Dell EqualLogic PS series vs IBM FlashSystem comparison

Dell Technologies and IBM are both solutions in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category. Dell Technologies is ranked #7 with an average rating of 8.3, while IBM is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2. Dell Technologies holds a 3.2% mindshare in MS, compared to IBM’s 13.5% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of IBM users who would recommend it.

Dell EqualLogic PS series

Read 20 Dell EqualLogic PS series reviews

442 Views
438 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

IBM FlashSystem

Read 113 IBM FlashSystem reviews

7,599 Views
1,292 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Dell EqualLogic PS series

IBM FlashSystem

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 2, 2025

Dell EqualLogic PS series and IBM FlashSystem are competing products in data storage solutions. IBM FlashSystem has the upper hand in terms of advanced features and performance, while Dell EqualLogic PS series appeals with pricing and support.

Features: Dell EqualLogic PS series offers seamless scalability, automated load balancing, and excellent reliability. IBM FlashSystem provides low latency, advanced data reduction capabilities, and superior virtualization features.

Room for Improvement: Dell EqualLogic PS series could improve with more advanced data reduction and virtualization features, higher processing speed, and enhanced interface complexity handling. IBM FlashSystem may face challenges with better integration support, simpler deployment steps, and more budget-friendly options.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Dell EqualLogic PS series is known for its easy deployment process and reliable customer support, attracting organizations that prioritize user-friendly solutions. IBM FlashSystem requires a steeper learning curve but offers comprehensive resources and support for complex environments.

Pricing and ROI: Dell EqualLogic PS series is cost-effective and delivers a satisfactory ROI, making it an appealing choice for budget-conscious users. IBM FlashSystem, although more expensive initially, offers significant ROI through its advanced features and improved performance, making it valuable for long-term investments.

To learn more, read our detailed Dell EqualLogic PS series vs. IBM FlashSystem Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Dell EqualLogic PS series vs. IBM FlashSystem

December 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

Dell EqualLogic PS series

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

7th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

IBM FlashSystem

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

113

Ranking in other categories

NAS (6th), All-Flash Storage (10th)

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2025, in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category, the mindshare of Dell EqualLogic PS series is 3.2%, up from 1.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM FlashSystem is 13.5%, down from 19.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM FlashSystem	13.5%
Dell EqualLogic PS series	3.2%
Other	83.3%

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

Featured Reviews

Khuram Ayyaz

Network Executive at Virtual University

Has enabled uninterrupted access to educational platforms and simplified storage management

Dell EqualLogic PS series is easily scalable, and we can add extra boxes and storage. It was easy to deploy during COVID. Deploying Dell EqualLogic PS series is straightforward, with no complexity involved. Dell EqualLogic PS series is a good product. We did not experience any failures in the last six to seven years, and it is still running as our storage for offline data. There are snapshot capabilities in data protection available, but we did not use that feature because it consumes much space. We have only 150 terabytes of space and simply use it to create volumes without utilizing it for snapshots. We use thin provisioning in Dell EqualLogic PS series, but I did not explore that feature further.

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OmarIsmail1

Infrastructure Technical Specialist II at Clicks Group

Offers high performance and dependable support for fast storage needs

The most valuable feature of IBM FlashSystem is its robust back code. When integrated properly into the environment and configured according to the guidelines, it provides a very solid infrastructure that does the job on demand. Additionally, IBM FlashSystem offers competitive pricing and reliable performance. The hardware is dependable, ensuring that it functions effectively when the setup is done correctly.

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

"It has contributed to the implementation of virtualization and all its benefits."

"The solution has been working well overall."

"Technical support is great; we have four-hour support from Dell for storage."

"You can always trust it. It is stable."

"The technical support for EqualLogic has been universally outstanding."

"It is a stable solution. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

"Before deploying it, we used public clouds for our services, facing latency and other issues with other vendors; after deploying this cluster, we were very satisfied and relieved."

"It is stable and scalable."

More Dell EqualLogic PS series pros

"The most valuable feature is that is supports a high IOPS rate."

"The most valuable feature in demand is virtualization and its support storage of virtualization features."

"IBM FlashSystem has an easy to use GUI, similar to the IBM Storewize family, which make it one of the best flash storage systems in the market."

"IBM products at the enterprise level are stable solutions, with a score of nine out of ten for stability."

"I rate the technical support from IBM as a ten."

"Data deduplication is one of the most valuable features of this solution."

"The initial setup is straightforward and can be done in an hour and a half by one person."

"The feature I find most valuable, is the deduplication, because the nature of the data that we are using in our current environment, has a lot of replicated data."

More IBM FlashSystem pros

Cons

"When they deployed our cluster, they did not provide any documentation or low-level or high-level diagrams. They simply came, mounted the servers, and started installation without documentation, which is a negative point on the vendor side."

"The product is reaching the end-of-lifecycle."

"The searchable online documentation is missing."

"Synchronous replication uses space inefficiently."

"There is no inline deduplication capability."

"Dell EqualLogic PS series could improve by providing fiber channel connectivity. Fiber channel connectivity is not supported, which is a requirement of advanced applications, such as SAP HANA. SAP HANA recommends fiber channel connectivity, but the Dell EqualLogic PS series is only an ISCSI data storage."

