Dell PowerEdge R-Series Reviews

We use multiple models of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers. We're currently using the more hypervisor-focused models with AMD CPUs but from different generations.

We use Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers mostly for hypervisors and also for single application usage.

We've had some supply and support challenges with other manufacturers, and Dell could deliver for us, and the cooperation with the Dell team works really well for us. The accounting team knows a lot. They can help us out with our challenges. They can help us fill our needs.

Through Dell's OpenManage software, we can track our power usage, but we can also track what components use how much power in the system. It helps us at least get the intelligence we need to get the reports out to the business and to our partners.

In regards to energy consumption for the whole company, it's only a small percentage. But if we look at just IT, then the surface does consume a sizable amount. And whether that's renewable or fossil energy, it's still impacting.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are able to handle high performance well. We're using high-performance systems and they fill our needs. 

We are able to save days' worth of time depending on the number of services we are deploying.

The flexibility of the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is good because they come in smaller spec sizes to larger spec sizes. If we need it for a stand-alone system, we can get a really small system. For our Hypervisor, we can get the larger spec systems to carry a higher workload.

The most valuable feature is the ease of use. It's very easy to get new systems in the data center and to get them ready for production.

I'm currently not running into specific cases that I'd say we could improve. Of course, the most important features are security and sustainability. Those are subjects that Dell does a lot of work on. The whole industry works a lot on it, but everyone also sets goals of being sustainable. Working together on those subjects, I'd say could help us achieve those goals together. Sustainability and the data center is a hot topic. I work for the airport and we want to be the most sustainable airport in the world. So starting with our IT stack could benefit.

The most important for us is once someone gets access to a system that we don't want them to have access to, it probably won't be physical access. What will a system do to detect besides all the software we have in place? And right now, I'm not really aware of what the PowerEdge stack does for us in those scenarios, but that's an interesting use case. I would like more resilience because, for all companies, cybersecurity is important. Once something goes wrong, then we'll see the whole business go along. Within the IT department, we have to be ahead of that.

I have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for five years.

In terms of a real IT company, we're small. So for us, our needs can be easily filled with the current scalability that Dell can deliver to us.

We've had some small communication errors with support agents going on holiday and not doing a good handover of a case, but that's just one thing. The rest of our experiences with technical support are great.

We used exclusively Lenovo and IBM in the past. For some reason, we switched to Dell. It may have been pricing, but also support. 

The initial installation is easy. Through Dell software, we can create baselines. And with those baselines, we can automate the first steps of deployment. Stuff we would normally have to go into the data center, physically connect to a server, and do by hand, can now just be done after two simple steps.

Normally, deploying new hardware would sometimes take a couple of days, including getting it already for the business. Now especially on the tedious first steps of installation, we save time.

We have had good life cycles. While they may not directly generate a return on investment, they fulfill their intended purpose and have demonstrated long-term viability.

I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack ten out of ten.

We use them to host a car parking system. 

We use Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers with pre-installed Microsoft Windows Server. It is just easier when they come already loaded. There is less for us to do.

We host our application on them. They are great for running our applications. We recently had to upgrade the specs of some of the servers due to the demands on the system. For example, where it used to be Dell R350 with hard drives, we are now expected to go with SSDs, but it deals with our applications very well.

We do not necessarily use a lot of its security and other features. We take it out of the box, put our application on it, and then just run it or install it on a device if needed.

With Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers, we now have more resilience. Previously, we used a PowerPC as a server. By using a dedicated PowerEdge Rack Server, there is resilience when using, for example, a RAID array.

Our in-house application runs directly on it. That is a big critical element, but the impact of these servers on our IT infrastructure is no different from another server.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have helped to reduce unplanned production downtime by about 20%.

The ease of setting them up is valuable. It is easy to set them up. 

Training needs to be improved. I feel we are not getting the best benefit out of the PowerEdge servers at the moment because we do not have in-depth knowledge on how to fully configure them. The PowerEdge servers are fine. It is our training that needs to be improved.

Their support can be better. Getting to the right person for support is a challenge.

We have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for eight or nine years.

I have never seen any major issues with stability. They are stable.

Once we have deployed a server, we do not increase any specs on it, so we do not have too much experience with scalability. If we do need an improved or enhanced server, we will get that straight from Dell. We would not enhance RAM, SSD, or anything else on our own.

There are about eight people who may configure them. Once these servers go to the site, there are more people using them, but I do not know how many.

