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Dell PowerStore vs IBM FlashSystem comparison

Dell Technologies and IBM are both solutions in the NAS category. Dell Technologies is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.8, while IBM is ranked #5 with an average rating of 8.4. Additionally, 96% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 91% of IBM users who would recommend it.
Sponsored
Pure FlashArray X NVMe
Read 36 Pure FlashArray X NVMe reviews
  • 1,757 Views
  • 914 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
Dell PowerStore
Read 120 Dell PowerStore reviews
  • 24,481 Views
  • 3,672 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
IBM FlashSystem
Read 111 IBM FlashSystem reviews
  • 8,245 Views
  • 3,216 Comparison Views
91% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 18, 2024

IBM FlashSystem and Dell PowerStore are two leading enterprise storage solutions. Dell PowerStore appears to have the upper hand due to its scalability and advanced features.

Features: IBM FlashSystem's valuable features include exceptional integration capabilities, robust performance, and ease of setup. Dell PowerStore stands out with its scalability, automation, and advanced user-friendly features.

Room for Improvement: Users suggest IBM FlashSystem could enhance its documentation, customer training, and user support. Dell PowerStore users point to a need for more detailed error reporting, advanced analytics, and deeper insights.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM FlashSystem is favored for its straightforward deployment and responsive customer service. Dell PowerStore is noted for its efficient deployment process and thorough customer support. Both products perform well, but Dell PowerStore edges out with its supportive infrastructure.

Pricing and ROI: IBM FlashSystem is viewed as cost-efficient with a good ROI and lower setup costs. Dell PowerStore, although generally more expensive, offers superior features and long-term value, making it worth the investment.

