Dell PowerStore Reviews

I use Dell PowerStore in my company primarily for virtualization through ESXi. Dell PowerStore serves as a primary system for all the storage needs within our organization.

The product's current functionalities that have improved my organization's functioning stem from the SSD caching and SSD capabilities of the product. The product's speed is also crucial for us, especially within our new modern infrastructure, which has a strong networking backbone. My company has a good experience with the product overall.

The most valuable feature of the solution for me is the deduplication part, especially since most of the servers in our organization are Windows-based servers. Due to the deduplication technology in the product, my organization needs just a little storage for many servers, meaning the new technology within Dell PowerStore is a big advantage for us.

Dell PowerStore helps to keep the software we rely on in our organization up and running. In our organization, we do firmware updates due to security breaches or vulnerabilities, and as a system administrator, it is important for me to know that the base hardware is in good condition and safe to deal with against hacker attempts while also looking out for any problems within the software itself. To avoid any concerns when it comes to Dell PowerStore, Dell needs to keep working on Dell products.

While using Dell PowerStore's interface in our organization, we sometimes miss out on some information. In our organization, we had to deal with bad firmware last year that generated fast degradation of the disks, and Dell informed us when they would replace the disks, but we couldn't see any notifications about the disks being degraded. I feel that the product's new interface with HTML5 interface is still in the development phase because it lacks the crucial information that system administrators need, like, for example, the degradation of the disk. With the product's current interface, as a system administrator, I just see that the disks are either good or bad, and that's it. As a system administrator, it would be great to use and see through CLI since getting informed at such a level within the interface will be a great improvement since more detailed information is always good.

I have been using Dell PowerStore for two to three years. Considering that the one we use in our company is for SSD caching, I believe it is Dell PowerStore 1000T.

From a stability perspective, my company has faced some problems only with the firmware part of the product, but that didn't really impact the product's performance. There were some problems with the degradation of hard disks, because of which there were more chances of failure of the solution. Dell handled issues related to the degradation of hard disks.

From a scalability perspective, my company doesn't have any problems since we get what we need and what we expect for about five years. In our organization, we are still good with the limits offered by the product, so we don't really talk about scalability. We can reduce our ESXi service, but my company does not plan to scale up.

The solution's technical support is great. In our organization, we have had several incidents related to firmware in the last couple of years. Dell's support team is good to reach out when, in our organization, we upgrade the product outside of office hours since they provide you with good information and good tech personnel to resolve an issue or a problem anywhere in the world. In my organization, we have had incidents and seen how the support personnel from Egypt, India, and China are always well aware of the cases or problems, and they always give good information to help us with our problems, making it a good experience for us.

I rate the technical support an eight out of ten.

I have experience with HPE products that have the same capabilities as Dell PowerStore. I would say that Dell is on the same level as HPE.

My company has a good relationship and history with Dell, so things are good for us in the department concerning supplies from Dell.

The product's initial setup phase was quite smooth. The product's setup phase was done parallel to the old storage in our organization, so we had to make the correct connections and migrate everything to run it on a new storage. There is a need to dismantle the old system and reconfigure the network part.

The solution can be deployed in under a month.

In my organization, we were involved with the implementation phase of the product and during the upgrade from the old storage to the new storage with a specialist from one of our suppliers of Dell products.

I am not aware of any return on investment my company has experienced from the use of the product.

In the pricing and licensing department, the product is always too expensive.

My organization does not use CloudIQ to manage and analyze Dell PowerStore.

My organization does not get involved in any power management or monitoring to assess Dell PowerStore's overall energy consumption.

I have seen a significant data consolidation and footprint reduction with the use of Dell PowerStore since we need to use way less storage in our organization, which is around a 50 to 60 percent reduction if we consider it from a TB perspective due to its deduplication technology.

Within our organization, the area revolving around the assessment of Dell Technologies for its values around environment, social, and governance is a hot topic. Our organization has used Dell for a lot of years, and it is great to see that Dell has become innovative in terms of recyclability and reduction of carbon footprint, because of which we don't need to change to another supplier or vendor to help us attain our green goals.

