Dell ObjectScale vs IBM Storage Fusion comparison

Dell Technologies and IBM are both solutions in the File and Object Storage category. Dell Technologies is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.1, while IBM is ranked #28. Dell Technologies holds a 5.9% mindshare in FaOS, compared to IBM’s 1.0% mindshare. Additionally, 96% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 30, 2025

Dell ObjectScale and IBM Storage Fusion are competing in the data storage sector. Dell ObjectScale has an upper hand in pricing and support, while IBM Storage Fusion is favored for its advanced features.

Features: Dell ObjectScale delivers scalable solutions for cloud environments, supports various protocols, and ensures high availability. IBM Storage Fusion integrates data migrations, provides robust security, and manages performance efficiently.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Dell ObjectScale offers simple deployment and reliable support, enhancing user onboarding. IBM Storage Fusion, although complex in setup, offers responsive and knowledgeable support.

Pricing and ROI: Dell ObjectScale is competitive in setup cost and offers excellent ROI for budget-focused enterprises. IBM Storage Fusion, despite higher costs, delivers significant ROI through its superior features, appealing to those seeking long-term value.

To learn more, read our detailed File and Object Storage Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

File and Object Storage

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

Pure Storage FlashBlade

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the File and Object Storage category, the mindshare of Pure Storage FlashBlade is 5.3%, down from 6.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell ObjectScale is 5.9%, down from 8.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Storage Fusion is 1.0%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

File and Object Storage Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Dell ObjectScale	5.9%
Pure Storage FlashBlade	5.3%
IBM Storage Fusion	1.0%
Other	87.8%

File and Object Storage

Featured Reviews

MikaelHellström

IT Manager at Regin Dalarna

Has handled backup storage needs reliably and supports seamless upgrades

In environments requiring high throughput and low latency, Pure Storage FlashBlade provides high throughput and normal latency, but we do not have any application that requires low latency right now, so the latency of three to five milliseconds is considered kind of high. Pure Storage FlashBlade's ability to integrate with enterprise applications is not important for us, as we only want to present an S3 bucket for our backup, which we have done, and it works very fast. We use the Purity software's data reduction techniques; we have a backup software that compresses everything before sending it to the S3 bucket, achieving a data reduction of 1.1 to one. I would recommend Pure Storage FlashBlade to other companies because it's a very fast and scalable solution for anyone who needs it. On a scale of 1-10, I rate this solution an 8.

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Mahmoud Abuherra

Manager, Technical Services at AXS

Offers seamless protocol integration for diverse solutions with flexible API communication

We recommend Dell ECS to customers looking for GeoDrive, archiving, long-term retention solutions, or S3 protocol. It is proposed to sectors like government, education, and banking. Overall, I would rate Dell ECS eight out of ten, as it has shown a lot of enhancement compared to previous solutions like Centera and Atmos.

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Branko Cirovic

Storage Engineer at Comtrade Group

Enables seamless file distribution while benefiting from scalability but could use simplified implementation

IBM Storage Fusion is used in telecoms. It is a file center that receives and shares files. It is also used for writing the CDR zone on the storage, since it offers a cost-effective solution for large-scale storage needs in a telecom setup The deployment of Storage Fusion has been new for us in…

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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

"The product is scalable and easy to expand."

"The most valuable features of this solution are the rewrite speed and the nonstop services."

"The snapshots, replication, and the ability to have immutable blades are the most valuable features. You're putting data snapshots out in those blades, and they cannot be touched. Its performance is great."

"The solution is able to handle workloads and is easy to use. It allows us to actually manage the boxes in less time."

"It has also helped to simplify storage for us in the way that it's easy to manage. Their automatic monitoring really helps when things break or are about to break. They see a problem coming and alert us even before our own system does."

"Approximately 40% to 50% of my time is saved using Pure Storage FlashBlade compared to different products."

"We can capacity plan at a greater level than we used to."

"Pure Storage FlashBlade is user-friendly. It's replication feature is great because it has active replication and active DR. That's the beauty of the product. It's a perfect solution for block storage."

More Pure Storage FlashBlade pros

"Dell's technical support team is good."

"Some of the best features with Dell ECS are that it's scale-out storage with compatibility, which are the main drivers, along with very good support from Dell EMC that usually makes customers happy."

"It is 100% stable. It is also scalable."

"This product is very competitive."

"The setup was straightforward."

"What I like best about this product is that it is a complete solution, both hardware, and software, by the same vendor."

"The tool is easy to use."

"It is a stable solution."