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To learn more, read our detailed Dell PowerStore vs. IBM FlashSystem Report (Updated: July 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Dell PowerStore vs. IBM FlashSystem
July 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:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
1.0
Organizations reduced costs and improved performance with Pure FlashArray X NVMe, achieving quick ROI and efficient resource management.
Sentiment score
6.8
Dell PowerStore provides cost savings, improved performance, efficiency, and a positive ROI through effective data management and storage optimization.
Sentiment score
7.2
IBM FlashSystem users reported improved performance, scalability, and integration, valuing ROI, enhanced features, and minimal downtime despite increased pricing.
By opting for the gold subscription every three years, you get a free upgrade to the latest controller release.
If you wait more than seven years to buy another one, you get a return on your investment.
For more quotes and insights, download the Pure FlashArray X NVMe report
If you purchase storage with 300 terabytes, you can easily achieve one petabyte of effective capacity.
It's been trouble-free the entire time, with very high performance, as it has been designed and built properly.
We have reduced infrastructure but the same performance.
For more quotes and insights, download the Dell PowerStore report
The solution can comfortably be stretched from five to seven years without any failures, ensuring a long-lasting return.
For more quotes and insights, download the IBM FlashSystem report
SajithEruvangai - PeerSpot reviewerEugene Hemphill - PeerSpot reviewer
AK
reviewer2709102 - PeerSpot reviewer
RM
OmarIsmail1 - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.1
Pure FlashArray X NVMe's technical support is praised for responsiveness, despite occasional follow-up issues, earning high customer satisfaction.
Sentiment score
6.0
Dell PowerStore's support quality varies by region and service level, with mixed reviews on responsiveness, expertise, and resolution times.
Sentiment score
7.1
IBM FlashSystem's customer service is praised for responsiveness and expertise, though regional response times and costs vary.
With Pure FlashArray X NVMe, we need to escalate the issue and get an account manager for its resolution.
We also had one outage where a controller of one of the products had failed and had to be replaced on-site.
Customers always have their issues resolved promptly.
For more quotes and insights, download the Pure FlashArray X NVMe report
If necessary, they will search for a specialist within their Dell network who we can approach with our questions.
I would rate the technical support of Dell PowerStore between nine and ten out of ten.
They're responsive, knowledgeable, and have a quick turnaround.
For more quotes and insights, download the Dell PowerStore report
Customers of alternatives like Dell and Hitachi enjoy more reliable and comprehensive support services directly from vendors rather than third-party subsidiaries.
I rate the technical support from IBM as a ten.
IBM customer support is responsible, efficient, and responsive, though it is expensive.
For more quotes and insights, download the IBM FlashSystem report
VS
reviewer943512 - PeerSpot reviewerEugene Hemphill - PeerSpot reviewer
SD
TT
reviewer2598762 - PeerSpot reviewerRaanan Sitton - PeerSpot reviewerOmarIsmail1 - PeerSpot reviewerMD.Faisal Alam - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
7.1
Pure FlashArray X NVMe offers scalable storage with low latency, easy upgrades, though capacity customization and high costs are noted.
Sentiment score
7.1
Dell PowerStore offers scalability with easy expansion, NVMe technology, and flexible upgrades, meeting diverse enterprise demands efficiently.
Sentiment score
7.4
IBM FlashSystem offers strong scalability and flexibility, supporting expansion with virtualization despite occasional complexity and costs.
You cannot increase capacity if latency is present.
It is highly scalable.
It is suitable for both medium-sized and enterprise businesses.
For more quotes and insights, download the Pure FlashArray X NVMe report
The solution's scalability is a ten out of ten.
The customer likely exceeds 20,000 users globally.
You can create as many tools as needed, providing scalability based on the use case.
For more quotes and insights, download the Dell PowerStore report
For larger enterprises, scalability is an issue as the price becomes prohibitive.
The problem arises when migrating data to a later IBM FlashSystem version due to issues with firmware compatibility.
The scalability of IBM FlashSystem is exceptional, and I rate it as a nine.
For more quotes and insights, download the IBM FlashSystem report
VS
Joerg Utesch - PeerSpot reviewerJaka Demšar - PeerSpot reviewer
AA
Hamed Mohamed - PeerSpot reviewerMarc Gaethofs - PeerSpot reviewerRaanan Sitton - PeerSpot reviewerMD.Faisal Alam - PeerSpot reviewerOmarIsmail1 - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Pure Storage offers exceptional stability and reliability with outstanding support, consistently achieving high user ratings for performance and service.
Sentiment score
7.6
Dell PowerStore is highly stable and reliable, praised for performance and seamless integration with minimal significant issues.
Sentiment score
7.7
IBM FlashSystem is highly reliable with exceptional stability, praised for resilience and quick resolution of occasional issues.
During the eight years, there have been no problems such as hardware failure or stopping.
I would rate the stability of the solution as a ten out of ten.
I would rate the stability of the product at seven out of ten.
For more quotes and insights, download the Pure FlashArray X NVMe report
When I removed all the cables, it failed over within five minutes.
There are no bugs or glitches and it doesn't crash or freeze.
I would rate the stability of Dell PowerStore as ten out of ten.
For more quotes and insights, download the Dell PowerStore report
Customers have infrastructure that is 100% stable.
The firmware and software engine have fewer bugs, which enhances operational efficiency.
For more quotes and insights, download the IBM FlashSystem report
Gokhan Dikmen - PeerSpot reviewerSajithEruvangai - PeerSpot reviewer
GC
reviewer2707638 - PeerSpot reviewerHamed Mohamed - PeerSpot reviewer
SD
MD.Faisal Alam - PeerSpot reviewerOmarIsmail1 - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Room For Improvement

Pure FlashArray X requires cost-effective improvements in UI, integration, cloud features, multitenancy, analytics, backup, AI, and scalability.
Dell PowerStore needs better VMware integration, enhanced features, cost efficiency, improved user interface, and refined support and documentation.
IBM FlashSystem needs better storage, stability, GUI, scalability, support, integration, pricing, configurations, data reduction, cloud, and analytics.
Many options to check performance, like read, writes, random writes, and random reads, are missing in Pure FlashArray X NVMe.
We would appreciate a built-in transparent failover in the next release to eliminate the need for a separate metro cluster.
I'm eagerly anticipating the roadmap's promise of introducing multiple controllers, which could significantly boost scalability and resilience.
For more quotes and insights, download the Pure FlashArray X NVMe report
If you want to delve into where your I/Os are going, the reporting might need more in-depth information to make informed decisions.
In my organization, we have had to go through two weeks with no replication, which is not very handy for our production environment.
Something needs to be done with the caching to ensure that if some issue occurs, there needs to be an ability to disable caching during maintenance to make it static, safe, and good.
For more quotes and insights, download the Dell PowerStore report
Despite marketing promises, these features do not function effectively and can impact performance.
There is room for improvement in the troubleshooting part, specifically related to IBM Spectrum for Insight.
An additional function that could be helpful is reducing the time it takes to delete volumes, especially if they are compressed or deduplicated.
For more quotes and insights, download the IBM FlashSystem report
VS
Joerg Utesch - PeerSpot reviewerSajithEruvangai - PeerSpot reviewerMarc Gaethofs - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2318379 - PeerSpot reviewerreviewer2402940 - PeerSpot reviewerRaanan Sitton - PeerSpot reviewerMD.Faisal Alam - PeerSpot reviewer
SJ
 

