell PowerEdge M offers competitive pricing, favorable after negotiations, and reports high ROI due to reliability and low downtime, despite being seen as expensive by some. Cisco UCS E-Series is perceived as costly but well-regarded for stability, yet it doesn't match Dell in ROI value.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco UCS E-Series Servers vs. Dell PowerEdge M Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS E-Series Servers vs. Dell PowerEdge M

April 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 E-Series Servers

Ranking in Blade Servers

12th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Dell PowerEdge M

Ranking in Blade Servers

2nd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Blade Servers category, the mindshare of Cisco UCS E-Series Servers is 2.4%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerEdge M is 18.6%, up from 17.8% 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

Stable product with efficient security features

We use Cisco UCS E-Series Servers to host enterprise systems The product's most valuable features are stability, speed, and scalability. We rarely encounter downtime issues, and it has an expandable memory storage. Additionally, it blends well with Cisco's security tools. The platform's pricing…

Read full review

Brian Ricci

President at Pinnacle Computer Services, Inc.

Offers a good interface and return on investment to users

My impression of the scalability of the product is good. You can put a lot of memory in the tool now, and you have a good choice in processors, so you can go wherever you want or do whatever you want with your money. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten.

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 overall stable."

"The product's most valuable features are stability, speed, and scalability."

"Stability-wise, it is a good product that remains stable."

"The Cisco chassis is very easy to configure and any network engineer or expert can configure the solution and easily integrate it with the chassis."

"Cisco has better visibility and manageability for disaster recovery."

"The most valuable features are that they are efficient and easy to setup."

"The server management and automation capabilities have been outstanding in automation, greatly benefiting our IT team."

"They are really easy to maintain. I've added RAM to them. I've done a lot of other things with the virtualization."

"One of the best aspects of PowerEdge is that it provides a consolidated hardware infrastructure, allowing multiple servers in a simple ten-rack unit."

"The initial setup is easy."

"It is easy to manage by an administrator and we can spend valuable time on other IT issues."

"It allows us to consolidate our infrastructure very efficiently, enabling us to deploy eight servers in a seven-unit density."

"The solution offers remarkable flexibility, reliability, and extensive software support."

"I rate Dell PowerEdge a ten out of ten as it is a great tool with perfect support."

"The biggest advantage of PowerEdge is that it is cost-effective, and its performance and infrastructure are much better than other competitors like Lenovo and HP."

"PowerEdge M allows me to manage all servers and blades from one admin console."

More Dell PowerEdge M pros

Cons

"The product should also be available in a standard edition or a standard license since currently there is a need to pay for an extra license, which is very expensive, especially when considering the budgeting part of our company."

"The tool must be made compatible with multi-vendor ecosystems."

"It is not a solution that is cloud ready."

"The platform's pricing needs improvement. There could be more collaborative tools included."

"The processing capacity could be improved."

"The biggest pain point for us is the matrix for the firmware upgrades. It is a pain. You look at that thing, you might as well be reading Greek. It would be a whole lot better if they could clean up their documentation on it."

"One thing that could be improved is the cost - it is very high for this Blade chassis as compared to other vendors. Especially in Asia. Asian customers mostly prefer a cost effective, cheaper solution."

"I would like to see improvements in VMware integration with Cisco, especially in terms of documentation and integration tools. Support of NVIDIA integration would also make it better."

"Technical support is not good."

"One area for improvement is the connectivity, specifically the backplate and switch connections."

"We have had some issues with the vendor's support that we have received. When you open up a support case with Dell they send a partner to assist you and in our experience, they are lacking knowledge about the solution. There are times when you need professional support from the vendor that knows the solution well."

"The caching is a bit weak, making the hardware non-responsive, especially on hypervisor layers like ESXi or Hyper-V."

"The firmware updates for the product need improvement."

"The set up is complex"

"The last year, we experienced problems with support, as Dell decreased staff in Latin America, impacting support quality."

"I have not noticed any specific improvements needed as most updates are done by the OEM over time."

More Dell PowerEdge M cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing of the solution is reasonable. From a commercial point of view, the prices are okay."

"It's expensive, they are quite pricey."

