IBM FlashSystem vs Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance comparison

IBM and Oracle are both solutions in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category. IBM is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.4, while Oracle is ranked #9. IBM holds a 18.5% mindshare in MS, compared to Oracle’s 4.4% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 66% of Oracle users who would recommend it.

IBM FlashSystem

Read 112 IBM FlashSystem reviews

8,010 Views
1,282 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appl...

Read 2 Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance reviews

401 Views
329 Comparison Views

66% willing to recommend

IBM FlashSystem

Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appl...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 2, 2025

Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance and IBM FlashSystem compete in high-performance data storage. IBM FlashSystem usually has the upper hand due to its advanced features focusing on speed and efficiency, despite being more expensive.

Features: Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance features scalable architecture, seamless data management capabilities, and robust security features suitable for diverse enterprise environments. IBM FlashSystem offers cutting-edge flash storage solutions with enhanced speed and efficiency, high-density performance, and a strong emphasis on flexibility and reliability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM FlashSystem is noted for straightforward deployment and extensive support options that streamline integration into existing systems. Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance provides a user-friendly installation process but may require more hands-on technical support over time.

Pricing and ROI: Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance offers a lower initial setup cost, appealing to budget-conscious buyers, with a decent ROI. IBM FlashSystem, with a higher setup cost, delivers long-term value with a focus on performance, making the investment worthwhile. Its superior technology often results in a better overall ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM FlashSystem vs. Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem vs. Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance

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:

Categories and Ranking

IBM FlashSystem

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

112

Ranking in other categories

NAS (5th), All-Flash Storage (13th)

Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appl...

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

9th

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category, the mindshare of IBM FlashSystem is 18.5%, up from 16.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance is 4.4%, up from 3.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

Featured Reviews

OmarIsmail1

Infrastructure Technical Specialist II at Clicks Group

Offers high performance and dependable support for fast storage needs

The most valuable feature of IBM FlashSystem 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.

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RobertMakale

IT Consultant at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees

A stable unified storage system that enables quick access to data

The main thing Oracle can improve is the cost. It would be better if Oracle opened up the system to enable integration with other vendors. Whether it's the database, application server, or storage appliance, they should make it easy to integrate them. They need to open up more to ensure that it can work in any environment and IT ecosystem.

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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

"The feature I find most valuable, is the deduplication, because the nature of the data that we are using in our current environment, has a lot of replicated data."

"They have a virtualization feature and, even if you do not want to buy that feature, you can have it as a trial for two to three months. If you have another brand of storage from another company, you can use this tool to transfer all your data from the old system to the new Storwize system, which really shortens the migration time."

"The compression and deduplication features are the most valuable."

"It is simple to make an update."

"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."

"This solution is convenient, user-friendly, convenient and reliable."

"Flash disk with Easy Tier option"

"Speed (IOPS/second) – It is most vital for applications that need low latency and high speed for transferring the data."

More IBM FlashSystem pros

"I like its storage capacity, quick access to the data, speed, and overall storage management."

Cons

"The generic functionality of IBM FlashSystem, IBM always dismisses using file share or sharing protocols inside their storage hardware, and they only focus on the block-level storage."

"One area for improvement is in the GUI, where host clusters are not properly dealt with. With Hypervisor host clusters, all hosts must see the same volumes in the same order. Using the concept of a “host-group” has been around (even with IBM) for many years, so why not with the V7000?"

"IBM FlashSystems is lagging in optimizing storage technologies."

"The solution's infrastructure technology level could be PCI Express 5 instead of PCI Express 4 for the next version."

"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."

"The solution is not easy to use and could improve."

"The pricing could be improved, but I think it's getting better and better with each version. IBM needs to implement NAS storage again, as this is a big flaw. Dell EMC is very good at this and if you compared them based on NAS storage, Dell EMC would win right away. IBM's solution for NAS storage is very complicated. We don't have a storage box that provides file sharing from itself, we have to put software on it and go through a whole complicated process. It should be simplified."

"With regards to the IBM V7000 storage system, where we have multiple tiers of storage, a heat map would show I/O distribution across the tiers of storage."

More IBM FlashSystem cons

"The main thing Oracle can improve is the cost. It would be better if Oracle opened up the system to enable integration with other vendors. Whether it's the database, application server, or storage appliance, they should make it easy to integrate them. They need to open up more to ensure that it can work in any environment and IT ecosystem."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"IBM V7000 has a new license and price structure which provides intuitive licensing based on the functions customers wish to enable and use the most."

"My customers got the IBM FlashSystem bundle offer. It was a one-time purchase for three years of service. The price would depend on the storage size and could reach between $25,000 to $55,000."

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

"Among IBM, Dell EMC, and Pure Storage, IBM is the cheapest. The price is also based on our location, the size of our entity, and our regular annual purchases from them. We are a very big IBM customer, so we normally get very high discounts. We are not a big customer of Pure Storage. We don't buy that much from Pure Storage per year. Everything is included in the price. There is no extra license for different functions."

"The total storage capacity vs price is still quite high for the IBM Flash Array."

"It pays to go back and get the best price you can from your supplier. The first offer is not always at the best discount."

"I price of IBM FlashSystem is reasonable and competitive."

"Our customers would like IMB FlashSystem to be less expensive."

More IBM FlashSystem pricing and cost advice

"The price could be better. We have many competing products now like Huawei and Dell EMC, and these are slightly cheaper."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Manufacturing Company

15%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Insurance Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

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 deduplication technology in IBM FlashSystem needs significant improvement. Other vendors like NetApp ( /products/netapp-41749-reviews ) offer better deduplication technology, which is noticeabl...

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Comparisons

Dell PowerStore vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 21% of the time

HPE Alletra Storage vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 9% of the time

Pure Storage FlashArray vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 8% of the time

Huawei OceanStor Dorado vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 8% of the time

NetApp AFF vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM FlashSystem Competitors

NetApp FAS Series vs Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance

Compared 43% of the time

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance

Compared 20% of the time

HPE 3PAR StoreServ vs Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance

Compared 11% of the time

NEC D4 series vs Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance

Compared 10% of the time

More Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem

August 2025

Download IBM FlashSystem product report

Buyer's Guide

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

August 2025

Download Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance product report

Also Known As

IBM Storwize

Sun ZFS Storage Appliance

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

Oracle ZFS Storage Appliance integrates the cloud into its core architecture, making cloud storage available to all users and access protocols while eliminating on-premises cloud access licensing charges and the need for external gateways. Built using a powerful SMP design, multi-threaded OS, massive DRAM caches, and all flash storage, Oracle ZFS Storage Appliance powers the most demanding applications, from fast query responses and, rapid transaction processing to virtualization and cloud workloads. With these performance levels, you can easily achieve 4:1 consolidation of your current NAS filers and gain a higher return on your storage investment.

Oracle

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

Translational Genomics Research Institute, Nara Institute of Science and Technology, CyberSolutions Inc., Y-Telecom, First Alliance Bank Zambia Limited, AZ Sint-Jan Brugge-Oostende, Mutlinet Pakistan, TDC A/S, Digi-Key Corporation, Thurgau Cantonal Bank

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem vs. Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance

July 2025

Free Report: IBM FlashSystem vs. Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance

Find out what your peers are saying about IBM FlashSystem vs. Oracle Sun ZFS Storage Appliance and other solutions. Updated: July 2025.

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