Dell PowerStore Reviews

Multiple Dell PowerStore appliances can be clustered, with the capability to connect four nodes to a single cluster. Dell PowerStore solution is used on Linux, and a customer connecting storage space from Dell PowerStore to their server can use Linux as well. We are mostly using Red Hat Linux, Oracle Linux, and SUSE.

I have implemented many boxes recently and have been working for Dell as an IMAC deploying and implementing Dell PowerStore products in Pakistan. The solution is very easy to use. Moving and optimizing workloads within the cluster is straightforward on Dell PowerStore. The workload performance delivered by Dell PowerStore is very good.

The compression and deduplication technologies of Dell PowerStore are satisfactory, with a 2.1 ratio being sufficient and meeting customer requirements. Expanding and scaling Dell PowerStore is simple. When scaling up, you add the DAEs, and when scaling out, you add the next node on the right side. After initializing the next node and connecting it to the TOR switch, you can add it to your cluster, and the new node will join the cluster automatically.

For connectivity, we can use 10G primarily because it uses IP for cluster connections. Dell PowerStore has different ports used for the cluster, management, and other activities for interconnectivity. Lifecycle control for Dell PowerStore is also better, though we normally use the baseline to upgrade by manually uploading files through IDRAC rather than through the Lifecycle feature.

Some features are not easy on Dell PowerStore. For example, changing the IP is not straightforward like on Unity or other storage solutions. You must run a command in the CLI to replace the IPs, remove the existing IP, and add the new IP. A user cannot change the IP easily and will require technical support and expertise from a partner or from Dell.

There should be an easy way to change the IP from the GUI in Dell PowerStore. In the manageable settings, anything can be changed from the GUI after installation and initialization. The other features are satisfactory and very advanced but easy to manage, with nothing difficult about them.

The IP change issue is important in Dell PowerStore as there are four IPs to consider: a cluster IP, a management IP, and two nodes' IPs. These cannot be changed easily, and the subnet mask is also involved. You need to write everything in a two or three-line command, starting from the IP, removing the existing IP, and adding new IPs one through three, all in sequence separated by a comma. There is a very small tab in the management IP modify section. When clicking on modify, it shows delete, but the delete function is not working as it is not highlighted because it can only be done with the service password.

The service password is not able to log in with the GUI and is only used to log in with the CLI. In the previous Unity, you could log in with both the service account and the GUI, where you could use either the admin or service user. In Dell PowerStore, the service user is only used with the CLI and cannot log into the GUI, which is not a good feature because you cannot perform any maintenance from the GUI.

I have not used Dell PowerStore's built-in integrations for VMware, Kubernetes, containers, or other ecosystems. However, if you are using a different model, not the T model of Dell PowerStore but the S model, which has all VMware products built-in, it would be suitable.

There should be direct connectivity between the nodes in Dell PowerStore. An additional add-on card in Dell PowerStore would allow you to add four nodes in a cluster that can connect directly to each other without utilizing switching in between. We are using two switches as VLT with RedStack, using a direct cable between the switches to become a VLT, making it a single logical switch, though the management is separate. If the nodes in Dell PowerStore could communicate directly with each other through a direct, dedicated media, like a stack cable to form a cluster, that would be a better feature.

For the last three years, I have been working on Dell PowerStore and have implemented several boxes.

I do not have a good experience with the technical support for Dell PowerStore. The technical support by Dell for Dell PowerStore is a seven or an eight, which is better. The engineers and their team were very good.

The IP change issue is important in Dell PowerStore as there are four IPs to consider: a cluster IP, a management IP, and two nodes' IPs. These cannot be changed easily, and the subnet mask is also involved. You need to write everything in a two or three-line command, starting from the IP, removing the existing IP, and adding new IPs one through three, all in sequence separated by a comma.

The service password cannot log in with the GUI and is only used to log in with the CLI. In the previous Unity, you could log in with both the service account and the GUI, where you could use either the admin or service user. In Dell PowerStore, the service user is only used with the CLI and cannot log into the GUI, which is not a good feature because you cannot perform any maintenance from the GUI.

We are not using CloudIQ in Dell PowerStore and have not utilized it at any time in Unity either. We call and open a case on support@dell.com instead of using CloudIQ. Most customers do not connect their systems to the internet or allow such connectivity. Therefore, CloudIQ is not beneficial for them.

