The stability provided by the product is its most valuable feature for our organization.
Sr. Operations Engineer at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Extremely stable with reasonably priced hardware but needs a better management interface
Pros and Cons
- "The stability provided by the product is its most valuable feature for our organization."
- "The management interface needs a lot of improvement. As it is right now, it's a pain to use. It's not user-friendly."
What is most valuable?
What needs improvement?
The management interface needs a lot of improvement. As it is right now, it's a pain to use. It's not user-friendly.
For some clients, it may be useful if it was possible to switch the role for a server. I myself am running a VMware shop and so I would not personally gain any benefit from this, however, I see the value it would have for others - especially service providers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with this solution for seven years at this point. It's been quite a while now.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the solution is fantastic. It's one of the greatest selling features. It doesn't crash or freeze. There aren't bugs or glitches. It's extremely reliable.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco UCS B-Series
March 2025

Learn what your peers think about Cisco UCS B-Series. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
844,944 professionals have used our research since 2012.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution scales pretty well. We have not had any issues with that.
Currently, I'm the only one using the product in our organization.
How are customer service and support?
I've never used technical support, so I can't speak to their level of knowledge or responsiveness.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I also have worked with IBM as well.
At the time, the biggest difference was pricing. Also, there is the ability to switch roles or templates on the servers within IBM. However, it's not anything I have had any use for.
How was the initial setup?
In our case, the solution's initial setup was not straightforward. It was rather complex.
It was part of a FlexPoint solution. And it was one of the first FlexPoint solutions delivered in the country. It was not the same solution delivered as the salesperson had promised.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
You can typically get reasonable pricing on the solution. The hardware itself, however, isn't the biggest cost. The biggest cost is licensing, and that can be quite expensive.
What other advice do I have?
If there are other organizations considering the solution, I'd strongly advise that they get training on the management side. It's very important to do this in order to successfully implement and use the product.
On a scale from one to ten, I'd rate this solution at a seven. It's good, however, it could use a simpler management structure. Cheaper licensing would go a long way as well. The UCS isn't the expensive part. It's more the Microsoft and VMware and the cost of running that.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

Manager of Solutions and Support at Esconet Technologies Pvt. Ltd.
I can connect it to multiple chassis and rack servers using a unified platform, then manage them on a single console
Pros and Cons
- "I can connect Cisco UCS B-Series to multiple chassis and rack servers using a unified platform, then manage them on a single console."
- "The configuration is a bit complex, as it requires very high technical expertise to apply it."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for computing and virtualization. All the blade servers are used for database uploads.
We are a system integrator. So, we sell multiple type of software and hardware solutions. We implement solutions and provide support.
We have multiple versions of the solution currently running. It depends on our customer.
How has it helped my organization?
The overall consolidation of hardware is helping us.
What is most valuable?
- Manageability
- Performance
I can connect Cisco UCS B-Series to multiple chassis and rack servers using a unified platform, then manage them on a single console.
For how long have I used the solution?
More than five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable. We haven't encounter any failures or problems in these particular servers. We have had three to four years without any downtime happening.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is good from Cisco. The type of service level purchase will determine the level of support response that you receive from Cisco.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is a bit complex in terms of configuration. While as an admin or an end user, it is very easy to use. The configuration is a bit complex, as it requires very high technical expertise to apply it.
What about the implementation team?
We are the integrator. We use two engineers for the deployment.
The time for deployment depends customer to customer and the number of servers that we deploy. For example, our last deployment took three days.
It requires some basic configuration, then you can just plug and play.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We still have multiple vendors that we work with. It depends on the customer requirements whom we select to work with.
We work with this solution because we find that the technology is superior to others.
We have also evaluated Dell EMC blade and rack servers, along with Cisco rack servers.
What other advice do I have?
Our customers are very happy people.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner and system integrator.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco UCS B-Series
March 2025

Learn what your peers think about Cisco UCS B-Series. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: March 2025.
844,944 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Works at a comms service provider with 501-1,000 employees
Power for Unified computing and State less Servers
What is most valuable?
Centralized Management using UCS Manager, and State less Servers.
