Dell ECS Reviews

Name: Dell ECS
Brand: Dell Technologies
Rating: 4 (26 reviews)

Vendor: Dell Technologies

4.0 out of 5

26 reviews
95% willing to recommend

672 followers

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What is Dell ECS?

Enterprise-ready. Future-proof. Data-first.

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Dell ECS is the #6 ranked solution in top File and Object Storage solutions. PeerSpot users give Dell ECS an average rating of 8.0 out of 10. Dell ECS is most commonly compared to Microsoft Azure: Dell ECS vs Microsoft Azure. Dell ECS is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 70% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a financial services firm, accounting for 21% of all views.

Helped 814,649 peers since 2012

Featured reviews

Muhammad Alihyder Bhuiyan

Head of IT Operations at NCC Bank PLC

We use Dell ECS to store and integrate data Dell ECS is a very useful platform. We have deployed and integrated all the servers through this storage application. All of them are working well. More features for remote management and administration could be included in the product. They could…

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Amarjit Rathee

Associate Vice President at Hitachi Systems, Ltd.

Our archival is on Dell ECS. Some critical data is on the cloud. The rest is stored on-premise We have government compliances to follow. We manage compliance using the tool. We also have our backups. We must have backups for audits. It is a very good product. We face very few hardware failures.…

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Sourabh Madan

Solution architect at Hitachi Systems, Ltd.

Dell ECS is used for HCI and storage. The good thing about NetApp is that it has the same operating system from start to end. Dell ECS uses multiple environments and operating systems for multiple use cases, which can sometimes be challenging Dell ECS is a price-optimized solution that is easy to…

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Dell ECS mindshare

As of November 2024, the mindshare of Dell ECS in the File and Object Storage category stands at 8.8%, down from 10.5% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

File and Object Storage

Key learnings from peers

Last updated Nov 4, 2024

Valuable Features

The most valuable features of Dell ECS include its S3 protocol implementation, integration with Dell EMC products like ISILON, impressive stability, scalability, and ease of use. Users appreciate the combined hardware and software approach, cost-effectiveness, data compression, load balancing, and seamless API integration. It excels in handling unstructured and off-site data, is easy to deploy, and provides competitive pricing and performance, rivaling options like NetApp StorageGRID.

"The setup was straightforward."
"The tool is easy to use."
"It is a stable solution."

Room for Improvement

Dell ECS requires enhanced integration with external systems and ecosystems. Users express a need for improved scalability and write performance along with better technical support and security. The pricing is a concern, and setup is complex. Better documentation, training, and marketing activities are needed. Additionally, seamless cloud compatibility, streamlined reporting, efficient garbage collection, and robust disaster recovery features are desired. Cost-effectiveness and a simpler architecture for handling large datasets should also be prioritized.

"One area for product improvement would be the garbage collection process. It takes longer than expected, so speeding up that process would be beneficial."
"Dell ECS needs to improve its performance."
"From an improvement perspective, Dell ECS should aim to offer a better pricing plan to its users."

Pricing

Dell ECS pricing experiences vary among enterprise users, highlighting both its cost-effectiveness and expense depending on the context. Pricing is influenced by annual or capacity-based licensing models, with opportunities for negotiation and discounts. Users note it requires hardware purchases alongside the software, contrasting other standalone options like IBM. Its cost scales with the features required and is often deemed competitive for the performance delivered, though some suggest room for improvement and reduced costs.

"The solution's cost is quite reasonable."
"It is an expensive solution. There is a need to make yearly payments towards the licensing costs attached to the product."
"Dell ECS is a cost-effective solution."

Popular Use Cases

Organizations primarily utilize Dell ECS for cloud-based object storage. It is employed for data archiving, backup storage, and managing unstructured data. Many use it for long-term backup storage, disaster recovery, and to store and integrate data, including voice recordings and documents. Dell ECS supports web applications and is favored by healthcare sectors for managing large volumes of data. It also provides storage for enterprise customers and is integrated with Dell NetWorker for backup solutions.

Service and Support

Dell ECS customer service and support receive mixed feedback. Users find the response quick, especially in regions like China. Some face challenges with integration and time differences, notably with support from India. Reports indicate Dell ECS support in Taiwan lacks vendor efficiency. Satisfied customers highlight effective assistance when licensed appropriately. Initial complexities due to Dell and EMC merger are gradually resolved. While experienced engineers offer positive experiences, initial engagements may sometimes lead to delays.

