Cisco MDS Series vs Dell PowerVault comparison

Cisco and Dell Technologies are both solutions in the Enterprise SAN category. Cisco is ranked #3 with an average rating of 9.0, while Dell Technologies is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.3. Cisco holds a 9.3% mindshare in ES, compared to Dell Technologies’s 28.0% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Dell Technologies users who would recommend it.

Cisco MDS Series

Read 9 Cisco MDS Series reviews

878 Views
573 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Dell PowerVault

Read 23 Dell PowerVault reviews

801 Views
591 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Cisco MDS Series

Dell PowerVault

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco MDS Series and Dell PowerVault based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Enterprise SAN solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault Report (Updated: February 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault

February 2025

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Helped 839,422 peers since 2012

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

3rd

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Dell PowerVault

Ranking in Enterprise SAN

2nd

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.9

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Fibre Channel (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Enterprise SAN category, the mindshare of Cisco MDS Series is 9.3%, down from 29.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerVault is 28.0%, up from 4.0% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Enterprise SAN

Featured Reviews

OğuzKalaycı

system engineer at Yaşar Holding

Ensures consistent availability during updates and integrates seamlessly

I am using Cisco MDS in SAN environments for storage connections and server connections The product is very stable and performs well. During the update periods, the devices do not need to reload, ensuring constant availability. It is easy to set up and use. I do not have a central management…

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SigfridCecillon

Director at Arsium

Offers good stability and simplicity

The room for improvement lies in the responsiveness and real-time feedback of the web server setup. We could set up the installation through a web server, but it's not very reactive on the web server. For example, when you launch a task, and you don't know exactly if the task has begun or if the task is in progress, or if it's finished. You have to wait for three to five to ten minutes to be sure that the task is running or in progress or finished. So at that point, it's not very good. For the rest, we have a good organization for the platform. And it's working everywhere. Another area of improvement is duplication.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is its reliability, support, and scalability."

"The features I found most valuable are the ease of deployment, it's easy to upgrade, easy to configure and easy to administer. There is no need for vendor professional services which saves project cost. The usage of WebUI for all primary features like hostname, IP address, SNMP traps, zone sets, addition and deletion of zone members or zone sets, backup of switch DB is very simple."

"The product is easy to use."

"The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is security."

"The product is very stable and performs well."

"The most valuable features of this solution are the devices, databases, and zoning."

"SAN switches in Cisco MDS Series are a valuable feature of the solution for our company."

"The issues with these switches are extremely rare, and the whole product line is very predictable and stable."

"The storage has been good."

"The most valuable feature of this solution is that it is easy to manage and easy to use."

"Dell PowerVault offers valuable full flash storage."

"Dell PowerVault is cheap."

"The initial setup was easy and simple."

"The most valuable feature of Dell PowerVault is its ability to provide small to medium-range storage. It doesn't have any specific standout features, but it's great for applications, such as surveillance where a large number of videos need to be recorded and performance isn't a priority."

"For us, the initial setup was easy."

"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."

More Dell PowerVault pros

Cons

"Cisco MDS Series can improve by having API functionality for automation and programming."

"I do not have a central management software to manage these products due to the licensing cost. It would be beneficial to have central management software for easier handling."

"The solution's management interface and GUI need improvement."

"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."

"Cisco MDS Series could improve by adding more gigahertz. However, they are doing this over time."

"The GUI client is Java-based and we know that Java is not secure, so everyone disables it."

"The product is very expensive."

"The licensing model could be less complicated."

"The implementation process takes a while."

"In most instances, clients are using Dell PowerVault with tape drives, but we want to transition them away from tape drives due to the risk of data loss."

"Dell PowerVault could improve by having a higher cache and file protocol support added."

"PowerVault could be improved by increasing its memory cache capacity and adding the ability to export data to the cloud."

"The price of the solution could be lower."

"The tool needs to improve its UI."

"I would like Dell to improve on the configuration of the disk groups. Only one group is expandable. Once you configure the other disk group types, you cannot expand them. It limits scalability. If you want maybe to grow a disk group, you lose information, and then you need to build it up again, which is not a good use case for customers."

"We could set up the installation through a web server, but it's not very reactive on the web server. For example, when you launch a task, and you don't know exactly if the task has begun or if the task is in progress, or if it's finished. You have to wait for three to five to ten minutes to be sure that the task is running or in progress or finished. So at that point, it's not very good."

More Dell PowerVault cons

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."

"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."

"I rate the price of Dell PowerVault a nine out of ten."

"The price is reasonable and we are satisfied with it."

"I would rate the pricing model a nine out of ten, with one being expensive and ten being cheap."

"I rate the solution's pricing a seven to eight 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 rate Dell PowerVault a six or seven out of ten for pricing."

More Dell PowerVault pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

26%

Government

11%

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

16%

Government

12%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco MDS Series?

The product is easy to use.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco MDS Series?

We pay a yearly subscription fee.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Cisco MDS Series?

The product is very expensive.

See all answers

What do you like most about Dell PowerVault?

Dell PowerVault offers valuable full flash storage.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerVault?

I rate the solution's pricing a seven to eight out of ten.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell PowerVault?

The product is generally stable, but there have been instances, to my knowledge, where we faced issues in the controller during software upgrades. The availability is not at the desired level durin...

See all answers

Comparisons

Dell Connectrix vs Cisco MDS Series

Compared 66% of the time

HPE B-series SN6000B Fibre Channel Switch vs Cisco MDS Series

Compared 34% of the time

More Cisco MDS Series Competitors

Dell PowerStore vs Dell PowerVault

Compared 51% of the time

HPE StoreOnce vs Dell PowerVault

Compared 24% of the time

Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) vs Dell PowerVault

Compared 16% of the time

Lenovo Storage V Series vs Dell PowerVault

Compared 4% of the time

Huawei OceanStor SNS vs Dell PowerVault

Compared 4% of the time

More Dell PowerVault Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Enterprise SAN

February 2025

Download Cisco MDS Series product report

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerVault

March 2025

Download Dell PowerVault product report

Also Known As

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

PowerVault

Overview

Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches have met and often exceeded the demanding requirements for storage area networks for more than a decade. They offer a combination of performance, non-stop operations, and multiprotocol flexibility.

Cisco

PowerVault MD3 storage arrays help you cost-effectively address the challenges of data growth with versatile solutions that are optimized for smaller-scale storage consolidation, flexible virtualization projects and high business continuity.

Dell Technologies

Sample Customers

National Rugby League

Dayco, FAW Foundry, University of Cambridge, Finder, Stadtwerke Pforzheim GmbH & Co.

Buyer's Guide

Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault

February 2025

Free Report: Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault

Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault and other solutions. Updated: February 2025.

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