Dell EMC Unity XT reviews

Name: Dell Unity XT
Brand: Dell Technologies
Rating: 4.2 (196 reviews)

Vendor: Dell Technologies

4.2 out of 5

196 reviews
96% willing to recommend

2,659 followers

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What is Dell Unity XT?

Dell EMC Unity XT is one of the best all-flash storage arrays on the market today. Dell EMC Unity XT arrays are designed for performance, optimized for efficiency, and built for a multi-cloud world. In addition, they support digital transformation, enabling businesses to reach the full potential of their data capital quickly and easily. Dell EMC Unity’s All-Flash and Hybrid Flash storage platforms provide the performance, efficiency, enterprise-class software, and virtualization integrations required for running a wide range of virtualized applications.

Get the Dell Unity XT Buyer's Guide and find out what your peers are saying about Dell Unity XT, Dell PowerStore, Pure Storage FlashArray and more!

Dell Unity XT is the #5 ranked solution in best All-Flash Storage Arrays. PeerSpot users give Dell Unity XT an average rating of 8.4 out of 10. Dell Unity XT is most commonly compared to Dell PowerStore: Dell Unity XT vs Dell PowerStore. Dell Unity XT is popular among the midsize enterprise segment, accounting for 72% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a educational organization, accounting for 67% of all views.

Helped 849,686 peers since 2012

Featured Dell Unity XT reviews

Syed Habib

Head of Infrastructure Security (S.A.V.P) at EXIM Bank Ltd

Dell and a partner jointly implemented this solution in Auvink. We installed the Flash, which makes our IO operations fast and efficient. Replication is available, allowing us to replicate data simultaneously from one site to another. All-flash technology and vTXT enhance speed, and the IOPS are faster. The cache's IOPS are much better. Snapshots provide a unique feature for testing and make management more comfortable and easy. The platform is multi-supported and certification is more convenient and easy to manage.

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Srikanth Purushothaman

DIRECTOR at Vellore Online Systems

The initial setup is very straightforward. Even upgrading the firmware is very nice. You don't need to shut down. Previously, we used to have a shutdown, and now we hand over to one more processor, upgrade the one processor, and then switch back to this process, and then we'll do the upgrade for the process so there is no downtime. I'd rate the ease of implementation nine out of ten. Since we are holding almost all the data, which are all critical and confidential, the deployment is always on-prem only. It takes a maximum of two to three hours. The solution is almost finalized before ordering. We plan what has to be done, and how many services have to be connected through the HBA. Based on that, the number of fiber ports should have been ordered along with the system. Normally, it comes with two fiber-channel HBA adapters. We used to order with four channels instead of going for a sand switch. We connect three servers directly into process A and process B. Before getting into the server, all the servers should be up and running with the HBA connector with the fiber cable ready. Once we install the server, we will see if the firmware is up-to-date or if it is one month old since the shipment takes at least one or two months before it reaches our hands. If there is any new update, we will check with them to see whether the new firmware is good or if there are any bugs in it. If the support team says there is no bug, it means we will update the firmware and create a pool. If it is a hybrid pool, we'll do a mix and combinations of flash as well as the NSS for the images. For the data, we have only the flash itself, and we use a rate six for the data. Previously, with the regular SaaS drives, we used to have a rate ten; however, with the flash drives, we used to have rate five or rate six only. Normally, in-house inside the rack, we need two people. Otherwise, one engineer itself will do. If it is a flash drive, only one person itself will be enough. If it is three bay drives with 144 TB or 288 TB, then we'll go for one more person to fix inside the rack. Once it is fixed, the installation will be done only by one person. For maintenance, normally, we check the firmware updates within a month, or we check every 30 to 45 days to seek out firmware updates. We provide maintenance to our customers. For other issues, we might call technical support. Most things we can manage.

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Nagendra Nekkala.

Senior Manager ICT & at Bangalore International Airport Limited

Previously, we had Dell devices on our site. We use Windows servers for our physical server needs, particularly file sharing. Therefore, we sought a solution for data replication between our primary and secondary data centers. Our goal was to achieve data replication with a minimal Recovery Point Objective (RPO) to ensure we have well-defined recovery points for the company. This setup has proven to be helpful, especially when there's a need to access necessary records.