Deployment

Initial setup of Dell ECS varies in complexity. Some users find it straightforward and easy with the assistance of Dell's engineers or external help. It may take a few hours to a month, depending on the environment and deployment size. Some report challenges without qualified personnel, especially with complex storage environments. Maintenance support from Dell is appreciated. Users note the importance of proper execution, though they find Dell ECS guides useful for implementation.

Scalability

Dell ECS is often described as scalable, supporting small to large enterprises. Users appreciate its ability to handle numerous accounts, though some note that expansion requires version upgrades or block purchases. The platform is suitable for large entities, offering ease in scaling for growth needs. Multiple comments highlight its adaptability across different organizational sizes, though certain older versions might lack scalability. Users generally find it meets capacity demands efficiently.

Stability

Dell ECS is praised for its stability and reliability. Users report no issues with bugs or crashes. It compares favorably to traditional storage solutions, which often encounter problems over time. Multiple entities highlight its consistent performance, even with a large amount of data. Dell ECS is noted for its eight to nine out of ten stability. Users emphasize its stable platform, even under various operating conditions, with minimal hardware issues.

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

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

Review data by company size

By reviewers

By visitors reading reviews

Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

21%

Computer Software Company

13%

Manufacturing Company

13%

Government

Educational Organization

Retailer

Healthcare Company

Insurance Company

University

Energy/Utilities Company

Construction Company

Non Profit

Transportation Company

Comms Service Provider

Legal Firm

Wholesaler/Distributor

Real Estate/Law Firm

Media Company

Hospitality Company

Consumer Goods Company

Performing Arts

Outsourcing Company

Aerospace/Defense Firm

Pharma/Biotech Company

Compare Dell ECS with alternative products

Learn more about Dell ECS

Dell EMC Elastic Cloud Storage (ECS) is a file and object storage solution from Dell EMC. ECS has been created to support both traditional and next-generation ecosystems equally. ECS boasts unrivaled economics, manageability, resilience, and scalability to satisfy the demands of today's next-gen, robust business enterprise ecosystems. ECS can easily be deployed in a software-defined model or as a turn-key appliance. ECS is software-defined and multi-layered for unlimited scalability. Every layer is abstracted and scalable with no single point of failure.

Data service layer: Provides S3 access along with access to SWIFT, CAZ, NFS, HDFS.
Storage service layer: Stores, retrieves and protects data.
Fabric layer: Provides clustering, configuration management, health monitoring.

Everything is done within the software, which is containerized, using docker.

ECS is currently deployed using basic commodity hardware, which can easily be federated across as many as eight different locations and managed as a single resource. Additionally, ECS can also protect data at the site level, locally, disk, node, and rack levels. The federation enables a single global namespace with everywhere access to content. Applications can quickly rewrite in an active/active or everywhere active manner.

ECS is also able to be used as secondary storage or archival storage. This will free up valuable primary storage of data that is stale, redundant, or used infrequently, and the data will remain easily accessible. ECS uses policy-based tiering such as Data Domain, Cloud tiering, Isilon using cloud polls, and Geodrive, which give Windows systems direct access to ECS. Windows users can still use server message block (SMB) while leveraging the more expansive ECS storage.

ECS is enterprise-grade and offers valuable features such as retention, multi-tenancy, metering, monitoring, quotas, and more. ECS builds in robust security from the ground up and encrypts data. ECS is compliant with STIG guidelines and adheres to SEC rule 17A-4F.

ECS is an enterprise-ready solution that allows organizations to easily simplify object storage management and visualize information in intuitive new ways, and empowers your business to do even more with data. With ECS, enterprise organizations can deliver cloud-scale economics in-house that will lower total cost of ownership (TCO) and scale, creating greater levels of productivity and profitability.

Reviews from Real Users

One user, who is a deputy director at a tech service company, says ECS offers “good performance, reliability, and technical support”.

Dell EMC ECS is “a stable solution which is easy to scale, install and manage”, relates another user, who is a senior buyer at a tech service company.

"What I like best about this product is that it is a complete solution, both hardware, and software, by the same vendor," summarizes a system engineer at a tech services company.

Dell ECS was previously known as EMC ECS, Dell EMC Elastic Cloud Storage, EMC Elastic Cloud Storage.