Setup Cost

Enterprise buyers see Pure FlashArray X NVMe as a justified premium investment due to performance and comprehensive licensing.
Dell PowerStore is costly but justified by performance, scalability, and features, with competitive cost-per-compute and inclusive licensing.
IBM FlashSystem pricing is competitive but variable, with negotiable discounts and potentially high ongoing costs for smaller organizations.
While the prices may be higher than those of other vendors, we see it as a market leader with benefits.
The support can be a bit pricey, but the solution is more cost-effective than anything else out there.
Pure FlashArray X NVMe’s pricing is cheaper than other products.
For more quotes and insights, download the Pure FlashArray X NVMe report
Likely the cost is $400,000 whereas IBM may be $250,000.
Based on my experience, the cost of Dell PowerStore for around 500 GB of capacity is very competitive compared to any other platform in the market.
There's no need to pay for a license; it's all-inclusive.
For more quotes and insights, download the Dell PowerStore report
To install or upgrade any software features, the cost is high, which makes it challenging for smaller companies who do not require advanced features like deduplication or compression typically needed by larger organizations.
For more quotes and insights, download the IBM FlashSystem report
Enes SUZER - PeerSpot reviewerEugene Hemphill - PeerSpot reviewer
VS
Hamed Mohamed - PeerSpot reviewer
SS
Marc Gaethofs - PeerSpot reviewerRaanan Sitton - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Valuable Features

Pure FlashArray X NVMe offers exceptional performance, reliability, scalability, and seamless VMware integration, enhancing workload efficiency and user experience.
Dell PowerStore is valued for its ease, flexibility, performance, NVMe support, VMware integration, scalability, reliability, and cost-effectiveness.
IBM FlashSystem offers high performance, ease of use, and advanced storage features, making it ideal for efficient business solutions.
Pure Storage has signature security technology, which cannot be deleted, even if you are an administrator.
The platform's robust features include excellent sustainability tracking, and a comprehensive dashboard offering insights into IOPS, bandwidth, performance, and virtual activities.
Its data compression feature is the best that we have ever seen.
For more quotes and insights, download the Pure FlashArray X NVMe report
The solution promotes data reduction, often meeting the compression ratio.
The PowerStore's compression ratio is even higher than the Unity system.
The deduplication part of the solution is valuable since, as a user, you get more space for less money.
For more quotes and insights, download the Dell PowerStore report
There is a significant amount of data reduction, achieving a ratio of one to three.
There is built-in compression, a data reduction feature, and artificial intelligence-driven insights that calculate warnings and errors to redirect to customers automatically.
When integrated properly into the environment and configured according to the guidelines, it provides a very solid infrastructure that does the job on demand.
For more quotes and insights, download the IBM FlashSystem report
Gokhan Dikmen - PeerSpot reviewerSajithEruvangai - PeerSpot reviewerEugene Hemphill - PeerSpot reviewerMarc Gaethofs - PeerSpot reviewer
SD
FB
SJ
MD.Faisal Alam - PeerSpot reviewerOmarIsmail1 - PeerSpot reviewer
 