Their support is usually very good, but getting to the right person is a challenge. They are good once we get to the right person or once somebody is dedicated to helping us, but getting to that point in the first place is a bit annoying. 

Neutral

My predecessor was already using them, so I carried on ordering them. We do not have any experience with anything similar. We just stick with what we know. The only alternative that we use is a tower PC as a server. It is just a standard PC.

We did not consider public cloud servers before choosing PowerEdge servers. Our platform at the moment is not native to the cloud. It has a heavy data demand and bandwidth requirement, so the cloud was not necessarily within the scope of our product at the time. However, we are developing a cloud-native solution. That might be something we can consider moving forward.

We went for PowerEdge servers because of the price and specs. It is something that has been used by our team before I even joined it, so we continue to use it. The support from Dell is usually very good as well. So, it is a combination of price, specs, and support that makes us keep using Dell.

It is easy to set them up. We could realize their benefits within a few months of deployment.

I am involved in their deployment as an assistant and not as the main person. Most times, it is straightforward, but it also depends on the spec that we get with different solid-state drives or hard drives. Sometimes, the RAID sets can be a bit more complex.

With regards to getting the server into a state where we can deploy our application, it takes a few hours. In a few hours, we can deploy the Windows operating system, do the RAID setup, and then it is ready for our in-house solution.

It is usually a one-man job. I might provide some assistance, but typically, it is a one-man job.

We have potentially seen an ROI, but I would not be able to give a figure. We deploy our solutions onto those servers, and effectively, that is no longer our equipment, so we do not necessarily see what is going on with them. 

They are fairly priced.

I would recommend Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers. I would advise having a good relationship with Dell, and they will support you above and beyond.

Overall, I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers an eight out of ten.

We use Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for our storage.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are always ahead of the curve when it comes to speed and performance, and therefore, they are more than adequately positioned to deal with the demands of changing infrastructure and changing demands from the business.

The cyber-resilient architecture of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers allows us to customize the information for individual users rather than being limited to a single generic account.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are continually evolving to achieve optimal energy efficiency and performance, utilizing the latest processors from both AMD and Intel.

Dell's OpenManage Console for lifecycle management is user-friendly. We have utilized a centralized console for both overall management and individualized control. The process, from initial setup to complete patching of firmware and drivers, is remarkably straightforward. Furthermore, its integration with the cloud eliminates the need for manual driver downloads or ISO installations. Since it operates entirely through the cloud, the process is exceptionally uncomplicated.

OpenManage Console helps our IT staff to be more productive.

The OpenManage Console reduces the time required for us to deploy new data centers by 25 percent because we can perform all tasks from the central console on a subscription basis.

The native OS security features have helped protect our environment from attacks.

The Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers exhibit high uptime. Once they are up and running, they remain operational, making them easy to maintain and manage in terms of driver patching. We observed these advantages immediately.

The impact of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers on our IT infrastructure and its ability to handle the demands of a remote or distributed workforce is good. This is because we can manage all of them from a central source. The presence of iDRAC means that we don't have to visit sites unnecessarily; everything can be managed efficiently.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers help in reducing unplanned production downtime by 100 TB. The maintenance we perform is very efficient. We plan for it, and the average failure rate is quite low. Therefore, we don't experience too many failures.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are user-friendly. The setup is easy and the overall experience with Dell from sales to support is absolutely wonderful.

The most valuable feature is the integration with ESXi, where they provide their custom ISOs, ensuring that all the drivers are installed.

I would appreciate the capability to carry out live updates without the need to take the system offline.

I have been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for 20 years.

Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers have been stable, which is why I have been using them for 20 years.

The Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers are scalable across the entire product range, ranging from one U to multiple U configurations and from single sockets to multiple sockets to cater to various markets.

The technical support is excellent, and they consistently possess extensive knowledge about the products.

Positive

We previously utilized Cisco Servers but transitioned to Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers due to their cost-effectiveness and reliability. These systems have slight differences; while one serves as Unified Communications, the other is stand-alone and is more manageable.

The initial setup is straightforward. I created a document explaining how to perform the task, and it was quite straightforward for individuals who are not familiar with PowerEdge systems. There weren't any complexities in the setup process; it's essentially a repetitive procedure. Once we've configured one PowerEdge server, the process is the same for all of them, as the product line doesn't substantially differ from a setup standpoint when utilizing PowerEdge servers.

Starting from the moment when ESXi is installed, the deployment takes approximately half a day to finish.