How has it helped my organization?
Scalability, Flexibility to reuse the same Server with different projects multiple OS (VMware ESXi / Centos, Microsoft Windows) just in minutes by creating new service profiles.
What needs improvement?
Stability of some of the old versions has afew bugs. Although I have to mention that Cisco has been releasing revised versions of Firmware very quickly to fix the bugs.
For how long have I used the solution?
More then one year
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
No, but Cisco UCS is a complex system, it is very easy to deploy if you have the knowledge and understanding of the product, I have recently commissioned a new Cisco UCS Datacenter after all the rack and stack its very easy to manage the product via Cisco UCS Manager.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Some of the version of firmware does have issues but Cisco is very good at fixing the bugs and giving new firmware versions.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Cisco UCS is very good with scalability, this is one of the ups of the Cisco UCS and I have used this a lot.
How are customer service and technical support?
Customer Service:
Very good, as you can expect from Cisco TAC
Technical Support:I have had few issues when upgrading the firmware and the Techsupport of Cisco TAC was very quick in picking up the issue and resolving it.
I'm happy with the Tech Support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Dell and HP Rack servers, issues with scalability. Space consuming.
How was the initial setup?
Yes it was easy to setup provided you know the basics of Cisco UCS. I have done the low level design for our new site and it was very straightforward.
When it comes to racking I have to admit the chassis is very heavy with all the components as its a 6U chassis. So make sure you remove all the power supply modules and IOM's and Fans then rack it. Once its placed then you can easily slide everything back and blades into the chassis.
What about the implementation team?
We had used a Cisco Partner and they did a very good job.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
HP and IBM
What other advice do I have?
Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) provides unified, embedded management of all software and hardware components in the Cisco UCS. It is scalable and it controls multiple chassis and manages resources for thousands of virtual machines.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Senior Infrastructure and Storage Engineer at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Has rock-solid performance and is easy to deploy
Pros and Cons
- "It is less time-consuming to deploy the software."
- "It is more expensive than the competitors."
What is most valuable?
Cisco UCS B-Series's most beneficial feature is agent management for print. Its performance is rock solid, and its servers are excellent.
What needs improvement?
The cost of the product is its biggest weakness. It is more expensive than the competitors.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Cisco UCS B-Series for 15 years. I have also worked with Cisco UCS C-Series and Cisco UCS X-Series.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We use Cisco UCS B-Series predominantly and have 50 end users in our organization.
How was the initial setup?
It is easy and less time-consuming to deploy the software. The time taken for the process usually depends on the size of the installation. We had a team of around ten administrators for the implementation.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Cisco UCS B-Series is highly-priced. It is suited for medium and large enterprises.
What other advice do I have?
It is a good tool. I would rate it a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Team leader at Dana energy
Powerful product that can handle a lot of throughput
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features are monitoring and processing, which can handle a lot of throughput and are more powerful than the HPE series."
- "The graphic code that UCS can support is limited and less accessible than other systems."
What is our primary use case?
I use this solution for general company services, including file-sharing, Microsoft services, active directory services, and backup solutions.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features are monitoring and processing, which can handle a lot of throughput and are more powerful than the HPE series.
What needs improvement?
The graphic code that UCS can support is limited and less accessible than other systems.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is stable and powerful - we've had no problems with it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is powerful.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was complex, and deployment took two-and-a-half years.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
UCS is expensive, and we will be migrating to the cheaper HP servers.
What other advice do I have?
Cisco is a huge company that can support a lot of services and has the most powerful website, which means its systems are the most stable. I would advise potential customers to use and enjoy it because it is the greatest experience. I would give this solution a score of ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
VMware Software Engineer at a tech services company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Easy to manage with helpful technical support and good performance
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is stable."
- "The solution is difficult to set up."
What is our primary use case?
The solution can be useful for cloud solutions and they are automatized. Everything is automatized, and it's highly available.
What is most valuable?
The solution is stable.
The scalability is good.
Everything is nice and I like that it is centrally managed.
It's very easy to manage once you have everything set up.
The performance is great.
Technical support is helpful.
What needs improvement?
