We performed a comparison between Dell Unity XT and IBM FlashSystem based on real PeerSpot user reviews.
Find out in this report how the two All-Flash Storage Arrays solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
"We are happy with the way we have Dell EMC Unity XT configured."
"Stable data storage platform which promotes ease of management through its multi-cloud support. Remote support provided to users to address issues is very good."
"I have found Dell EMC Unity XT to be stable."
"The most valuable feature of Dell Unity XT is data duplication. Additionally, the management interface is simple, and is not a hassle using it. You don't need too much to learn or to be familiarized with it."
"The most valuable feature is the dynamic cache of this product. It is very important. We have the physical cache and we can boost this cache using disks. All the products are mainly flash now and this is one of the main characteristics which our customers like."
"We're able to access it from just about anywhere, as long as we have access to a browser. That feature is really neat because sometimes we will go to a different data center or a different site, and if we need to access it to see a LUN or to see any type of storage, we can do that. That's one of the big takeaways with Unity."
"The most valuable aspects of this solution are its stability, performance, and ease of updating."
"The most valuable feature is the integration with vCenter."
"We've found the solution to be very stable so far."
"The performance is very good and we use this product to enhance our core system."
"The initial setup is straightforward and can be done in an hour and a half by one person."
"The installation is nice and easy."
"The most valuable features of IBM FlashSystem are performance and security."
"IBM FlashSystem is a powerful effective storage solution. Additionally, it is user-friendly, anyone can use it."
"The compression and deduplication features are the most valuable."
"Most of the features for the reduction in data compression are useful. It is also very easy to use and administer. Its performance is also good."
"We have only used this solution for less than one year so I don't have any improvements suggestions yet."
"Dell Unity XT could improve the compatibility of some of the features. Some of my customers had some problems. Additionally, it would be beneficial for the solution to have advanced AI and ML features."
"There is no de-duplication. Unity used to be Bionics, which had de-duplication; however, in Dell Unity XT, the de-duplication was deprecated and is no longer available."
"It could go faster. Make it bigger, better, and faster at a lower price, and I am there."
"The pre-sales technical support and technical engagement could be made better for this product."
"The price of Dell Unity XT could improve."
"Dell could improve Unity XT by adding support for NVMe."
"It could be a little easier to attach it to a network file system."
"The product needs to improve their scalability."
"The customer's expectations are what they get on the cloud, they're expecting even in the on-premises deployments, going forward."
"The GUI for monitoring performance metrics could provide better visibility. For example, it doesn't let me segregate the IOPS per volume."
"The pricing needs to be more competitive."
"It could be easier to implement."
"The design is a little old-fashioned and could be updated. The rack is very primitive and designed in an older style."
"The installation is not easy. You need to have extensive knowledge to handle it."
"The support could improve by allowing you to speak to someone when you call rather than them calling you back. However, once we do have contact with one of their technicians they are excellent."
Dell Unity XT is ranked 3rd in All-Flash Storage Arrays with 34 reviews while IBM FlashSystem is ranked 8th in All-Flash Storage Arrays with 32 reviews. Dell Unity XT is rated 8.4, while IBM FlashSystem is rated 8.4. The top reviewer of Dell Unity XT writes "We can do both block and file storage on one unit without purchasing a separate device". On the other hand, the top reviewer of IBM FlashSystem writes "Reliable and easy to configure with simple data migration capabilities ". Dell Unity XT is most compared with Dell PowerStore, NetApp AFF (All Flash FAS), HPE Nimble Storage, HPE 3PAR StoreServ and Dell PowerMax NVMe, whereas IBM FlashSystem is most compared with Dell PowerStore, Pure Storage FlashArray, HPE Nimble Storage, HPE Primera and NetApp AFF (All Flash FAS). See our Dell Unity XT vs. IBM FlashSystem report.
See our list of best All-Flash Storage Arrays vendors.
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As with any engineered solution, it depends on your needs.
However, the bottom line is that for their target markets Dell EMC Unity will generally have a better price at parity performance over IBM's FlashSystem.
Both are focused on All-Flash arrays and Dell EMC Unity is where I start with VMWare. If I have a dedicated IBM DB2 application, I would lean toward the IBM FlashSystem.
The problem in the VMWare environment is that IBM has done a poor job prioritizing this area and has several I/O bottlenecks and interface driver issues. I expect future resolution, but does that happen before current platforms evolve?
Depends what you're expecting. Full compatibility with VMware environment - DellEMC only, IBM FS has problems with iSCSI connections to vsphere 7.02 - it's not supported (FS5200 and vsphere 7.02 server with Intel cards - doesn't work fast (10Gbe - 300MB/s instead of 1,1-1,2 GB/s), no solution for now from IBM and VMware (08/2021). Integration - DellEMC and VMware are one company - everything goes smoothly. Space reclamation didn't work well on IBM systems when connected to vsphere (vsphere 6.5 and V7000 models). When using Microsoft virtualization - no difference - it's more complex to start system but when properly configured - it runs well (fast). But of both of them I would choose HPE systems,:-) (Nimble or Primera):-)