I have implemented the solution in-house and have also utilized Insight UK as our integrator at my previous job.

I am satisfied with the pricing of the Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers and would rate the cost as seven out of ten, with ten being the best.

We chose Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers and Microsoft due to their lower cost and user-friendly nature.

I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers an eight out of ten.

The integration of the app workloads with PowerEdge Rack Servers depends on the key factor of the operating system.

Using a public cloud instead of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers can potentially be more costly. The latency of any on-premises device will always be greater than that of the cloud.

I highly recommend Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers as long as they meet the organization's requirements for their use case. Users should first figure out their use case and ensure that their goals align with the available options.

We have one PowerEdge Rack Server that we got a little while ago that is running Hyper-V and some Windows VMs and we just got a new one, which will be running SQL. We use them for Windows networking tasks. One is a file store server and the other is an application server.

These servers have expanded our storage for our call recording. We no longer have to offsite our calls prior to needing them, within the lifecycle of the call requirements. Before, we'd have to ship off some call recordings after two years, but we can now keep them onsite longer. 

They have also optimized some of the infrastructure and allowed us to reduce our footprint in the server room. We were able to upgrade two servers into one and virtualize them when we got the PowerEdge.

Some of the apps that are critical to our business are Office 365, Sage, which is a finance payment company in the UK, and AWS for some of our hosted solutions that are public-facing, because we don't want them coming in directly to our data center. The integration of these apps' workloads with our PowerEdge Rack Servers is of high importance. We're able to put our applications on them that integrate these services and have them automated and run without worry.

Moving on to the new PowerEdge Rack Server that we have just purchased will definitely reduce downtime and allow more flexibility in our workloads, going forward.

While it's not specific to the PowerEdge side of it, I do like the new feature in the Dell servers, the BOSS system [Boot Optimized Storage Solution]. That is really nice. I don't know if it's unique to Dell, but I like it.

And when it comes to handling the evolving needs of high-performance workloads, the PowerEdge Rack Servers are fit for purpose. They do what they need to do. 

I am also grateful for the security features, including the signed firmware, drift detection, and BIOS recovery.

I haven't done any energy monitoring of our servers because I don't have a big enough server farm to need to monitor our power consumption at that level. It's not like I need to turn off half of our fleet to save costs during downtime hours. We have a very small footprint as far as service systems go. Having said that, the PowerEdge servers are probably more energy efficient than the older ones we have because the older ones are a lot bigger. They have a lot more active hard drives and spinning disks. These new servers are nice, clean SSDs. Overall, power consumption will have gone down.

I use the Dell OpenManage console on occasion when I'm investigating an issue with the server, but thankfully, that doesn't happen very often. Using the console is pretty straightforward. I don't have any complaints about it. 

What annoys me about every server is just how loud they are when they're turned on, but that's just a function of the server. It's protecting itself. I can't complain that it's noisy when I turn it on, because it's not in its rack yet. It's sitting on a desk near me. That's just how servers work.

We've been using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for a couple of years and we've had at least one Dell in our system for going on 12 years now.

The servers that I have, have been humming away without me having to deal with them in any way, outside of Windows issues. Those issues have nothing to do with PowerEdge. They are the standard Windows issues. Overall, they've been working the way they're supposed to, so I have nothing bad to say about them.

I would imagine they scale very well. Our IT infrastructure has not been overly affected by having these servers. They are easily scaling to our needs and the equipment we have purchased far outpowers our business requirements, but they will be there when we need them.

I haven't had to contact Dell's technical support for the server side. The only technical support from Dell we've had so far was for laptops.

We had HPE ProLiants, but I haven't bought any of those since the last one several years ago. We've gone to Dell since then.

They have good longevity and good warranties. If there were an issue (and we haven't had any) they are covered.

I'd like them to be cheaper, but that's not the world we live in and that's not where the pound is at. 

The price was acceptable for what the product is. If I tried to build my own server, the cost difference would be negligible. And the brand support that Dell provides and the functionality that comes with the PowerEdge Servers made up the difference. So it makes sense. I don't have a problem with the cost. It is in line with what I'd expect.

I considered public cloud servers before choosing PowerEdge Rack Servers, but that solution wasn't fit for purpose in this case. We have some public cloud stuff that is useful in some cases, but we wanted hardware onsite for this specific device.

In terms of native OS security features, we use Active Directory and we have BitLocker and some other things enabled. We mostly use them for compliance and because we have them. Nothing has forced me to look outside of the native-provided solutions.

