

In the realm of server solutions, Dell PowerEdge R-Series and IBM Power Systems are notable contenders. Evaluating scalability, ease of upgrades, virtualization support, and remote management tools, Dell PowerEdge R-Series takes the lead. However, in terms of raw performance for high-end applications, IBM Power Systems have an edge due to their robust capacity and advanced virtualization features.
Features: Dell PowerEdge R-Series is distinguished by its scalability and ease of upgrades. It supports Xeon variants and extensive RAM, making it ideal for virtualization and data analytics. Dell also offers robust remote management with iDRAC and the OpenManage suite, enhancing deployment efficiency. IBM Power Systems excel in performance and reliability, capable of handling heavy workloads with features like dynamic resource allocation and favorability for high-end database applications.
Room for Improvement: Dell PowerEdge R-Series could benefit from enhanced performance analytics and faster support response times. Users request better documentation and GPU features, along with improved integration with emerging AI technologies. IBM Power Systems face criticism for high costs, with users desiring more competitive pricing and transparency in licensing, as well as expansion in cloud capabilities and a simplified management interface.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: The Dell PowerEdge R-Series boasts responsive customer support, recognized for its reliability and comprehensive assistance for deployment and issue resolution. IBM Power Systems, while providing robust support with helpful technical guidance, are recommended to improve proactive support and communication.
Pricing and ROI: Dell PowerEdge R-Series is considered competitively priced with a strong ROI, attributed to its scalability and longevity. On the other hand, IBM Power Systems, though costly, justify their price with impressive performance and reliability, delivering significant returns through reduced downtime and high efficiency, especially in environments handling critical workloads.
By not having to worry about it, I would estimate we save two to four hours a week, depending on what's happening, such as if we need to spin up a new server, which would contribute to more time if done the old way.
In my immediate case for antenna analysis, Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers offer a reduction from days of computing to half a day or hours.
The value of uptime to us is critical.
The return on investment is very high.
I would give Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers a ten because they're always able to answer all the questions we have; they reach a solution no matter how long it takes, and they don't give up.
It has always been scheduled maintenance, which says a lot for a production environment, as we haven't had to call in a trouble ticket for the actual hardware during its entire run.
Typically, the contacts we have on-site are very knowledgeable, they come in within a day and usually have it fixed and taken care of if there are issues.
I try to get my support calls pre-routed to the US; I'd rather wait a couple of hours for support becoming available there than going to support somewhere in the Philippines or Indonesia.
Technical support from IBM is excellent.
I would rate the technical support by IBM for IBM Power Systems as excellent.
The scalability of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is excellent.
Any outages or blackouts are limited to particular servers, not affecting the whole chassis or enclosures.
We bought our product with scaling involved, and we've been scaling it up anytime we've needed more storage.
IBM Power Systems is a completely scalable solution.
Over four years, we've had less than 1 percent downtime.
There is a feature to update the server while it is running, so there is no need to restart.
We have truly not had any downtime on the infrastructure at all.
IBM just released IBM Power11 last month with significant improvements, eliminating the need for downtime in your environment.
We need to know about any upcoming updates so that we can plan accordingly.
The beneficial aspect of that feature was that we could skip the PowerStore and just have the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers alone, as they also served as storage, which helped us save money.
This forces you to go up to a larger server to get the desired processor, which increases the cost.
If you could do a fully re-entrant kernel, if the kernel is developed to be fully re-entrant, that would not restart the operating system at all.
IBM gives customers peace of mind.
They have been stable and running for years without performance downtime or significant disc failures.
Some customers find it cheaper due to contractual agreements, while others find it expensive, especially when scaling up.
The software associated with servers, like VMware subscription licenses, drives costs.
Initially when sizing it, people perceive IBM Power Systems as quite expensive.
They keep running for at least five to seven years without any issues.
With PowerEdge Servers, I don't need a one-to-one ratio redundancy, which leads to about eighty percent downtime reduction.
One of the valuable features is Active Directory, which helps in managing the network.
I assess the role of IBM Power Systems in managing my complex data analytics as excellent; it's an excellent platform, very robust and very reliable.
For over 13 years, IBM systems have been the most secure in the industry.
| Product | Market Share (%) |
|---|---|
| Dell PowerEdge R-Series | 26.4% |
| IBM Power Systems | 7.5% |
| Other | 66.1% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 95 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 59 |
| Large Enterprise | 112 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 17 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 19 |
| Large Enterprise | 42 |
PowerEdge R-Series delivers high performance, flexibility, and scalability for data centers. It supports demanding tasks with robust management tools and advanced cooling, providing reliability and efficiency across various workloads.
Engineered for large deployments, PowerEdge R-Series supports extensive configurations optimizing performance in data centers. With features like advanced cooling and energy-efficient architecture, it empowers organizations to manage heavy workloads while facilitating seamless scalability. It offers remote management, robust security, and integration with VMware ensuring operational excellence and high availability for business-critical applications.
What are the key features of Dell PowerEdge R-Series?PowerEdge R-Series is deployed across industries for virtualization, database hosting, and application servers. It supports environments like VMware and Hyper-V for AI, cloud infrastructure, and computing tasks. Widely used by finance, healthcare, and academia, it enhances reliability and efficiency of IT infrastructure.
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