Regarding the ability to add capacity in single drive increments, a single drive can be larger, but it depends on the rebuilding rate. When rebuilding capacity in case of a disk failure, a larger drive will take a longer time. There should be concern if these are slow NL-SAS drives with 4-8TB capacity, as you cannot configure them to RAID 5 and must configure them to RAID 6 instead. The rebuild will take a longer time, and in case of a disk failure in RAID 5, you will lose data. Where the pool is involved, it is easy to use the entire disk. Dell PowerStore mostly uses NVMe disk, ACM disk, and SAS disk, SSD disk, and does not use NL-SAS in the base chassis. My overall review rating for Dell PowerStore is eight out of ten.

Our company is a partner of Dell Technologies, and we primarily use Dell PowerStore as our main tool deployed across our portfolio of customers according to their requests. Dell PowerStore is one of our main components in the market that we sell to our portfolio of customers.

We have approximately 10 to 15 implementations because we do not use Dell PowerStore in-house for our purposes. We do have a lab Dell PowerStore, though I have forgotten the model. However, we sell Dell PowerStore to our clients where we provide the service of procuring it, configuring it, starting it up, and leading the roadmap for our client until the point of usage. We are not using it ourselves; we are selling it to further clients.

If the customer requests those capabilities, we do deploy metro clusters and stretched clustering. The deployment depends on the configuration and the use case requested from the client.

We had one deployment of Dell PowerStore within a Linux environment.

Dell PowerStore has fairly easy clustering setup. The general rules of clustering involve preferred nodes, preferred LUNs, and available LUNs across the cluster. Dell made clustering quite easy in that the setup and management of a cluster are straightforward.

The easy configuration of metro clustering, super easy startup services, and the GUI are extremely easy and user-friendly to navigate and operate. Dell PowerStore as a device is easy to operate since as a hardware device, the maintenance and administration are very easy to perform, even regular maintenance such as disk changes and cabling.

Cybersecurity features are fairly good and at the level of what the competition is providing. Cybersecurity will always have grounds and bases on which it can be improved. Regarding data resiliency, it is quite resilient, especially if you know what you are doing with the RAID levels and properly set it up.

In my area of the market where we operate in Malta, most of our clients are SMBs because Malta being a very small country does not operate with multinational companies that have terabytes and petabytes of data. I believe Dell PowerStore meets the market needs at this point in time.

The champion feature for me is metro cluster.

Regarding compression and deduplication, coming from the HP world where I was a systems engineer for nearly four years, Dell has a much stronger and much more powerful compression and deduplication engine than the competition on the market. We are fairly happy with the deduplication ratio and the compression ratio that Dell PowerStore provides.

Dell PowerStore is an enterprise-graded device that is easily scalable and easily integrated into your ecosystem and provides metro cluster as one of the key features I would consider in any storage system. The main advantage is the general support of Dell, which is quite efficient. I would choose Dell over any other brand, and the deduplication and compression ratio is very powerful and very strong, effectively saving space and giving the overhead needed to store data. The cons of Dell PowerStore include that it has not been advertised at least in the Maltese market the way it should be. The advertising campaign that originates from Dell is much weaker than the competition, effectively making people skeptical and sometimes making the product hard to sell even though the product itself is a great one.

In the future, it would be great to have Dell PowerStore that can be a peer on the market for Alletra MP from HP where you have a main Dell PowerStore node that is easily expandable across the network using just a simple LAN switch, for example, the main concept that Alletra MP uses. Additionally, it would be great to have support from Dell for other hypervisors, not just natively on VMware, but also Proxmox and any other open source virtualization hypervisors that need access to a storage system using Fiber Channel protocols because at this point in time, Fiber Channel protocol is not supported on Dell PowerStore, for example, using Proxmox.

I have been working with Dell Technologies products for almost six months, but I have been working in IT for the past eight years or more.

I am not aware of any stability issues. However, I am still fairly new when it comes to Dell technologies. I have been with them for just six months. During that particular amount of time, we have not had any crash or anything disastrous happening.

Dell PowerStore is very easy to scale. I found it easier to be scaled than certain HP Enterprise devices like Alletra, perhaps not as seamless as Alletra MP, the latest one available from the competition, but similar to some other devices, it is fairly easy to scale it up and even sideways if needed.

I believe there is improved performance, but that is about it as far as I know.

I have not used Dell tech support as we have never had cases that required it. However, from the other devices we have been using across the Dell ecosystem, I found their support pretty straightforward and quite efficient.