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Dell Unity XT mindshare

As of May 2025, the mindshare of Dell Unity XT in the All-Flash Storage category stands at 7.3%, down from 10.2% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

All-Flash Storage

PeerResearch reports based on Dell Unity XT reviews

Type	Title	Date
Category	All-Flash Storage	May 1, 2025	Download
Product	Reviews, tips, and advice from real users	May 1, 2025	Download
Comparison	Dell Unity XT vs Dell PowerStore	May 1, 2025	Download
Comparison	Dell Unity XT vs NetApp AFF	May 1, 2025	Download
Comparison	Dell Unity XT vs Pure Storage FlashArray	May 1, 2025	Download

Title	Rating	Mindshare	Recommending
Dell PowerStore	4.3	17.3%	96%	84 interviews Add to research
Pure Storage FlashArray	4.6	6.3%	99%	199 interviews Add to research

Valuable Features

Dell Unity XT excels in simplicity, ease of management, and performance. Its intuitive interface and HTML5-based Unisphere make navigation user-friendly. Features like FAST cache and auto-tiering enhance speed. It provides seamless integration with VMware and supports multiprotocol environments including block and file storage. It offers data reduction, inline compression, deduplication, and efficient replication. Dell Unity XT is highly scalable, reliable, and offers excellent support, making it ideal for diverse mid-range needs.

"Dell Unity XT is quite scalable and can be scaled up to the petabyte level."
"Dell excels in service and support."
"Snapshots provide a unique feature for testing and make management more comfortable and easy."

Room for Improvement

Dell Unity XT needs improvements in deduplication and compression features to enhance competitiveness. Users desire a more flexible GUI and improved storage management capabilities. There are calls for better migration tools and integration with other systems. High costs are a concern, with requests for better pricing and scalability. Users are looking for enhanced replication processes and monitoring features. Dell Unity XT lacks certain functionalities present in previous versions like VNX, which users miss.

"The technical support sometimes takes three to four days to get hardware to facilities. I would rate customer service four out of ten."
"Recently, customers have been asking for a cloud tiering option in storages. Some Dell storages do not have cloud tiering, which is an optional commercial feature."
"Sometimes the response time is higher than expected due to a lack of issues."

ROI

Dell Unity XT delivers cost-effectiveness and functionality, excelling in storage and management. Users report tremendous value in areas like time savings, reduced server footprint, and increased uptime. Its ease of use and integration streamline administrative tasks. The system provides notable returns by reducing power consumption and optimizing storage. With the ability to virtualize servers and improve data management, Dell Unity XT enhances performance while maintaining a scalable and future-proof investment.

Pricing

Dell Unity XT offers competitive pricing, with base licenses including most necessary options. Many users find its cost-effective storage suitable for small to medium enterprises, though some mention higher initial costs. Licensing is generally straightforward, with bundled software providing simplicity and value. Price points start around $20K for decent configurations, with some configurations costing more. While seen as relatively affordable compared to competitors like HP and NetApp, pricing transparency and negotiation may be required for optimal deals.

"It is priced at around or under $50,000."
"The solution’s pricing is competitive."
"The product’s pricing should be improved."

Popular Use Cases

Dell Unity XT supports a wide array of uses across multiple sectors. Enterprises use it primarily for block storage, virtual machines, and high I/O databases. It’s favored for mid-range to low-end storage needs, general virtualization platforms, high-availability disaster recovery, NAS, and database storage. Customers appreciate its performance in VMware environments, SQL Server, Oracle databases, and with healthcare IT, financial services, and governmental structures needing reliable, fast storage.

Service and Support

Dell Unity XT's customer service and support receive varied feedback. While many praise their responsiveness and knowledge, often rating it highly, others experience issues with the post-merger support quality, finding the response time inconsistent. Some users note difficulties accessing higher-level support, and a few find the portal cumbersome. Many appreciate technical support's proactive approach, yet challenges still exist with staffing expertise and equipment provision in some regions, affecting satisfaction levels.

