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Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs Hitachi NAS Platform vs IBM FlashSystem comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

Review summaries and opinions

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

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the NAS category, the mindshare of Dell PowerScale (Isilon) is 17.8%, up from 17.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Hitachi NAS Platform is 2.7%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM FlashSystem is 13.2%, down from 13.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
NAS
 

Featured Reviews

Eric Burgueño - PeerSpot reviewer
Simplified data management, tremendously reducing our users’ cognitive overhead
The only thing that I think PowerScale could do better is improving the HTTP data access protocol. At the present, you cannot protect access to data via HTTP or HTTPS the same way that you can secure data access through other protocols like NFS or SMB. You can either access a file because it can be access by anyone in the organization, or you cannot at all. There is no in-between. HTTP is not considered a first-class data access protocol, so the Unified Permission Model that would allow a user to authenticate before being able to access a private file, does not apply. However, with the recent introduction of S3 starting from OneFS 9, I believe the necessary plumbing is already there for HTTPS to also be elevated to a first-class protocol in the future because both protocols sit behind a web server under the hood. It does not sound like it would be too complicated to implement, but it would be a valuable feature and it is currently missing.
Mir Gulzar Ahmed - PeerSpot reviewer
Needs standalone functionality but provides a robust NAS solution for existing SAN environments
I would suggest that Hitachi make a NAS box that can work independently, without relying on SAN connectivity. The current solution only suits customers who already have a Hitachi SAN environment and want to add NAS protocols like NFS and CIFS. It's not suitable for customers without an existing SAN, as they would first need to acquire the SAN infrastructure before adding NAS functionality.
Raanan Sitton - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers cost-effective storage for small companies with budget constraints
IBM FlashSystem 5300 is offered at a very low cost in Israel, which is advantageous for small companies. However, other features like deduplication and compression do not perform effectively. The price sensitivity makes it a viable option for clients with budgetary constraints, as it allows us to secure deals based on the cost rather than advanced performance.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of the solution is the unlimited scalability. The tool has high availability and high storage capacity."
"The product's scalability feature is super easy to use."
"I don't have to rebuild the cluster to add a node."
"We use the solution internally to support our own managed servers and run our own support center."
"The most valuable feature of Dell PowerScale (Isilon) is all the capabilities together."
"The solution's scalability is very good."
"The most valuable feature of Dell PowerScale is its scalability."
"It's easy to manage. The web UI is very intuitive, and there's CLI also that you can use to manage it."
"Hitachi NAS Platform is very stable."
"The product has valuable features for data migration."
"The pricing of this solution is good, which is an advantage that positions this product well."
"Hitachi NAS has improved my storage operations significantly."
"Hitachi NAS has improved my storage operations significantly."
"The product’s technical support services are good."
"Simple and extremely reliable."
"The most valuable feature is its ability to handle a high number of users while maintaining both stability and performance."
"Flash disk with Easy Tier option"
"Over the years, it has become increasingly user-friendly."
"It's very easy to manage."
"The performance of the solution is noteworthy."
"User friendly management interface."
"The solution is very easy to configure and use."
"The maintenance service and support from IBM is very good."
"We are a 100% satisfied with the stability of the solution."
 