Negative

Regarding compression and deduplication, coming from the HP world where I was a systems engineer for nearly four years, Dell has a much stronger and much more powerful compression and deduplication engine than the competition on the market. We are fairly happy with the deduplication ratio and the compression ratio that Dell PowerStore provides.

From my perspective, there are no challenges with initial setup. I do have quite a lot of experience even from times before when deploying storage was quite complex. However, nowadays, it is fairly simple. In general, when it comes to the simplicity of initial deployment of any Dell products, it is fairly simple to get it started up and running in literally a few clicks if you do not have any special requests that need to be catered or adjusted especially for that use case. If you need just a storage system to have it in your local domain, Dell PowerStore is fairly simple to start up.

Officially, I have implemented with a team. However, since I am at the company for only six months, I have not had any projects on that side yet.

I know that Dell PowerStore is cheaper than the competition, and that is about it because I am more on the technical side rather than on the sales side.

In the future, it would be great to have Dell PowerStore that can be a peer on the market for Alletra MP from HP where you have a main Dell PowerStore node that is easily expandable across the network using just a simple LAN switch, for example, the main concept that Alletra MP uses. Additionally, it would be great to have support from Dell for other hypervisors, not just natively on VMware, but also Proxmox and any other open source virtualization hypervisors that need access to a storage system using Fiber Channel protocols because at this point in time, Fiber Channel protocol is not supported on Dell PowerStore, for example, using Proxmox.

While it might be intimidating to have mixed and matched infrastructure in a view of having HP and Dell operating within the same system, everything is fairly acceptable. The partners are there to help and will be more than happy if they put Dell PowerStore along with any other storage system. As a matter of fact, they might have even better results within their internal networks and internal environment.

One of my key roles as a senior enterprise systems engineer is implementation and configuration of various devices either from Dell or previously from HP since I worked closely with HP. I do have hands-on experience.

I assume I could comment on certain aspects. However, I am not on that side of things because my job ends the second the storage system is presented to the virtualization hypervisors. I am not the best one to answer that question.

In the future, it would be great to have Dell PowerStore that can be a peer on the market for Alletra MP from HP where you have a main Dell PowerStore node that is easily expandable across the network using just a simple LAN switch, for example, the main concept that Alletra MP uses. Additionally, it would be great to have support from Dell for other hypervisors, not just natively on VMware, but also Proxmox and any other open source virtualization hypervisors that need access to a storage system using Fiber Channel protocols because at this point in time, Fiber Channel protocol is not supported on Dell PowerStore, for example, using Proxmox.

Performance is acceptable and is in the range of any other storage system during the workloads, obviously within the range of the model.

The GUI is fairly user-friendly. There are no finicky words or complex wording used, and I believe it is quite oriented toward systems administrators and enterprise administrators. I believe their life is fairly eased up on that side, making it fairly easy to use.

I believe we have clients that are using CloudIQ. I do believe this, but I am not 100 percent sure.

Since our users are mainly on VMware, we are using integration with VMware.

For us, I would not say it is super important because if you do not have one way to integrate it, there is another way to do it for me as somebody working on the partner side. However, I do believe that for the end-user, it is fairly important because most of those systems are not mainly used by one compute system, one server, or one hypervisor. However, if you have more than one, then the ease of integration within your current infrastructure and the current system that is running on site is very important.

I do believe that scalability is a very important part because, for example, I have had cases even when I was working with HP where you have customers who want to be able to expand slowly and keeping only a certain percentage of the overhead of the storage system because not all customers have the financial means to go and buy 5 terabytes of hard drives due to the cost of the hard drives and everything. I believe that is a very important part from the client perspective.

In general, there is nothing simple when it comes to working with Linux. However, I think the presentation of the LUNs and everything else is more or less the same as any other storage system that is operating over Fiber Channel protocols for the Linux side. I do not think in that aspect there are any easier scenarios or something that is much more different from the competitors.

Metro cluster will provide you with a copy of the data. First of all, you will have two systems that are joined by the metro cluster that can operate on the main site and on the disaster recovery site where you will have preferred LUNs on both sides, so you are not going to have a lot of latency when it comes to the data sets that need to be read and written. Basically, what you need on site A can be stored on site A and what you need on site B can be stored on site B, effectively making the quality of life for users that are spread on two sites nearly seamless. Additionally, you have that particular metro that is providing a kind of backup that in case something goes sideways with one of the systems, you will still have data available and there will still be a path for another system. You will have users continue to work seamlessly even though your storage system on one end is completely gone, for example.