More Dell ObjectScale pros

"Fusion provides the ability to install the secret server and distribute files; it serves as a black box where tickets are opened only if issues arise, reducing frequent upgrade problems."

Cons

"There is some room for new features related to authentication and integration with Kubernetes, and other solution using S3 Bucket."

"It would be beneficial if the layer could support the S3 protocol and be container ready in the next release."

"I would like to have Snapshots and Snapmail in the next release. People who came from a NetApp background, especially expect these features."

"Compared to, for example, Hitachi NAS, the solution is not mature at all. It's just in its infancy as far as technology goes."

"I would like to see better integration."

"The only thing I feel FlashBlade is missing is the SOS API. If it had SOS API, that would put it well over the top."

"It usually comes down to just what you hit and the value you're getting when you spend the money and license the products. I would always go, "If you want to make things better, lower your price and make your licensing simpler." There's always an opportunity around that."

"In terms of technical support, the experience has been mixed. The support is done through email and is not that great, making it a very problematic area I've been dealing with for over four years."

More Pure Storage FlashBlade cons

"They could provide centralized reports."

"The graphical user interface should offer more options, and the documentation with respect to administration could be improved, as it is quite weak in this product."

"The troubleshooting feature of this solution needs to be improved, to allow organizations to fix issues without having to contact the support team."

"There are some limitations with integration with certain cloud providers, particularly with Google Cloud Platform in Saudi Arabia."

"We have had issues when the ECS is expiring or the NetBackup is expiring images."

"They need to ensure that the system will work if a site goes down."

"Dell EMC ECS could improve by having Relational Database Services(RDS) to review progress. Additionally, if the training was provided it would be a benefit, it would be good for our engineers."

"Dell ECS could improve the price of the solution. It is expensive."

More Dell ObjectScale cons

"The implementation is complex, especially when using custom servers."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pure Storage FlashBlade is a hardware appliance, and it's very expensive if you compare its price with other solutions. You can get the same features and benefits from its competitor, VAST Data, but for half the price of Pure Storage FlashBlade."

"I rate the tool's pricing a seven to eight out of ten."

"The price could be cheaper."

"It's a costly solution, but Pure Storage FlashBlade doesn't require additional licenses. All of the software is combined into one bundle."

"I understand that it is competitively priced compared to other brands."

"Our customers have seen a reduction in TCO."

"I feel that the price could always be lowered."

"Support is a separate line item. Support is a different cost, but whatever your support is now, that's what you're going to pay forever. If your support's $100 today, six years from now it's $100. It doesn't fluctuate unless you upgrade it, or change it, etc."

More Pure Storage FlashBlade pricing and cost advice

"If I remember correctly, Dell ECS is an appliance, so if you buy Dell ECS, you also have to buy the hardware, while IBM is standalone software, so you can buy IBM as software only without needing to buy the hardware. On a scale of one to five, I'm rating the pricing for Dell ECS a four."

"It is an expensive solution. There is a need to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the product."

"It is an inexpensive product."

"We are not paying for the license at this stage."

"The solution could be cheaper."

"The product is quite expensive."

"It's a lease-based model, so it's capacity-based. We already negotiated the price a lot, but we're still doing that with Dell because somehow the product was not installed successfully, so there was a lot of struggle in the distributor territory between Dell and the environment itself. I would give the solution a 6 out of 10 for the pricing. There's a little room for improvement."

"The solution's cost is quite reasonable."

More Dell ObjectScale pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Financial Services Firm

20%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Government

Computer Software Company

15%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Outsourcing Company

11%

University

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	11
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	21

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	12
Midsize Enterprise	12
Large Enterprise	11

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Pure Storage FlashBlade?

The tool's most valuable feature is its fast performance, especially in handling snapshots. It helps during power out...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Pure Storage FlashBlade?

Regarding pricing, it is okay; we needed exactly this in size, and the price was a lot lower than competitors, making...

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What needs improvement with Pure Storage FlashBlade?

In my opinion, one way Pure Storage FlashBlade can be improved is by having more compatibility between the FlashArray...

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What do you like most about Dell EMC ECS?

The tool is easy to use.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell EMC ECS?

The pricing is moderate and at par with the market. As a service provider, we receive good margins, indicating a favo...

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What needs improvement with Dell EMC ECS?

I cannot think of anything as an area for improvement with Dell ECS. I do not see any pricing or usability concerns.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Storage Fusion?

Compared to other options, purchasing IBM Storage Fusion, along with necessary hardware and maintenance, comes with a...

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What needs improvement with IBM Storage Fusion?

The implementation is complex, especially when using custom servers. Simplification or better support for this aspect...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for IBM Storage Fusion?

