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Cisco MDS Series vs Dell PowerVault comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
9
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
23
Ranking in other categories
Fibre Channel (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Enterprise SAN category, the mindshare of Cisco MDS Series is 8.3%, down from 29.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerVault is 29.4%, up from 4.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise SAN
 

Featured Reviews

OğuzKalaycı - PeerSpot reviewer
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…
SigfridCecillon - PeerSpot reviewer
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.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product is very stable and performs well."
"The product is easy to use."
"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."
"The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is security."
"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."
"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."
"Dell PowerVault is user-friendly and easy to deploy."
"The most valuable features are that it's easy to set up PowerVault. I also like the provisioning of storage."
"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."
"The most valuable feature of Dell PowerVault is its performance."
"Dell PowerVault is cheap."
"Dell PowerVault offers valuable full flash storage."
"For us, the initial setup was easy."
"The most valuable features are stability and response time."
 

Cons

"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."
"The GUI client is Java-based and we know that Java is not secure, so everyone disables it."
"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 product is very expensive."
"The licensing model could be less complicated."
"The solution's management interface and GUI need improvement."
"Cisco MDS Series can improve by having API functionality for automation and programming."
"Dell PowerVault could improve by having a higher cache and file protocol support added."
"There have been situations when our customers requested professional support and the price of that feature is quite high."
"The price of the solution could be lower."
"PowerVault doesn't integrate with Active Directory. Other storage solutions offer SAN and NAS unified storage in a single appliance, but PowerVault is only SAN."
"The implementation process takes a while."
"The high prices of the solution are an area of concern where improvements are required."
"The product could support an NVMe hard disk."
"We need higher performance and more reliable storage."
 

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 product price a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one is low, and ten is high."
"The cost, compared to other solutions, is on the higher end."
"It is important to remember that the retail price may seem high, but the final price is usually different."
"I rate the solution's pricing a seven to eight out of ten."
"I would rate the pricing model a nine out of ten, with one being expensive and ten being cheap."
"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 rate Dell PowerVault a six or seven out of ten for pricing."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
24%
Government
12%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Government
11%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

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 do you like most about Dell PowerVault?
Dell PowerVault offers valuable full flash storage.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerVault?
I rate the solution's pricing a seven to eight out of ten.
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...
 

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 2025.
849,190 professionals have used our research since 2012.