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Storage Infrastructure Engineer at Cambridge Health Alliance
Real User
Flexible, feature rich, and highly scalable
Pros and Cons
  • "IBM FlashSystem is a flexible solution with plenty of features."
  • "The support could improve by allowing you to speak to someone when you call rather than them calling you back. However, once we do have contact with one of their technicians they are excellent."

What is our primary use case?

We are using IBM FlashSystem for data storage at the hospital I work at.

How has it helped my organization?

IBM FlashSystem has benefited our organization because we can mix solid-state drives with spinning drives.

What is most valuable?

IBM FlashSystem is a flexible solution with plenty of features.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using IBM FlashSystem for approximately one year.

Buyer's Guide
IBM FlashSystem
October 2025
Learn what your peers think about IBM FlashSystem. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2025.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable and has good performance.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

IBM FlashSystem is highly scalable.

We have approximately 5,000 people using the solution. We plan to continue using this solution in the future.

How are customer service and support?

The support could improve by allowing you to speak to someone when you call rather than them calling you back. However, once we do have contact with one of their technicians they are excellent.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used HPE and we are slowly moving towards having them switched with IBMFlashSystem. We have found the IBM FlashSystem to be more flexible.

How was the initial setup?

The installation was a moderate level of difficulty and it took approximately one week.

What about the implementation team?

We do the implementation and maintenance of the solution using our in-house team.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The cost of the IBM FlashSystem is lower than the HPE solution.

What other advice do I have?

IBM FlashSystem provides a very good value.

I rate IBM FlashSystem a nine out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Head, Internal Audit at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Good interface and documentation, but flash needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "When it comes to the interface of the solution we did not encounter any challenges. Additionally, the solution has good documentation."
  • "We had issues when attempting to do a flash, we hope to resolve it soon."

What is our primary use case?

We were using the solution for storing data. Recently we were having problems not being able to do a flash when we attempted. We will need to relay to IBM the challenges with taking the flash. Once this problem is resolved, we can do a better comparison with other solutions.

What is most valuable?

When it comes to the interface of the solution we did not encounter any challenges. Additionally, the solution has good documentation. 

What needs improvement?

We had issues when attempting to do a flash, we hope to resolve it soon.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used the solution for approximately three years. 

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of the solution was easy. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I find the pricing of the solution to be very reasonable. 

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We are presently evaluating NetApp and this solution. By the time we finished with our evaluations, I will be able to come back to IBM on what challenges we have encountered. We use IBM in all other aspects, including service. That is why we think that combining the IBM storage will be much easier for us than other entirely new solutions.

What other advice do I have?

I rate IBM FlashSystem a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
IBM FlashSystem
October 2025
Learn what your peers think about IBM FlashSystem. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2025.
872,869 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Usman Rasool - PeerSpot reviewer
VP - Head Enterprise Technology Infrastructure at MCB Islamic Bank Ltd.
Real User
Deduplication and compression afford us more space, but there is a bottleneck when adding more flash drives
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features are deduplication and compression, which together, enable you to have more space."
  • "The security features can be improved such that the encryption does not affect performance in any way."

What is our primary use case?

The IBM FlashSystem is the primary storage for files and data in our organization.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features are deduplication and compression, which together, enable you to have more space.

Performance is a major advantage of this storage.

What needs improvement?

When you add more flash drives or more NVMe, that is the bottleneck or shortcoming with this type of storage. When you fill the first enclosure, you won't be able to add more NVMe until you add more SAS drives.

The security features can be improved such that the encryption does not affect performance in any way.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using IBM FlashSystem for about four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is very good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have approximately 1,500 people who are directly or indirectly accessing the data that is residing on this storage.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is pretty good, especially the local team in Pakistan. Normally, the response time is very good.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

This is the first flash storage system that we have used. Prior to that, we were using a hybrid Dell EMC storage.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is not very difficult. I would say that it is similar to the way other storage systems are set up. I believe that it took one week for our deployment, which included testing.

What about the implementation team?

We have three administrators who take care of the different applications and data that are hosted on this storage. We don't perform maintenance on a daily basis. We may extract some stats for the performance and for evaluating capability. However, when it comes to maintenance, we probably work on it once or twice a month.

What other advice do I have?

Before purchasing this product, I recommend that everyone should do a PoC because there are multiple flash drive systems now available. All storage vendors are now making flash drives because it is a new technology that replaces existing hybrid systems. I would suggest doing some analysis and some R&D because Huawei, for example, is doing well. EMC is also top of the line, with IBM. There are slight differences in features, however, so it is important to do a comparison before making any decision.

I would rate this solution a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1550817 - PeerSpot reviewer
Hybrid IT Enterprise Executive at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
Reseller
Good compression features that help our organization with virtualization
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature of the solution is compression."
  • "The marketing could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case for the solution is virtualization.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature of the solution is compression.

What needs improvement?

The marketing could be improved. Additionally, awareness in the marketplace could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution since it was introduced and currently use the latest version.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. I rate it an eight out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable, and approximately 100 clients are utilizing it. I rate the scalability an eight out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

We have had a good experience with customer service and support, but it sometimes takes a while to resolve an issue. I rate them an eight out of ten.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward and took three days. I rate it an eight out of ten.

What about the implementation team?

