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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
6.6
Number of Reviews
35
Ranking in other categories
Fibre Channel (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2026, in the Enterprise SAN category, the mindshare of Cisco MDS Series is 8.0%, up from 8.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerVault is 17.5%, down from 28.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise SAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Dell PowerVault17.5%
Cisco MDS Series8.0%
Other74.5%
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

"The most valuable features of this solution are the devices, databases, and zoning."
"The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is its reliability, support, and scalability."
"This solution is required for any type of IT infrastructure for Storage Networking and provides high availability for storage service."
"The product is very stable and performs well."
"It enables us to integrate and load balance between multiple layer one fiber vendor links, which is very useful."
"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."
"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 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."
"Dell PowerVault has positively impacted my organization by allowing us to scale infrastructure, saving us cloud storage costs by moving them to high availability in physical storage."
"I like the tool's CloudIQ feature."
"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 customers who require entry-level storage, Dell PowerVault is an excellent choice."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"Dell PowerVault has positively impacted my organization by allowing us to scale infrastructure, saving us cloud storage costs by moving them to high availability in physical storage."
"For us, the initial setup was easy."
"I would say my favorite features of Dell PowerVault are that it's pretty easy to use, it has been pretty stable, firmware updates have been pretty easy to install, and replacing a bad drive is fairly simple."
 

Cons

"I find it difficult to operate and troubleshoot."
"Webui needs Data Center Network Management tool licensed copy for accessing Cisco Switches instead a web-based GUI should be made easily available the way Brocade san switch is managed."
"The licensing model could be less complicated."
"The product is very expensive."
"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."
"Cisco MDS Series can improve by having SAN Manager with life cycle management features and Integration with 3rd party storage monitoring tools."
"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."
"No LCD panel for viewing status on-board."
"Dell PowerVault is block-oriented storage only."
"The implementation process takes a while."
"The product could support an NVMe hard disk."
"I could not recommend this solution to others, because the technology is old."
"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."
"Areas where I feel Dell PowerVault could be improved include especially the enterprise area and multiple interfaces in other areas, for example, backup software solutions and their integration."
"The technical support from Dell could be better."
 

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."
"The price is reasonable and we are satisfied with it."
"It is important to remember that the retail price may seem high, but the final price is usually different."
"I rate the price of Dell PowerVault a nine out of ten."
"I would rate the pricing model a nine out of ten, with one being expensive and ten being cheap."
"I rate Dell PowerVault a six or seven out of ten for pricing."
"The price of Dell PowerVault could be reduced. It is more expensive than some IBM solutions."
"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"
report
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
14%
Computer Software Company
10%
Government
9%
Healthcare Company
9%
Manufacturing Company
16%
Computer Software Company
9%
Outsourcing Company
8%
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 Enterprise13
 

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?
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 ...
What is your primary use case for Dell PowerVault?
Dell PowerVault is our main storage and is responsible for storing all productive data of the company in Latin America. Since Dell PowerVault is responsible for all productive data, that includes i...
 

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.
886,077 professionals have used our research since 2012.