Try our new research platform with insights from 80,000+ expert users

Dell VxBlock System vs FlexPod XCS comparison

Dell Technologies and NetApp are both solutions in the Converged Infrastructure category. Dell Technologies is ranked #4 with an average rating of 7.7, while NetApp is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.4. Dell Technologies holds a 12.4% mindshare in CI, compared to NetApp’s 9.4% mindshare. Additionally, 92% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 96% of NetApp users who would recommend it.
Dell VxBlock System
Read 14 Dell VxBlock System reviews
  • 794 Views
  • 364 Comparison Views
92% willing to recommend
FlexPod XCS
Read 295 FlexPod XCS reviews
  • 500 Views
  • 228 Comparison Views
96% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report
Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 2, 2025

FlexPod XCS and Dell VxBlock System are leading solutions in the integrated IT infrastructure market, known for simplifying IT management. FlexPod XCS is favored for its holistic support model that unifies NetApp, Cisco, and VMware, reducing troubleshooting complexity. Dell VxBlock's edge is its performance capabilities and scalability, suitable for substantial enterprise requirements.

Features: FlexPod XCS offers seamless integration with a pre-tested, certified design that ensures compatibility and reduces integration challenges. Its unified support model across major vendors minimizes troubleshooting downtime. Dell VxBlock System is recognized for its high performance, consolidated architecture, and ability to scale easily, supporting enterprises with varied compute, storage, and networking demands.

Room for Improvement: FlexPod XCS could improve by developing a unified management interface and streamlining vendor certifications for enhanced reporting features and customer clarity. Dell VxBlock System could be more flexible with third-party applications and simplify management interfaces while improving its cross-vendor support coordination.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: FlexPod XCS supports both on-premises and hybrid cloud deployments, aided by its collaboration with Cisco and NetApp, offering superior customer service through a unified support model. Dell VxBlock focuses on strong on-premises deployment with a single-console management approach, though it could be more intuitive for some users.

Pricing and ROI: Both FlexPod XCS and Dell VxBlock are considered significant financial investments. FlexPod's high upfront costs are offset by long-term savings due to improved efficiency and scalability, while Dell VxBlock's competitive pricing is balanced by its advanced functionalities, offering substantial ROI depending on enterprise-scale deployments.

DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE REPORT
To learn more, read our detailed Dell VxBlock System vs. FlexPod XCS Report (Updated: March 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Dell VxBlock System vs. FlexPod XCS
March 2025
Download the complete report
Helped 842,767 peers since 2012

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

Dell VxBlock System
Ranking in Converged Infrastructure
4th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
14
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
FlexPod XCS
Ranking in Converged Infrastructure
6th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
295
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Converged Infrastructure category, the mindshare of Dell VxBlock System is 12.4%, down from 18.4% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of FlexPod XCS is 9.4%, down from 9.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Converged Infrastructure
 

