Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) comparison

Dell Technologies and Nutanix are both solutions in the File and Object Storage category. Dell Technologies is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.7, while Nutanix is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.7. Dell Technologies holds a 6.7% mindshare in FaOS, compared to Nutanix’s 2.9% mindshare. Additionally, 97% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of Nutanix users who would recommend it.

Dell PowerScale (Isilon)

Read 80 Dell PowerScale (Isilon) reviews

11,424 Views
6,283 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS)

Read 118 Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) reviews

7,352 Views
3,750 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Dell PowerScale (Isilon)

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS)

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 4, 2024

Dell PowerScale and Nutanix Unified Storage compete in the data management and storage category. Dell PowerScale offers a more comprehensive feature set, while Nutanix excels in user experience and cloud capabilities.

Features: Dell PowerScale provides exceptional scalability, high performance, and advanced data protection features like SmartQuotas, InsightIQ, and advanced file system protocols. It is known for its ease of management and comprehensive policy-based storage control. Nutanix Unified Storage is valued for integrated analytics, streamlined management, and support for various workloads. The single platform interface enhances user experience, and high availability, flexibility, and scalability are significant strengths, especially in multi-cloud environments.

Room for Improvement: Dell PowerScale could improve its pricing for smaller environments and simplify its management tools. Users express the need for better cloud integration and streamlined data access protocol management. Nutanix Unified Storage faces challenges with license management complexity and a need for enhanced cybersecurity features. Improvements in object storage handling and support for multi-VLAN environments are needed. Both could benefit from better cost-effectiveness and simplification.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Dell PowerScale is typically deployed on-premises with varied customer service experiences based on support tiers. Customers note its reliable and responsive network. Nutanix Unified Storage supports flexible deployment across private, public, and hybrid clouds. The seamless scalability and streamlined operations are appreciated, though customer service experiences can vary, especially regarding issue resolution and licensing clarity.

Pricing and ROI: Dell PowerScale is considered costly initially but offers good TCO benefits, with customers citing scalability and robust features justifying the price. Nutanix Unified Storage is viewed as cost-effective with comprehensive features and unified management, providing enhanced data storage efficiency without significant additional investment. Nutanix's ROI is boosted by streamlined IT operations and reduced infrastructure costs.

To learn more, read our detailed Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs. Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs. Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS)

March 2026

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Helped 884,122 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score

6.2

Organizations benefit from Dell PowerScale's efficiency, scalability, cost savings, improved performance, and reliable data management without extra staffing.

Sentiment score

6.8

Nutanix Unified Storage delivers significant ROI with reduced costs, improved efficiency, and enhanced resource, security, and disaster management.

Despite being more expensive than Huawei, it is stable and most enterprises accept the price due to its stability.

Atif Pervaiz

Senior System Engineer at Atlas Security

In terms of Dell PowerScale (Isilon) specifically, we have seen a return on investment due to faster performance than our last few storage arrays, and the general usability is a lot better.

Cheyne Skapyak

Storage & Data Protection Specialist at General Dynamics Land Systems

The second cluster of Dell PowerScale (Isilon) gives us flexibility for small things like code upgrades, all the way to scenarios where we have lost this data center or data, allowing us to check if data is still intact on the other side.

reviewer2706753

Senior System Engineer at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Dell PowerScale (Isilon) report

For me, the biggest return on investment when using this solution is that we do not have to have much support staff to run it.

Tom Hiles

Senior Manager, IT Infrastructure & Support at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees

The scalability challenge with previous systems is lessened with Nutanix since we can expand by adding new hardware without needing migrations.

Ryan Salaheddine

Infrastructure Architect & Manager at a real estate/law firm with 201-500 employees

We are saving approximately 20% to 25% compared with the competition.

reviewer2703840

Global of Central Computing IT Operations Head at a retailer with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) report

Customer Service

Sentiment score

7.3

Dell PowerScale users generally find support satisfactory, noting responsiveness and knowledge, but highlight inconsistencies and areas for improvement.

