HPE BladeSystem vs Lenovo Flex System comparison

Hewlett Packard Enterprise and Lenovo are both solutions in the Blade Servers category. Hewlett Packard Enterprise is ranked #3 with an average rating of 8.8, while Lenovo is ranked #10 with an average rating of 8.7. Hewlett Packard Enterprise holds a 13.8% mindshare in Blade Servers, compared to Lenovo’s 2.8% mindshare. Additionally, 95% of Hewlett Packard Enterprise users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Lenovo users who would recommend it.

HPE BladeSystem

Read 138 HPE BladeSystem reviews

2,279 Views
1,588 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Lenovo Flex System

Read 10 Lenovo Flex System reviews

408 Views
291 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

HPE BladeSystem

Lenovo Flex System

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 3, 2025

HPE BladeSystem and Lenovo Flex System are key players in the enterprise server market. Reviews suggest HPE BladeSystem has an advantage in terms of support and scalability, while Lenovo Flex System stands out with resource capacity and user-friendliness.

Features: HPE BladeSystem is known for durability and configurability, particularly for its iLO management and reliability over time. It offers comprehensive management tools and scalability. Lenovo Flex System is praised for reliability and performance, with a focus on storage capabilities and user-friendliness, providing high resource capacity before upscaling.

Room for Improvement: HPE BladeSystem faces challenges with outdated technology and limited parts availability, with concerns over scalability and licensing processes. Its management lags behind competitors, needing better support and integration. Lenovo Flex System requires improved integration with other platforms and better module flexibility, with users noting initial setup and customer support issues.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: HPE BladeSystem offers reputable customer service with proactive support but regional discrepancies in response times are noted. Lenovo Flex System shines in initial customer service but struggles with consistent issue resolution, indicating a need for more uniform support.

Pricing and ROI: HPE BladeSystem is perceived as having high initial costs but delivers excellent long-term ROI through reduced operational expenses. It's ideal for large enterprises. Lenovo Flex System offers competitive pricing and more cost-effective scalability options, delivering significant ROI with upfront savings. Both systems have tailored pricing strategies for distinct market needs.

To learn more, read our detailed HPE BladeSystem vs. Lenovo Flex System Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HPE BladeSystem vs. Lenovo Flex System

March 2025

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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

HPE BladeSystem

Ranking in Blade Servers

3rd

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

138

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Lenovo Flex System

Ranking in Blade Servers

10th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2025, in the Blade Servers category, the mindshare of HPE BladeSystem is 13.8%, down from 17.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Lenovo Flex System is 2.8%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Blade Servers

Featured Reviews

JuanDuque

Manager of Capacity and Control Management at a insurance company with 10,001+ employees

Very reliable, expands well, and is pretty simple to set up

It is very straightforward to set up. It's not complex. The length of deployment depends on the way that you configure the Blades. For example, if you're going to work with VMware, the time could be at least 25 to 30 minutes. It is not going to depend on the BladeSystem; it is going to depend on the time of the operate system deployed. The number of people you need for maintenance depends on the monitoring system that you have. For example, if you have a good monitoring system for this platform you're going to need less than ten specialists, but if you don't have a monitoring system to check the platform, probably you're going to need more than ten people.

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Syed Ibrahim

Assistant Manager Systems - IT Infrastructure at a transportation company with 10,001+ employees

Provides a high initial ceiling before upscaling is required, user-friendly and rich in resources, but has occasional stability issues

The solution should come with cloud native applications to prepare for cloud based solutions. Forced restarts due to free upgrades is an issue that needs to be resolved. We can manage this as we have high availability and redundancy, but without that it could be a real problem. The level of customer support needs to be improved. There is currently an issue with Lenovo switching out SAN switches from the chassis, which will cause problems for people who already have a set up with the SAN switch connected to the central storage. This could require an entirely different network, adding an additional cost for the user.

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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

"Modularity is a key feature that provides energy saving ."

"The feature I find most valuable is the ease of use."

"The virtual connect and network management port is a valuable feature."

"One of the most valuable features I have found to be the enclosure. It is really easy to manage and everything is integrated. You are able to upgrade the software quite easily."

"The density of the BladeSystem, that we can keep adding blades as we need more VMs."

"Uptime and service are valuable for us. When we have an issue, uptime and being able to get an emergency replacement or actual service is the most important thing for us."

"The most valuable feature of HPE BladeSystem is its upgradability and centralized configuration."

"For me, the most valuable features are integration and simple defining."

More HPE BladeSystem pros

"Flex System's best features are its performance and stability."

"We use the solution as a compute model to run the compute load on servers."

"The stability and speed are always good. The processor is good and it's still working with our loads."

"One of the most valuable features of this solution is its ease of use."

"The product is very user-friendly and has many resources at the enterprise level."

"It comes at a good price. We didn't face any problems with this product."

"The initial setup is straightforward."

"The Lenovo Flex System is very stable."

More Lenovo Flex System pros

Cons

"I would prefer to have changes in the compatibility of the blade servers with the new ones designed by HPE, as the top team's version does not have it."

"Currently, in the case of a disk failure there is a need to remove the whole bay and as a result, to disconnect all the other disks."

