IBM FlashSystem vs IBM XIV comparison

IBM FlashSystem and IBM XIV are both solutions in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category. IBM FlashSystem is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.5, while IBM XIV is ranked #10. IBM FlashSystem holds a 20.1% mindshare in MS, compared to IBM XIV’s 1.2% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of IBM FlashSystem users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of IBM XIV users who would recommend it.

IBM FlashSystem

Read 111 IBM FlashSystem reviews

1,461 Views
1,109 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

IBM XIV

Read 6 IBM XIV reviews

139 Views
70 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

IBM FlashSystem

IBM XIV

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 2, 2025

IBM XIV and IBM FlashSystem are solutions in the storage category. IBM FlashSystem offers superior performance, making it more appealing for users prioritizing speed and capacity, whereas IBM XIV balances cost with benefits due to advantageous pricing and support.

Features: IBM XIV offers robust data reduction, consistent data replication, and is highly reliable in performance. IBM FlashSystem provides high-speed capabilities, extensive scalability through NVMe technology, and superior throughput, highlighting its focus on performance.

Room for Improvement: IBM XIV could enhance its scalability and data access speeds. Improvements could also include better integration capabilities with newer technologies. IBM FlashSystem might consider simplifying its deployment process and provide a more cost-effective entry point. Enhanced ease of use and streamlined management features can also be areas for refinement.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM XIV is known for its straightforward deployment and responsive customer service, providing rapid and easy integration. IBM FlashSystem, while requiring a more complex setup, delivers detailed technical assistance and thorough documentation to support deployment decisions.

Pricing and ROI: IBM XIV stands out as a budget-friendly option, aligning well with mid-range storage needs, offering a steady return on investment. Conversely, IBM FlashSystem demands higher initial costs but provides notable performance returns over time, making it appealing as a long-term investment option.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM FlashSystem vs. IBM XIV Report (Updated: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem vs. IBM XIV

April 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:

Categories and Ranking

IBM FlashSystem

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

111

Ranking in other categories

NAS (4th), All-Flash Storage (13th)

IBM XIV

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

10th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category, the mindshare of IBM FlashSystem is 20.1%, up from 16.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM XIV is 1.2%, up from 1.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

Featured Reviews

Raanan Sitton

Vice President Sales at BELOCAL LTD

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.

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Ajith Kandaramage

IT Operation Engineer at HNB

Good value for money but issues with modular scaling

IBM XIV's most valuable features are NVME, especially when it comes to de-duplication, compression, and responsiveness I've been using IBM XIV for two and a half years. IBM XIV is stable. IBM XIV's scalability is adequate for our requirements, but because it's modular, you can't scale to larger…

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"When it comes to the interface of the solution we did not encounter any challenges. Additionally, the solution has good documentation."

"Over the years, it has become increasingly user-friendly."

"The FlashSystem 900 consistently delivers performance below 1ms for read/write. This performance is essential for an effective SVC stretch-cluster configuration across two datacenters, and presenting active-active storage to the customer."

"One of the most valuable features is that it's very easy to use and configure. It used to be more difficult, but now it's almost flawless."

"Virtualization of external storage, while adding cache and speed to the external storage."

"Ability to manage third-party arrays and virtualise them: One screen to control multiple arrays. Simplified administration."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is SCM (Storage Class Memory), which has the lowest latency value in the storage industry."

"IBM FlashSystem has an easy to use GUI, similar to the IBM Storewize family, which make it one of the best flash storage systems in the market."

More IBM FlashSystem pros

"Very easy to produce reporting data (Snaps). Very easy and fast for provisioning devices and Remote mirroring."

"Hands down, this is the easiest storage platform on the market to manage."

"IBM XIV's most valuable features are NVME, especially when it comes to de-duplication, compression, and responsiveness."

"Installation is amazingly easy."

"As it spreads, a chuck of 1MB across the board means using all available spindles on the backend."

"The performance and robustness of the systems are very good."

Cons

"In IBM FlashSystem, data reduction is an area with shortcomings where improvements can be made in the future."

