FlexPod XCS vs Vblock [EOL] comparison

NetApp and Dell Technologies are both solutions in the Converged Infrastructure category. Additionally, 96% of NetApp users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 84% of Dell Technologies users who would recommend it.

FlexPod XCS

Read 295 FlexPod XCS reviews

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301 Comparison Views

96% willing to recommend

Vblock [EOL]

Read 24 Vblock [EOL] reviews

84% willing to recommend

FlexPod XCS

Vblock [EOL]

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between FlexPod XCS and Vblock [EOL] based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, NetApp and others in Converged Infrastructure.

To learn more, read our detailed Converged Infrastructure Report (Updated: December 2024).

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Converged Infrastructure

December 2024

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Categories and Ranking

FlexPod XCS

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

295

Ranking in other categories

Converged Infrastructure (5th)

Vblock [EOL]

Average Rating

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Featured Reviews

Bob Greenwald

Senior Systems Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

There are no limits in terms of integration.

The most significant benefit is storage flexibility. FlexPod is a reference design to build on and add the appropriate resources you need for your workloads. That's what differentiates it from something like HCI, where you have to buy certain size pieces when you want to expand. I can do just about anything storage-related with it. In a FlexPod environment, we can provide whatever you want from a data storage perspective. Replication, backup, disaster recovery, etc., are all there right out of the box. I can set up fiber channel LAN, channel-over-ethernet LAN, etc. Storage is highly flexible in this environment. I don't have to buy two or three products and don't have to do some sort of software virtualization of the storage, which takes away your performance. For hyperscalers, you have insights on the Cisco side that you can use to look at tons of stuff. From the storage side, you could put a range of NetApp tools in the cloud. You could put VMware in the cloud and talk back to the native on-prem Cisco compute environment. Their network environment extends into the cloud. There are no limits in terms of integration. NetApp is the most integrated hyper-scale for storage and moving data into the cloud for long-term backup storage. VMware is fully available, so you could run VMware or Kubernetes on VMware in the cloud and tie it to your local storage through NetApp integration. It's an excellent match because your compute could easily DR to the cloud and be ready to go with all your storage without any modifications necessary because of the native integrations. It integrates well with the hyperscalers.

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Fred Armantrout

Senior System Specialist at Burns & McDonnell

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.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"We have also seen an improvement in our application performance. Our VM and database environments are able to go as fast as we need them to now."

"Once it is in place, we do not touch it, so it is more stable than other solutions."

"The tool provides a single point for storing applications and it increases the availability of them. It also has improved the way we handle applications within VMware."

"For FlexPod, it is always trustworthy. I had previously never seen flex machines from other brands or associated with other products. FlexPod is a large investment and they are good enough to support it."

"Integration is most valuable. This is a reference architecture. So, we don't have to design something from scratch and figure out how it is going to work."

"The biggest lesson that I have learned from this solution is the ease of actually setting it up and learning it."

"The solution’s validated designs for major enterprise apps are also extremely important in our organization. We don't always have time to research products and solutions ourselves. By going with a validated design, we're assured that it's the latest and greatest. It's supported by the three major vendors that we deal with."

"Our performance increase has been about 15 percent from what we previously used."

More FlexPod XCS pros

"UCS Manager worked well for net/blade management and has allowed fairly easy use of dedicated bare-metal blades."

"Access to VMs is now faster due to the centralized management console."

"Finding a fully bundled, deployed, and configured solution with a short delivery time and unique support is really attractive."

"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."

"VMware NSX: Provides the ability for our organisation to deliver true DR."

"The high redundancy of components has minimized frequent service degradation/failure."

"The XtremIO All-Flash array delivers performance, reliability, and deduplication."

"It has improved system performance, batch times for off-hours processing, and reliability with production applications."

More Vblock [EOL] pros

Cons

"We would like to see a new design that comes with more productivity or graphics. Currently, the vendors, like HPE and Dell EMC along with NetApp, all have very similar products. We want more diversification."

"I would like to see better operations, a single pane of glass to manage and monitor the entire design across VMware, Cisco, etc. I would also like the upgrade process to be a little smoother."

"I would like to see a more centralized support model."

"We have had bugs which have been released, even though they have been minor."

"They could improve their technical support team. They need to have a specific phone number for you to call in for the FlexPod solution. Some of the partner support knows if it is for FlexPod, they will get you to the right department."

"It would be very helpful if the upgrades for Cisco, VMware, and NetApp could be bundled together and performed at the same time."

"FlexPod XCS needs to improve its pricing."

"There is a lot of documentation that has to be reviewed before you go through an upgrade. It is not as straightforward as some other solutions."

More FlexPod XCS cons

"RCM upgrades were not scripted, and you needed to roll on your own. We were led to believe this would be otherwise."

"The user control could be more advanced. They should work to improve this in future releases."

"While most public clouds are deployed on Linux, there is current no certified Vblock working on KVM hypervisors."

"Improve the patching process and timeliness of updates/releases."

"In the next release, I would like to see a smaller footprint in the data center and have improvements to disk performance."

"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."

"With respect to the technical support, there is room for improvement."

More Vblock [EOL] cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Our licensing costs are about $50,000 per year."

"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."

"The total cost of ownership with this solution is good."

"We have saved time, money, space, and power consumption on new service deployments. We have a data center in Toronto which had ten racks on one of the new servers. This was all reduced to two racks with six chassis, which is amazing."

"We have seen an 80 percent improvement in application performance."

"We pay approximately $1,400 USD in total for between five-thousand and ten-thousand ports."

"It has saved us hundreds of man-hours by using this converged infrastructure."

"The FlexPod licensing can adjust to your purse, i.e. there are different levels available for businesses of all sizes."

More FlexPod XCS pricing and cost advice

"Vblock is priced at a premium because people don't want the headache of managing and deploying different products."

"Related to tech support: I believe it is too expensive."

"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."

"It is not cheap."

"Strive for a consolidated ELA."

"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."

"The paid support for Vblock is expensive."

"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."

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Comparison Review

it_user244362

Managing Consultant with 51-200 employees

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…

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

18%

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Educational Organization

10%

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

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

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Comparisons

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Dell VxBlock System vs FlexPod XCS

Compared 10% of the time

HPE Hyper Converged vs FlexPod XCS

Compared 9% of the time

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Dell VxBlock System vs Vblock [EOL]

Compared 100% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

FlexPod XCS

December 2024

Download FlexPod XCS product report

Buyer's Guide

Vblock [EOL]

November 2024

Download Vblock [EOL] product report

Also Known As

No data available

VCE Vblock

Learn More

NetApp

Dell Technologies

Overview

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.

VCE Vblock Systems is an all-in-one virtualization platform that integrates the leading storage, network, and compute technologies from the likes of EMC, VMware and Cisco. VCE Vblock allows organizations to easily and securely deploy cloud computing and virtualization in their environments, supporting these multiple technologies and providing flexibility and agility for changing business needs.

Sample Customers

University of Sao Paulo, WD-40, The Commonwell Mutual Insurance Group

Xerox, ACS, and Columbia Sportswear.

Buyer's Guide

Converged Infrastructure

December 2024

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