My overall rating for this review is 9.

Dell PowerStore was initially used as a low tier storage solution where high performance was not necessarily required. Currently, it is being used as a data store for ESXi servers and comes with all-flash storage, so performance has been significantly upgraded compared to previous Dell storage solutions. Dell PowerStore is now being used more for enterprise and mid-size customers.

The most valuable features in Dell PowerStore are the replication method and snapshots. The replication method is the most valuable because storage replication is relied upon when disaster recovery solutions or BCP solutions are required to be introduced.

The integration with VMware SRM is relatively easy for Dell storage. Overall reliability and maturity of Dell products make implementation easier, and the deployment is not complicated for these devices. Additionally, compared to competitors, Dell solutions are generally more cost-effective.

While assessing Dell PowerStore's data resiliency and cybersecurity features, it is important to note that additional tools from the Dell side are still needed to help set up a cyber recovery or cyber resiliency solution. By default, the storage may not have all the features required, and additional software is needed to establish a cyber recovery vault. The solution includes mutable and immutable copy, deduplication, and compression which achieve a good ratio in fully utilizing storage capacity. However, a set of software from Dell that serves as an analyzer is needed to set up all tools and environments. By default, the storage will not fulfill all cyber resiliency requirements without additional tools and isolated environments.

When comparing compression and deduplication technology in Dell PowerStore with Pure Storage, there is room for further improvement. The dedupe and compression ratio is comparatively low, and Pure Storage claims higher efficiency. Additionally, the product life cycle differs, as Dell recommends changing storage processors after every five years, while Pure storage products do not become obsolete for ten years.

Dark data assessment is a functionality that could be introduced, which relates to data not accessed within certain time frames that could be moved to other locations. Such tools would help not only with deduplication and compression but would reclaim unused storage, providing an additional advantage.

I have been working with Dell PowerStore for more than five and a half years.

My feedback on the workload performance offered by Dell PowerStore is positive. When comparing to older products, there have been no performance problems with the new storage. An apple-to-apple comparison is difficult to make because the previous storage was five years old. With migration, better performance has been obtained compared to what was configured earlier.

I would rate the scalability part of Dell PowerStore at eight or eight point five. Adding capacity in single drive increments could technically add more risk to a drive because increasing VMs and data may compromise stability. Whatever is currently available as the highest capacity of a disk is acceptable.

The technical support from Dell is good. I have not encountered any issue that took a long time to get resolved. I would give a scoring of nine for the technical support.

Positive

In most of the deals worked on, if clients are using multiple vendor storages where product support is ending, a single vendor solution is generally recommended.

The deployment process for Dell PowerStore is simple because most of the tasks are menu driven, with few commands required, and it is quick to complete as part of a deployment.

It is easy to cluster Dell PowerStore appliances, and most of the time PS services are being added into the BOQ, with assistance provided in case of any issues during implementation.

Dell PowerStore helps clients reduce capital expenditures, as the footprint in comparison to legacy storage is less and power consumption is more optimized.

I have experience with Dell APEX, also known as CloudIQ in Dell PowerStore, and there are cases where this has been recommended as well. However, from a commercial standpoint, the additional costs paid to Dell are higher than what could be financed internally, leading the company to buy assets at their own cost to set up a private cloud.

Dell PowerStore is compared with Pure Storage and HP Alletra as competitors.

When comparing these three solutions, cost is a primary key consideration. All the required features are available in most vendors. However, whoever offers the best price during the negotiation stages generally wins the deal. In terms of reliability, scalability, compression, deduplication, and TCO, Dell is a preferred partner. One reason to choose Dell is that the compute upgrades are handled within the same vendor, providing a complete solution which includes backup, storage, and compute.

Dell PowerStore continues to be a preferred product for current work.

Work is being done on some RFPs which are for transformation and these products are required for backup as well as for primary storage.

The majority of cases for Dell PowerStore are for on-premises deployments. Dell PowerStore is generally not recommended for deployment on a public cloud. Instead, it is deployed with hybrid or on-premises as a private cloud setup. Native cloud storages are used for any further requirement where the data needs to be kept on a public cloud.

Regarding management capabilities, the feedback is that it is adequate.