Dell PowerStore is a good product since we don't face any more problems with it in our company. Dell's support team's contracts with our company are very good. I hope the product fulfills its duty in a couple of years, after which our organization can replace it with another next-gen product.

I rate the overall product an eight out of ten.

It's a good product, especially for companies dealing with virtualization. It's well-suited for a broad range of use cases and stands out when it comes to tasks like personalization. If you require power and flexibility in that regard, it's a reasonably priced, straightforward product that is easy to manage. It delivers on its promises without unnecessary complexity.

A particularly valuable feature is its simplicity. The reporting tools and support are good, and the solution promotes data reduction, often meeting the compression ratio. You can initially invest in less upfront capacity and expand later as needed.

Data reduction needs improvement. While the reporting is generally good for general purposes, it may lack sufficient detail for more technical analysis. If you want to delve into where your I/Os are going, the reporting might need more in-depth information to make informed decisions.

I’ve been using the solution for around three years.

The solution is scalable within regions. It allows you to scale up to four nodes in one tool for extensive storage. You can create as many tools as needed, providing scalability based on the use case. It performs well for midsized use cases, especially those involving up to a hundred servers for virtualization. However, you might consider alternative products for more complex and larger-scale operations.

The technical support is good as they continuously monitor the system remotely through a support agent. This agent provides critical alerts, and the response time is typically within an hour.

The initial setup is straightforward. Firstly, the initial step involves unboxing, followed by configuring connectivity. There are various types of connectivity setups, including straight connectivity, direct connect, and private channel connectivity, offering diverse IT capacity configurations. The setup process encompasses unboxing, provisioning power, and connecting to the necessary switches. However, it's crucial to begin with a well-thought-out plan. One person is required to set up the solution.

The pricing is good. There's no need to pay for a license; it's all-inclusive. The only cost is associated with a support contract based on the level of support you desire.

I recommend this solution, especially if you're not moving everything to the cloud and require reliable local storage. It proves to be an excellent choice.

I rate Dell PowerStore a nine out of ten.
 

We use private cloud solutions. We have 80-plus setups, and PowerStore is in all of our smaller sites for databases, backups, and VM instances.

We implemented PowerStore for its reliability. We know what we get with it and have specific requirements for uptime.

Dell PowerStore has improved our uptime. The availability is excellent. We had different Dell EMC storage solutions since the beginning of our company and with PowerStore we have had zero incidents.

PowerStore helps reduce our footprint. For example, if we compare it with Dell VNX storage, we need up to four times less space for the same if not more terabytes. The ratio for PowerStore may even be higher than four to one because the last time we compared the compression rate, it was four point six to one. 

PowerStore's compression ratio is a valuable feature for our VMs because it gives us a lot back. It is also easily configurable and we have it fully automated, so the API helps a lot.

We got our first Dell PowerStore for testing before it was listed as a product.

Dell PowerStore is stable.

Dell PowerStore is scalable but we did our analysis at the start and have not needed to scale. We replace the storage after five years. 

The technical support is good.

Positive

We previously used VNX, VNX2, Unity, and at some point EMC XtremIO. We didn't like the XtremIO because it had an incident. We replaced the VNX and Unity storage with PowerStore because it is the newer generation that offers more space and IOPS.

We are currently using Dell PowerStore for our smaller storage and there is no competition for pricing. If we needed a larger PowerStore say, a petabyte of storage, then the price would be in a different range and would increase.

I would rate Dell PowerStore nine out of ten. I have no negative feedback. PowerStore performs as expected.

We do not use CloudIQ. We use a special custom in-house tool to analyze all of our storage which gets all the statistics through an API.

We have our own small private cloud setup and each site has its own PowerStore. Nothing is shared over the network. We have one storage per physical location.

I recommend using Dell's professional services for the initial setup. We gained valuable information from them that helped with all follow-up deployments.

