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Cisco MDS Series vs Dell PowerVault comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco MDS Series
Ranking in Enterprise SAN
4th
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
10
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Dell PowerVault
Ranking in Enterprise SAN
2nd
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
50
Ranking in other categories
Fibre Channel (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Enterprise SAN category, the mindshare of Cisco MDS Series is 10.5%, up from 5.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerVault is 11.8%, down from 28.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise SAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Dell PowerVault11.8%
Cisco MDS Series10.5%
Other77.7%
Enterprise SAN
 

Featured Reviews

VK
Product Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Reliable storage networking has ensured seamless multi-protocol access and continuous redundancy
Currently, I do not have any major suggestions for improvement as everything is working well without issues. If additional functions could be introduced to simplify usage, I would suggest that AI functionality or better integration capabilities would be advantageous for Cisco MDS Series. Any new AI-related features or functionality added to Cisco MDS Series would represent a positive advancement.
Storage has supported long-term CCTV archiving and improves on-premises application performance
I think it would be good regarding how Dell PowerVault could improve to have, in addition to the excellent support service that exists, some training courses, forums, and a training school for using these tools. Many people specialize only in this kind of equipment, and others have no idea how to configure them or how they work and always end up depending on people who have spent a long time working with these systems and know how to handle them more because of experience than because of information that can be easily obtained about using this equipment. Everything regarding additional aspects that could be improved in Dell PowerVault has already been mentioned.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"The stability has been commendable with no major performance issues and the system consistently provides users the ability to access the network without any problems."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the devices, databases, and zoning."
"The product is very stable and performs well."
"The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is security."
"Cisco MDS 9148 SAN switch model is the best product, highly reliable and low cost, easy to deploy, easy to upgrade, easy to configure, easy to administer, and it gives effective performance when used for SAN switch connectivity between hosts and storage boxes."
"MDS's reliability is at a high level, the issues with these switches are extremely rare, and the whole product line is very predictable and stable."
"SAN switches in Cisco MDS Series are a valuable feature of the solution for our company."
"The product is easy to use."
"PowerVault comes with free software that performs functions like data deduplication and replication, which is cost-effective and delivers added value to the product."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The first aspect of Dell PowerVault that I like is that it is easy to configure."
"Overall, Dell PowerVault has helped my customers streamline workflows."
"The stability is quite good. Once you deploy all the equipment, it's very stable."
"Dell PowerVault has helped us improve the reliability and organization of our storage environment, with centralized storage management reducing administrative effort while its scalability makes it easier to accommodate growing data and backup requirements, leading to more consistent backup operations, easier data access, and improved confidence in daily availability."
"The biggest advantage of the product that really stands out for me is its price and the comparison of price with performance; its price is very good, and the performance according to this price is sufficient based on backup requirements, so it is perfect."
"The MD3260 is a great unit, inexpensive, hold tons of drives, its expandable, and the cost is low."
 

Cons

"It is quite a stable product. It should be shipped with the latest firmware to avoid download and upload schema at the beginning of the initial setup. There should also be the possibility of downgrading the firmware when required. WebUI needs DCNM instead a web-based GUI should be made available like Brocade san switch."
"The product is very expensive."
"The solution's management interface and GUI need improvement."
"Cisco MDS Series can improve by having API functionality for automation and programming."
"Data Center Network Manager is good but it is not free and requires purchasing a separate license."
"The GUI client is Java-based and we know that Java is not secure, so everyone disables it."
"Cisco MDS Series can improve by having SAN Manager with life cycle management features and Integration with 3rd party storage monitoring tools."
"The licensing model could be less complicated."
"Something that could be improved or enhanced by Dell is more exchange of new information about the technology itself, a broader exchange of suggestions, new contributions, and new insights that we could be implementing in our environment."
"The MD3220i needs to allow for larger drive sizes."
"The product could support an NVMe hard disk."
"There is another solution called Veeam Backup that I believe is better than Dell PowerVault."
"The technical support from Dell could be better."
"Sometimes integrating into a cluster can be difficult as you have to do it manually."
"PowerVault could be improved by increasing its memory cache capacity and adding the ability to export data to the cloud."
"Inter-site replication needs enhancement, particularly in Fibre Channel."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pricing cannot be considered an advantageous trait of the solution since it is expensive. I rate the solution's pricing a three out of ten."
"It's perpetual licensing and maintenance is a recurrent cost."
"The price of the Cisco MDS Series is high."
"I rate the price of Dell PowerVault a nine out of ten."
"They are offering a wide range of support models for the customers such as basic support that is budget-friendly, but they also provide a professional support solution that is a bit costly"
"I would rate the pricing model a nine out of ten, with one being expensive and ten being cheap."
"I rate the product price a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one is low, and ten is high."
"The solution is more cost-effective than the competitors. It’s an affordable option for small businesses."
"Dell PowerVault's price is the tool's main attraction."
"The product is inexpensive."
"It is important to remember that the retail price may seem high, but the final price is usually different."
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918,169 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
11%
Construction Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
16%
Outsourcing Company
13%
Comms Service Provider
6%
Computer Software Company
6%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Large Enterprise8
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business23
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise24
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco MDS Series?
The pricing could be improved as the solution is very expensive. I am on a yearly payment basis.
What needs improvement with Cisco MDS Series?
Currently, I do not have any major suggestions for improvement as everything is working well without issues. If additional functions could be introduced to simplify usage, I would suggest that AI f...
What is your primary use case for Cisco MDS Series?
Cisco MDS Series is primarily used for connecting storage arrays. The multi-protocol feature supports all protocols and functionality working seamlessly. Virtual SANs operate without any issues. Pe...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerVault?
I do not have detailed information about the cost of Dell PowerVault. However, I believe that Dell PowerVault is much more expensive than other solutions, such as Veeam Backup, which offers better ...
What needs improvement with Dell PowerVault?
There is another solution called Veeam Backup that I believe is better than Dell PowerVault. It is an international solution that many large companies use, and it offers many more capabilities. For...
What is your primary use case for Dell PowerVault?
I was using Dell PowerVault as a backup solution. I use Backup Exec, which is an application to manage Dell PowerVault, rather than the HTML5 PowerVault Manager for ME5. Currently, I am using Dell ...
 

Also Known As

Cisco MDS 9100, Cisco MDS 9222i, Cisco MDS 9700
PowerVault
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

National Rugby League
Dayco, FAW Foundry, University of Cambridge, Finder, Stadtwerke Pforzheim GmbH & Co.
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
918,169 professionals have used our research since 2012.