Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers Reviews

Previously, each branch or specific function had its own dedicated servers for tasks such as backups, file storage, print services, and directory management. However, the current approach has shifted towards utilizing VMware for site-related functions. 

This means that instead of individual servers for each task, virtualization technology like VMware is employed to streamline and optimize server management for various purposes across the organization.

Implementing the solution with Dell servers addressed several challenges we encountered. The physical installation, especially in rack configurations, became significantly easier with a streamlined process - a simple click for various tasks.

In our energy research, we've been using Dell PowerEdge servers for an extended period. Recently, we introduced servers from IBM and HPE into our infrastructure. However, we haven't conducted a comprehensive comparison, particularly regarding power consumption.

The PowerEdge servers have proven to be highly effective in meeting our evolving needs. During server configuration, we strategically plan for around fifty to sixty percent usage, opting for a slightly higher configuration than is strictly necessary. This approach has ensured that we haven't encountered any issues thus far.

Dell PowerEdge servers have positively impacted our organization's sustainability requirements. We are extremely satisfied with their performance so far, experiencing minimal hardware issues. With their support in place, any problems, whether related to hardware or software, are promptly addressed and repaired.

The utilization of Dell PowerEdge rack servers has significantly enhanced the overall flexibility of our operations. The remarkable flexibility of these servers has contributed to increased productivity, eliminating downtime.

The integration of servers with VMware has been a smooth and positive process.

There is room for improvement in making it more cost-effective. Another area for improvement could be the delivery process. Occasionally, there might be extended wait times between placing an order and receiving the delivery.

We have been using it for more than twenty years now.

We are highly satisfied with the level of stability provided.

The scalability of the servers has been excellent. As we transition to VMware, scalability remains a strong point. Our approach of configuring slightly higher than immediate needs allows for easy scaling without significant challenges.

Our overall experience with their product and support has been consistently excellent. We would rate their support as highly effective, as we have not encountered any significant issues. I would rate it eight out of ten.

Positive

The initial setup is straightforward.

The implementation strategy involves careful planning, determining the required components for the server, and configuring all aspects before proceeding with the actual implementation. Once everything is set up according to the plan, the implementation, whether for physical or virtual servers, typically proceeds smoothly without significant complications.

In terms of ROI, we have experienced zero downtime with Dell PowerEdge servers. Proactively, if there is any indication of potential issues or planned maintenance, we always prepare alternative solutions. This approach has proven to be highly cost-effective, ensuring uninterrupted operations in our environment. Over my thirteen years with the company, I cannot recall a single instance where colleagues had to wait due to server issues or encountered any significant problems. Overall, the reliability of Dell PowerEdge servers has contributed significantly to a seamless and dependable work environment.

We are continuously exploring offerings from various companies, always seeking the best solutions. Currently, we have servers from both HP and IBM, and specifically, we've integrated IBM storage and Solar devices for evaluation. This approach allows us to compare and assess their performance before making informed decisions based on our specific needs.

Adopting the PowerEdge Cyber Resilient Architecture for security involves ensuring that all firmware updates released by Dell are diligently applied. Regular updates are consistently implemented to meet standard security protocols. However, there is also a proactive stance in preparing for unforeseen circumstances, acknowledging the importance of expecting the unexpected.

Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

Foreign Language:(German)

Bietet außergewöhnliche Flexibilität, Zuverlässigkeit und Produktivität und gewährleistet einen reibungslosen Betrieb und Skalierbarkeit bei minimalen Ausfallzeiten

Was ist unser Hauptanwendungsfall?

Bisher benötigte jeder einzelne Standort oder jede Funktion einen eigenen zugeordneten Server, um Aufgaben wie Datensicherung, Dateispeicherung, Drucken und Verzeichnisverwaltung durchzuführen. Der aktuelle Ansatz ist jedoch dazu übergegangen, VMware für standortbezogene Funktionen zu verwenden.

Das bedeutet, dass anstelle von separaten Servern für jede Aufgabe eine Virtualisierungstechnologie wie VMware eingesetzt wird, um die Serververwaltung für die verschiedenen Zwecke des Unternehmens zu rationalisieren und zu optimieren.

Wie hat es meiner Organisation geholfen?

Durch die Implementierung der Lösung mit Dell-Servern konnten wir mehrere Herausforderungen lösen, mit denen wir zu kämpfen hatten. Die physische Installation, insbesondere in Rack-Konfigurationen, wurde durch einen optimierten Prozess erheblich vereinfacht - ein einfacher Klick für verschiedene Aufgaben.

In unserer Energieforschung verwenden wir schon seit längerem Dell PowerEdge-Server. Vor kurzem haben wir auch Server von IBM und HPE in unsere Infrastruktur aufgenommen. Wir haben jedoch keinen umfassenden Vergleich durchgeführt, insbesondere nicht hinsichtlich des Stromverbrauchs.