We use Dell PowerStore as a storage layer behind the virtualization layer. We have IBM SCC and we have the PowerStore behind that to serve the discs to the SCC and the SCC then presents it to the hosts in the network.

The high deduplication ratio means that we need less physical storage space. As a result, we have more virtual storage space available to assign to our servers. We have not encountered any problems with the system so far. Therefore, the system is better in terms of both performance and storage efficiency.

The compression ratio is way better with PowerStore. We were getting a ratio of 1:3 and now it is around 1:6. The compression ratio has doubled.

Dell's values around ESG are high and they have been working on those areas throughout the years.

We noticed that the PowerStore has a really high compression ratio for data. It's really good for data deduplication and also compressing the data on the drives. The PowerStore's compression ratio is even higher than the Unity system. Also, the way the PowerStore is built with special CPUs for moving data around. The systems also have lower CPU utilization compared to Unity systems.

In the past, with Unity, we could run both block storage and configure part of the system as a NAS system. This wasn't ideal, but it provided flexibility. With PowerStore, we have to choose between block storage and NAS functionality. It would be interesting to retain the option to configure PowerStore as a block storage array and try out the NAS features to see how it performs. It was an interesting way to see if we need a certain type of storage. We were able to do that from the same system, and now we have queues when we set up the system, which one it's convenient.

I have been using Dell PowerStore for one and a half years.

I would rate the stability of Dell PowerStore as ten out of ten.

Dell PowerStore is scalable but we are not using the scalability of the system.

The technical support is always quick to respond. They are always willing to help us and if necessary, they will search for a specialist within their Dell network who we can approach with our questions.

Positive

We replaced Dell VNX with Dell PowerStore.

The deployment is really easy. If we have a PowerStore and we buy another and arrange all the necessary factors that need to be available in the data center, including cabling, power, and configuration details such as IP addresses and DNS names, it's simple to roll out, and it doesn't take much effort to place it in our data center and have it up and running. It takes a few hours of work if we have done all the prep work to get it up and running.

I would rate Dell PowerStore ten out of ten.

Prior to my joining the organization, they used Hitachi and transitioned to Dell due to cost considerations.

We haven't implemented the latest code yet, but we attended a session at the beginning of the day where they mentioned that backups can now be moved directly to the data domain from the power store. This is an interesting development, as it opens up new possibilities for backup management. For instance, we could now consider placing backup clients on a machine that is specifically designed for this purpose.

Dell PowerStore is doing what it's supposed to do, and it's even doing it better than we were expecting.

We use Dell PowerStore for developing applications.

The solution has improved our organization by providing data availability and data protection.

The most valuable feature of Dell PowerStore is the metro cluster because we have two data centers and high availability. The solution provides good performance and stability.

Our organization uses CloudIQ to manage and analyze our Dell storage. It helps us see all the information together and understand more about the technology.

The solution has helped us achieve 5:1 data reduction.

We are utilizing Dell PowerStore’s integration with VMware.

We have been able to reduce our organizational footprint using Dell PowerStore.

My experience with Dell’s reseller was very good because they helped us a lot.

The solution’s security and technical support could be improved.

I have been using Dell PowerStore for four years.

The solution provides very good stability.

Dell PowerStore is a scalable solution.

The solution's technical support used to be much better some years ago, but now it is a little worse. Normally, Dell has an SLA of four hours, but the support is never on time. When we have a problem, the support team takes a long time to resolve it.

We previously used Unity and EqualLogic. We switched to Dell PowerStore because of its performance.

The solution's initial setup is very easy, and we don't have to spend a lot of time implementing it.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

We use Dell PowerStore for virtualization.

Our customers implement PowerStore for its performance and the possibility to utilize AI in the future.

CloudIQ improves efficiency by allowing our customers to manage their systems from one place.

PowerStore does not consume a lot of power which is great for our enterprise customers but in Italy, our customers are usually small and medium businesses and are not too concerned about the power consumption because they only run two PowerStores.

Some of our customers have seen PowerStore's four-to-one data reduction. This has reduced our customer's footprint by three to one.