To protect ourselves from malware and other firmware attacks, we have Mimecast for email endpoints and we have ESET Endpoint Security for all of our clients and servers.

The PowerEdge Rack Servers do what they say on the tin. I like them. And our latest one was delivered really fast. We ordered it on the 7th and it came on the 18th, which was unexpected and nice. That's a good turnaround time.

We have implemented the PowerEdge servers in data centers for intelligence, governments, banks, hospitals, and for different use cases. It's a very robust product. 

We're a Dell Gold partner, and we sell services for our clients. We've been working in this domain for a long time.

We're using the seven series and the six series, and we previously used the eight series.

Most of our implementations are completed on-premises.

PowerEdge's system management capabilities help increase staff productivity.

It provides centralized management capabilities for large environments. In data centers, implementing multi-servers and managing different kinds of resources from a single portal definitely helps us a lot.

PowerEdge reduces data processing times. The server must be set up well to do this. Knowing your application and how to set up a real configuration that will map your request, helps a lot in the PowerEdge environment.

The enabling of full automation has affected the operations of our company.
This is the target of every client and organization. The servers fully support automation. A combination of a company's strategy when implementing solutions and having applications that are synchronized with the hardware requirement will lead to a very good result. The hardware is the best part of it because it's so easy. The hardware supports big implementations. If the structure is right, the results will be very good.

PowerEdge hasn't let us down in any situation. It's a very robust system.

We haven't faced any kind of downtime with applications, especially in analytics, because we implement a PowerEdge cluster and support it with storage. The infrastructure is highly available based on the Dell server.

From our implementations over the years and the new demand in technology, we haven't faced any kind of problems related to hardware based on PowerEdge. Everything is based on the application itself and the algorithm that the client uses through the servers. The problem isn't with the servers. The problem is with development.

It's all about processing. If you use a different kind of application that needs a lot of resources, that is a key factor, especially in data collection, open-source data, and applying different analytics over that. That will need a lot of processing, and the hardware is a key factor in that part.

Full automation is fully supported with PowerEdge. From the server perspective, it is fully compliant.

We haven't faced any problems with the power supplies. The consumption of power is robust. We still have slots for the new hard discs for availability and upgrading RAM, but the machine itself has been working nonstop for ten years.

We haven't faced any problems with new demands for digital transformation and infrastructure development.

The system is very updated. The machine itself is secure, but it depends on the client's environment and security strategy.

PowerEdge has good value for energy consumption. We know this from other vendors that have the same data centers that we used to work with. It provides better performance in terms of power consumption. More power is saved with the use of a full cabinet of PowerEdge servers versus other solutions with multi-servers.

We work in environments with systems in analytics, AI, Hadoop infrastructure, open source, and data gathering. We have those kinds of servers in our setups, and we never face problems when running the latest high-demand applications. We have an advantage in getting those results on PowerEdge servers rather than other servers.

We had some applications in artificial intelligence. Some of the clients are starting to adopt those use cases. We didn't face any problems adopting those kinds of solutions, although it's still an open discussion.

We are very familiar with the Dell portal, updates, supports, and assessments.

The integrated Dell Remote Access Controller telemetry for monitoring the PowerEdge system data and providing analytics is very simple and accessible. For centralized management, it's a good value. These kinds of implementations in a big data center make a difference.

We have CloudIQ in the machine learning systems that we are implementing for some of our clients, and those are based on Dell PowerEdge. We have those kinds of predictive analytics, and the hardware is doing great so far.

Dell EMC is a combination of processing, storage, and power. We're in a really good position in terms of technology, trends, and the leaders in the market. 

Dell has different types of servers that can fit different types of businesses.

Different types of applications that are now trendy in the market, like AI, are still big topics that are not mapped correctly in the server and storage environment. Knowing those kinds of activities and definitions will help us more to position these kinds of servers for the client.

I have used this solution since 2005.

It's very stable. We have been using it for ten years.

It's easy to scale.

I would rate technical support an eight out of ten. We have never had a problem with technical support. There are a lot of different layers of support, and they're all very responsive. Dell is a very good company.

Positive

We used to work with HP most of the time, and we worked with servers from Cisco for a short time.

Dell used to have different categories of servers that can fit different types of businesses. Sometimes we find that small servers have good specs over other competition, which is key for some new clients. For some new businesses, small servers can help achieve different targets for SMEs.