We sometimes have small issues with the hardware elements. The network interfaces could be better. The product needs to develop better firmware.
The solution is difficult to set up. You need to be experienced in the product in order to be able to implement it.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've used the solution for more than three years in this company, and in my previous company, I used it for two and a half to three years as well. In total, it's been five to six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution, for the most part, is pretty stable. There aren't really bugs or glitches and it doesn't really crash or freeze. It's pretty reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of the solution is good.
I'm not sure how many people are actually using the product. In America, we utilize about 3,000 servers and we utilize 4,000 servers ourselves. That's a total of 7,000 servers.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support has been very good. We don't have any complaints. They are helpful and responsive.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup can be a bit difficult and complex. This is because everything is centralized. That said, once you have everything deployed and up and running, the maintenance is easy and minimal. While you have to sacrifice something during the installation, after that, it's easier to manage.
It took us about two months to complete the implementation.
What about the implementation team?
We had a third party that handled the implementation process for us. We had a lot of server blades to set up.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I don't have any visibility on the licensing setup. That's managed by procurement, actually. I don't have any information about it.
What other advice do I have?
We use both cloud and on-premises deployment models.
I'd rate the solution at a nine out of ten.
I'd recommend the solution to other users and other organizations.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Remote access to the server is very useful but the RAID controllers lack a lot of functionality
What is most valuable?
Probably the Cisco Integrated Management Controller.
How has it helped my organization?
Remote access to the server is very useful.
What needs improvement?
They use LSI for their RAID, while they may be robust RAID controllers, they lack a lot of functionality that Adaptec or HP Smart array.
For how long have I used the solution?
Two years.
What was my experience with deployment of the solution?
The LSI controller is very "finiky", even though it had deployment software, the only way to successfully configure the RAID was via the boot command line.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
No, we haven't had issues post setup.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Probably the RAID card really limits what the servers are capable of if you require storage.
How are customer service and technical support?
I haven't needed to deal with technical support yet.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use this as a potential alternative for HP ProLiant servers.
How was the initial setup?
There are some quirks in the setup (e.g. for non Disk servers, you need to go into the CIMC to enable the SD Card for HyperVisor Installs, not the BIOS) but generally its fairly straight forward.
What was our ROI?
We haven't had a full life span on the Cisco UCS but so far we have not had to do nearly as much firmware maintenance as the HP Servers.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
No but we have used HP for a number of years and IBM before that.
What other advice do I have?
These are good servers for SAN environments, I think their Disks (RAID) need a lot of improvement before you consider them as a storage server.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Data Center Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The Dual Fabric design allows for online/in-service upgrades during production with no impact.
Pros and Cons
- "The Dual Fabric design allows for online/in-service upgrades during production with no impact."
- "HTML5 interface is a much needed improvement over the old Java interface, but still needs a little work."
What is most valuable?
The Dual Fabric design allows for online/in-service upgrades during production with no impact. Also, single point of management for all server profile and firmware management allows for guaranteed uniformity in the datacenter.
How has it helped my organization?
I have deployed 2-3 dozen UCS systems and managed many more for customers. Customers always love the unified management, speed of setup, and the improved performance after migration of workloads to UCS servers.
What needs improvement?
HTML5 interface is a much needed improvement over the old Java interface, but still needs a little work.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have deployed and managed Cisco UCS solutions for approximately 5 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
As with any system, there are very occasional bugs. But Cisco is quick to remedy any issue. Firmware is often already out to fix issues that we run into.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I did not encounter any issues with scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is excellent.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have experience with HP, IBM and Dell rack servers. I switched to UCS when I joined a Cisco partner and learned to deploy UCS.
How was the initial setup?
when customers are first introduced to UCS, the setup is somewhat complex. Yet the learning curve is reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
Cisco UCS is a fantastic product that is widely deployed with excellent support. Additionally, Cisco has developed CVD’s (Cisco Validated Designs) that assist partners and customers to properly deploy Cisco UCS with most major storage vendors. CVD’s are highly detailed deployment guides which are comprehensively tested by Cisco to ensure quick, highly reliable and predictable deployments.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.

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