Die PowerEdge-Server haben sich bei der Erfüllung unserer wachsenden Anforderungen als äußerst effektiv gezeigt. Bei der Serverkonfiguration rechnen wir strategisch mit einer Auslastung von etwa fünfzig bis sechzig Prozent und entscheiden uns für eine etwas höhere Konfiguration als unbedingt nötig. Dieser Ansatz hat dafür gesorgt, dass wir bisher keine Probleme hatten.

Dell PowerEdge-Server haben sich positiv auf die Nachhaltigkeitsanforderungen unserer Organisation ausgewirkt. Wir sind mit der bisherigen Leistung der Server äußerst zufrieden und hatten nur geringe Probleme mit der Hardware. Dank des Supports von Dell werden alle Probleme, ob sie nun mit der Hardware oder der Software zu tun haben, umgehend angegangen und behoben.

Der Einsatz von Dell PowerEdge-Rack-Servern hat die Gesamtflexibilität unseres Betriebs erheblich verbessert. Die bemerkenswerte Flexibilität dieser Server hat dazu beigetragen, die Produktivität zu steigern und Ausfallzeiten zu vermeiden.

Was ist am wertvollsten?

Die Integration von Servern mit VMware war ein reibungsloser und positiver Prozess.

Was muss verbessert werden?

Verbesserungsbedarf besteht bei der Kosteneffizienz. Ein weiterer verbesserungswürdiger Bereich könnte der Lieferprozess sein. Gelegentlich kann es zu längeren Wartezeiten zwischen der Bestellung und dem Erhalt der Lieferung kommen.

Wie lange nutze ich die Lösung schon?

Wir verwenden die Lösung nun schon seit über zwanzig Jahren.

Was halte ich von der Stabilität der Lösung?

Wir sind sehr zufrieden mit der Stabilität der Lösung.

Was denke ich über die Skalierbarkeit der Lösung?

Die Skalierbarkeit der Server ist ausgezeichnet. Bei der Umstellung auf VMware bleibt die Skalierbarkeit ein wichtiger Punkt. Unser Ansatz, etwas höher zu konfigurieren als der unmittelbare Bedarf, ermöglicht eine einfache Skalierung ohne größere Herausforderungen.

Wie sind Kundenservice und Support?

Unsere allgemeinen Erfahrungen mit dem Produkt und dem Support waren durchweg ausgezeichnet. Wir würden den Support als sehr effektiv bewerten, da wir auf keine nennenswerten Probleme gestoßen sind. Ich würde ihn mit acht von zehn bewerten.

Wie bewerten Sie den Kundenservice und -support?

Positiv

Wie war die Ersteinrichtung?

Die Ersteinrichtung ist sehr einfach.

Wie sieht es mit dem Implementierungsteam aus?

Die Implementierungsstrategie umfasst eine sorgfältige Planung, die Bestimmung der erforderlichen Komponenten für den Server und die Konfiguration aller Aspekte, bevor mit der eigentlichen Implementierung begonnen wird. Sobald alles entsprechend dem Plan eingerichtet ist, erfolgt die Implementierung, ob für physische oder virtuelle Server, in der Regel reibungslos und ohne größere Verzögerungen.

Was war unser ROI?

Was den ROI betrifft, so haben wir mit Dell PowerEdge-Servern keine Ausfallzeiten erlebt. Falls es irgendwelche Hinweise auf potenzielle Probleme oder geplante Wartungsarbeiten gibt, bereiten wir stets alternative Lösungen vor. Dieser Ansatz hat sich als äußerst kosteneffizient erwiesen und gewährleistet einen ununterbrochenen Betrieb in unserer Arbeitsumgebung. In den dreizehn Jahren meiner Tätigkeit für das Unternehmen kann ich mich an keinen einzigen Fall erinnern, in dem Kollegen aufgrund von Serverproblemen warten mussten oder auf nennenswerte Probleme gestoßen wären. Insgesamt hat die Zuverlässigkeit der Dell PowerEdge-Server wesentlich zu einer reibungslosen und zuverlässigen Arbeitsumgebung beigetragen.

Welche anderen Lösungen habe ich bewertet?

Wir prüfen ständig die Angebote verschiedener Unternehmen und suchen immer nach den besten Lösungen. Derzeit haben wir Server sowohl von HP als auch von IBM im Einsatz und haben speziell IBM-Speicher und Solar-Geräte zur Evaluierung integriert. Dadurch können wir die Leistung der beiden Unternehmen vergleichen und bewerten, bevor wir auf der Grundlage unserer spezifischen Anforderungen eine Entscheidung treffen.

Welche anderen Ratschläge kann ich geben?

