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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 issues with these switches are extremely rare, and the whole product line is very predictable and stable."
"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 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."
"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."
"The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is its reliability, support, and scalability."
"The solution is easy to configure and reliable; the performance is very good, and storage consolidation is quite easy to configure on it."
"The most valuable features are that it's easy to set up and I also like the provisioning of storage because it's very easy."
"The most valuable features are stability and response time."
"The Dell warranty is the most valuable feature."
"It has established itself well, proven itself well, and continues to be very well received by smaller mid-sized companies."
"The most valuable feature of Dell PowerVault is its performance."
"The solution is reliable and stable."
"Customer Service: Very good general Dell Storage support is very responsive."
 

Cons

"The GUI client is Java-based and we know that Java is not secure, so everyone disables it."
"I find it difficult to operate and troubleshoot."
"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."
"The product is very expensive."
"The licensing model could be less complicated."
"Cisco MDS Series could improve by adding more gigahertz. However, they are doing this over time."
"Data Center Network Manager is good but it is not free and requires purchasing a separate license."
"In the next release, I would like the deduplication and compression included, as well as the flash technology. It doesn't currently use it."
"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."
"I would like to see improvements made to the user interface."
"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."
"PowerVault could be improved by increasing its memory cache capacity and adding the ability to export data to the cloud."
"If you do not have an existing relationship with Dell or are exploring the market for the first time, the initial acquisition cost of Dell PowerVault is high compared to competitors such as Hitachi or IBM, which often undercut prices."
"We've had some control issues."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the Cisco MDS Series is high."
"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."
"Dell PowerVault's price is the tool's main attraction."
"I rate the solution's pricing a seven to eight out of ten."
"The cost, compared to other solutions, is on the higher end."
"I rate the price of Dell PowerVault a nine out of ten."
"It is important to remember that the retail price may seem high, but the final price is usually different."
"The product is inexpensive."
"The price of Dell PowerVault could be reduced. It is more expensive than some IBM solutions."
"I would rate the pricing model a nine out of ten, with one being expensive and ten being cheap."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
13%
Computer Software Company
10%
Government
10%
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 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?
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.
890,027 professionals have used our research since 2012.