"Storage capacity could be enhanced."

"There is always room for improvement everywhere with the HPE BladeSystem."

"I would like OneView to go over the current limit of 40 instances."

"If you compare it with Lenovo systems, the pricing is too high."

"I would like to see the upgrade path a little bit smoother."

"I am not sure if iLO is included or if there is a separate license. If it is not included, it should be included in the license. It is such a valuable feature especially because people are working remotely."

More HPE BladeSystem cons

"The solution's firmware and driver upgrades are a bit difficult."

"Forced restarts due to free upgrades is an issue that needs to be resolved. We can manage this as we have high availability and redundancy, but without that it could be a real problem."

"Continuing the production of this product is necessary. It is currently out of support, and we are seeking support from other sources besides Lenovo."

"The solution could improve by providing more integration with other platforms."

"The most valuable feature of the Lenovo Flex System is the storage system."

"It does not have the same module flexibility that was present in IBM Blade. On the Blade System, I was able to choose between the Cisco module, or BMC module. Since the switch to Lenovo, I have not had the same choice of modules, only the BMC modules."

"I had some difficulties with the initial setup."

"The product could improve its integration capabilities."

More Lenovo Flex System cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The chassis itself, with no blade server inside, so expensive. The C7000 model costs around $100,000."

"The licenses for HPE BladeSystem are perpetual."

"When you purchase HPE BladeSystem you have to pay for the support service. The first three years are covered under the warranty, and for any further support, you have to pay annually. When comparing the cost of HPE BladeSystem to other vendors, the fees are less expensive."

"The price for HPE BladeSystem can vary between $100,000 to $1 million or above. The price can be high."

"The product’s price is high compared to one of its competitors."

"The price of HPE BladeSystem is less expensive than some other solutions, such as Dell. The cost of replacement equipment is expensive."

"Regarding the cost, HPE BladeSystem is not cheap. The solution and its support are costly, and there are challenges with renewal and pricing, especially in Nigeria, due to the dollar rate and FX issues. However, it is reliable. I don't have specific figures for licensing costs, as the procurement and finance departments handle them."

"The price of HPE BladeSystem could improve. They need to reduce the price to be able to compete better with other vendors, such as Dell."

More HPE BladeSystem pricing and cost advice

"We are just paying the operational cost, which is not much."

"The 14 blade server allows significant room for upscaling before having to invest in another chassis. You would have to purchase another chassis much sooner in the case of an eight or nine blade server."

"We have the whole maintenance for the 3 years, starting the deployment. We also have the VMware license for 3 years and I think we have another license to buy. There are no additional costs besides licensing."

"The price is interesting. I am able to quote a client based on their needs and offer them either Lenovo or Dell."

"The is an annual license cost to use the Lenovo Flex System. If the price was less expensive and flexible overall and for additional features, our customers would be happier."

"There is a one-off payment to buy the equipment and the support is purchased annually."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

18%

Computer Software Company

15%

Government

13%

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

How would you choose between HPE's Bladesystem and Synergy?

For me, choosing between HPE’s Bladesystem and Synergy came down to which solution was more powerful, reliable, and stable. It turns out Bladesystem was the winner. Bladesystem is excellent because...

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What do you like most about HPE BladeSystem?

The solution is scalable, offering flexibility and expansion options to meet changing business needs.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for HPE BladeSystem?

In general, there is a 10% to 15% price gap compared to competitors.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Lenovo Flex System?

Compared to its quality, the pricing is very reasonable and represents good value.

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What needs improvement with Lenovo Flex System?

Continuing the production of this product is necessary. It is currently out of support, and we are seeking support from other sources besides Lenovo.

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What is your primary use case for Lenovo Flex System?

We are using Lenovo Flex System on the server for our VMware environment, which includes our VMs and all our servers, Linux and Windows. It manages the daily operation efficiently.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 61% of the time

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Compared 21% of the time

Cisco UCS B-Series vs HPE BladeSystem

Compared 12% of the time

HPE Superdome X vs HPE BladeSystem

Compared 6% of the time

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HPE Superdome X vs Lenovo Flex System

Compared 51% of the time

HPE Synergy vs Lenovo Flex System

Compared 49% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HPE BladeSystem

March 2025

Download HPE BladeSystem product report

Buyer's Guide

Blade Servers

March 2025

Download Lenovo Flex System product report

Also Known As

HP ProLiant BL Series Servers, HP ProLiant BladeSystem

Flex System Blade Servers, Flex System SN Series

Overview

HP ProLiant BladeSystem share power, cooling, network, and storage infrastructure via the blade enclosure. Since equipment is not needed for each server, you get a dramatic reduction in power distribution units, power cables, LAN and SAN switches, connectors, adapters, and cables. And you can add the newest-generation technologies by simply changing individual components.

Hewlett Packard Enterprise

Flex System is Lenovo’s proven, 2nd generation blade, that efficiently runs your infrastructure applications with up to 80% better density than standard rack server deployments.

Lenovo

Sample Customers

EMIS Health

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

HPE BladeSystem vs. Lenovo Flex System

March 2025

Free Report: HPE BladeSystem vs. Lenovo Flex System

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