I would rate this review an overall nine out of ten.

My role in using and managing Dell PowerStore involves deploying the systems, managing them, updating them, and deploying them on a daily basis for most of our end customers, which amounts to about thirty PowerStores.

The models of Dell PowerStore that I work with include 500T, 1000T, 1200T, 3200T, and 5200T.

The main use cases for Dell PowerStore among my customers are VMware for virtual machines, databases, applications, and file storage.

The most valuable features of Dell PowerStore that I or my customers find are data reduction. Since Dell PowerStore is based on XtremIO, a rather mature technology, it is implemented very well, and XtremIO was already quite good in deduplication. That is the primary reason we sold this system to our customers as it offers good midrange storage.

The benefits my customers have realized from implementing and using Dell PowerStore include faster storage because most of them transitioned from regular SSD storage or spinning drives to NVMe storage, which is notably faster. This represents a significant advantage along with a favorable data reduction ratio.

In some cases, they have achieved a two and a half to three and a half times reduction in their data ratio. Additionally, some of our customers that used to have half a rack of storage now require just two rack units.

Dell PowerStore does not play a role in their AI initiatives in any way since hospitals are rather conservative in deploying AI. Furthermore, it is not within our scope as they have AI integrated into their applications, which is outside of our management.

One aspect that could make Dell PowerStore better is adding support for multiple operating systems in Metro Volumes, which would serve as a good use case for some of our customers.

To make it a ten, it would require improvements such as quicker part shipping. Even though most customers have four-hour support, it sometimes takes two days for parts to arrive when I would expect it the next day. We also encountered performance issues with some Dell PowerStores at our customers, which took a long time to diagnose.

The missing element to achieve a score of ten is support for multiple operating systems in Metro, which is rather specific but a recent challenge we encountered.

I have been working in my current field for eleven to twelve years.

When assessing the stability and reliability of Dell PowerStore, I note there were some issues in the first releases, specifically with the software. Since version three point zero, improvements have been significant, along with the addition of extra features.

Not many customers have scaled up or out with Dell PowerStore, although some have added disks, which has been successful without issues.

Dell support is generally good.

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate them a seven and a half due to the services received.

To make it a ten, it would require improvements such as quicker part shipping. Even though most customers have four-hour support, it sometimes takes two days for parts to arrive when I would expect it the next day. We also encountered performance issues with some Dell PowerStores at our customers, which took a long time to diagnose.

Positive

Some customers do come from different vendors to switch to Dell PowerStore, while most already had Dell or EMC storage, but some transitioned from other vendors.

The primary reason they switch to Dell over other vendors is usually based on tender outcomes. I cannot always ascertain why they selected us, but it was probably the best or most cost-effective solution available.

Overall, my experience with deploying Dell PowerStore has been good.

It works efficiently since it is easy to deploy Dell PowerStore. I have not encountered any significant issues.

Most of our customers in healthcare and government have not shared specific metrics regarding their return on investment in Dell PowerStore.

Regarding pricing, setup costs, and licensing for Dell PowerStore, the licensing is good since everything is included. All features are available when you purchase Dell PowerStore, and I find the pricing competitive.

The size of the companies using Dell PowerStore varies. One company has more than twenty-five hundred employees, while the rest generally have around two hundred to two thousand employees.

For small to medium customers, Dell PowerStore supports growth or operational success by being easier to use, as it incorporates native features for which they previously needed separate systems, such as replication technologies, thereby reducing the cost of managing storage.

Although I cannot determine exactly by how much cost has been reduced, I am not directly working at the end customer. However, we have managed these systems for our end customers, handling updates and managing storage, making it difficult to quantify specifics.

Dell PowerStore has features that specifically cater to the needs of small and medium companies.

The features include a broad range of mid-scale storage options, providing quite good entry-level systems that are relatively inexpensive while enabling customers to benefit from all its features.

To measure success with Dell PowerStore, we typically use latency as a good performance metric to assess how well it performs and meets the needs of the applications used by the users.

I cannot share a specific example where Dell PowerStore made a noticeable improvement or impact on business operations at this time, although I am sure there are instances.

When it comes to latency, I think it remains about the same for most customers, but it is difficult to compare because the technology varies. Customers transitioned from spinning drives or regular SSDs to NVMe, leading to consistently improved speeds.

My overall review rating for Dell PowerStore is eight out of ten.

We use Dell PowerStore for our manufacturing or MES system and data warehousing.

