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Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs NetApp FAS Series comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
7.0
Dell PowerScale provides scalable, efficient storage with automation, improved performance, reliability, and integrates seamlessly for better ROI.
Sentiment score
6.7
NetApp FAS Series offers cost-saving efficiency and consolidation, enhancing ROI and satisfaction, especially with VMware and Allflash FAS usage.
Despite being more expensive than Huawei, it is stable and most enterprises accept the price due to its stability.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
8.6
Dell PowerScale support is responsive and knowledgeable, though experiences vary, with reliable 24/7 service and technical assistance.
Sentiment score
7.1
NetApp FAS Series provides efficient support with expertise, though some users experience delays and desire quicker resolutions.
Dell provides support within four hours, and they always fulfill their promises.
They have managed previous issues well.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
8.0
Dell PowerScale offers scalable storage solutions with easy expansion, strong infrastructure, and efficient handling of large data volumes.
Sentiment score
7.1
The NetApp FAS Series offers scalable storage solutions with seamless expansion, praised for flexibility and minimal downtime despite cost challenges.
Due to both cost and the knowledge required to maintain and use them, there are considerations about scalability.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.4
Dell PowerScale is highly stable, offering exceptional uptime and reliability, with minimal maintenance and robust performance for critical tasks.
Sentiment score
8.2
NetApp FAS Series is praised for reliability, consistent performance, and effective redundancy, with few minor issues swiftly resolved.
 

Room For Improvement

Dell PowerScale needs pricing improvements, better cloud integration, enhanced redundancy, and user interface upgrades to address various performance issues.
NetApp FAS Series requires enhanced performance, integration, cloud compatibility, management, documentation, and efficiency while improving cost-effectiveness and technology support.
 

Setup Cost

Dell PowerScale is costly but offers fair value; negotiable pricing, modular licensing, and scalability appeal to enterprises.
NetApp FAS Series pricing varies widely, seen as costly by some but offering competitive bundled packages and discounts.
The pricing of Dell solutions is higher than that of Huawei.
 

Valuable Features

Dell PowerScale offers scalable, efficient storage management with robust data protection and seamless integration across diverse enterprise environments.
NetApp FAS Series delivers high availability, efficient data management, and seamless VMware integration on a unified storage platform.
Dell PowerScale offers high scalability and stability as well, making it a valuable solution for enterprises.
Eyeglass is used to monitor for malware, which is very useful for us.
 

Categories and Ranking

Dell PowerScale (Isilon)
Ranking in NAS
1st
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.5
Number of Reviews
54
Ranking in other categories
File and Object Storage (3rd)
NetApp FAS Series
Ranking in NAS
3rd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.1
Number of Reviews
104
Ranking in other categories
Deduplication Software (4th), Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2025, in the NAS category, the mindshare of Dell PowerScale (Isilon) is 24.1%, up from 22.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetApp FAS Series is 16.2%, up from 15.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
NAS
 

Q&A Highlights

AV
Mar 12, 2020
 

Featured Reviews

Jack Vo - PeerSpot reviewer
Ensures that data is safely stored and easily accessible, providing peace of mind with robust security measures
The solution can be integrated with an automation system. Dell uses another framework developed in-house. They can integrate it with machines. Sometimes, Dell PowerScale can have issues with ID, window, or mapping errors. For example, a shareholder or user might not fully understand what they're doing, which can cause problems. Occasionally, we experience connection issues, requiring us to remap the folder. Dell PowerScale might need to remap or update the credentials in such cases. For instance, if you have many shared folders already mapped, it might take time to remap or redo the credentials.
Paweł Jabłoński - PeerSpot reviewer
Used for VMs with replication a feature, but need upgraded SSDs
We use this solution. I configured and updated it. Of course, I was also a user of applications that store data on that storage. We already have an SSD solution. So, rather than planning to go with an SSD solution, we are focusing on expanding it. If a company wants to deploy something new, it should choose a product with SSD, and NVMe disks. Overall, I rate the solution a six out of ten.
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830,455 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Answers from the Community

AV
Mar 12, 2020
Mar 12, 2020
Isilon is Scale-out storage, while NetApp is Active-Standby storage. Regarding the performance issue based on the field engineer’s experience, Isilon is better than NetApp in case of a huge amount of io, while NetApp is better than Isilon in case of a medium amount of IO.
2 out of 3 answers
BH
Mar 9, 2020
My recommendation is to take a close look at our CS Concerto Scale-Out Cluster system.
SK
Mar 10, 2020
Isilon is Scale-out storage, while NetApp is Active-Standby storage. Regarding the performance issue based on the field engineer’s experience, Isilon is better than NetApp in case of a huge amount of io, while NetApp is better than Isilon in case of a medium amount of IO.
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Educational Organization
25%
Computer Software Company
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Financial Services Firm
8%
Educational Organization
62%
Manufacturing Company
7%
Computer Software Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
4%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?
The solution provides massive performance, scalability, efficiency, and ease of management.
What needs improvement with Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?
Always, there is room for improvement in terms of cybersecurity, as new challenges are continually emerging in the market. However, in our current usage, we find it satisfactory.
Which SAN product would you choose: IBM FlashSystem (FS9500) vs PureFlash Array/X NVMe vs PureFlash Array/XL NVMe?
Have you considered a NetApp FAS Storage for your NAS needs? I am sure it fits very well.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetApp FAS Series?
Cost is a big factor in our decision-making process. When we're buying storage, the first thing we look at is how much we're paying per gigabyte. Cost has been the driving factor when choosing this...
 

Also Known As

PowerScale, Dell EMC Isilon
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

OMRF, University of Utah, Translational Genetics Research Institute, Arcis, Geofizyka Torumn, Cyprus E&P Corporation, Colburn School, Columbia Sportswear, Harvard Medical School, University of Michigan, National Library of France,
Children's Hospital Central California, Plex Systems, PDF PNI Digital Media, Denver Broncos, PDF KSM Legal, Clayton Companies, Virginia Community College
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell PowerScale (Isilon) vs. NetApp FAS Series and other solutions. Updated: January 2025.
830,455 professionals have used our research since 2012.