The setup is very simple. When deploying PowerEdge, we used the automated server and OS deployment features. Our clients are very familiar with the setup. It's straightforward and very fast. If someone is knowledgeable in IT, they are familiar with PowerEdge.

As a partner, most of the time we help clients. However, most of the clients are knowledgeable enough to implement the servers in a very simple way.

PowerEdge is not a cheap product. It's a quality product, but there is always competition.

If you want to buy a server, you need an operating system, and most of it is Microsoft. A bundled solution costs less than a separate operating system and hardware.

We cannot compare public cloud solutions with PowerEdge. This decision is related to the availability of features over the internet versus something that you own in your data center, your servers, and your manageability and power. Implementing those kinds of servers on-premises will cost more, but having a cloud solution with on-premises storage is more feasible and economically better.

I would rate this solution a ten out of ten.

I cannot recommend a solution other than PowerEdge. I'm very happy with it and proud that we have it implemented.

I would definitely recommend this solution to those who are interested in using it. It's a robust, solid solution, and the hardware is designed carefully. The features and capabilities are built-in and it's a very supportive, long-term company. There are continuous efforts for development.

It's a standard server that we've got. It's a site server, so it'll hold up to a manufacturing server and a normal Active Directory server.

We have Dell PowerEdge servers with pre-installed Microsoft Windows Server OS. For security, we mainly have antivirus. We've got web security monitoring tools. In addition, we've got firewalls. So, we've got a number of technologies that will hopefully protect us from ransomware.

Reliability is its main benefit. It works. I have not had many servers go down with hardware failure.

Email and ERP systems are critical to our business. We've also got manufacturing applications running on it as well. Those are one of the biggest key areas for our business. For the manufacturing and everything else, it's highly integrated. We need a server that's always on.

It has been good in terms of the impact on our IT infrastructure and the ability to handle the demand. It does what it says on the tin. We haven't had any issues with it. It's a server. It's one of those things that once it's in, it's in. We don't want it to do anything special because it's there for our infrastructure. It looks after our infrastructure, and it has been doing its job, and it has been working. Because we've not had any issues, its reliability has made a big impact on our business.

The ease of installation is valuable. The physical side of installation is quite intuitive and has got better by leaps and bounds. The hardware has always been fantastic, and it has always been reliable.

The iDRAC is one of my favorite features of this solution. From an IT or management perspective, we are able to easily control the servers with it. It has been the biggest help.

Its pricing could be better. In terms of features, I've got nothing to improve.

I have about 25 years of experience with the product.

Its stability is very good. Its performance has always gone up in leaps and bounds. They've always been ahead of the curve, and we've always got the best technology from Dell.

Its scalability is very good.

Their support is good. I would rate them a 10 out of 10.

Positive

I previously used an HP solution. I switched because of my experience with peer reviews for Dell products. Ever since we made the change to Dell servers, we've not gone back. There is the ease of use of racking and the ease of use of remote management. There is reliability and simplification of the server as well. They've not overcomplicated it. Those are the main selling points for Dell servers in comparison to HP.

Its initial setup was very straightforward. It took a day. We have a certain process that we follow. We've had a server setup from a couple of years ago, and we follow that process. It's just making sure that all the relevant information is in.

It's very difficult to measure, but it should be good. We've made an initial investment in the capital costs for the server purchase, and if we get good five years of use out of it, then we've got good returns for it.

We could realize its benefits straightaway after the deployment.

They seem to have become more expensive. I've not done a comparison with other vendors recently. If the price increases more, we would need to do a comparison next year just to make sure that we are benchmarking our server purchases correctly.

We did consider public cloud servers before choosing PowerEdge Rack Servers, but it wasn't a choice. We are in a hybrid environment. We do have a number of servers internally, but then we have public cloud servers as well. Overall, the public cloud is cheaper because I don't require internal expertise and internal maintenance for the physical environment, which is cost-saving. The only reason for getting PowerEdge internally was to meet the demand for great speed for our manufacturing services. Therefore, we have to have something internal.

I would definitely recommend it. You just have to install it, and that's it. It works.

I would rate it a 10 out of 10.

We use PowerEdge for the virtualization of servers, and it gives us the ability to move server images on and off of the platform very quickly.

The PowerEdge Rack Servers are a go-to for handling high-performance workloads. I've had positive experiences with the amount of computing that it can provide per blade. Currently, the blade that I'm familiar with is the MX740c, which has dual processors and a total of 24 core processors. There are eight of these blades in the MX7000.