Categories and Ranking

Pure FlashArray X NVMe
Sponsored
Ranking in All-Flash Storage
14th
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
36
Ranking in other categories
NVMe All-Flash Storage Arrays (6th)
Dell PowerStore
Ranking in All-Flash Storage
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
120
Ranking in other categories
Data Warehouse (4th), NAS (1st), Enterprise SAN (1st), NVMe All-Flash Storage Arrays (1st)
IBM FlashSystem
Ranking in All-Flash Storage
13th
Average Rating
8.2
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
111
Ranking in other categories
NAS (5th), Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) (2nd)
 

Featured Reviews

Jaehoon Oh - PeerSpot reviewer
Supports efficient storage management through volume snapshots and offers reliable non-disruptive upgrades
I have no specific improvements to suggest for Pure FlashArray X NVMe at this time. The performance statistics could be enhanced. I can see the performance statistics in the Pure Storage console, but it does not show the performance by 4K byte unit. It displays IOPS and bandwidth, but IOPS is about real use, and I want to know how many IOPS are currently running in 4K byte units. I cannot see that IOPS because most storage systems report their performance by 4K byte unit. I want to see Pure Storage performance by 4K byte unit to compare with other storage or other internal NVMe SSD.
Read full review
Hassan_Zaki - PeerSpot reviewer
Integrated AI and clustering enhance storage operations effectively
I promote and recommend Dell PowerStore for all workloads to my clients and customers. Most of my customers have one appliance per site. Approximately 80% of my customers have Dell PowerStore implemented in their data centers. We always use CLS as another Dell solution for cybersecurity and data security. The CLS is integrated with the Data Domain, PowerProtect Data Domain, not with Dell PowerStore. Windows, Linux, and some customers use Red Hat or SUSE. We have many operating systems working with Dell PowerStore in the same environments and data centers. CloudIQ and Storage IQ are used by some customers, but Apex AIOps has not been widely adopted yet. Dell PowerStore has integration with VMware and Kubernetes. Most workloads work fine and have very good integration with Dell PowerStore, except for one or two specific workloads in the market. On a scale of one to ten, I rate Dell PowerStore a nine.
Read full review
OmarIsmail1 - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers high performance and dependable support for fast storage needs
The most valuable feature of IBM FlashSystem ( /products/ibm-flashsystem-reviews ) 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
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Government
6%
Computer Software Company
17%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Government
7%
Computer Software Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Pure FlashArray X NVMe?
Pure FlashArray X NVMe helps to improve our processing speed. It is user-friendly and easy to use.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Pure FlashArray X NVMe?
I am an engineer and am not aware of the setup cost.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Pure FlashArray X NVMe?
Adding some functions to the product would be beneficial. Storage replication should be essential, and the analytics ...
See all answers
What do you think about Dell EMC PowerStore? Is it actually a new product?
PowerStore is flexible, scalable, simple, and performant with market-leading economics for a wide range of legacy and...
See all answers
How does Dell's EMC PowerStore compare with its EMC Unity XT?
Dell EMC PowerStore is a unified storage platform that has the added benefit of being scalable. The automated managem...
See all answers
What's the difference between DELL EMC Powerstore and Powermax NVMe?
Dell PowerStore is an all-solid-state midrange storage system. It has many internal elements taken from other Dell of...
See all answers
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?
Many factors affect purchasing directly from IBM, often involving a multi-step process. Customers, especially in bank...
See all answers
What needs improvement with IBM FlashSystem?
The deduplication technology in IBM FlashSystem needs significant improvement. Other vendors like NetApp ( /products/...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