Sentiment score

7.5

Nutanix Unified Storage support is responsive and knowledgeable, though users note occasional delays on weekends and with escalations.

Support online is definitely a ten out of ten.

Mazen Jamal Eddine

Pre-Sale Engineer at Arab Operators

When we face issues, we raise a ticket through the valid portal, and they respond immediately and assign a local engineer to coordinate the support process.

Manaye Kerebn

Senior System Engineer at a financial services firm with 10,001+ employees

Dell provides support within four hours, and they always fulfill their promises.

Atif Pervaiz

Senior System Engineer at Atlas Security

For more quotes and insights, download the Dell PowerScale (Isilon) report

They come on the call, start troubleshooting immediately, and resolve issues effectively.

Ashish Savaratkar

Senior System Administrator at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees

They are very knowledgeable, and if they can't solve the problem, they find the answer within a day or so.

Shawn Greisen

Manager, System Engineering at a mining and metals company with 10,001+ employees

I would give the customer service and technical support a ten out of ten.

Manuel Heredia

PreSales at IKUSI

For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) report

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score

7.2

Dell PowerScale offers seamless scalability, supporting diverse storage types and accommodating significant workloads to meet future storage demands.

Sentiment score

7.8

Nutanix Unified Storage offers strong, flexible scalability and seamless integration, allowing easy node additions and meeting diverse storage needs.

We started on PowerScale with around about 300 terabytes and are now two and a half petabytes, still on the same file system.

Uli Betzler

Storage Architect at a educational organization with 10,001+ employees

That's really saved us in certain areas as we didn't have funding to expand Dell PowerScale (Isilon) until next year, which is why we utilized the cloud pools functionality to offload.

Scott Taylor

Senior Infrastructure Specialist at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

As an unstructured data storage solution, writing into it and accessing it from the other nodes is highly scalable with no issues.

reviewer2795952

Senior Technical Engineer at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Dell PowerScale (Isilon) report

This means you don't have to buy everything upfront; you can buy what you need and add more as you grow, which is advantageous.

ChrisGeaghan

Sales engineer at a tech vendor with 201-500 employees

These three components utilize scalability tools, enabling storage addition to nodes and supporting independent, linear performance growth.

Amarnath Charugundla

System Engineer at Tata Consultancy

I find the scalability of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) to be excellent, and I would rate it a ten based on my clients' requirements.

SaurabhShukla

Technical Lead at Cognizant

For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) report

Stability Issues

Sentiment score

8.1

Dell PowerScale is praised for stability, reliability, easy management, and high uptime, with infrequent, manageable hardware issues.

Sentiment score

8.0

Nutanix Unified Storage is exceptionally stable, offering seamless upgrades, minimal downtime, and high user satisfaction due to its resilience.

Since we have good protection levels, the data is secured and replicated across the disks.

Mazen Jamal Eddine

Pre-Sale Engineer at Arab Operators

Even if a node goes down, other nodes can respond and provide data back to the user without issues.

RahulSharma8

Storage Platform Engineer at Expedia Group

I assess the stability and reliability of Dell PowerScale (Isilon) as perfect.

Cheyne Skapyak

Storage & Data Protection Specialist at General Dynamics Land Systems

For more quotes and insights, download the Dell PowerScale (Isilon) report

We have not experienced these issues with Nutanix, which I attribute to the all-flash technology, the quality of their platform, and the responsiveness of the hyper-converged infrastructure.

Ryan Adams

System Administrator II at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is very stable.

Ashish Savaratkar

Senior System Administrator at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees

It automatically triggers tasks, causing performance issues.

reviewer2700540

Nutanix Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) report

Room For Improvement

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) users face integration, usability, and scaling challenges, with needs for improved support, security, and AI features.

Nutanix Unified Storage needs improvements in storage capabilities, security, scalability, costs, usability, and AI features for better performance.