It also provides the ability for networking on the backside, which connects to the mezzanine. I currently use the MX5108, which provides four 25 gigabits-per-second connections to each blade. Each 5108 can provide you with a 100 gig uplink to your core. I currently have the MX5108 connected in two fabrics, A fabric, and B fabric. Both A fabric and B fabric are peered using a VLTI.

Then, I have the VLTI from the two blades connecting and uplinking to our distribution core. The distribution core is using a leaf spine. With that, it gives me 400 gigabits of uplink and downlink onto the chassis.

You can't have computed performance without using more power. That said, when I consider the power consumption and performance of the MX740c, depending on how much memory I install on each blade, I get the best bang for my buck. I'm not going to say that it's inexpensive or that it's sufficient. It depends on how hard I am processing, what I am running, how much memory I use, and again, what blades I purchase with the chassis. Overall, it's very flexible, and it depends on what I want to make of it.

With respect to its performance when it comes to running the latest high-demand applications, depending on my selection of hardware, it should be able to run nearly anything I would want. If I want to run Oracle servers on the PowerEdge blades, for example, then I can do that. They'll run it.

Recently, I've seen my use case migrate from the M1000 chassis to the MX7000 chassis. The improvement that I saw was increasing the uplink bandwidth from the M1000, which I was able to get a maximum of 160 gigabits a second, and now my maximum is 400 gigabits a second. I could have selected different switches, but the MX5108 is adequate to provide the uplink bandwidth that I need from the chassis.

Overall, I've seen an improvement in the network bandwidth, as well as an improvement in the speed of the blades and the processors.

The PowerEdge has also helped to reduce data processing time in the company, which makes things run better because it's faster to move data onto the blades. It is also faster when it comes to the deployment of computed images. It's hard to pinpoint how much time we have saved because it also depends on the network infrastructure that's in place. In my experience over the last couple of years, migrating from the M1000 to the MX7000 has moved the deployment of images from a few minutes to several seconds.

The MX7000 gives us the most concentrated amount of computing in the smallest area possible. It also has the ability to provide a large amount of bandwidth to the blades. This is important because it gives the user the ability to move as much data on and off of the blade platforms as quickly as possible.

The iDRAC telemetry is very useful for monitoring the system and providing analytics. You can use commands from the CLI, you can use scripting, you can use the REST interface, or you can use the point-and-click GUI. It's very flexible. I prefer using scripts because I monitor many blades and many chassis. I can script a lot of my monitoring requirements. 

The accelerated GPU feature helps to support demanding workloads that we run. For instance, they provide better performance for remote desktop sessions.

The blades are hot-swappable and in a virtual environment, being able to upgrade your hardware platform easily to better and faster hardware is a benefit.

On the MX7000 platform, they should continue to release better and faster blades.

I have been working with Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for the past couple of years.

Stability-wise, this product is solid. We have very little downtime.

I need to make sure that the images that are running on the blades are reliable, and it provides that. Beyond that, I'm happy with the performance.

Scalability is up to the engineer. It is easily scalable depending on what native architecture you use to connect it all together.

I have been in contact with technical support a lot. Sometimes I run into little anomalies that I need an explanation or workaround or fix for, and by bringing it to their attention, they usually get their developers on it and come back with a solution rather quickly.

I would rate the technical support a ten out of ten. We have really good Dell support.

Positive

I have worked with other solutions from other vendors, and I like Dell Power Solutions. I worked with them years ago and then went to a different vendor, on a different job course, and in this particular job I've come back to Dell.

I've got to say that Dell hardware and support are very good, and I'm happy with it.

The initial setup is straightforward. For somebody with experience with Dell products, to begin with, it's simple. It's no more complicated than deploying the M1000, which was the predecessor chassis to the MX7000.

I can deploy and network an MX7000 chassis and have all the blades loaded with ESXi within a day. I make use of a lot of my own scripts and usually, I employ a script to mount the ISO images that'll be installed on all the blades through a shell script, and then the script also reboots the blades, and the blades mount the ISO image and install VMware. All of that happens quickly.

After that, I simply put in the network parameters for the ESXi hosts, add the host to the V-center, and then they're ready to go. I already have some predetermined configurations that I use for the network blades, the MX5108s. I use those as a template for all four blades on the back of the MX7000, and simply paste them in. I can usually have all four blades configured within 30 minutes to an hour.