Deployment

Users found Dell Unity XT's initial setup very easy and user-friendly. The process often involved only a few steps guided by a well-designed wizard. Some challenges were mentioned, such as licensing complexities and initial configurations requiring external assistance, but these were rare. Most setups were completed quickly, often in less than a day, emphasizing the efficiency and simplicity of the system even for those with only basic experience.

Scalability

Dell Unity XT demonstrates impressive scalability. Users frequently succeed in expanding storage without notable challenges. Many efficiently add hardware components, such as disks, to enhance capacity. Several report satisfaction with its modular nature and seamless upgrades. The system caters to various needs, from small to medium-sized enterprises. However, some mention limitations on certain models. Overall, it provides flexibility and is highly rated for accommodating growth within set parameters.

Stability

Dell Unity XT demonstrates strong stability with most users reporting high reliability and minimal issues. There have been occasional firmware-related bugs and early release challenges, yet users observe improvements following updates. Positive feedback highlights its solid performance, especially in environments with long-term usage. While some mention initial glitches, the platform's stability is rated highly, reflecting satisfaction among users. Compared to earlier models, Dell Unity XT shows significant advancements in stability and reliability.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

Download our Dell Unity XT Buyer's Guide for additional reliable information.

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Educational Organization

67%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Government

Financial Services Firm

University

Construction Company

Comms Service Provider

Healthcare Company

Retailer

Real Estate/Law Firm

Energy/Utilities Company

Insurance Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Hospitality Company

Non Profit

Media Company

Outsourcing Company

Compare Dell Unity XT with alternative products

Learn more about Dell Unity XT

Dell EMC Unity XT Features

Dell EMC Unity XT has many valuable key features, including:

Unified storage flexibility: With Dell EMC Unity XT you can consolidate separate storage platforms into a single Unity XT unified storage system via a simple and intuitive (HTML5) management GUI that also connects you to CloudIQ.
All-inclusive data protection: Dell EMC Unity XT offers a reliable way to protect application data with all-inclusive data protection services, including snapshots, data-at-rest drive encryption, replication, thin clones, and dynamic pools.
Software-defined solutions: Dell EMC Unity XT provides software-defined storage and HA for on-prem and in the cloud solutions.
Multi-cloud alignment: With Dell EMC Unity XT you have the ability to build and manage an effective data-first multi-cloud strategy. It allows you to consolidate public and private cloud resources that align with your business goals.
Metro node: This feature enables automated business continuity with zero RPO and RTO. It also provides greater flexibility through multi-platform support and replication to any array and has zero performance impact on the storage array.
Scalable file system: Dell EMC Unity XT is built with a robust 256TBu file system. The UFS64 file system includes up to 256 independent VMDK clones, 16 thin clones, space efficient snapshots with a simple space reclaim and low IO impact, file system shrink that can reclaim free blocks, simplified Quotas for User, and much more.
DevOps integrations: Dell EMC Unity XT supports the Container Storage Interface (CSI) plugin to run Kubernetes workloads.

Dell EMC Unity XT Benefits

Some of the benefits of using Dell EMC Unity XT include:

High-speed data access
Low latency
Dual-active controller architecture
Multi-cloud
Intuitive user interface
Cost efficient
Solid performance

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by Dell EMC Unity XT users.

A Systems Engineering Manager at a manufacturing company says, "It is definitely one of the most robust, solid, well-performing products that I have dealt with. It is set it and forget it, which is pretty amazing." He also mentions, “We can do both block and file storage on one unit without purchasing a separate device.”

Peter S., Senior Technical Specialist at a healthcare company, states, “The most valuable feature is reliability. At the end of the day, it just runs. This solution is easy to work with and easy to maintain.”

PeerSpot user Melvin T., Senior Systems Engineer at Prosperity Bank, explains that the solution is “easy to use and we can add LUNs or space without interruption to end-users. We're able to access it from just about anywhere, as long as we have access to a browser. That feature is really neat because sometimes we will go to a different data center or a different site, and if we need to access it to see a LUN or to see any type of storage, we can do that. That's one of the big takeaways with Unity."

Dell Unity XT was previously known as EMC Unity, Dell EMC Unity.