Featured Reviews

AKINJIDE OKE - PeerSpot reviewer
Useful for virtualized environment, node management, configuration deployment, and system management with artificial intelligence
I've worked with Dell and had the privilege of working with many OEMs. I started my career as a system engineer, working with HPE as a partner, and then moved to other OEMs like IBM and Lenovo. Currently, I work with a small team. I don't believe any solution is bad. It's just that you might not have identified what the solution is addressing. It's about choosing the right solution for your needs. In terms of hardware or infrastructure, it's an Intel platform. What differentiates everyone is the additional value they can provide. Dell has many values that meet customer needs. I look at the customer's objectives and requirements as an IT professional to find the best solution. I haven't seen any drawbacks regarding the infrastructure deliverables or the value built into the tool. However, Dell as an organization could improve its channel management. For example, we've been trying to resolve an issue with our portal for two weeks. I'd like to see more simplification regarding integration, deployment, and connectivity for future releases. In deployment, I'd like to see simplification in creating VNets and positioning VMware across nodes. I want a template that simplifies the creation of VNets and VMware positioning. I'd push for more simplification and an intuitive graphical GUI that simplifies things with just a click.
Read full review
Chris Haight - PeerSpot reviewer
Integrates everything so you are using fewer tools
The traditional UCS Blades do not take much storage internally. You would be challenged to create an HCI (Hype converged Infrastructure) solution on FlexPod / UCS or any other solution that pools internal storage. Now, with UCS X-Series, you can carve off an HCI solution, software defined pooled solution if you want. This was one area of improvement that I wanted to see and can now realize with the refresh of the Cisco UCS infrastructure. With modern modular infrastructure, RESTful API has been added, there are more integrations, ServiceNow and vCenter along with tighter plug-ins. There is cross-user interface launching, for example with Windows Admin Center. The solutions are using Ansible and Terraform for deploying infrastructure as code. All the improvements that I wanted from the last gen are here or coming. With modern workloads and GPU use on the rise, adding GPUs to modern modular infrastructure will have some pros and cons. Typically, you can add one or two GPU's to a blade with no or little trade off. With the UCS X-Series, if you are doing a GPU farm, then you may have to sacrifice compute blades in the front slots to put in a GPU tray / module. A chassis holds eight compute blades, but if you are adding a ton of GPUs, a single GPU tray or more will reduce your blade count by as many GPU trays you add. This is not just a Cisco UCS X-Series problem. It is an industry problem with modular infrastructure and one that I would like to see get solved! I am looking into one such solution, VMware BITFUSION where you can send CUDA requests over the network to a BITFUSION server with the results sent back to the requestor, early stages here and only scratched the surface thus far. With Cisco UCS X-Series, I would like to see the fabric interconnects built into the chassis instead of being external. With the fabric interconnects, the real footprint of UCS X-Series is 9U, where some of the competing solutions are 7U and have collapsed the network fabric into the chassis. This is another thing that I would like to see from Cisco, though, not really on the NetApp side of the fence, NetApp is solid storage.
Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's at least 99 percent problem-free because it's factory-built. So from an informational point of view, everyone trusts that VxBlock has been tested well at the factory and has been configured to their requirements."
"Its performance is very good."
"It's a highly optimized piece of equipment that doesn't give us any problems."
"Everything is delivered to me in a single box, which simplifies management."
"Good default features."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the speed."
"Virtual machines for the infrastructure."
"In comparison to traditional file load systems, Dell VxBlock System can be deployed quickly and results in monthly cost savings."
More Dell VxBlock System pros
"We like it because everything is 10 Gig all the way through, from the storage to the switches to everything else, which is more than we need, and that's great."
"UCS Profiles enable recovering a physical server in less than 15 minutes."
"It simplifies everything. It gives you a single place to go if you need support or if you need to expand."
"FlexPod is easy to setup, maintain and has great stability."
"It is an easy, straightforward system to set up and maintain."
"The most valuable feature of this solution is the automation point because it's a lot less staff to have to manage it."
"ONTAP is the core of FlexPod, so its most valuable features are: FlexClone, Snapshot, and SnapCenter."
"We have significantly less latency now with our imagery."
More FlexPod XCS pros
 

Cons

"This solution does not support Hyper-V, and we would like the new version to be supported and certified to work with Hyper-V."
"Lacks flexibility with third-party applications."
"The consistency of disc quality could be improved."
"The solution could use a clearer description of working methods to tell people more about its use cases."
"It's a good product but the price could be lowered. It's expensive."
"The hardware lifecycle is not documented very well. For example, now you can buy a piece of equipment, but you don't know if the hardware is going to be a team production next month or next year."
"Scalability is an area that needs to be improved."
"I'd like to see more simplification regarding integration, deployment, and connectivity for future releases. In deployment, I'd like to see simplification in creating VNets and positioning VMware across nodes. I want a template that simplifies the creation of VNets and VMware positioning. I'd push for more simplification and an intuitive graphical GUI that simplifies things with just a click."
More Dell VxBlock System cons
"We want always more speed, capacity, fluidity, and growth that we can easily integrate."
"I would like to see drag and drop connectivity to Azure and Amazon."
"I want to use the expansion to its fullest extent, scaling by deploying 10 to 15 virtual missions in a given FlexPod."
"The biggest thing that I would like to see is more cost-effective FlexPod solutions."
"The interface is a little convoluted."
"Not a perfect ten because it could use better integration on the network side between UCS and the switching layer. The fact that LACP is not supported on UCS blades isn't so great. It would be nice if it was."
"There could be room for improvement in terms of offering more flexibility in CBD options."
"Hardware stability needs improvement. We replaced a lot of RAM this past year. We had to replace the complete blade once after extensive troubleshooting. Any given time, we have approximately one blade down within the entire infrastructure, unfortunately."
More FlexPod XCS cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Its price is high. That's why people are now moving to hyper-converge."
"We purchased this solution with a ten-year manufacturer warranty, and we have a three-year warranty with our local partner."
"Compared to other solutions, Dell VxBlock System is more expensive."
"The footprint in the data center is quite large, especially when you scale out. Maybe find some hardware in the future, where if a new blade comes out, then Cisco can say, "Look, we'll buy those blades back off you, and we'll give you this blade for X amount of money." A buyback scheme would be good for hardware, and even NetApp as well. Something like a buyback scheme for blades and stuff moving forward would be good, because I know that they're going to put more power into them. E.g., replacing four blades might equal one blade, which would be awesome, but we are still going to have those four blades around. Maybe having something where it will give you this much money for these blades so we can upgrade. That would be perfect."
"It seems very cost effective once it's in place, and it's easy to expand and easy to add capacity without a lot of extra money."
"We have a lease for approximately $10,000 USD per month."
"I have saved time on new service deployments. I've done deployments in under a week, and if it's a cloud-based deployment, it's even faster."
"Coming from a rack and stack server model to FlexPod, it has saved us a lot of time (approximately hundreds to thousands of hours)."
"Make sure that you engage as much with whom you are buying from as a partnership, not just as a purchase."
"As a startup, for the amount of budget we have and the amount we spend, we are getting what we expected."
"Anytime that you are buying any storage make sure you understand storage. Do not just buy storage based on what somebody sells you in terms of IO or throughput."
More FlexPod XCS pricing and cost advice
report
See which vendors are best for you
Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Converged Infrastructure solutions are best for your needs.
See recommendations
842,767 professionals have used our research since 2012.
 