Dell PowerStore has benefited our organization through cost savings. It is simple to use, and so far, it has been perfect without any issues.

The most valuable feature of Dell PowerStore is its immutable storage, which is what we are looking for. It offers high protection in terms of ransomware protection. 

The design needs to be something similar to Pure Storage. It would be beneficial if there are different color or lighting options for different product casings. Different colors are helpful when working in the data center server room.

Pure Storage is simplified. We can do a lot of things online. They have a lot of information and training. We can go through their YouTube channel. Dell should be doing more like that. The main reason why people move to Pure Storage is because it's simplified.

I've been using it for two years.

The stability and reliability of Dell PowerStore are good.

Dell PowerStore scales with the needs of our company.

Worldwide, we have 200,000 employees, and in Malaysia, we have about 20,000 employees. We are in production line use and soon will deploy it in the data center for the Asia region support.

Their support in our country is very good.

We have an account manager in our country. The account manager is very aggressive. He could be less aggressive. 

Positive

Dell is quite good compared to HPE. Over the last few years, HPE is changing. They are acquiring many companies, and it's getting too complicated. One of the reasons we are using Pure Storage is that it is very simple. I hope Dell can do something like Pure Storage. However, Dell PowerStore is cheaper than others, and their support in our country, Malaysia, is very good.

Dell and our system integrator help us with it. We provide the requirements and they take care of the setup.

Our experience with Dell has been good.

As compared to others, PowerStore is cheaper.

Overall, I would rate Dell PowerStore a seven out of ten, as it still has room for improvement.

My use cases for Dell PowerStore typically involve consolidating older storage and bringing the future of storage to our customers. Because we are a Dell partner, I sell a lot of Dell PowerStore storage, especially to modernize their infrastructure and consolidate workloads on a modern infrastructure based on Kubernetes. Dell PowerStore fits perfectly in the modern IT landscape, especially with AI. 

We talk about AI, and Dell PowerStore fits perfectly for our customers, enabling a variety of user workflows and customer workflows. For manufacturing, Dell PowerStore is perfect because it empowers and speeds up their jobs, providing future-ready storage. 

One of our customers uses Dell PowerStore for AI, which is currently still in study, aiming to develop an autonomous agent to capture payment. This system will implement a responsive AI agent based for each store, which needs to react quickly, and Dell PowerStore provides the low latency needed for such use cases, supporting not just one shop station but potentially thousands, handling large amounts of data and logs.

Customers see benefits from implementing Dell PowerStore, as it significantly speeds up their workloads. When we change the repository for our data and speed up the workload, including applications and databases, our virtual environment or private cloud speeds up. Everything about the work done in the company speeds up, from the warehouse to the offices, and every part of the company improves.

For me and my customers, the most valuable features of Dell PowerStore are the data reduction and scalability. The data reduction of 5:1 with the latest version of the software is very good because it saves a lot of money and space, allowing us to use the budget for other things. 

Another valuable feature of Dell PowerStore is its scalability, as you can add one drive at a time to grow without having to purchase multiple drives.

Connectivity is another notable feature; you can use many PCIe cards to connect to the back end. With AI and the push for faster workflows, we need to integrate 100 Gigabit cards and faster switches. Additionally, because it operates within a broader ecosystem, Dell PowerStore is very compatible with various systems, including SAP and Oracle, enhancing speed and latency for numerous use cases. I believe Dell PowerStore fits 90% of companies and meets their storage needs.

In terms of improvement for Dell PowerStore, I think data mobility is crucial. A compelling feature would be seamless mobility of data without disruption, from local storage to the cloud. It would be much easier if Dell PowerStore implemented this form of data mobility. Currently, migrating from one model to another is not very straightforward, although it's on the roadmap. Upgrading an old model to a new one can be complex, particularly when using VMware.

I do not give it a ten because other storage solutions may offer better features. For instance, Dell acquired a company called Compellent, which had a feature called live migration, allowing multiple storage-to-storage transfers, including three hops. With Dell PowerStore, you can only replicate data between two storages systems, needing a separate appliance for more complex replication, which competitors like NetApp or Pure Storage provide as built-in features. I suggest this capability be considered for future development, alongside enhancements to data security and analysis.

I have been using Dell PowerStore for about five years.

