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Dell PowerVault vs ExaGrid EX 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:
 

Categories and Ranking

Dell PowerVault
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
43
Ranking in other categories
Enterprise SAN (2nd), Fibre Channel (1st)
ExaGrid EX
Average Rating
9.0
Reviews Sentiment
5.0
Number of Reviews
4
Ranking in other categories
Disk Based Backup Systems (4th)
 

Mindshare comparison

Dell PowerVault and ExaGrid EX aren’t in the same category and serve different purposes. Dell PowerVault is designed for Enterprise SAN and holds a mindshare of 12.3%, down 30.5% compared to last year.
ExaGrid EX, on the other hand, focuses on Disk Based Backup Systems, holds 9.3% mindshare, down 11.4% since last year.
Enterprise SAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Dell PowerVault12.3%
Dell PowerStore14.0%
Cisco MDS Series10.0%
Other63.7%
Enterprise SAN
Disk Based Backup Systems Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
ExaGrid EX9.3%
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain33.3%
HPE StoreOnce32.1%
Other25.30000000000001%
Disk Based Backup Systems
 

Featured Reviews

Storage has supported long-term CCTV archiving and improves on-premises application performance
I think it would be good regarding how Dell PowerVault could improve to have, in addition to the excellent support service that exists, some training courses, forums, and a training school for using these tools. Many people specialize only in this kind of equipment, and others have no idea how to configure them or how they work and always end up depending on people who have spent a long time working with these systems and know how to handle them more because of experience than because of information that can be easily obtained about using this equipment. Everything regarding additional aspects that could be improved in Dell PowerVault has already been mentioned.
AhmedEl-Tayeb - PeerSpot reviewer
Sales Manager at a tech consulting company with 201-500 employees
Has offered a cost-effective option with solid results but requires automation features for better efficiency
For ExaGrid EX, I would appreciate additional features such as backup and restore, automation processes, and automation software for backup and restore processes. I mention that some additional features may be provided by VMware or Dell as support for the hardware they are selling, but ExaGrid EX is more of a budget-friendly solution for customers who are in charge on a daily basis of the solution itself, dealing with manual tasks rather than automated tasks. I am not in a situation to provide an exact answer for what I would specifically improve in this regard.

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 features are stability and response time."
"I find this solution to be cost-effective in providing data storage for clients."
"The biggest advantage of the product that really stands out for me is its price and the comparison of price with performance; its price is very good, and the performance according to this price is sufficient based on backup requirements, so it is perfect."
"The storage has been good."
"It is easy to take a snapshot with a single click on the volume, and we can also automate the snapshot on a daily schedule at a specific time."
"The most valuable features in Dell PowerVault are a hybrid of SSD and HDD, the FC connection to the servers, the ease of updating firmware, and its overall stability and resilience."
"Dell is a good company to work with."
"Dell PowerVault is a very stable and reliable product without any observed glitches or bugs or downtime."
"Backup and restore processes are much shorter now, and we don't need forklift upgrades every three to four years."
"Both the pricing and the performance are excellent."
"The most valuable features of ExaGrid EX are the Veeam features and Landing Zone."
"I find ExaGrid EX to be a useful solution for customers looking for a budget-friendly product."
 

Cons

"If we speak about the negative side of Dell PowerVault, I do see some areas for improvement."
"We've had some control issues."
"The MD3220i needs to allow for larger drive sizes."
"The scalability is present but it is a bit complex to scale to the desired level. When we needed to increase the performance, we faced some issues."
"There is room for improvement with Dell PowerVault as we did have some promises about dedupe and compression that did not turn out as promised, but Dell trued up and gave us more storage for no cost."
"I would like Dell to improve on the configuration of the disk groups. Only one group is expandable. Once you configure the other disk group types, you cannot expand them. It limits scalability. If you want maybe to grow a disk group, you lose information, and then you need to build it up again, which is not a good use case for customers."
"The tool needs to improve its UI."
"Regarding Dell PowerVault, the reliability of the drives is an area for improvement, and I would appreciate a little more silent cooling because with the platform, if it is open, the noise levels are quite high."
"ExaGrid EX is more of a budget-friendly solution for customers who are in charge on a daily basis of the solution itself, dealing with manual tasks rather than automated tasks."
"I would like to see free disk space."
"The solution’s web access should be improved."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"They are offering a wide range of support models for the customers such as basic support that is budget-friendly, but they also provide a professional support solution that is a bit costly"
"The cost, compared to other solutions, is on the higher end."
"The price of Dell PowerVault could be reduced. It is more expensive than some IBM solutions."
"I would rate the pricing model a nine out of ten, with one being expensive and ten being cheap."
"I rate the solution's pricing a seven to eight out of ten."
"The solution is more cost-effective than the competitors. It’s an affordable option for small businesses."
"Dell PowerVault's price is the tool's main attraction."
"It is important to remember that the retail price may seem high, but the final price is usually different."
"I rate ExaGrid EX ten out of ten for pricing."
"The renewal fee is approximately $3,500 to $3.750 for a 60 terabyte device."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
17%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Educational Organization
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise11
Large Enterprise18
No data available
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerVault?
Budget is one concept I am not aware of because I am not really involved in it, so I cannot comment on whether Dell PowerVault has contributed to staying within budget for operations.
What needs improvement with Dell PowerVault?
I would like them to improve the controllers, specifically the stability of the controllers.
What is your primary use case for Dell PowerVault?
My usual use case for Dell PowerVault is as an end user. I am using the HTML5 PowerVault Manager GUI for ME5.
What needs improvement with ExaGrid EX?
For ExaGrid EX, I would appreciate additional features such as backup and restore, automation processes, and automation software for backup and restore processes. I mention that some additional fea...
What is your primary use case for ExaGrid EX?
My role in relation to ExaGrid EX is partner and reseller.
What advice do you have for others considering ExaGrid EX?
I would prefer another way to provide support; sending all the questions in an Excel sheet or a Word file would allow me to answer them in a couple of hours and send them back. I have no problem re...
 

Also Known As

PowerVault
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Dayco, FAW Foundry, University of Cambridge, Finder, Stadtwerke Pforzheim GmbH & Co.
7-Eleven, ABC, ACNB Bank, Admiration Foods, Aeroflex, AGH, Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, Alberta Motor Association, Allegro MicroSystems, American Standard, Ameris Bank, Arch Reinsurance Ltd., Arthritis Foundation
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Cisco and others in Enterprise SAN. Updated: August 2026.
908,858 professionals have used our research since 2012.