Dell PowerStore Reviews

Name: Dell PowerStore
Brand: Dell Technologies
Rating: 4 (76 reviews)

Vendor: Dell Technologies

4.3 out of 5

76 reviews
97% willing to recommend

365 followers

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What is Dell PowerStore?

Dell EMC PowerStore is a midrange next-generation data storage solution. It is designed with a data-centric, intelligent, and adaptable infrastructure and helps consolidate storage and virtual server environments. The Dell EMC PowerStore platform includes two major configurations, including PowerStore T and PowerStore X. Dell EMC PowerStore enables you to deploy the appliance and consolidate data and applications and supports both flash and SCM Optane devices.

Get the Dell PowerStore Buyer's Guide and find out what your peers are saying about Dell PowerStore, Pure Storage FlashArray, Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) and more!

Dell PowerStore is the #1 ranked solution in best All-Flash Storage Arrays, #1 ranked solution in best NVMe All-Flash Arrays, #2 ranked solution in top NAS solutions, #2 ranked solution in top Enterprise SAN solutions, and #5 ranked solution in top Data Warehouse solutions. PeerSpot users give Dell PowerStore an average rating of 8.6 out of 10. Dell PowerStore is most commonly compared to Pure Storage FlashArray: Dell PowerStore vs Pure Storage FlashArray. Dell PowerStore is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 55% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 19% of all views.

Helped 813,418 peers since 2012

Featured reviews

Ken Boyer

Associate Director, Systems & Engineer at IQVIA

The systems I currently have in place are old, and their support is running out. They're at the end of their life cycle. One of the key improvements that PowerStore is going to bring is that it will enable me to shrink the physical footprint. I'll be going from 5 physical HP arrays, which are about 12 racks in size, down to 4 PowerStores, which can fit on one rack. As a result, I'll be able to shrink the footprint, save power, cooling, etc. I will also be able to improve the existing performance and longevity of the platform. When we put the PowerStore in for the Oracle database, it was previously on NetApp. The staff wanted to do snapshots but also clone, and then be able to clone from a clone to add it to another system. PowerStore enabled them to do just that. They not only got their performance back to where it needed to be from previously being on the NetApp array but also got some of the feature functions that they require for the application.

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Bill McKee

Service Owner, Platform Services at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees

My team was involved in the deployment. I know we had the pro deploy services that did a lot of the work for us. It took a little while to get updates done. It sat for a few months before our data center was ready to put it in. Other than that, the deployment went pretty seamlessly. Once we actually had all the prereqs done, it was deployed within a week, it was probably just a few days even between the two sites. There were a couple of months of waiting, however, that was more on our side. These were two new Greenfield data center builds. It was like starting from scratch with a partner and now we're migrating workloads into them. It wasn't integrating with anything that existed. There was one person on my team who was coordinating with outside organizations to do some implementation work for us. He was a cloud/storage engineer. In terms of maintenance requirements, there's one person who looks after things. We've got it integrated with CloudIQ from a management standpoint. It largely tells us when things need to happen, however, one person keeps up with updates, new firmware, and those kinds of things.

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Hamed Mohamed

Adv. Service Manager at ECC Solutions

Typically, the customer uses it and we manage it. We primarily use it to host the sub server snapshot policy you can take a versions as a backup in less than seconds and quickly created volumes from snapshot provide more flexibility and fast provisioning compression and deduplication of overall…

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Dell PowerStore mindshare

Product category:

As of October 2024, the mindshare of Dell PowerStore in the NVMe All-Flash Storage Arrays category stands at 24.5%, down from 29.6% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

NVMe All-Flash Storage Arrays

Key learnings from peers

Last updated Sep 18, 2024

Valuable Features

Key attributes of Dell PowerStore are its flexibility, performance, ease of use, compression, deduplication, scalability, and VMware integration. Users appreciate its machine learning capabilities, single-interface management, and ability to handle both compute and capacity independently. It supports various virtualization environments, optimizing workloads, and offering efficient data reduction, encryption, and snapshot functionalities. Its high IOPS performance, stability, quick migration, seamless expansion, reliable replication, and robust data security are highly valued. The equipment's energy efficiency and favorable cost structure also stand out.

"PowerStore is robust compared to the previous models like Unity, and it provides excellent compression and deduplication."
"Dell PowerStore has good value for money and some scalability features that are better than other products."
"The most valuable feature is the three-to-one data reduction."

Room for Improvement

Many users feel Dell PowerStore needs more enterprise features like replication, better VMware alignment, and improved data reduction. Stability and monitoring are concerns, with frequent upgrades disrupting operations. Users desire enhanced NAS functionality, security features, user interface, and AI-based functionalities. Technical support is often slow, and pricing is considered high. Improved reporting, better integration with VMware, and more detailed documentation are also sought.

"The replication part needs improvement, particularly the integration of RecoverPoint."
"Other products have better management and analytics features."
"Dell PowerStore has just caught up to some of the competition by introducing METRO nodes a few months ago while the competition has had the feature for years."

ROI

Many organizations have observed positive ROI with Dell PowerStore, noting significant improvements in cost efficiency, performance, and data reduction. Users have seen benefits like lower costs per gigabyte, efficient data center footprint, increased productivity, and reduced maintenance. Some are still awaiting returns due to short usage time, while others reported better price per gig and minimized downtime. Customer feedback remains highly positive, reflecting reliable performance and cost savings over time.

