IBM System Storage DS8000 Series vs VMAX [EOL] comparison

IBM and Dell Technologies are both solutions in the Frame-Based Disk Arrays category. Additionally, 85% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 84% of Dell Technologies users who would recommend it.

IBM System Storage DS8000 S...

Read 6 IBM System Storage DS8000 Series reviews

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375 Comparison Views

85% willing to recommend

VMAX [EOL]

Read 16 VMAX [EOL] reviews

84% willing to recommend

IBM System Storage DS8000 S...

VMAX [EOL]

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IBM System Storage DS8000 Series and VMAX [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Hitachi Vantara, Dell Technologies, IBM and others in Frame-Based Disk Arrays.

To learn more, read our detailed Frame-Based Disk Arrays Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Frame-Based Disk Arrays

March 2026

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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 System Storage DS8000 S...

Average Rating

9.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Frame-Based Disk Arrays (3rd)

VMAX [EOL]

Average Rating

9.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

reviewer1392684

Solution Architect; Senior Manager Mainframe Technical Service at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees

Great Global Copy and Global Mirror features with an easy initial setup

We're just a customer. We don't have a business relationship with the company. I'm an outsourcing service provider and I've had a lot of experience using the solution. We have everything from DS8100 disc storage, all the way up to 8990s. I'd advise new users to read the implementation installation guide. Most of the questions are answered in there. People just tend to skim over it and don't get into the details. However, it's important in making everything run smoothly and understanding the solution. That's probably the best advice I've actually heard from anybody. At the end of the day, don't be someone who skips the instructions, and all of a sudden you have a pile of parts. I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

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it_user1075341

Senior Systems Engineer at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees

Resilient storage solution with zero downtime that is easy to implement and has good support

The way you configure larger size volumes needs improvement. Currently, the one that we have is a single volume limit of 240 gigs. If you wanted bigger than that you have to do meta volumes to combine them. My understanding is the VMAX3 and the PowerMax, did away with that, making it a lot easier to provision storage than in the past. Scalability with the 2013 version was an area that needed improvement, but they have fixed it with later products. All of the issues that I am currently facing with this version, for example, being able to create larger volumes and making it easier to manage, have all been implemented in the new versions of this solution.

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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 high throughput feature is the most powerful thing in this product."

"The Global Copy and Global Mirror features are the solution's most valuable aspects."

"These are global mirror and replication for DR, which allow us to do a lot of DR testing."

"I really recommend the IBM DS8000 solution as it is the most advanced technology available for storage solutions."

"The solution is very stable; there aren't any problems there at all as it doesn't have bugs or glitches and doesn't crash or freeze, and we've found it to be very reliable."

"The main benefit is from the standpoint of recovery; recovery time and being able to quickly replicate data."

"We have had no outages now for literally six years and that's really impressive."

"A rock solid foundation to deploy applications which cannot incur a disruption of service."

"If someone is looking for a product that can give the best performance under heavy load then this is the product they must go for."

"This solution is resilient."

"Furthermore, EMC support is second to none, EMC engineers will visit your site to replace a disk or component before you are even aware that there is a problem (via ESRS – see below)."

"EMC has made remarkable improvements in the overall management simplicity."

"VMAX is a rock solid foundation to deploy applications which cannot incur a disruption of service."

"Resilience, speed, flexibility, system reliability, and a strong refresh strategy are the most valuable features."

"Customer Service: Excellent. Technical Support: Excellent."

More VMAX [EOL] pros

Cons

"Sometimes when we do encounter problems, but not a complete system shutdown, that gets a little bit frustrating."

"The solution should embedded replication switches into the hardware instead of using them externally."

"I would like it to be easier to use. Some of it is so complex that we've got a lot of scripts and automation and things tied around it."

"The GUI isn't as user-friendly as other options."

"On the open system side, it's a little different."

"The GUI isn't as user-friendly as other options."

"We need the GUI feature to be improved. If the GUI is good, then it is easier to manage with just the clicks, rather than going in with CLI and commands to do the stuff."

"The pricing of the solution is difficult to deal with. Lower pricing would be preferred."

"I would like this solution to integrate the solution that EMC vPlex offers."

"Be aware that buying a Symmetrix VMAX is like owning a McLaren F1 race car; consider yourself lucky to drive it at the track since everything else must be performed by McLaren."

"Better speed to release new features that have become industry standards. EMC created so many standards in the past. Now, it seems they are playing a me-too game and lagging behind in some areas, specifically data reduction."

"The pricing is a bit expensive. That is the reason we are now currently we are looking for other solutions."

"The only draw back is you don’t get multiple point in time copies."

"I would like to see support for high-availability."

"I'm always interested in ways we can scale out and avoid monolithic migrations from one array to another every four to five years."

More VMAX [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The license is very expensive."

"There are additional costs to the standard licensing fee, and it just depends on the package."

"Our licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis."

"Our licensing fees are billed on a yearly basis."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

18%

Manufacturing Company

12%

Computer Software Company

Government

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Midsize Enterprise	6
Large Enterprise	17

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Compared 21% of the time

Dell SC Series vs IBM System Storage DS8000 Series

Compared 19% of the time

HPE 3PAR StoreServ vs IBM System Storage DS8000 Series

Compared 10% of the time

More IBM System Storage DS8000 Series Competitors

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM System Storage DS8000 Series

March 2026

Download IBM System Storage DS8000 Series product report

Buyer's Guide

VMAX [EOL]

March 2026

Download VMAX [EOL] product report

Also Known As

System Storage DS8000

Symmetrix VMAX

Overview

IBMÂ System StorageÂ DS8000Â series is a high-performance, high-capacity series of disk storage that supports continuous operations. The DS8000 series includes theÂ DS8800 (Models 951 and 95E) and theÂ DS8700 (Models 941 and 94E).

IBM

Symmetrix VMAX accelerate your transformation to the software-defined data center with the world's most powerful, trusted, and smart family of storage products.

Dell Technologies

Sample Customers

Renfe, Park Nicollet Health Services, Ricoh Americas Corporation, SK Energy, SWK STADTWERKE KREFELD AG

Wentworth-Douglas Hospital, Kindred Healthcare, Cosentry, Sumitomo Life Insurance Company, Shriners, BZWBK

Buyer's Guide

Frame-Based Disk Arrays

March 2026

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