Comparison Review

it_user244362 - PeerSpot reviewer
Aug 30, 2015
Nutanix vs. VMware EVO:RAIL vs. FlexPod
Originally posted at www.storagegaga.com/dont-get-too-drunk-on-hyper-converged/ I hate the fact that I am bursting the big bubble brewing about Hyper Convergence (HC). I urge all to look past the hot air and hype frenzy that are going on, because in the end, the HC platforms have to be aligned…
Read full review
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
14%
Computer Software Company
14%
Government
8%
Manufacturing Company
20%
Computer Software Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Educational Organization
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell EMC VxBlock System?
With a converged infrastructure, it's easy to troubleshoot from network to server issues from a single point of reference.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell EMC VxBlock System?
The cost is not overly expensive but not cheap either. Considering the features and everything, it is very good. Price-wise, it is reasonable but not the least expensive option.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Dell EMC VxBlock System?
There is a need for single console management. Everything should be accessible through a single console to ensure ease of management. So far, there are no issues since the storage and other systems...
See all answers
What do you like most about FlexPod?
The system is designed for easy scaling. Because we define everything clearly. So when we plug the system in, we apply the profile, and it scales easily.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for FlexPod?
The pricing is not cheaper, but stability is more important for us now. We focus on business gains, not static numbers. Following XCS rules ensures a stable environment, which is crucial. For me, C...
See all answers
What needs improvement with FlexPod?
FlexPod should focus more on automation. Integrating an automation tool with FlexPod would enable customers to leverage automation capabilities. More automation would be helpful. Currently, we cont...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

Dell PowerFlex vs Dell VxBlock System Logo
Dell PowerFlex vs Dell VxBlock System
Compared 33% of the time
Oracle Private Cloud Appliance vs Dell VxBlock System Logo
Oracle Private Cloud Appliance vs Dell VxBlock System
Compared 19% of the time
Dell PowerEdge VRTX vs Dell VxBlock System Logo
Dell PowerEdge VRTX vs Dell VxBlock System
Compared 17% of the time
Dell Vscale Architecture vs Dell VxBlock System Logo
Dell Vscale Architecture vs Dell VxBlock System
Compared 14% of the time
More Dell VxBlock System Competitors
Dell PowerFlex vs FlexPod XCS Logo
Dell PowerFlex vs FlexPod XCS
Compared 26% of the time
Oracle Private Cloud Appliance vs FlexPod XCS Logo
Oracle Private Cloud Appliance vs FlexPod XCS
Compared 13% of the time
Dell PowerEdge VRTX vs FlexPod XCS Logo
Dell PowerEdge VRTX vs FlexPod XCS
Compared 10% of the time
HPE Hyper Converged vs FlexPod XCS Logo
HPE Hyper Converged vs FlexPod XCS
Compared 10% of the time
VMware vSAN vs FlexPod XCS Logo
VMware vSAN vs FlexPod XCS
Compared 9% of the time
More FlexPod XCS Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Dell VxBlock System
March 2025
Dell VxBlock System reportDownload Dell VxBlock System product report
Buyer's Guide
FlexPod XCS
March 2025
FlexPod XCS reportDownload FlexPod XCS product report
 

Also Known As

VxBlock, VCE VxBlock System, Dell EMC VxBlock, VxBlock 1000
No data available
 

Overview

VxBlock and Vblock Systems simplify all aspects of IT and enable organizations to achieve better business outcomes faster. Seamlessly integrating enterprise-class compute, network, storage and virtualization technologies from industry leaders Cisco, Dell EMC, and VMware, VxBlock and Vblock Systems, powered by Intel Xeon processors, deliver the world's most advanced converged infrastructure: engineered, manufactured, managed, supported and sustained as one, allowing you to focus on your business.