The most valuable feature is the functionality of the integration between the storage and the domain. Also, the possibility of having snapshots and synchronous replication is valuable. This is helpful for our enterprise customers because they need to replicate their data.

The most important thing is for Dell RND to continue to be innovative. 

Dell PowerStore currently only allows us to copy data from our main production system to the disaster recovery site. Dell PowerStore needs to add two-way replication to include data from the DR to the production site.

I have been using Dell PowerStore for four years.

Dell PowerStore is stable.

Dell PowerStore scalability is good because we can change parts and the controller if required. The parts are swappable.

We have used the technical support and professional services of Dell. They have been good to work with.

Positive

I have also worked with HP and IBM storage solutions but most of my customers are already Dell users and prefer PowerStore.

Although I don't have direct experience with the deployment, our technician has told me it is simple and can be done with a few clicks.

Our customers see a return on investment in terms of time savings because the setup is simple. The initial cost may be higher for PowerStore than some others but the life cycle is longer which makes up for it.

The price is right. The software features are included in the pricing without any additional purchase requirements.

I would rate Dell PowerStore nine out of ten.

We're evaluating the product. We're evaluating various storage platforms. We're looking for ACI, block, and file storage. 

One of the biggest factors for us is security. We want to make sure we're as secure as possible.

We're a Dell shop to begin with, in our architecture. There are benefits to keeping Dell as the main brand and staying consistent. Dell is the product of choice in our shop.

The simplicity and performance are great. It meets a lot of our objectives.

We're still trying to figure out the cyber-resilient data approach to security. We're checking all the boxes from a performance perspective; security is a big factor and we're looking into it. It's very interesting.

We do use Cloud IQ. It's still new to us. We use it a lot for lifecycle management for our PowerEdge cache management. It's good for firmware and patch management. We're hoping we will be able to automate a lot of those activities (versus doing everything manually).

The overall energy consumption is good. We're saving on our consumption. It's more economical compared to other products and technologies. It has a slight edge; however, it may not be overly significant. It does make sense if you have multiple PowerStores. It would have multiple savings, depending on the amount you use. 

We've condensed our footprint and become more efficient. We've reduced our footprint by 50% at least.

The integration with VMware is great. That's our biggest play on-prem. 

From an air gap perspective and data protection, I'd like to see more immutable backups. We'd like to see some improvements on the security side. 

I'm currently in the evaluation period. It's been six to 12 months.

I haven't seen any issues with stability. From the performance we've experienced, we haven't had any problems.

I did deal with support at the outset. We're a big Dell company, and we love the support and account managers that help facilitate things.

Positive

We're currently evaluating Dell and Pure Storage. We're more of a Dell shop and are leaning towards Dell. I see the benefit and value of Dell.

The initial setup was user-friendly. The product is simplistic. The UI makes it easy to navigate.

It's cost-effective.

We are not using the solution for any AI-driven workloads. However, we know it's coming. It'll position us better in the future.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

We mainly use the solution for virtual server infrastructure and block storage (not file storage use).

The main challenge we addressed was having some kind of mid-range all-flash array. It's one of the best use cases. 

The budget is good. It's really good, price-wise. It's cost-effective.

We have some VMware use cases for VMware infrastructure and it is good for that. We can use it for its data reduction capabilities. We have moved from 1.48 to 1.27. 

It offers good snapshots.

We use Cloud IQ for analysis. It's simple to quickly check and you don't have to be near the array to do so. 

The cyber-resilient data approach is good. It has all the features we need as a security company. The read-only snapshots are great.

There could be better reporting. We should be able to do some better metrics and they should be stored for longer so we can do better investigations. 

I've been using the solution for about four years. 

The stability is good. However, the sizer is not quite right. From my experience, the same number with the same read/write ratio and the same log size is off compared to my own notes. It's stable, yet the CPU utilization is higher. Sometimes, we need to move stuff off of it since we can see it's being over-utilized. 

The scalability is good for our use case. Sometimes I wish the cluster capabilities were more like XtremIO.