Cons

"The price of the solution could be reduced."
"The solution isn't suitable for small environments or small customers."
"Additional metadata reporting would be great. We have to use a separate tool to report on that. We would like to view the age of data and how long it has been since someone has accessed a file."
"I would want to see more AI features with Dell PowerScale (Isilon)."
"There are some missing features in the product, especially when our company needs to do some tape backup, and we see that the tool doesn't have integration capabilities."
"I'd like to see more Iceland products in the cloud so that we can port our data into different environments if needed. I would also like to see a virtual appliance or software-defined Iceland product."
"It would be good to have synchronized mirroring between two clusters without using a third-party program."
"Pricing is an issue. It's quite expensive for the amount of storage we have."
"Hitachi NAS Platform needs to improve by offering a unified storage solution. Due to budget constraints in regions like Southeast Asia, customers prefer a single machine that can handle all problems, which the current platform does not provide."
"I do not like Hitachi NAS because it's an old-school NAS solution, compared to the other, newer-type solutions such as Isilon from Dell or Qumulo."
"The Hitachi NAS Platform is too complicated, not simple, and not cost-effective, sometimes being inappropriate for most situations."
"I would like to see the inclusion of support for cloud-connectivity to providers like AWS."
"Hitachi NAS Platform is expensive."
"I would suggest that Hitachi make a NAS box that can work independently, without relying on SAN connectivity."
"There are insufficient improvements in certain areas."
"Hitachi could be more flexible and have a simpler management interface."
"The deduplication and compression ratio is not very good. It's not reaching a very high ratio."
"The price is very costly."
"GUI interface should be enhanced more as there is some issues in copy services."
"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."
"A big area for improvement is that the data reduction pool feature is not recommended for use in a production environment because it has stability and performance issues."
"Customization features must be improved."
"This solution needs a management console where we are alerted to issues and can report them, or escalate them through email or another method."
"The storage capacity of this solution could be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Dell PowerScale (Isilon) is an expensive solution."
"Dell PowerScale is expensive on the start-up side but we can recoup those costs quickly by not having to reapply the savings to other equipment."
"Price was also a significant factor in our decision to go with PowerScale. The team at EMC, now Dell EMC, came through with a highly competitive offer that tipped the scales towards their solution. There was only one other solution around the same price point, but it could not match PowerScale on features. That other solution is no longer on the market."
"The price of the solution is high."
"It is a really expensive solution."
"It is an expensive solution."
"The platform is not cheap. However, on the software side, you can choose what you want license. So, you can start your licensing with the features that you need, then after buying the platform add some other features."
"The pricing for this solution is reasonable."
"This solution is priced well and there are no costs in addition to the standard licensing fees."
"It is a highly-priced product."
"I would rate the solution's pricing six to seven out of ten."
"Costs are based on the features and it is a considerable amount."
"Hitachi NAS Platform’s price is high and depends on SCSI disc capacity."
"For a yearly license, it is about $100,000. There are no additional costs. The entire system is included."
"Our customers would like IMB FlashSystem to be less expensive."
"The solution requires a license and could be less expensive."
"Regarding licensing make sure you add at least three years software maintenance from IBM at the beginning, because you will not be able to download firmware updates or any fixes/patches without this."
"The tool is cost-efficient."
"The pricing is competitive in our country."
"The total storage capacity vs price is still quite high for the IBM Flash Array."
"IBM V7000 has a new license and price structure which provides intuitive licensing based on the functions customers wish to enable and use the most."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
17%
Computer Software Company
12%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Manufacturing Company
13%
Energy/Utilities Company
9%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?
The solution provides massive performance, scalability, efficiency, and ease of management.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?
Every time we purchase a PowerScale solution, we buy four nodes for one data center and four for another, with five y...
What needs improvement with Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?
Dell's customer service needs improvement. Specifically, hardware failures under warranty should be addressed within ...
What do you like most about Hiachi NAS Platform?
The product has valuable features for data migration.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Hiachi NAS Platform?
The pricing for the Hitachi NAS is higher compared to other NAS solutions since the NAS protocol is provided on top o...
What needs improvement with Hiachi NAS Platform?
I would suggest that Hitachi make a NAS box that can work independently, without relying on SAN connectivity. The cur...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM FlashSystem?
Many factors affect purchasing directly from IBM, often involving a multi-step process. Customers, especially in bank...
What needs improvement with IBM FlashSystem?
The deduplication technology in IBM FlashSystem needs significant improvement. Other vendors like NetApp ( /products/...
 

Also Known As

PowerScale, Dell EMC Isilon
Hitachi NAS
IBM Storwize
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

OMRF, University of Utah, Translational Genetics Research Institute, Arcis, Geofizyka Torumn, Cyprus E&P Corporation, Colburn School, Columbia Sportswear, Harvard Medical School, University of Michigan, National Library of France,
Intersect Australia
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
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, NetApp, IBM and others in NAS. Updated: May 2025.
852,796 professionals have used our research since 2012.