Pricing

Dell PowerStore's pricing is generally considered high but is justified by its features and performance. Licensing is straightforward, with most features included in the basic license. Some users find the pricing competitive, especially against NVMe storage options. While many view the solution as expensive compared to vendors like IBM and Huawei, it offers good value with its four-to-one deduplication guarantee, competitive TCO, and scalability. Costs can vary based on storage models and negotiated discounts.

"The software features are included in the pricing without any additional purchase requirements."
"We are currently using Dell PowerStore for our smaller storage and there is no competition for pricing."
"The solution’s pricing is always too high."

Popular Use Cases

Dell PowerStore is primarily used for VMware environments, high-performance storage, and database management. Organizations leverage it for virtual machines, ERP systems, genomic workloads, financial market data, HPC workloads, medical analysis, data protection, disaster recovery, and data analysis applications. It is also used by SaaS providers, SMBs, and cloud service providers for tasks like troubleshooting, development, and monitoring. A Dell partner uses it for demonstrations and corporate infrastructures rely on it for various storage needs.

Service and Support

Dell PowerStore's customer service and support are highly rated for being proactive, responsive, and professional. Most users praise their quick and efficient handling of issues, available 24/7. However, some report delays and challenges in ticket resolution and case management. Technical support is generally viewed as knowledgeable and helpful, with instances of language barriers and time zone difficulties. There is positive feedback on the attentive follow-up and dedicated support personnel. Some users have mixed experiences, citing varying levels of satisfaction.

Deployment

The setup of Dell PowerStore is generally straightforward and easy, taking as little as a few hours to a few days. Many users experienced a smooth process with minimal help required, although some encountered challenges with configuration and licensing that extended timelines. Users noted quick installations with limited training needed, yet a few mentioned improvements needed in the coordination and initial setup process, especially for early adopters and hybrid environments.

Scalability

Dell PowerStore offers excellent scalability, supporting vertical and horizontal growth. Users appreciate its flexibility in expanding capacity and performance, though costs for upgrades can be significant. Scalability depends on the model, with larger models being more scalable. Dell PowerStore is considered suitable for various organizational needs, including those with thousands of users. Users have positively noted scaling features and the ability to handle multiple appliances, providing enhanced efficiency and capability improvements.

Stability

Users generally find Dell PowerStore highly stable, with consistent performance and minimal issues. Some encountered software-related reboots and firmware challenges, but these didn't significantly impact operations due to robust failover mechanisms. Many rate its reliability between eight to ten, praising its stability since deployment. Users appreciate its high availability and performance, noting only minor hardware failures and bugs. Dell PowerStore often runs smoothly without requiring frequent maintenance or support.

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

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

Review data by company size

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Top industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

19%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Government

Healthcare Company

University

Retailer

Educational Organization

Comms Service Provider

Energy/Utilities Company

Insurance Company

Real Estate/Law Firm

Construction Company

Non Profit

Hospitality Company

Media Company

Wholesaler/Distributor

Legal Firm

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Transportation Company

Outsourcing Company

Performing Arts

Engineering Company

Consumer Goods Company

Logistics Company

Pharma/Biotech Company

Aerospace/Defense Firm

Compare Dell PowerStore with alternative products

Learn more about Dell PowerStore

Dell EMC PowerStore Offers:

Value
Flexibility
Simplicity

Dell EMC PowerStore Features

Some of the most powerful Dell EMC PowerStore features include:

Data-centric design: Dell EMC PowerStore is designed to optimize system performance, scalability, and storage efficiency to support any workload.
Intelligent automation: Intelligent automation helps simplify management as well as optimize system resources. Through a programmable infrastructure, it also enables you to easily monitor, analyze, and troubleshoot the environment.
Adaptable architecture: Because it has an adaptable architecture, Dell EMC PowerStore is able to provide speed and application mobility and offer flexible deployment models.
Scalability: Dell EMC PowerStore can be scaled up and scaled out.
Data-in-place upgrades: By providing data-in-place upgrades, you gain a modernized infrastructure without any downtime involved and without impacting applications.

Dell EMC PowerStore Benefits

Some of the benefits of using Dell EMC PowerStore include:

Flexible deployment: Dell EMC PowerStore is made to modernize the core, edge, and cloud without disruption, leading to flexible deployment.
Pay-per-use: Dell EMC PowerStore offers a range of flexible purchase options.
Any workload: Because Dell EMC PowerStore is designed to leverage next-gen innovations, it can work with any workload.
Programmable infrastructure: Dell EMC PowerStore streamlines application development and also automates storage workflows through integration with VMware and a broad ecosystem of leading management and orchestration frameworks, enabling you to provision services directly from the application tool sets that you use most frequently.

Reviews from Real Users

Below are some reviews and helpful feedback written by Dell EMC PowerStore users who are currently using the solution.

PeerSpot user Maurizio D., who is a CTO at Universita' degli Studi di Pisa, says it "Gives us flexibility, performance, and ease of use. It also has some very good compression capabilities. We were looking for a solution that was easy to install in our VMware environment, that was flexible. PowerStore X is a type of a VMware cluster that you install inside your environment. If you have a VMware environment, like we have in production, it's easy to install and use."

Another PeerSpot user, Jorg L., who is an IT Administrator at a construction company, mentions "For access from virtual machines, iSCSI, and NFS, it is very good. It helps increase performance."

"The administration tools take advantage of machine learning and make recommendations to the admins, and that makes the administration easier," says a Chief Information Officer at a computer software company. He also comments that “Overall, we've benefited from the dedupe, compression, and replication, the advanced technology, of this frame. It's all better than what we had in the previous generation of XtremIO appliances, and above what we were getting in the Dell EMC Unitys.”

Dell PowerStore was previously known as PowerStore.