Hardware failures under warranty should be addressed within the promised timeline.

Md Shakil Khan

Senior Engineer at Continental Tire

I would want to see more AI features with Dell PowerScale (Isilon).

Cheyne Skapyak

Storage & Data Protection Specialist at General Dynamics Land Systems

If I could improve one thing on Dell PowerScale (Isilon), it would be better object storage as it recently breached into S3, and that capability could be broadened.

reviewer2706753

Senior System Engineer at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Dell PowerScale (Isilon) report

The main concern is pricing, which could deter some customers; addressing this would enhance its appeal.

Mrudula Oruganti

Senior Solution Software Engineer at Gigamon

The system should move towards AI-driven optimization and enhance S3 object storage capabilities.

Sukhwinder-Singh

Corporate Trainer at a educational organization with 501-1,000 employees

System downtime can disturb the entire ecosystem and impact all applications.

Amarnath Charugundla

System Engineer at Tata Consultancy

For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) report

Setup Cost

Dell PowerScale is costly but valued for its features, flexible licensing, scalability, and long-term cost efficiency.

Nutanix Unified Storage is competitively priced with flexible licensing, offering substantial ROI and cost-effectiveness in existing environments.

It's quite expensive for the amount of storage we have.

Scott Taylor

Senior Infrastructure Specialist at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees

Cheaper nodes will cost less, while higher performance nodes will be pricier.

RahulSharma8

Storage Platform Engineer at Expedia Group

Costs align well with what it delivers, making it a fair price for a powerful tool that meets all our needs.

RicardoSantana

Tv Systems Technical Supervisor at a media company with 501-1,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Dell PowerScale (Isilon) report

Compared to buying three or four vendor solutions, it is much cheaper.

Tom Hiles

Senior Manager, IT Infrastructure & Support at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees

The cost has doubled for the same amount of data, which was a challenge when presenting use case justifications for the increased cost.

Ryan Salaheddine

Infrastructure Architect & Manager at a real estate/law firm with 201-500 employees

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) has definitely helped reduce our total cost of ownership.

Nidhi Lnu

Information Technology Managed Services Provider at SCE

For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) report

Valuable Features

Dell PowerScale provides scalable, efficient storage with strong integration, data protection, and easy administration to enhance operational efficiency.

Nutanix Unified Storage provides efficient, scalable storage with strong performance, cybersecurity, cost-efficiency, and seamless integration capabilities.

Dell PowerScale offers high scalability and stability as well, making it a valuable solution for enterprises.

Atif Pervaiz

Senior System Engineer at Atlas Security

In our AI initiatives, Dell PowerScale (Isilon) plays a significant role in data analysis, data fusion; principally, it is involved in data analysis, data extraction, and statistical analysis.

reviewer2689287

Senior Technologist at a university with 1,001-5,000 employees

Single files are limited to four terabytes in our configuration, however, the system can support up to 16 terabytes, so we can scale based on that too.

Bill Engelmeyer

Systems Engineer at Unisity LLC

For more quotes and insights, download the Dell PowerScale (Isilon) report

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is appreciated for its fault tolerance and redundancy at the cluster level, which ensures reliable storage of files, folders, and other information accessible on the client side.

reviewer2700540

Nutanix Engineer at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

The cybersecurity features of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) when dealing with unstructured data, such as ransomware threats, provide the ability to detect and back up block-based storage, allowing me to restore repositories or sets of block storage with one button click, which is automatic.

Andrew Essien

Network Engineer at Alabama A & M University

My experience with using Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) for data-intensive workloads is that we have many SQL Servers and they perform much better than they did when we used hybrid converged previously.