TrueNAS R-Series vs Pure FlashArray X NVMe Logo
TrueNAS R-Series vs Pure FlashArray X NVMe
Compared 19% of the time
Pure Storage FlashBlade vs Pure FlashArray X NVMe Logo
Pure Storage FlashBlade vs Pure FlashArray X NVMe
Compared 15% of the time
HPE Alletra Storage vs Pure FlashArray X NVMe Logo
HPE Alletra Storage vs Pure FlashArray X NVMe
Compared 9% of the time
Dell Unity XT vs Pure FlashArray X NVMe Logo
Dell Unity XT vs Pure FlashArray X NVMe
Compared 8% of the time
Dell PowerMax vs Pure FlashArray X NVMe Logo
Dell PowerMax vs Pure FlashArray X NVMe
Compared 6% of the time
More Pure FlashArray X NVMe Competitors
HPE Alletra Storage vs Dell PowerStore Logo
HPE Alletra Storage vs Dell PowerStore
Compared 15% of the time
Dell Unity XT vs Dell PowerStore Logo
Dell Unity XT vs Dell PowerStore
Compared 13% of the time
Dell PowerVault vs Dell PowerStore Logo
Dell PowerVault vs Dell PowerStore
Compared 11% of the time
NetApp AFF vs Dell PowerStore Logo
NetApp AFF vs Dell PowerStore
Compared 9% of the time
Pure Storage FlashArray vs Dell PowerStore Logo
Pure Storage FlashArray vs Dell PowerStore
Compared 7% of the time
More Dell PowerStore Competitors
HPE Alletra Storage vs IBM FlashSystem Logo
HPE Alletra Storage vs IBM FlashSystem
Compared 9% of the time
Pure Storage FlashArray vs IBM FlashSystem Logo
Pure Storage FlashArray vs IBM FlashSystem
Compared 8% of the time
Huawei OceanStor Dorado vs IBM FlashSystem Logo
Huawei OceanStor Dorado vs IBM FlashSystem
Compared 8% of the time
NetApp AFF vs IBM FlashSystem Logo
NetApp AFF vs IBM FlashSystem
Compared 7% of the time
Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform vs IBM FlashSystem Logo
Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform vs IBM FlashSystem
Compared 6% of the time
More IBM FlashSystem Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Pure FlashArray X NVMe
July 2025
Pure FlashArray X NVMe reportDownload Pure FlashArray X NVMe product report
Buyer's Guide
Dell PowerStore
July 2025
Dell PowerStore reportDownload Dell PowerStore product report
Buyer's Guide
IBM FlashSystem
July 2025
IBM FlashSystem reportDownload IBM FlashSystem product report
 

Also Known As

Pure FlashArray//X NVMe, Pure FlashArray//X, FlashArray//X
PowerStore
IBM Storwize
 

Overview

Pure Storage FlashArray//X is the world’s first enterprise-class, all-NVMe flash storage array. It represents a new class of storage – shared accelerated storage, which is a term coined by Gartner – that delivers major breakthroughs in performance, simplicity, and consolidation.

Pure Storage

Dell PowerStore stands out for its high performance, flexibility, and easy integration with VMware. It offers notable data compression and deduplication capabilities while providing powerful NVMe support and machine learning to optimize IT operations.

Dell PowerStore is designed to offer a comprehensive approach to IT infrastructure by enhancing performance and simplifying management. It is particularly suitable for companies that require scalable solutions to increase compute or capacity independently. Featuring built-in intelligence, PowerStore allows efficient storage consolidation and reduced footprint, while integration with CloudIQ enhances monitoring and analytics. However, there are areas for improvement, such as stability, enterprise features, and the user interface. Pricing is high, and support responsiveness needs attention. Organizations primarily use PowerStore for VMware environments, storage, and data protection, supporting high-performance databases and VMware workloads. It is utilized in data centers for disaster recovery and hybrid setups.

What are the key features of Dell PowerStore?
  • Flexibility: Independently scales compute or capacity
  • High Performance: Offers powerful NVMe support and machine learning
  • Integration: Easily integrates with VMware
  • Data Efficiency: Provides data compression and deduplication
  • Simplified Management: Built-in intelligence for efficient storage management
What benefits should users consider?
  • Performance Optimization: Enhance IT operations with machine learning
  • Scalability: Increase compute or storage capacity as needed
  • Integration Potential: Improve efficiency with VMware and CloudIQ
  • Data Protection: Reliable for disaster recovery and hybrid environments

In industries like IT, finance, and healthcare, Dell PowerStore supports efficient data management and enhances infrastructure performance. Organizations leverage it to manage extensive data, streamline virtualization processes, and facilitate migration from legacy systems, while integrating cloud and on-premises infrastructures for improved operations.

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

Fremont Bank, Judson ISD, The Nielsen Company
Information Not Available
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 PowerStore vs. IBM FlashSystem
July 2025
Free Report: Dell PowerStore vs. IBM FlashSystem
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell PowerStore vs. IBM FlashSystem and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.
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