"The replication efficiency needs to be improved."

"There is no option for mixing RAID types in one device."

More Dell EqualLogic PS series cons

"The GUI needs some improvement. An additional function that could be helpful is reducing the time it takes to delete volumes, especially if they are compressed or deduplicated."

"The ease of installation should be improved. We had issues with the configuration model."

"This product lacks some of the options we wanted. For example, expansion was difficult and it required a lot of patching to be done."

"The pricing is high; storage solutions are always expensive. I do not know if the price needs to be reviewed, but it is worth considering."

"The marketing could be improved."

"I would like to have a larger disk. Right now, you can get 57 terabytes in a shelf. Once they get the larger disk and you get larger capacities, it'll be even better."

"The GUI needs some improvement."

"Events/log analysis tools."

More IBM FlashSystem cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"There are annual maintenance costs beyond the original licensing period."

"Initial packages include all upgrades and services."

"It is a fair price."

"I didn't buy it. It was another person seven years ago. So, I don't really know, but all storage platforms cost a lot of money. It is probably in the mid-range, but you get what you pay for."

"I don't think I would say that the product is less expensive...The product's price is not an issue for our company, considering the relationship we have with Dell and the customer support we receive."

"Price-wise, the solution is cheap. I rate it a three on a scale of one to ten, where one is very cheap, and ten is very expensive."

"Licensing is pretty straightforward."

"Dell EqualLogic PS series can improve its scale-out feature. Sometimes the customer has a limited budget for storage expansion. When they want to expand their capacity, they need to buy a complete controller plus storage capacity, which sometimes is out of their budget. If Dell EqualLogic PS series support could scale up the environment in which only hard drive extension controllers should be supported, then customers can expand within a lower budget."

More Dell EqualLogic PS series pricing and cost advice

"Our customers would like IMB FlashSystem to be less expensive."

"For a yearly license, it is about $100,000. There are no additional costs. The entire system is included."

"There are no licensing fees, it is a one-time purchase of the IBM FlashSystem."

"They've been much more aggressive in the last five, six years than they were before that."

"You purchase it as a bundle and the price is comparable."

"The solution requires a license and could be less expensive."

"Its price is very good."

"The integration is already included in the license cost of IBM FlashSystem. The integration is very easy. You get the IBM storage core with all software, firmware, and upgrades. EMC provides the features in the box, but they are not free for customers. There is a licensing cost for features. We have yearly licensing, but IBM has also provided a new option where you pay as you go. They provide a big box, and I pay, for example, for 10 terabytes. If I exceed 10 terabytes, IBM will charge for the new storage after 10 terabytes. It is a good opportunity in the market for using the storage as a cloud and paying as you go."

More IBM FlashSystem pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Computer Software Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	2
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	47
Midsize Enterprise	21
Large Enterprise	59

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell EqualLogic PS series?

The technical support for the solution was really good.

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What needs improvement with Dell EqualLogic PS series?

I do not have anything in mind regarding new capabilities for Dell products at this time.

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What is your primary use case for Dell EqualLogic PS series?

We are essentially a university, and we have deployed Dell EqualLogic PS series in our data centers to run our production sites, student portals, websites, our on-premises portal, and campus manage...

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What do you like most about IBM FlashSystem?

It is simple to make an update.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM FlashSystem?

The pricing is high; storage solutions are always expensive. I do not know if the price needs to be reviewed, but it is worth considering.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM FlashSystem?

As far as I know, IBM FlashSystem has already improved, but I do not see room for improvement. It is simple to use and manage via SVC, simple to configure, and even for the zoning, I do not see imp...

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dell EqualLogic PS series

December 2025

Download Dell EqualLogic PS series product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem

December 2025

Download IBM FlashSystem product report

Also Known As

EqualLogic PS series

IBM Storwize

Overview

EqualLogic PS Series arrays bring a new level of performance to service more of your most demanding applications and virtualization requirements, while delivering the simplicity of the EqualLogic management experience. Featuring six array configurations, including 2U/2.5" drive options with All Flash and Hybrid Arrays, it is ideal for companies and organizations with growing data and performance needs.

Dell Technologies

IBM FlashSystem products are enterprise computer data storage systems that store data on flash memory chips. Unlike storage systems that use standard solid-state drives, IBM FlashSystem products incorporate custom hardware based on technology from the 2012 acquisition of Texas Memory Systems. This hardware provides performance, reliability, and efficiency benefits versus competitive offerings.

IBM

Sample Customers

FAW Foundry, AW Engineering, Unimat, eLongNet Information Technology, BDO Brasil, Odyssey Space Research

Celero, Friedhelm Loh Group, Clarks, Mingkang Natregro Health Food Group, Sofia, Etisalat Fights Fraud, UF Health Shands Hospital, Generali, Elecon Engineering Company Limited, Ventiv , Technology, CPFL Energia, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., SciQuest, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, Paddy Power, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Interconnect Services, Severstal IP-Only AB, PVU Group GmbH

Buyer's Guide

Dell EqualLogic PS series vs. IBM FlashSystem

December 2025

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