IBM FlashSystem vs NEC D3 series comparison

IBM and NEC are both solutions in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category. IBM is ranked #4 with an average rating of 8.5, while NEC is ranked #20. IBM holds a 19.8% mindshare in MS, compared to NEC’s 0.4% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of NEC users who would recommend it.

IBM FlashSystem

Read 110 IBM FlashSystem reviews

1,461 Views
1,109 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

NEC D3 series

Read 1 NEC D3 series review

49 Views
18 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM FlashSystem

NEC D3 series

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IBM FlashSystem and NEC D3 series based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about NetApp, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Hitachi Vantara and others in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network).

To learn more, read our detailed Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) Report (Updated: March 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

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

IBM FlashSystem

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

4th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.0

Number of Reviews

110

Ranking in other categories

NAS (4th), All-Flash Storage (13th)

NEC D3 series

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

20th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of April 2025, in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category, the mindshare of IBM FlashSystem is 19.8%, up from 16.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NEC D3 series is 0.4%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

Featured Reviews

Raanan Sitton

Vice President Sales at BELOCAL LTD

Offers cost-effective storage for small companies with budget constraints

IBM FlashSystem 5300 is offered at a very low cost in Israel, which is advantageous for small companies. However, other features like deduplication and compression do not perform effectively. The price sensitivity makes it a viable option for clients with budgetary constraints, as it allows us to secure deals based on the cost rather than advanced performance.

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Gungor Bingul

Head of IT at Korozo

Stable, performs well, and the technical support is good

We use this storage solution to host our ERP, CRM, file server, databases, and lots of other things The performance is better than with our previous version. We are not satisfied with the cost of licensing and would like to have a better price to performance ratio. We have had contract-related…

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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

"This solution is very stable."

"The compression and deduplication features are the most valuable."

"It is simple to make an update."

"High availability and enhanced security; Proven dependability; Data compression with hardware acceleration; Advanced copy services features are all in this product."

"The valuable features are high availability, compression, and a failover mechanism. It's a very highly available storage solution."

"No queuing and high ops, speed, and performance."

"The most valuable features were the performance of the array, i.e., very low latency and high IOPS. Plus, the management interface is very easy to use."

"The FlashSystem 900 consistently delivers performance below 1ms for read/write. This performance is essential for an effective SVC stretch-cluster configuration across two datacenters, and presenting active-active storage to the customer."

More IBM FlashSystem pros

"The performance is better than with our previous version."

Cons

"One area for improvement is in the GUI, where host clusters are not properly dealt with. With Hypervisor host clusters, all hosts must see the same volumes in the same order. Using the concept of a “host-group” has been around (even with IBM) for many years, so why not with the V7000?"

"I would like to see an improvement in the handling of large amounts of rights."

"Enterprise data storage needs improvement. They should create a feature for data and file storage."

"It could be easier to implement."

"The generic functionality of IBM FlashSystem, IBM always dismisses using file share or sharing protocols inside their storage hardware, and they only focus on the block-level storage."

"Our model does not support compression or deduplication."

"The solution is not easy to use and could improve."

"In the next release having the next level of high-speed performance would be great."

More IBM FlashSystem cons

"We are not satisfied with the cost of licensing and would like to have a better price to performance ratio."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the pricing of this solution a four out of five."

"The cost of the IBM FlashSystem is lower than the HPE solution."

"The price of IBM FlashSystem is reasonable."

"They've been much more aggressive in the last five, six years than they were before that."

"You purchase it as a bundle and the price is comparable."

"The solution has good pricing, but it is not cheaper."

"For a yearly license, it is about $100,000. There are no additional costs. The entire system is included."

"There are no licensing fees, it is a one-time purchase of the IBM FlashSystem."

More IBM FlashSystem pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

10%

Government

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM FlashSystem?

It is simple to make an update.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM FlashSystem?

Many factors affect purchasing directly from IBM, often involving a multi-step process. Customers, especially in banking, often use the latest devices as they are upgrading, indicating they do not ...

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM FlashSystem?

The GUI needs some improvement. An additional function that could be helpful is reducing the time it takes to delete volumes, especially if they are compressed or deduplicated.

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Comparisons

Dell PowerStore vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 24% of the time

Huawei OceanStor Dorado vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 8% of the time

Pure Storage FlashArray vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 8% of the time

HPE Alletra Storage vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 8% of the time

Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 6% of the time

More IBM FlashSystem Competitors

No data available

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem

April 2025

Download IBM FlashSystem product report

Buyer's Guide

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

March 2025

Download NEC D3 series product report

Also Known As

IBM Storwize

D3 series

Overview

IBM FlashSystem products are enterprise computer data storage systems that store data on flash memory chips. Unlike storage systems that use standard solid-state drives, IBM FlashSystem products incorporate custom hardware based on technology from the 2012 acquisition of Texas Memory Systems. This hardware provides performance, reliability, and efficiency benefits versus competitive offerings.

IBM

D3-10 is Low end disk array device with up to 144 HDD modules.

NEC

Sample Customers

Celero, Friedhelm Loh Group, Clarks, Mingkang Natregro Health Food Group, Sofia, Etisalat Fights Fraud, UF Health Shands Hospital, Generali, Elecon Engineering Company Limited, Ventiv , Technology, CPFL Energia, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., SciQuest, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, Paddy Power, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Interconnect Services, Severstal IP-Only AB, PVU Group GmbH

Tsukuba Science City, Hokkaido Telecommunication Network Co. Inc, PHP Institute

Buyer's Guide

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

March 2025

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