"There is a need to pay towards the licensing costs of the solution. The most expensive server from Cisco is Cisco UCS B-Series."

"The solution is expensive."

"The product is expensive."

"I know we get three years basic, and the on-site licensing model for business seems fine. I wouldn't pay for a support plus or anything."

"The cost varies significantly depending on the server's configuration and can range from $10,000 to $60,000 for the same server line family."

"It was budget friendly."

"If we would not have gone with the vendor we might have been charged unnecessarily for packages we did not need."

"The pricing of PowerEdge Next is higher than it was before."

"The product is budget-friendly. The initial cost for each server was around 10,000 euros. It's a standard price, not too high or too low."

"The solution's pricing is slightly higher."

"Dell PowerEdge M price is comparable to other solutions but cheaper than IBM. However, the IBM solution is a higher grade solution whereas Dell PowerEdge M is a medium-level solution."

More Dell PowerEdge M pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Computer Software Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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

The product's most valuable features are stability, speed, and scalability.

See all answers

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

The product is expensive. I rate its pricing a five out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco UCS E-Series Servers?

The platform's pricing needs improvement. There could be more collaborative tools included.

See all answers

What do you like most about Dell PowerEdge M?

The solution's most valuable features are centralized monitoring and management and the ease of upgrading firmware.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerEdge M?

The cost of Dell is reasonable. Dell is not expensive compared to HP. It is a little cheaper, but customers still prefer HP.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell PowerEdge M?

There are differences in security configurations, particularly in SNMP and SNMP3, between HP ILO and iDRAC. When configuring SNMP or SNMP3, I face challenges that require additional support, althou...

See all answers

Comparisons

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

Compared 45% of the time

Supermicro SuperBlade vs Cisco UCS E-Series Servers

Compared 32% of the time

HPE Synergy vs Cisco UCS E-Series Servers

Compared 23% of the time

More Cisco UCS E-Series Servers Competitors

HPE Synergy vs Dell PowerEdge M

Compared 35% of the time

HPE Superdome X vs Dell PowerEdge M

Compared 23% of the time

HPE BladeSystem vs Dell PowerEdge M

Compared 15% of the time

Cisco UCS B-Series vs Dell PowerEdge M

Compared 9% of the time

Supermicro SuperBlade vs Dell PowerEdge M

Compared 9% of the time

More Dell PowerEdge M Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS E-Series Servers

April 2025

Download Cisco UCS E-Series Servers product report

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerEdge M

April 2025

Download Dell PowerEdge M product report

Also Known As

UCS E-Series Servers

No data available

Overview

Cisco UCS E-Series Servers are next-generation, power-optimized, x86, Intel Xeon 64-bit blade servers designed to be deployed in Cisco Integrated Services Routers Generation 2 (ISR G2) and the Cisco 4451-X ISR. These price-to-performance-optimized single-socket blade servers balance simplicity, performance, reliability, and power efficiency. They are well suited for applications and infrastructure services typically deployed in small offices and branch offices.

Cisco

The Dell PowerEdge M-Series blade servers address the challenges of an evolving IT environment by delivering leading enterprise classfeatures and functionality. The M-Series delivers a unique array of options configured to meet the needs of your IT environment both now and in the future.

Multiple blade form-factor choices.
Long life cycle providing better life cycle management and improved TCO.

Modular I/O switches for future scalability.
Breakthrough fan technologies for reduction in power consumption.

Configuration management via chassis management controller.

Persistent MAC/WWN/iSCSI addresses in a switch-agnostic environment.

Dell Technologies

Sample Customers

Navaho, MiroNet AG, Columbia Sportswear

Newport City Homes, Neuroblastoma and Medulloblastoma Translational Research Consortium (NMTRC), Georgian College, AgreeYa Solutions, IIHT Cloud Solutions, Arizona State University, AudienceScience, University of the Incarnate Word (UIW), The Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), Holy Cross School

Buyer's Guide

Cisco UCS E-Series Servers vs. Dell PowerEdge M

April 2025

Free Report: Cisco UCS E-Series Servers vs. Dell PowerEdge M

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco UCS E-Series Servers vs. Dell PowerEdge M and other solutions. Updated: April 2025.

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