In the last year, we've noticed that there has been a drop-off in Dell support. In the past, I've had a better experience. The merge didn't benefit the support.

Neutral

We used to use XtremIO. We didn't fully switch. We decide which to use depending on the use case and budget. Other companies offer discounts from time to time. We'll compare and have an auction to see who wins. Price is just one factor. We also evaluate the support experience, for example. 

The deployment is very easy.

We install the solution ourselves. We did not use an integrator or consultant. 

We've witnessed an ROI after switching from some other infrastructure. It identified some areas in which we could get some good reductions and could decrease the data center footprint. 

We're constantly evaluating other solutions and comparing the options for price, support, and other metrics.

We aren't really using any integrations. We also don't use it for AI-driven workloads. 

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten. It's a great product. It's improving over time. When it was first released, I'd rate it four or five out of ten. However, it keeps getting better. The only problem I see is the support. 

We have a lot of Dell systems and backup repositories. We are now migrating to Dell PowerStore.

We are implementing Dell PowerStore to migrate from older systems and improve performance and security.

Dell PowerStore has helped our organizations by improving performance and reducing data and data center space. Our overall data footprint has been reduced by 40 percent.

CloudIQ allows us to manage all of the storage appliances from a single pane of glass and also magic dashboarding for better insights.

Dell PowerStore's cyber-resilient data approach is great because security is a key driver in our organization. One of our top issues is managing security and all the things that are intricate in the equipment are key to our organization.

Integrating Dell PowerStore with VMware allows us to manage storage allocation more efficiently and with greater resilience.   

The most valuable feature is the encryption in the loop because we can manage data center data from a different perspective, reducing the space used while growing data using the same equipment.

AI will be a challenge and we must manage different kinds of data with more performance and security. It's a key driver.

I have been using Dell PowerStore for one year.

We are in the process of migrating and as of now the stability of Dell PowerStore has been incredible.

Dell PowerStore has features to reduce occupancy and we can manage the use of that space differently.

We have used Dell for 20 years and one of their top priorities is to guarantee if we have an issue, we can solve it and their support has been great.

We previously used Dell EMC VMAX but switched to Dell PowerStore for increased security performance and reduced footprint.

We have a script that syncs with the things we want to achieve and typically the partners use that script to implement and it works perfectly.

For high performance, we evaluated HPE and two others.

I would rate Dell PowerStore eight out of ten. We are still in the migration phase.

We use Dell PowerStore with the VMware platform for block storage.

Our customers implement Dell PowerStore for the performance and deduplication compression ratio. For all the PowerStores that Dell deployed, I am around three dot eight or three dot six compression. It depends on the VMs and the customer's infrastructure, but it's quite good.

Our deployments are always on-premises for organizations in multiple industries, including medical and production. The environments are small, with around 20 terabytes of data or less.

We integrate PowerStore with VMware. We can't use PowerStore if we don't have a virtual platform like VMware or Hyper-V. We use VMware-certified professionals.

CloudIQ is a good tool for monitoring all our systems. It creates alerts that notify us if something is wrong and it also creates tickets automatically to Dell.

The most valuable aspects of Dell PowerStore are integration with VMware and reliability.

Dell PowerStore is an unfinished product compared to the HPE systems because it is relatively new. The synchronous replication was only added recently.

I have been using Dell PowerStore for four years.

PowerStore is stable. We install it and forget it for four years until it is time to replace it. 

We only sell one PowerStore to our clients, so there has been no need to scale but if needed more disks can be added.

The Dell support is good. The response time is good and the people are reliable. I am happy with the support.

Positive

We have worked with HPE, Huawei, and Pure Storage. Dell PowerStore is a young product compared to HPE. HPE has a lot of experience. Huawei is aggressive with pricing and has good products in Europe. Pure Storage is good but heavy and costly compared to Dell PowerStore.

For me, the deployment is easy because I'm very experienced. We had a lot of issues passing from version two to version three. I had to call Dell support each time we upgraded from version two to version three but once we're on version three, it is good.

I would rate Dell PowerStore eight out of ten.