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 8.9, while Lenovo is ranked #11 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

2,149 Views
1,472 Comparison Views

95% willing to recommend

Lenovo Flex System

Read 10 Lenovo Flex System reviews

394 Views
264 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Room for Improvement: HPE BladeSystem faces challenges with outdated technology and limited parts availability, with concerns over scalability and licensing processes.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: April 2025).

Buyer's Guide

HPE BladeSystem vs. Lenovo Flex System

April 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

11th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Blade Servers category, the mindshare of HPE BladeSystem is 13.8%, down from 17.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Lenovo Flex System is 2.8%, down from 3.1% 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

"The most valuable feature of the HPE BladeSystem is the ease of management."

"Basically, in a cluster, it works really nicely, especially within a cluster environment. Also, it's easily configurable."

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

"The solution is very easy to use."

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

"The solution has good performance."

"The solution has good scalability."

"The product has been simple to set up."

More HPE BladeSystem pros

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

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

"The functionality is reliable and requires minimal support."

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

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

"The initial setup is straightforward."

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

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

More Lenovo Flex System pros

Cons

"There could be more management capability to work with integrations."

"We would like to see OneView software features as an additional feature."

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

"OA updates and upgrades have to be made simpler."

"HPE BladeSystems is an old technology that cannot fit all of the dynamic organizational needs of our company."

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

"We have not needed to contact support because we have not had an issue. However, the partner support we had could improve. There are some disadvantages compared to Dell. The questions that are asked from the support are too lengthy, this causes a delay in support."

"The scalability is limited because you only have a 16-server by chassis."

More HPE BladeSystem cons

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

"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."

"I had some difficulties with the initial setup."

"The product could improve its integration capabilities."

"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."

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

"Flex System's integration with the XClarity Management System could be improved."

More Lenovo Flex System cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"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."

"Its pricing was good. We selected this solution because it was within our budget. We paid just once when we bought it. We never bought any license."

"With regards to the prices, they need to adapt to the current needs of the country."

"It is not expensive, really, in this class of server products."

"I would recommend this solution for large enterprises. Medium-sized companies would find it difficult to afford the HPE BladeSystem's overall capital expenses."

"The price could be cheaper."

"The licensing is on an annual basis."

"We have an annual license."

More HPE BladeSystem pricing and cost advice

"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."

"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."

"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."

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

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

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

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

12%

Government

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

17%

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

14%

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.

See all answers

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 59% of the time

Dell PowerEdge M vs HPE BladeSystem

Compared 21% of the time

Cisco UCS B-Series vs HPE BladeSystem

Compared 13% 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 57% of the time

HPE Synergy vs Lenovo Flex System

Compared 43% of the time

More Lenovo Flex System Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HPE BladeSystem

April 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

April 2025

Free Report: HPE BladeSystem vs. Lenovo Flex System

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