Tom Hiles

Senior Manager, IT Infrastructure & Support at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees

For more quotes and insights, download the Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) report

Categories and Ranking

Dell PowerScale (Isilon)

Ranking in File and Object Storage

2nd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

NAS (2nd)

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS)

Ranking in File and Object Storage

3rd

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

7.2

Number of Reviews

118

Ranking in other categories

All-Flash Storage (7th), Software Defined Storage (SDS) (2nd), Public Cloud Storage Services (4th), NVMe All-Flash Storage Arrays (4th)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the File and Object Storage category, the mindshare of Dell PowerScale (Isilon) is 6.7%, down from 8.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) is 2.9%, up from 2.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

File and Object Storage Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Dell PowerScale (Isilon)	6.7%
Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS)	2.9%
Other	90.4%

File and Object Storage

Featured Reviews

Bill Engelmeyer

Systems Engineer at Unisity LLC

Flexibility and reliability have supported seamless data growth

I cannot think of anything to improve about Dell PowerScale (Isilon). The hardest challenge we have is due to how we've bought things over time. The way that we moved to the PowerEdge platform for the newer systems creates a scale problem as I still buy the older style systems, which are more dense storage. They're different chassis, so the problem we run into in the data center is the depth of the actual equipment. The newer equipment, if we buy an FX910 or a 900, it's a lot shorter in scale than if I buy an 83,000, which is much bigger. This makes it more complicated for deployment.

Read full review

Amarnath Charugundla

System Engineer at Tata Consultancy

Unified management and cost-effectiveness lead to positive experiences and future savings

Improvement is necessary wherein the memory or storage should not breach 90%, because if breached, it becomes unmanageable. We have to set alerts or CPU triggering for 95% for the first warning. Other activities on nodes or file systems should be properly maintained. We must monitor the dashboard for P1, P2 alerts in the Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) file share system including SMB, NFS, objects, and blocks. Attention should be maintained for any alerts such as CPU, memory, and RAM alerts, as exceeding these creates issues within teams. If triggered to 95% and forgotten, it crosses the SLA breach, causing disturbances to application, web, and platform teams. Continuous monitoring on the Nutanix dashboard is essential. Even a highly experienced person in Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) cannot provide a 10 rating out of 10 because it is a vast system. I would rate it eight from my perspective.

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

11%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Computer Software Company

18%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Financial Services Firm

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	19
Midsize Enterprise	20
Large Enterprise	44

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	27
Midsize Enterprise	31
Large Enterprise	67

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.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?

Regarding pricing, Isilon can be cost-efficient; if you are using more capacity nodes without needing more performance, it won't affect your budget much. However, multiple factors play a role in de...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?

When it comes to Dell PowerScale (Isilon), I think that because it differs when you have a normal customer and a developer, usually we know what is needed and how we use it, everything. If you ask ...

See all answers

What do you like most about Nutanix Unified Storage?

Nutanix has excellent product documentation available on their portals, written in simple, easy-to-understand language.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Nutanix Unified Storage?

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) helps to reduce the total cost of ownership in general. However, I am getting complaints from customers about the renewal cost being a bit on the higher side. Because ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Nutanix Unified Storage?

Regarding areas for improvement, I think Data Lens could be enhanced from Nutanix's side, but it has been a long time since I logged into that console, so I do not remember much. It is a SaaS-based...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 20% of the time

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Compared 7% of the time

VAST Data vs Dell PowerScale (Isilon)

Compared 4% of the time

IBM FlashSystem vs Dell PowerScale (Isilon)

Compared 2% of the time

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Microsoft Storage Spaces Direct vs Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS)

Compared 8% of the time

Red Hat Ceph Storage vs Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS)

Compared 7% of the time

VMware Software Defined Storage vs Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS)

Compared 5% of the time

HPE Alletra Storage vs Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS)

Compared 4% of the time

Amazon S3 vs Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS)

Compared 4% of the time

More Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerScale (Isilon)

March 2026

Download Dell PowerScale (Isilon) product report

Buyer's Guide

Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS)

February 2026

Download Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS) product report

Also Known As

PowerScale, Dell EMC Isilon

Nutanix Files Storage, Nutanix Volumes Block Storage, Nutanix Objects Storage

Overview

Dell PowerScale leads in unstructured data management with unified file and object storage, massive scalability, security, and cloud adaptability, enhancing AI, analytics, and enterprise applications with exceptional performance and resilience.

