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Cisco MDS Series vs Dell PowerVault comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 29, 2025

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
6.8
Number of Reviews
9
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
36
Ranking in other categories
Fibre Channel (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the Enterprise SAN category, the mindshare of Cisco MDS Series is 9.0%, up from 7.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerVault is 15.3%, down from 29.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise SAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Dell PowerVault15.3%
Cisco MDS Series9.0%
Other75.7%
Enterprise SAN
 

Featured Reviews

OğuzKalaycı - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
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

"SAN switches in Cisco MDS Series are a valuable feature of the solution for our company."
"The product is very stable and performs well."
"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."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the devices, databases, and zoning."
"This solution is required for any type of IT infrastructure for Storage Networking and provides high availability for storage service."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the devices, databases, and zoning."
"The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is security."
"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."
"I find this solution to be cost-effective in providing data storage for clients."
"It is an inexpensive storage solution."
"The initial setup was easy and simple."
"PowerVault comes with free software that performs functions like data deduplication and replication, which is cost-effective and delivers added value to the product."
"For us, the initial setup was easy."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is that it is easy to manage and easy to use."
"The MD3260 is a great unit, inexpensive, hold tons of drives, its expandable, and the cost is low."
"Dell PowerVault is cheap."
 

Cons

"The GUI client is Java-based and we know that Java is not secure, so everyone disables it."
"The licensing model could be less complicated."
"The licensing model could be less complicated."
"The solution's management interface and GUI need improvement."
"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."
"I do not have a central management software to manage these products due to the licensing cost."
"Cisco MDS Series could improve by adding more gigahertz. However, they are doing this over time."
"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."
"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."
"The product could support an NVMe hard disk."
"We need higher performance and more reliable storage."
"In the next release, I would like the deduplication and compression included, as well as the flash technology. It doesn't currently use it."
"Sometimes integrating into a cluster can be difficult as you have to do it manually."
"We need higher performance and more reliable storage."
"We've had some control issues."
"The negative aspect I mentioned is regarding the support; sometimes I spend a lot of time explaining issues and it is not time-effective."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's perpetual licensing and maintenance is a recurrent cost."
"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."
"The price of the Cisco MDS Series is high."
"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 price of Dell PowerVault could be reduced. It is more expensive than some IBM solutions."
"I rate the price of Dell PowerVault a nine out of ten."
"The price is reasonable and we are satisfied with it."
"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 cost, compared to other solutions, is on the higher end."
report
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892,868 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
13%
Computer Software Company
12%
Government
9%
Healthcare Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
16%
Computer Software Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
7%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Large Enterprise6
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business15
Midsize Enterprise9
Large Enterprise14
 

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?
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.
What is your primary use case for Cisco MDS Series?
I am using Cisco MDS in SAN environments for storage connections and server connections.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerVault?
I think the price, implementation cost, and licensing of Dell PowerVault is reasonable. Considering the resources it delivers, the security, and the reliability the platform gives us, all the costs...
What needs improvement with Dell PowerVault?
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 usin...
What is your primary use case for Dell PowerVault?
My main use case for Dell PowerVault is primarily for massive storage of the information from our servers. A concrete example of how Dell PowerVault has made large-scale information storage on my s...
 

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: April 2026.
892,868 professionals have used our research since 2012.