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Dell VxBlock System vs Vblock [EOL] comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary
 

Categories and Ranking

Dell VxBlock System
Average Rating
7.8
Number of Reviews
13
Ranking in other categories
Converged Infrastructure (4th)
Vblock [EOL]
Average Rating
8.0
Number of Reviews
24
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

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.
FA
The VCE VBlocks came along and it was the best combination of an all-in-one virtual data center in a box Converged SAN, Network, and Compute that used VMware to drive the whole package.
The original pair of VBlock’s were purchased to replace a hodgepodge of small VM clusters of 3 to 4 VM hosts and an outdated SAN, in addition to moving from an old data center to a new data center. Moving the VM’s from the old systems to the new VBlock --which had more shared resources and a newer VMware version-- was a big win. Once in place, we virtualized as many servers as could be converted from freestanding servers to a VM. The only exception was when the licensing of an application was cost prohibitive; we keep these on stand-alone hosts. This was mainly due to application licensing bias, rather than limits on virtualization.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It's a highly optimized piece of equipment that doesn't give us any problems."
"Customers use the Dell VxBlock System for new applications or solutions. For example, I'm working on a new mixing solution for a whole country in Africa. When we talk about it, there are many locations, and we're looking for efficiency, utilization, and solutions that can expand the application database we're deploying. It's used a lot for server consolidation and to consolidate environments into new ones for easy management. It's also used in health environments where they need to create infrastructure for products or solutions they want to launch to the market quickly."
"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."
"Good default features."
"VxBlock has good performance, so that is an advantage."
"Its performance is very good."
"With a converged infrastructure, it's easy to troubleshoot from network to server issues from a single point of reference."
"In comparison to traditional file load systems, Dell VxBlock System can be deployed quickly and results in monthly cost savings."
"It's an integrated box Mac solution, so it's a plug and play. The deployment and build is pre-made and ready to deploy. It makes it easy to apply."
"UCS Manager worked well for net/blade management and has allowed fairly easy use of dedicated bare-metal blades."
"VMware NSX: Provides the ability for our organisation to deliver true DR."
"Finding a fully bundled, deployed, and configured solution with a short delivery time and unique support is really attractive."
"The high redundancy of components has minimized frequent service degradation/failure."
"​It has improved system performance, batch times for off-hours processing, and reliability with production applications.​"
"The most valuable features are reliability and high availability."
"Access to VMs is now faster due to the centralized management console."
 

Cons

"The only thing that I can say is when you procure the VxBlock, obviously you have to complete detailed questionnaires about your architecture including the configuration, et cetera. If you make a mistake on the implementation, then you need to rebuild the entire VxBlock. That is just a point of consideration rather than a flaw. You need to be absolutely sure and validate the upfront configuration information that you provide because your VxBlock comes delivered and built, according to that exact information."
"Scalability is an area that needs to be improved."
"It's a good product but the price could be lowered. It's expensive."
"The solution could use a clearer description of working methods to tell people more about its use cases."
"This solution does not support Hyper-V, and we would like the new version to be supported and certified to work with Hyper-V."
"There are components of VxBlock that are not managed or supported by Dell because some of the components are from Cisco. Thus, when there are problems with compute nodes, though Dell was managing the interaction, we had to rely on Cisco to solve the issue. When Cisco was not responding as quickly as Dell would for their components, it made it difficult for us because we needed to have the failed nodes back up and running. As such, the disparate ownership of components in the equipment is an issue."
"Does not support different kinds of mixed applications."
"Lacks flexibility with third-party applications."
"The implementation and support could be better."
"Troublesome relationships with VCE at the beginning of our use came undone quickly after we went live."
"While most public clouds are deployed on Linux, there is current no certified Vblock working on KVM hypervisors."
"RCM upgrades are painful."
"Improve the patching process and timeliness of updates/releases."
"VCE tools, like Vision or AMP were not stand alone, and depended too much on other management consoles."
"OEM services requires too much planning and low availability of certified engineers."
"In the next release, I would like to see a smaller footprint in the data center and have improvements to disk performance."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."
"Its price is high. That's why people are now moving to hyper-converge."
"The paid support for Vblock is expensive."
"Vblock is priced at a premium because people don't want the headache of managing and deploying different products."
"Strive for a consolidated ELA."
"I would not say the pricing is not good value. It is still on the expensive side, near the top-end of cost compared to what's available now. Also, the licensing has to be improved. There has to be a clear definition of the licensing from the initial set-up so the customer knows what they are paying for, without being hit later on with extra licensing. The licensing definitions should be clearer and, perhaps, have one set of licenses rather than multiple licenses."
"I think the pricing is on the higher end of the spectrum. There could be some adjustments that could be made there. Regarding licensing, watch compatibility with external products that you run on Vblock. It has got to be properly architected, otherwise, you will run into licensing issues."
"It is not cheap."
"Vblock appears from the first while to be very expensive. There are more items you cannot see in the BOQ: customer service, support, delivery short time, and highly experienced VCE engineers."
"Related to tech support: I believe it is too expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Manufacturing Company
14%
Government
12%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
11%
No data available
 

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.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell EMC VxBlock System?
Compared to other solutions, Dell VxBlock System is more expensive.
What needs improvement with Dell EMC VxBlock System?
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. Cur...
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Also Known As

VxBlock, VCE VxBlock System, Dell EMC VxBlock, VxBlock 1000
VCE Vblock
 

Overview

 

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
Xerox, ACS, and Columbia Sportswear.
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, NetApp and others in Converged Infrastructure. Updated: November 2024.
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