Dell PowerScale Isilon provides a comprehensive platform for unstructured data, excelling in scalability, management, and performance. With features like single-pane management, SyncIQ, and SmartQuotas, it handles large datasets with flexibility and robust security. Its multi-protocol support and seamless expansion improve operational efficiency. While it offers strong data protection, enhancements in cloud integration, cybersecurity, and performance are sought. Users note potential for cost reductions and streamlined configurations and mention desired improvements in object storage handling and NFS support.

What are the key features of Dell PowerScale Isilon?

Single-pane management: Simplifies data control and monitoring through a unified interface.
SyncIQ: Ensures efficient data replication for business continuity.
SmartQuotas: Provides intelligent quota management for optimized storage allocation.
Multi-protocol support: Facilitates cross-platform data access and integration.
Seamless storage expansion: Allows effortless scaling to accommodate growing data needs.

What benefits should users consider when reviewing Dell PowerScale Isilon?

Operational efficiency: Reduces workload with easy management and automation.
Enhanced security: Offers comprehensive data protection and recovery options.
Scalability: Supports large-scale data storage with flexible growth capabilities.
Performance: Delivers high-speed data processing for demanding applications.
Integration flexibility: Adapts to on-prem and hybrid cloud environments for diverse deployment needs.

Organizations across industries utilize Dell PowerScale Isilon for large-scale unstructured storage, supporting applications like video archiving, genomic data storage, and high-resolution imaging. Educational institutions, research centers, and media enterprises rely on its scaled-out storage capabilities, providing centralized, secure storage for diverse applications in hybrid, cloud, and on-prem environments.

Dell Technologies

Nutanix Unified Storage offers seamless scalability and high availability with a user-friendly interface, supporting multi-protocol operations while integrating effortlessly with cloud platforms. It enhances performance and security with features like ransomware protection and advanced data management.

Nutanix Unified Storage streamlines storage management by consolidating infrastructure and optimizing virtualization. It reduces operational complexity and enhances performance across diverse workloads. Despite feedback on integration challenges and suggestions for improving pricing, API capabilities, and security, it remains a key choice for dependable storage solutions. Calls for streamlined implementation and enhanced AI capabilities reflect its potential to better support evolving organizational strategies, driving cost efficiency and data accessibility.

What are the key features of Nutanix Unified Storage?

Intuitive Interface: Simplifies management with easy navigation.
High Availability: Ensures minimal downtime and reliable performance.
Seamless Scalability: Adapts to increasing data requirements effortlessly.
Multi-Protocol Support: Facilitates comprehensive operations across different systems.
Advanced Security: Offers ransomware protection and secure data backup.
Cloud Integration: Allows smooth interaction with cloud platforms.

What benefits and ROI should users evaluate?

Operational Efficiency: Reduced complexity through streamlined management.
Cost Optimization: Achieved via data compression and consolidation.
Enhanced Data Visibility: Improved insights with advanced data lens.
Performance Improvement: Significant uplift in workload handling and database performance.
Scalable Infrastructure: Enables growth and adaptation to changing demands.

In industries, Nutanix Unified Storage is deployed to centralize storage needs, improve database efficiency, and enhance file sharing and security. Organizations use it to consolidate infrastructure, support virtualization, optimize costs, and facilitate virtual machine hosting. It's instrumental in scalable object storage, ransomware protection, integrating legacy systems, and catering to critical applications.

Nutanix

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,

JetBlue, International Speedway Corporation, Volkswagen SAIC, Brighton and Hove City Council, Foresters Financial, Janus International Group, Cloud Comrade, Serco

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs. Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS)

March 2026

Free Report: Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs. Nutanix Unified Storage (NUS)

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