IBM Storage Fusion is used in telecoms. It is a file center that receives and shares files. It is also used for writi...

See all answers

Comparisons

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs Pure Storage FlashBlade

Compared 18% of the time

MinIO vs Pure Storage FlashBlade

Compared 9% of the time

Pure Storage FlashArray vs Pure Storage FlashBlade

Compared 9% of the time

VAST Data vs Pure Storage FlashBlade

Compared 7% of the time

NetApp StorageGRID vs Pure Storage FlashBlade

Compared 4% of the time

More Pure Storage FlashBlade Competitors

Amazon AWS vs Dell ObjectScale

Compared 21% of the time

NetApp StorageGRID vs Dell ObjectScale

Compared 12% of the time

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs Dell ObjectScale

Compared 10% of the time

MinIO vs Dell ObjectScale

Compared 7% of the time

Hitachi Content Platform vs Dell ObjectScale

Compared 2% of the time

More Dell ObjectScale Competitors

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs IBM Storage Fusion

Compared 28% of the time

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) vs IBM Storage Fusion

Compared 25% of the time

Pure Storage Evergreen One vs IBM Storage Fusion

Compared 12% of the time

HPE GreenLake for File Storage vs IBM Storage Fusion

Compared 9% of the time

More IBM Storage Fusion Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Pure Storage FlashBlade

January 2026

Download Pure Storage FlashBlade product report

Buyer's Guide

Dell ObjectScale

January 2026

Download Dell ObjectScale product report

Buyer's Guide

File and Object Storage

December 2025

Download IBM Storage Fusion product report

Also Known As

No data available

EMC ECS, Dell EMC Elastic Cloud Storage (ECS)

No data available

Overview

FlashBlade is the industry’s most advanced scale-out storage for unstructured data, powered by a modern, massively parallel architecture to consolidate complex data silos (like backup appliances and data lakes) and accelerate tomorrow’s discoveries and insights.

Pure Storage

Dell ObjectScale is a next-generation S3 object storage platform known for scalability, performance, and efficiency. It integrates with Dell EMC products, combining hardware and software for seamless user experience in the AI era.

Dell ObjectScale implements the S3 protocol, integrating smoothly with Dell EMC solutions like ISILON. Its architecture supports data compression and interoperates with multiple protocols for enhanced performance. Enterprise features include immutability, geo-replication, and user-friendly management. However, it needs better integration with other systems, enhanced security, and disaster recovery. Write performance and scalability improvements, competitive pricing, and documentation enhancements are key areas for progress. The interface could be more straightforward, with more remote management features and native analytics.

What features does Dell ObjectScale offer?

S3 Protocol Implementation: Brings industry-standard access with wide application compatibility
Seamless Dell EMC Integration: Ensures stability and ease of use with existing systems
Data Compression and Protocol Interoperability: Enhances performance and storage efficiency
Immutability and Geo-Replication: Provides enterprise-level data protection
Optimized Pricing: Balances cost with comprehensive support

What benefits should users look for in reviews?

Scalability: Supports expanding data requirements effectively
Integration Flexibility: Works with many existing systems for better interoperability
Ease of Management: Streamlines hardware and software operations
Enterprise-Level Features: Delivers advanced protection and efficiency

Industries leverage Dell ObjectScale for cloud-based object storage, archiving, and backups. It's favored for unstructured data management, CCTV integration, and document archiving. Strong in data analytics, it integrates well with high-capacity applications, enhancing data retention strategies across fields.

Dell Technologies

IBM Storage Fusion is a powerful platform used for data management, monitoring, and performance optimization. Users leverage its intuitive interface for capacity planning, storage provisioning, and troubleshooting.

The product's scalability allows for easy expansion, while its reliability ensures data protection. With predictive analytics and automation features, users can enhance efficiency and prevent downtime.

IBM

Sample Customers

ServiceNow, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport, Dominos, Man AHL

Atos

1. Accenture 2. Aetna 3. AIG 4. Airbus 5. Allstate 6. Amazon 7. American Express 8. ATT 9. Bank of America 10. Barclays 11. BASF 12. Bayer 13. Bechtel 14. Boeing 15. BNP Paribas 16. Cisco 17. Coca-Cola 18. Comcast 19. Dell 20. Deutsche Bank 21. Eni 22. ExxonMobil 23. Ford 24. GE 25. Google 26. Hitachi 27. Honeywell 28. IBM 29. Intel 30. JPMorgan Chase 31. Kellogg's 32. Lockheed Martin

Buyer's Guide

File and Object Storage

December 2025

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