The pricing is very competitive.

When you compare against public cloud solutions, having the compute onsite is always going to be faster. However, that really depends on how big of a pipe your institution or your data center has to the cloud. If you have more bandwidth to the cloud and back, perhaps latency will be less but I don't see how it can be faster than having the compute on site.

This product has built-in security features, although that's up to the system engineers and network engineers to properly upgrade their firmware. They need to follow Dell's baseline release for the chassis to ensure that the firmware and software for the baseline of the blades and the network cards meet the baseline requirements. If you can match those requirements then the security will follow. It's easier to manage when you're baseline is all matched.

Overall, this is a good product but there is always room for improvement.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

We continuously expand our data center infrastructure with Dell PowerEdge Servers, deploying virtualization platforms across multiple data centers. As our computing needs grow, we consistently require additional compute resources, leading to ongoing expansion efforts. Each month sees the addition of new PowerEdge Servers to accommodate our evolving requirements.

The most significant benefit we've experienced is the simplicity of working with a single vendor. This streamlined approach has greatly improved our service level experience. Whenever there's an issue, we can quickly reach out to them and receive prompt replacements or support. With ProSupport, the reliability and responsiveness of Dell's support services are truly impressive. We have peace of mind knowing that our technical needs will be addressed swiftly, often with next-day solutions.

Efficiency and power consumption have seen improvements in the last generation of servers. However, it's important to note that these aspects are largely comparable across vendors when utilizing the same hardware components.

The cyber-resilient architecture is a crucial feature, particularly for security purposes. Its inclusion provides reassurance for us as hosts, allowing us to confidently communicate to our customers that we employ this advanced technology in our data centers. This enhances our credibility and serves as a point of trust when engaging with our clients.

PowerEdge Servers have significantly reduced unplanned production data shutdowns, particularly compared to our previous experience with Dell, when we encountered frequent shutdowns due to hardware malfunctions, but with PowerEdge, downtime has been consistently minimal for the past five years. This improvement has greatly benefited both us and our customers, as it allows us to provide services with much better SLAs.

The adoption of the OpenManage Console has impacted our productivity positively as we are currently in the process of rolling it out for our servers.

The standout feature is the remote control accessibility, which allows our team to access and manage the servers locally or remotely. We primarily utilize these servers for virtualization, running VMware to consolidate them into a large data center. This setup perfectly aligns with our specific requirements, and our technical team thoroughly enjoys working with it. We've experienced fewer issues compared to previous hardware solutions from other providers. With PowerEdge servers, our stability has significantly improved.

There might be room for improvement in terms of efficiency, particularly with PowerEdge servers. However, it's worth noting that this issue isn't unique to Dell but rather a general concern across the industry.

We have been using it for almost twenty years.

Stability is paramount, and it's the feedback we consistently receive from our technicians. When we seek their advice on hardware selection for various solutions, they consistently recommend Dell without hesitation.

Scalability is a strong suit, particularly for our high-demand usage scenarios. We leverage storage virtualization with VMware installation, initially setting up nodes with lower capacity. As our needs grow, we can easily expand storage by adding more nodes or increasing capacity. This scalability extends to our infrastructure, allowing for flexible expansion and adaptation as required.

In general, it's common to encounter issues, especially during late hours when support might not be readily available. However, we haven't faced significant problems with our PowerEdge servers. Any challenges we've encountered are more often related to client devices, such as laptops from Dell. When it comes to server support, our experience has been excellent, almost rating it a perfect ten out of ten.

Positive

When comparing Dell PowerEdge servers and services to other options on the market, it's challenging for us to provide a comprehensive evaluation because the majority of our servers in the data center are Dell. Therefore, our main frame of reference is Dell versus alternative solutions. According to feedback from our technicians, Dell is typically preferred over other brands like Dell due to its perceived stability. This comparison is primarily focused on hardware solutions rather than support services.

Deploying Dell PowerEdge servers is straightforward and efficient. It saves us a significant amount of time since it's mostly plug-and-play, with minimal setup required. Our technicians have become accustomed to the process, with approximately fifty percent of the time previously spent on setup now being saved. As we continue to set up numerous Dell servers, we find the process consistently easy and reliable, with no major changes in the setup procedure.

Our primary deployment model for PowerEdge servers revolves around virtualization. While we do have some servers deployed on-premises, the majority are situated in the data center, serving as the backbone for our virtualization solution.