My role in using or implementing Dell PowerStore is to design the infrastructure and analyze where it fits, considering the needs of the customer. We sell a solution that perfectly fits what the customer needs, as Dell has a lot of tools to implement the right solution. Before we sell a product, we conduct thorough analysis and discuss it with our customers, which makes them happy because we provide documentation containing all necessary parameters. We explain why they need to invest in such enterprise storage, and typically our work involves analysis, selling the storage, and empowering the customer's company.

Considering ROI for customers using Dell PowerStore, the cost is important, especially with the more affordable prices of the PowerStore 500 model. The lifecycle of the product is significant, and sometimes the renewal of maintenance costs more than a new product. Thus, the product lifecycle should ideally cost less.

We started working with the first generation Dell PowerStore in 2020, and our customers are already migrating to the second generation. Dell PowerStore is currently at version 4.0, and new features are released every six months. It is Kubernetes-based storage, so it's not disruptive to upgrade the firmware; every time we update the firmware, we have new features, and our customers are very happy.

It's a long partnership since Dell initially focused solely on servers. Now, they are a powerhouse offering everything from servers to storage and clients, presenting significant opportunities for business discussions. 

I rate Dell PowerStore a nine out of ten.

Dell PowerStore's main use cases involve virtualization as the primary use case. It is SAN storage that falls under midrange storage in Dell Technologies but includes all enterprise features such as deduplication and compression, which are expected from enterprise storage.

The main benefit is that the operating system is container-based. If a service like management fails, it restarts inside a container without rebooting the whole array, which is very valuable in enterprise storage. The ease of use is significant because it is very easy for administrators.

I have deployed almost all the appliances: 500, 1000, 3000, and 5000 models.

I have had some implementations where we have done clustering, adding two nodes for the storage itself.

In general, I would say that it is easy to move and optimize workloads within the cluster.

Support from Dell produces positive feedback that varies by region. In Qatar, we receive excellent support especially for enterprise products such as storage.

Dell PowerStore can help improve operational efficiency through automation, as Dell provides playbooks that can automate processes through Ansible.

Regarding data resiliency and cybersecurity features, everything Dell sells is designed to be zero trusted, meaning the storage itself is secure. You do not need separate cybersecurity software because it already incorporates security.

The compression rate can go between 5 to 10 to 1, depending on the data. For structured data such as Excel sheets or Word documents, it can compress from 50 terabytes to 10 terabytes, but video and MP3 files may not reduce as significantly.

Integration with systems such as VMware, Kubernetes, and container services is one of the best features, given that the operating system is containerized.

As for drawbacks or areas for improvement in Dell PowerStore, I currently do not have any significant concerns.

I cannot name any specific enhancements for Dell PowerStore as I find it perfect for its midrange storage role.

I have been dealing with Dell PowerStore for about four years now.

Dell PowerStore is quite stable, providing 99.9% availability due to its active-active controller. Updates occur seamlessly without downtime.

Dell PowerStore can scale up and scale out easily. I believe it can scale out up to four nodes maximum and expand enclosures beyond 20 slots in the base unit, allowing for substantial growth.

I use CloudIQ, now called AIOps, which is a very good predictability tool and AI anomaly detection that is free when you have ProSupport from Dell.

The requirement for ProSupport for accessing the free AIOps add-on is not typically a limitation, as enterprise storages default to ProSupport.

Negative

Regarding the deployment, it can be complex if you do not have much IT knowledge, but if you have any system administrator, it will be easy to deploy. Dell recommends doing the deployment for clients to ensure a thorough OEM experience, which is what I recommend to my clients.

Dell PowerStore helps reduce capital expenditures, CapEx by 100%.

More accurate figures about CapEx reduction can be acquired from Dell based on Forrester or IDC reports.

Dell PowerStore aligns against HPE's Aletra storage and is favored for ease of use and capability as a midrange to enterprise solution.

I am a solution integrator and a partner for these companies instead of being a managed service provider.

Currently, my role is Solutions Architect, so I articulate the whole solution for my customers.

Management capabilities are relatively easy, allowing control via a single dashboard that integrates with VMware and Broadcom.

There is no inconvenience because clients typically choose ProSupport for enterprise storage.

While I note some potential for future enhancements, Dell PowerStore is already a leader in customer satisfaction.

I have provided this review with an overall rating of 10.

We work with Dell PowerStore and PowerProtect Data Domain from EMC products.

We use Dell PowerStore in Metro setups for virtualization platforms.