The Dell EMC Converged Systems portfolio offers choice, flexibility, and reliability for accelerating IT transformation - VxBlock System offers additional levels of flexibility with a choice of network virtualization from VMware NSX or Cisco ACI.

Dell EMC VxBlock System Will Help You:

  • Protect and consolidate your high-value workloads
  • Deliver cloud operations faster
  • Simplify life cycle management
  • Simplify operations 
  • Modernize IT
  • Protect critical business data

With Dell EMC VxBlock System You Can:

  • Automate key processes
  • Move to a VMware-based private or hybrid cloud model
  • Gain ongoing validation for technologies across the stack
  • Mix and match SAN/LAN switches, different storage arrays, blade and rack servers, and more
  • Reduce patching and upgrade efforts using a turnkey system 

Dell EMC VxBlock System Features:

  • Native data protection: Dell EMC’s data protection suite includes backup and recovery, centralized management, and replication.
  • Cisco C-Series servers: Dell EMC VxBlock System is now integrated with Cisco UCS C-Series rack servers, including the C220 and C240 in the M4 and M5 server lines. 
  • Server scalability boost: You can increase server scalability by approximately 56%. 
  • Storage mix: Dell EMC’s VxBlock System gives you the ability to mix four different types of storage arrays (Unity, VMAX, XtremIO, Isilon). It also includes multiple all-flash storage options (Unity 350F, 350F, 550F, 650F), and more.
  • Data center efficiency: The solution simplifies lifecycle assurance - which reduces time spent managing upgrades - and it can also reduce rack space and lower power costs.
  • Simpler RCM compliance: You will have simpler RCM compliance and your upgrades will feature an RCM dashboard showing the release level status of all components; You will also have access to RCM compliance score, RCM summary and detail reports, and RCM pre-positioning.
  • Deep CI context KPI metrics This feature includes capacity reporting and performance analytics with historical perspective.
  • Advanced, real-time CI-level alerting Dell EMC VxBlock System’s alerting feature includes operational state alerts, performance alerts, call home alerts, custom alerts and alert forwarding.

Dell EMC VxBlock System Benefits:

  • Manage more efficiently 
  • Reduce operational risk 
  • Simplify upgrades and assure compliance
  • Focus more on added-value projects
  • Be more agile 
  • Reduce OPEX
  • Proactively manage workload health
  • Improve capacity planning 
  • Resolve incidents and problems faster

Reviews from Real Users:

“It's a highly optimized piece of equipment that doesn't give us any problems." - Architect at a manufacturing company 

"It's at least 99 percent problem-free because it's factory-built. So from an informational point of view, everyone trusts that VxBlock has been tested well at the factory and has been configured to their requirements.” - General Manager, Enterprise Technical Solution at a tech services company

"The monitoring and management parts are the most valuable. Monitoring is specifically valuable because you have one console to monitor everything. This console is called Vision.” - Data center Manager at a financial services firm

Dell Technologies

FlexPod XCS is the secure platform your applications need from edge to cloud. Easily manage your suite of cloud-native, edge, and enterprise apps. Integrate advanced cloud services without compromising performance, security, reliability, or scale.

NetApp
 

Sample Customers

Atos, Canadian Pacific, IDS, City of Denton, CenturyLink, BNP Paribas, Asyaport, EDF, CSC, Fox Sports, Insight, Hunter, KPIT, Paetec, Rosetta Stone, Sonda, Switch, Xerox
University of Sao Paulo, WD-40, The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group
Buyer's Guide
Dell VxBlock System vs. FlexPod XCS
March 2025
Free Report: Dell VxBlock System vs. FlexPod XCS
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell VxBlock System vs. FlexPod XCS and other solutions. Updated: March 2025.
DOWNLOAD NOW
842,767 professionals have used our research since 2012.
See our Dell VxBlock System vs. FlexPod XCS report.
See our list of best Converged Infrastructure vendors.

We monitor all Converged Infrastructure reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.