We have a strong agreement in place with our parent company, that typically ensures favorable pricing terms for us, although occasionally we may need to negotiate with Dell representatives for further discounts to provide competitive pricing to our customers.

In our business, we prioritize scalability over a plethora of features. Having identical servers across our infrastructure simplifies support and enhances technician familiarity. This uniformity streamlines processes, making it easier for our team to understand and manage the systems efficiently. Additionally, in our design and digital systems development, we lean towards utilizing Dell for its robust support and scalability, ensuring our solutions can easily scale as needed. Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

We use it in the media industry.

Our customers have numerous benefits, including an array of features such as RAM quantity, CPU power, and storage capacity.

Our energy consumption was quite high five years ago when we were a service provider. Today, over the last two generations, our power consumption has decreased significantly. This reduction is highly beneficial for our operations.

The flexibility is commendable. Whenever we need to perform any task on our records or servers, the process is smooth and swift. In the twenty years of using Dell, we haven't encountered any troubles, problems, or issues, which speaks volumes about the reliability of their products.

The enduring stability and longevity offered by Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers stand out as their most invaluable feature. These qualities enable organizations to deploy and utilize the same server model for extended periods, bolstered by Dell's steadfast guarantee.

The pricing structure could be improved.

I have been using it for over ten years.

Stability is excellent overall. We've encountered only one issue, which pertained to a SAN rather than a server. This occurred due to a peak in energy, affecting the controller within the rack. Nonetheless, stability remains consistent for our servers.

Scalability is truly excellent, as we can start with a certain number of memory units, and when a customer requests additional memory or space, we can easily upgrade. This process is fast and straightforward, making it highly beneficial.

We've relied on tech support for at least twenty years, and every time we've reached out, we've received swift and effective solutions. I would rate it nine out of ten.

Positive

The advantage of Dell over other vendors lies in the fact that over the course of twenty years, we've consistently opted for solutions that include mission-critical assistance. However, we've only needed to utilize this assistance twice in two decades. This demonstrates the exceptional quality of Dell's hardware, which has been thoroughly tested and proven reliable—an essential feature and service for us.

Deploying was simple. We were assigned directly to the data center. As consultants, we began by working directly in the rack. We initiated the installation process, starting with the hypervisor, and everything proceeded smoothly.

Twenty years ago, we used to purchase directly from Dell. However, they later decided to sell only through partners in Italy. Consequently, when we transitioned to buying from partners, we also became partners ourselves. At present, the pricing seems a bit high for us. While we manage to procure products through competitive bidding, the list pricing remains challenging for us. This difficulty primarily arises when selling to customers, especially medium-sized ones requiring only two or three servers.

Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

We've never had any issues with using Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers for everything we need. Essentially, they're our go-to brand for servers.

From what I've gathered, it seems that they're heading in the right direction by implementing silicon-based hardware updates, enhancing user access security, and optimizing the supply chain. These developments are sensible, especially for environments like data centers and research facilities, as they prioritize both security and efficiency.

I'm highly impressed by the energy efficiency of Dell PowerEdge Servers. Having worked with servers for a long time, I remember their high power consumption. However, the new Dell products have drastically reduced energy usage, which is not only remarkable but also makes them much quieter.

Primarily, what we value most is the stability of Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers. We appreciate the confidence of deploying them in production, knowing they'll perform reliably without any issues.

There might be room for improvement, especially in the software aspect, such as firmware updates. While it's relatively straightforward now, it would be beneficial to have a solution that allows updating the server firmware without taking it offline.

I have been working with it for approximately fifteen years.

It provides excellent stability capabilities.

Scalability isn't particularly relevant to our use case.

Before switching to Dell, we used to rely on HPE servers. Unfortunately, we experienced increasing instability with their hardware over time, particularly noticeable in critical components like storage controllers, which are crucial in my line of work. 

We also encountered numerous issues with the mainboards. As a result, we had to explore alternatives from different vendors. Although we also tried Supermicro servers, which showcased some innovative features at the time, we found Dell to offer better stability overall. While Supermicro was aiming for rapid innovation, they struggled with stability issues in their servers.

We managed the deployment in-house, and it was remarkably straightforward. Setting up the racks and mounting the hardware, including the components inside the servers, was hassle-free. Overall, it was a seamless process.

I believe the return on investment with Dell servers is positive. While I may not have a precise answer, a strong indication for me is the ongoing satisfaction in receiving the necessary components and support from Dell.

Overall, I would rate it ten out of ten.