We implemented it with a vendor team and in-house staff.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I rate the pricing an eight out of ten.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution a nine out of ten. The solution is good, but its marketing awareness can be improved.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
SemyonOsadchiy - PeerSpot reviewer
Commercial Director at MUK
Real User
An excellent storage system useful for SAP, landscape or banking systems
Pros and Cons
  • "The storage system is one of the best in the world."
  • "The initial setup is complex."

What is our primary use case?

It is useful for SAP, landscape or banking systems. The product system is good.

What is most valuable?

The storage system is one of the best in the world.

What needs improvement?

The setup could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have used this solution for 12 years and are using versions 5200, 5300 and 9000.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable. We have more than 12 customers using IBM FlashSystem in my country.

How are customer service and support?

I am satisfied because we have global technical support and other options. In addition, IBM has two specialized service centers based on the business partners' platform.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is complex, and the deployment depends on the project. It could take two hours or two or three months. We usually work with integrators working with companies, service and business partners.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Our clients pay for software licenses or other advanced licenses they need, such as Metro Cluster. The licenses are usually annual.

What other advice do I have?

I rate this solution an eight out of ten. I recommend this solution to others.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1983588 - PeerSpot reviewer
General Manager at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Reseller
Robust, with beneficial technical support, and the fibre channel connection is excellent
Pros and Cons
  • "Data deduplication is one of the most valuable features of this solution."
  • "Additional licenses might be added for the fundamental licenses, such as those for copying and flash copies."

What is our primary use case?

We use IBM FlashSystem with our VMware environment, however, there are times when we need to connect centers or just servers.

What is most valuable?

Data deduplication is one of the most valuable features of this solution. 

The Fibre Channel connection is excellent, as well as the extremely fast performance.

What needs improvement?

There should be more licenses included in the standard price.

Additional licenses might be added for the fundamental licenses, such as those for copying and flash copies.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been dealing with IBM FlashSystem since it has become available.

I am a reseller. We sell 5,025,5,100, and 5,200, versions.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

IBM FlashSystem is quite stable. I would rate the stability a ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

IBM FlashSystem is scalable.

There isn't a lot of software linked to that IBM software.

It is very easy to scale.

It depends on the client's needs because there are small-sized companies with 50 customers to begin with and such. And it is occasionally used. I would say 220 or more are there for the users.

External support is sufficient to keep this solution functional.

How are customer service and support?

The technical assistance is excellent, which is why I recommend this solution to my clients.

 I would rate the technical support a five out of five.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have just purchased Lenovo FlashSystem this week for our clients.

I worked with Storage-Tech, IBM Sharks, EMC Clariion, and other similar products.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is simple.

Network with your coding laptop or something similar then set up the network. It's not complicated, it's quite easy.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

If five is a good price and one is a high price, I would rate the price a two or three out of five.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I was looking into the differences between Lenovo and I went to some other sites to check. I looked at YouTube, but there isn't much but there is something.

After the research, in my opinion, IBM FlashSystem is better than Lenovo.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate IBM FlashSystem an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Reseller
PeerSpot user
Chief Technology Officer at areebah
Reseller
High performance, reliable, and simple implementation
Pros and Cons
  • "IBM FlashSystem is a stable solution."
  • "The generic functionality of IBM FlashSystem, IBM always dismisses using file share or sharing protocols inside their storage hardware, and they only focus on the block-level storage."

What is most valuable?

I find almost all the IBM FlashSystem features beneficial. The performance and the minimum latency IBM FlashSystem provide to the applications are good.  Parsing is the most valuable feature inside IBM Spectrum Virtualize software, which allows us to virtualize any third-party storage for IBM or non-IBM systems. A lot of features like replication/copy snapshots. All of them are very important and amazing, and we have benefited from them with most of the applications.

What needs improvement?

The generic functionality of IBM FlashSystem, IBM always dismisses using file share or sharing protocols inside their storage hardware, and they only focus on the block-level storage.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using IBM FlashSystem for 10 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

IBM FlashSystem is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I have found IBM FlashSystem to be scalable. However, with a specific type of FlashSystems scalability is limited. 

How are customer service and support?

The local support for IBM FlashSystem is very weak. Most of the customers are suffering from the IBM support here inside Egypt.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy. It is not complex at all.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I price of IBM FlashSystem is reasonable and competitive.

What other advice do I have?

We provide this solution to many customers.

I rate IBM FlashSystem an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Software Developer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Real User
Reasonable pricing, but the deduplication and compression ratio is not very good
Pros and Cons
  • "The pricing is reasonable."
  • "The deduplication and compression ratio is not very good. It's not reaching a very high ratio."

What is our primary use case?

We are using FlashSystem 5000. There are about 15 people using this solution in my company.

What needs improvement?

The deduplication and compression ratio is not very good. It's not reaching a very high ratio.

I would like to see the replication or synchronization between the storage to be IP replication. Right now, the IP replication is only supported in this model. So, the pure IP will be okay.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for a few months.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Before using this solution, we used Storwize 5000. It was okay, but it's very old, and it's out of the support. So, we are looking for some support.

How was the initial setup?

The solution is only hardware.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution 6 out of 10.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free IBM FlashSystem Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: October 2025
Buyer's Guide
Download our free IBM FlashSystem Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.