We use Dell PowerStore for virtualization platforms, infrastructure workloads, infrastructure components, and VDI infrastructures.

We also work with Huawei Dorado and HPE Alletra as other products.

For vSphere, we use Dell PowerStore many times, and sometimes the Kubernetes integration as well.

Built-in integrations for Dell PowerStore are important for my clients and for me personally. They are not the only reason why clients buy Dell PowerStore, but the integrations are important, especially if they streamline operations. The vSphere integration particularly streamlines operations so that there is no real need for specific storage knowledge, and you can accomplish all the common things you need during daily operations through vCenter. While it is important, it is not so important that this becomes the only point of decision for clients. However, they appreciate it, and it is a factor that counts in the decision-making process.

The insights offered by CloudIQ are truly useful, especially the capacity forecasting. CloudIQ allows me to tell clients that if they continue at their current pace, the machine will be full in two months, four months, or half a year, which is beneficial for forecasting so clients understand when they will need to purchase new equipment.

The ability to add capacity in single drive increments versus drive packs is important to me regarding Dell PowerStore, but it is nothing special at the moment. As far as I know, all manufacturers offer this capability now. At the time it was introduced, it was important, but now it is common.

Dell PowerStore is easy to handle. The management interface is intuitive and powerful, with a good data deduplication rate. It is easy to introduce and install.

Dell PowerStore brings main benefits by being reliable, easy to use, and providing high performance. The operational efficiency has improved through the integration in VMware vCenter, which streamlines operations.

Dell PowerStore's data resiliency and cybersecurity features are truly useful. We use snapshots in regular cycles to protect data on the client side and to have fast fallback capability in case of an emergency, accident, or security incident.

Dell PowerStore's cybersecurity and resiliency features meet the organization's needs for our customers. The security features work well through the use of multiple snapshots at multiple points in operation, which allows us to save data securely and enable fast fallback or recovery.

There are not many differences between Dell PowerStore and Huawei or HP technologies. Usually, Huawei is cheaper and has higher capacity in the same volume. If you want to use RoCE protocol, one of the new networking protocols for storage, it is currently only available in Huawei. It will come with Dell PowerStore in the next month, but it is not available right now as I remember. HPE Alletra is similar to Dell PowerStore—it is not as smooth in using it and handling it, but it is really nearby and not far away.

Dell has to face competition with Huawei when it comes to price. Sometimes there is no option other than to use Huawei when price is the main feature for the client.

Training for clients regarding Dell PowerStore would be nice to help them understand what the system is made of and how to use it. However, you do not need much knowledge, as the handling of the system is really easy.

I have been working with Dell PowerStore for four or five years, though I am not entirely certain of the exact timeframe.

I cannot recall any performance issues, stability issues, downtimes, or crashes with Dell PowerStore.

I cannot recall any complaints or challenges regarding the workload performance of Dell PowerStore, or any issues related to it at all.

Dell PowerStore is really easy to expand in terms of scaling up or scaling out.

We do cluster multiple Dell PowerStore appliances.

Dell's technical support and customer service team are brilliant. They provided good service the few times we needed them.

On a scale of one to ten, where ten is the best, I would rate the support an eight.

Positive

Apart from Dell PowerStore, we have worked with and do work with competitors in the market with other solutions.

Dell PowerStore is easy to handle. The management interface is intuitive and easy to install.

The management capabilities of Dell PowerStore are really easy to use. You only need a two-hour introduction, and then you are able to install and use it.

There were no challenges with the deployment aspect of Dell PowerStore. It is really easy.

TIM is the name of the distributor that we are working with.

It is not my part of the business to make calculations about the return on investment or cost-effectiveness of Dell PowerStore. I have no information at the moment. I suppose it makes no difference. You could say you have less operational effort, so it has a better total cost of ownership than former systems. However, I suppose not in comparison to other systems on the market, and other strong systems like Huawei Dorado or HPE Alletra.

I am not aware of any improvements with capital expenditures regarding Dell PowerStore.

We work with Huawei Dorado and HPE Alletra as other products.

With Dell PowerStore, data consolidation is not usually what we do, as all the data for our clients has typically been consolidated on other systems before.

Regarding Dell PowerStore, we are usually only replacing older hardware or increasing capacity, but we do not have other special goals at the moment.

Dell PowerStore is a storage solution. If you need storage, you can buy Dell PowerStore. I would rate this review a nine out of ten overall.