"Customization features must be improved."

"The solution should improve its pricing and the mechanism in the reduction pool."

"The Data Reduction Pools (DRP) support could be better."

"There is room for improvement in the troubleshooting part, specifically related to IBM Spectrum for Insight. Customers are uncomfortable with remote access, which affects automated remote support."

"The installation is not easy. You need to have extensive knowledge to handle it."

"This solution could be improved by offering greater amounts of storage."

"Their technical support needs improvement in terms of reachability for the clients and response times. They should be more responsive and have more online platforms for support. They should make more technical information available online. There could be some kind of documentation community."

More IBM FlashSystem cons

"The change form synchronous mirroring to asynchronous (and vice versa) without reconfiguration from scratch would be helpful."

"IBM XIV's scalability is adequate for our requirements, but because it's modular, you can't scale to larger requirements."

"Until the drive is replaced, the pool_resizing is locked."

"This product was not a good fit for our organization as we have a ton of latency sensitive applications and XIV was not able to keep up with IO + latency demand."

"I encountered stability (performance) issues during enclosure or disk rebuild. Also some power supply issues due to malfunctions of circuits. Sometimes "internal" Snap sessions hang and consume pool capacity."

"I would rather have a web GUI served directly from the unit, and a CLI accessible directly through SSH."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I'd rate the basic licensing and the Virtualize software a ten out of ten, and the extra Spectrum and other an eight out of ten."

"The price of IBM FlashSystem is reasonable."

"The price is a little bit high so is rated a six out of ten."

"The pricing has been very competitive for the last few years. IBM got to the point where they changed the pricing model and we feel very comfortable with the pricing. It's very competitive. Over the last two years, IBM has been coming up with all kinds of interesting promos, especially for the SMB systems. That makes it very competitive price-wise and in terms of performance..."

"This solution is expensive compared to other solutions."

"I find the pricing of the solution to be very reasonable."

"The integration is already included in the license cost of IBM FlashSystem. The integration is very easy. You get the IBM storage core with all software, firmware, and upgrades. EMC provides the features in the box, but they are not free for customers. There is a licensing cost for features. We have yearly licensing, but IBM has also provided a new option where you pay as you go. They provide a big box, and I pay, for example, for 10 terabytes. If I exceed 10 terabytes, IBM will charge for the new storage after 10 terabytes. It is a good opportunity in the market for using the storage as a cloud and paying as you go."

"The pricing is competitive in our country."

More IBM FlashSystem pricing and cost advice

"We have a five-year total cost of ownership where we pay an initial amount and then annually for maintenance."

"Licensing is straightforward."

"If you are going to use the product behind an SVC, IBM will price the units lower, since you are likely not to use any of the advanced copy services."

"No-license-required policy, unlike others where you need a license for everything. Just pay once and forget about licenses."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Government

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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 banking, often use the latest devices as they are upgrading, indicating they do not ...

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What needs improvement with IBM FlashSystem?

The GUI needs some improvement. An additional function that could be helpful is reducing the time it takes to delete volumes, especially if they are compressed or deduplicated.

See all answers

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem

April 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

April 2025

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Also Known As

IBM Storwize

XIV

Overview

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

IBM XIV is a high-end, grid-scale storage system that excels in tuning-free consistent performance, ease of use and exceptional data economics, including inline, and IBM Real-time Compression. IBM XIV is ideal for hybrid cloud, offering predictable service levels for dynamic workloads, simplified scale management, including in multi-tenant environments, flexible consumption models — and robust cloud automation and orchestration through OpenStack, RESTful API and VMware. It offers security and data protection through hot encryption, advanced mirroring and self-healing and investment protection with perpetual licensing.

IBM

Sample Customers

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

Celero, NaviSite, Technische Universit_t Mªnchen, Netflix Inc., Muhr und Bender KG, Pelephone Communications

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem vs. IBM XIV

April 2025

Free Report: IBM FlashSystem vs. IBM XIV

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