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Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs HPE Apollo Systems comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Ser...
Ranking in Rack Servers
5th
Ranking in Density Optimized Servers
3rd
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
29
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
HPE Apollo Systems
Ranking in Rack Servers
8th
Ranking in Density Optimized Servers
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Number of Reviews
22
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2024, in the Density Optimized Servers category, the mindshare of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is 10.9%, down from 15.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of HPE Apollo Systems is 28.5%, down from 29.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Density Optimized Servers
 

Featured Reviews

DM
Oct 30, 2020
Easy to set up and the support is good
We are a system integrator and this is one of the products that we implement for our clients. They are for general, mixed usage that includes use cases such as virtualization and hosting VMware The warranty and support periods should be extended. One of the things that we like about Dell and HPE…
Aruna Udawatte - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 2, 2023
An affordable and easy-to-implement solution, but its after-sales support and technical support should be improved
We use HPE Apollo for specific requirements of Linux servers HPE Apollo's pricing is low, and implementation is very easy compared to other products. HPE Apollo's after-sales support and technical support should be improved. The solution should provide fast delivery when it comes to replacing a…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The product doesn't take up too much space on the rack and I like that."
"The C-series is the most valuable."
"It has centralized our server management and allows us to treat servers like a pool of resources instead of discrete devices."
"Its hardware is really reliable. We also like Cisco for its support."
"The solution is easily scalable."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the expansion and replacement of parts."
"The initial setup is straightforward and easy to do."
"The VIC card is the most important feature."
"We're going to buy another Apollo 6500. We may configure it with half the number of GPUs because that may be all we need. In a sense, we can see the Apollo 6500 being so powerful that we only need half the GPU capability that we have now."
"It enables us to implement software defined solutions very easily, because Apollo servers are certified for use with Linux systems"
"We usually use three blades for two-rack units, and with enough storage, it's really a small system with a powerful CPU, powerful hard drives, powerful disks."
"HPE Apollo's support is the most valuable feature."
"It's going to meet our needs moving forward, it is scalable."
"HPE Apollo's pricing is low, and implementation is very easy compared to other products."
"we can use the same platform for several use cases: Hadoop, Ceph, and we are considering the server for another use case right now. It's a single solution, we only have to integrate it once and we can use it for several technologies."
"HPE Apollo's most valuable feature is the ability to expand our storage capacity."
 

Cons

"Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers could improve by adding a wider portfolio because they only have two main categories, the C-220 and 240. There is no wide range of options as other solutions have, such as Dell. Additionally, if it was more flexible with the configuration it would be good."
"Its accessibility and manageability can be improved. Currently, we have to visit the office to manage it. It should be manageable outside our network. I would like it to be on the cloud."
"I would like to see a little more integration with VMware."
"Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers can improve by providing customization features to allow us to deploy them on the cloud. For example, we need VMware to allow us to accomplish a cloud deployment."
"The solution needs more capacity and more scalability."
"The product must add customer-friendly monitoring features."
"Technical support could be more responsive."
"The warranty and support periods should be extended."
"What's coming out in Gen 10 is very strong in terms of additional security."
"One drawback which I had: When I needed to expand storage on the Apollo, I had significant problems getting disks for it. It was a very long wait-time. So, if I were to give any advice in regards to improving this product, I would say make more of the 8TB disks available quicker."
"The solution's deployment, security, and scalability need improvement."
"HPE Apollo's after-sales support and technical support should be improved."
"The support from HPE Apollo could be better, they are making knowledgeable."
"We have tried to used standardization using Ubuntu Linux and it's been hard. They had some difficulties getting the RAID configuration up and running because there are no drivers for it. It's not supported by HPE."
"The predictive analysis feature could be improved."
"We could, perhaps, use more GPUs in the future, go from eight to 16 GPUs per instance. That could run head-to-head against the DGX-1, the DGX-2 that NVIDIA has developed in their own chassis. That would be interesting to see."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price for Cisco is a bit higher than its competitors. We paid 40k for one server."
"The price of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is approximately 20 percent more than other solutions."
"The price of the Cisco UCS C-Series Rack could improve. It's a little more expensive in comparison with Dell or HPE solutions."
"Licensing fees are paid on a yearly basis, which is only $2,000 or $3,000."
"​Best to buy all the blades configured for the same purposes of load balancing and failover or load shifting.​"
"The price of the solution could be better when compared to other solutions. However, when we purchased the solution we received Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers in a bundle with other hardware, such as IP phones and networking switches."
"The solution is expensive and I give the price a four out of ten."
"This product is slightly more expensive when compared to others."
"It is an expensive solution but it is worth the money. The standard licensing cost is for the GPU and the features that someone is using. There are additional charges but they depend on the solution."
"There is an annual license required to use HPE Apollo."
"Obviously I would like to see the cost go down. That speaks for itself."
"The price of the solution is more expensive than Dell which is their main competitor. However, there are times we have managed to receive a comparable price."
"Compared to other products, HPE Apollo is not an expensive solution."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
26%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Manufacturing Company
8%
University
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about HPE Apollo?
HPE Apollo's pricing is low, and implementation is very easy compared to other products.
What needs improvement with HPE Apollo?
HPE Apollo's after-sales support and technical support should be improved. The solution should provide fast delivery when it comes to replacing a particular product that is under warranty.
What is your primary use case for HPE Apollo?
We use HPE Apollo for specific requirements of Linux servers.
 

Also Known As

Unified Computing System C-Series, Cisco UCS C-Series
HP Apollo Systems, HP ProLiant SL, HP Apollo
 

Learn More

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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Advanced Medical Transport, Aegean Motorway, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Artoni Transporti, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, City of Mississauga, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Kind en Gezin, Kuwait Petroleum Italia, Nationwide, Quest, Talbots, University of St. Gallen
Weta Digital
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. HPE Apollo Systems and other solutions. Updated: August 2024.
801,394 professionals have used our research since 2012.