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Cisco MDS Series vs Dell PowerVault comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

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
6.9
Number of Reviews
10
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
43
Ranking in other categories
Fibre Channel (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Enterprise SAN category, the mindshare of Cisco MDS Series is 10.0%, up from 6.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerVault is 12.3%, down from 30.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise SAN Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Dell PowerVault12.3%
Cisco MDS Series10.0%
Other77.7%
Enterprise SAN
 

Featured Reviews

VK
Product Manager at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Reliable storage networking has ensured seamless multi-protocol access and continuous redundancy
Currently, I do not have any major suggestions for improvement as everything is working well without issues. If additional functions could be introduced to simplify usage, I would suggest that AI functionality or better integration capabilities would be advantageous for Cisco MDS Series. Any new AI-related features or functionality added to Cisco MDS Series would represent a positive advancement.
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 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 stability has been commendable with no major performance issues and the system consistently provides users the ability to access the network without any problems."
"The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is security."
"The product is easy to use."
"The product is very stable and performs well."
"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 most valuable feature of this solution is that it is easy to manage and easy to use."
"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."
"My advice to others who are considering using Dell PowerVault is that it is definitely a reliable, stable platform and an extremely robust player to be considered in any type of project, whether in those where the storage or even performance demand is lower, as well as in projects where the amount of available space is huge and the need for performance is extremely high."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten."
"The security of the backup and the overall system that Dell PowerVault brings to the table is definitely the most valuable feature."
"We have this solution running almost all the time and it's very reliable and stable."
"The solution is easy to configure and reliable; the performance is very good, and storage consolidation is quite easy to configure on it."
"Dell PowerVault is user-friendly and easy to deploy."
 

Cons

"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."
"Cisco MDS Series could improve by adding more gigahertz. However, they are doing this over time."
"Cisco MDS Series can improve by having SAN Manager with life cycle management features and Integration with 3rd party storage monitoring tools."
"I find it difficult to operate and troubleshoot."
"The solution's management interface and GUI need improvement."
"The licensing model could be less complicated."
"Data Center Network Manager is good but it is not free and requires purchasing a separate license."
"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."
"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."
"If we speak about the negative side of Dell PowerVault, I do see some areas for improvement."
"For Dell PowerVault, the deduplication and compression features need improvement."
"In the next release, I would like the deduplication and compression included, as well as the flash technology. It doesn't currently use it."
"The implementation process takes a while."
"Regarding Dell PowerVault, the reliability of the drives is an area for improvement, and I would appreciate a little more silent cooling because with the platform, if it is open, the noise levels are quite high."
"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

"It's perpetual licensing and maintenance is a recurrent cost."
"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."
"I rate the product price a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one is low, and ten is high."
"It is important to remember that the retail price may seem high, but the final price is usually different."
"The cost, compared to other solutions, is on the higher end."
"I would rate the pricing model a nine out of ten, with one being expensive and ten being cheap."
"The product is inexpensive."
"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"
"Dell PowerVault's price is the tool's main attraction."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
11%
Construction Company
11%
Computer Software Company
11%
Healthcare Company
8%
Manufacturing Company
17%
Outsourcing Company
9%
Computer Software Company
7%
Government
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business5
Large Enterprise8
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business18
Midsize Enterprise12
Large Enterprise18
 

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?
Currently, I do not have any major suggestions for improvement as everything is working well without issues. If additional functions could be introduced to simplify usage, I would suggest that AI f...
What is your primary use case for Cisco MDS Series?
Cisco MDS Series is primarily used for connecting storage arrays. The multi-protocol feature supports all protocols and functionality working seamlessly. Virtual SANs operate without any issues. Pe...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerVault?
Budget is one concept I am not aware of because I am not really involved in it, so I cannot comment on whether Dell PowerVault has contributed to staying within budget for operations.
What needs improvement with Dell PowerVault?
I would like them to improve the controllers, specifically the stability of the controllers.
What is your primary use case for Dell PowerVault?
My usual use case for Dell PowerVault is as an end user. I am using the HTML5 PowerVault Manager GUI for ME5.
 

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: August 2026.
909,563 professionals have used our research since 2012.