Wenn Sie die PowerEdge Cyber Resilient Architecture für die Sicherheit übernehmen, müssen Sie sicherstellen, dass alle von Dell veröffentlichten Firmware-Updates gewissenhaft angewendet werden. Regelmäßige Updates werden konsequent implementiert, um die Standard-Sicherheitsprotokolle zu erfüllen. Es wird jedoch auch eine proaktive Einstellung bei der Vorbereitung auf unvorhergesehene Umstände an den Tag gelegt, denn es ist wichtig, sich auf das Unerwartete vorzubereiten.

Insgesamt würde ich das System mit neun von zehn bewerten.

We are in the aerospace industry. We use the servers in a security-type production.

It improved our management and the product manager's life. The product is a bit complicated but it does the job.

The lightness, automation, and the automatic process that it performs without too many interventions are good. It's just plug-and-play.

In terms of PowerEdge's cyber-resilient architecture approach to security, since the product is on-prem, it is very protected.

PowerEdge Servers helped to reduce unplanned production downtime because of the configuration of our product, it is active-active. It has 99% high reliability. 

So far, we haven't thought of anything that could be improved in the product.

In terms of energy use, it takes up a lot. I wouldn't say it's economical, compared to other products. It's not as economical as HP. NetApp, for example, is 2800 against 800, and Dell is almost three times more massive.

The product is stable.

Scalability is easy and convenient. The product enables us to be more productive and flexible.

I give the support a 10 out of 10. The people are a 10 but I´ll give the waiting time that it takes to get to the technical support and the people an eight.

Positive

In the past we used other products that were not Dell, they were both very durable. Dell is on another level.

I use Dell's professional services during failures and upgrades mainly. The service is excellent.

I did not deploy the product because the company asked to bring in an external professional service to do the installations. My experience with them was pretty straightforward.

I would rate Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers an eight out of ten. 

We continuously expand our data center infrastructure with Dell PowerEdge Servers, deploying virtualization platforms across multiple data centers. As our computing needs grow, we consistently require additional compute resources, leading to ongoing expansion efforts. Each month sees the addition of new PowerEdge Servers to accommodate our evolving requirements.

The most significant benefit we've experienced is the simplicity of working with a single vendor. This streamlined approach has greatly improved our service level experience. Whenever there's an issue, we can quickly reach out to them and receive prompt replacements or support. With ProSupport, the reliability and responsiveness of Dell's support services are truly impressive. We have peace of mind knowing that our technical needs will be addressed swiftly, often with next-day solutions.

Efficiency and power consumption have seen improvements in the last generation of servers. However, it's important to note that these aspects are largely comparable across vendors when utilizing the same hardware components.

The cyber-resilient architecture is a crucial feature, particularly for security purposes. Its inclusion provides reassurance for us as hosts, allowing us to confidently communicate to our customers that we employ this advanced technology in our data centers. This enhances our credibility and serves as a point of trust when engaging with our clients.

PowerEdge Servers have significantly reduced unplanned production data shutdowns, particularly compared to our previous experience with Dell, when we encountered frequent shutdowns due to hardware malfunctions, but with PowerEdge, downtime has been consistently minimal for the past five years. This improvement has greatly benefited both us and our customers, as it allows us to provide services with much better SLAs.

The adoption of the OpenManage Console has impacted our productivity positively as we are currently in the process of rolling it out for our servers.

The standout feature is the remote control accessibility, which allows our team to access and manage the servers locally or remotely. We primarily utilize these servers for virtualization, running VMware to consolidate them into a large data center. This setup perfectly aligns with our specific requirements, and our technical team thoroughly enjoys working with it. We've experienced fewer issues compared to previous hardware solutions from other providers. With PowerEdge servers, our stability has significantly improved.

There might be room for improvement in terms of efficiency, particularly with PowerEdge servers. However, it's worth noting that this issue isn't unique to Dell but rather a general concern across the industry.

We have been using it for almost twenty years.

Stability is paramount, and it's the feedback we consistently receive from our technicians. When we seek their advice on hardware selection for various solutions, they consistently recommend Dell without hesitation.

Scalability is a strong suit, particularly for our high-demand usage scenarios. We leverage storage virtualization with VMware installation, initially setting up nodes with lower capacity. As our needs grow, we can easily expand storage by adding more nodes or increasing capacity. This scalability extends to our infrastructure, allowing for flexible expansion and adaptation as required.

In general, it's common to encounter issues, especially during late hours when support might not be readily available. However, we haven't faced significant problems with our PowerEdge servers. Any challenges we've encountered are more often related to client devices, such as laptops from Dell. When it comes to server support, our experience has been excellent, almost rating it a perfect ten out of ten.

Positive

When comparing Dell PowerEdge servers and services to other options on the market, it's challenging for us to provide a comprehensive evaluation because the majority of our servers in the data center are Dell. Therefore, our main frame of reference is Dell versus alternative solutions. According to feedback from our technicians, Dell is typically preferred over other brands like Dell due to its perceived stability. This comparison is primarily focused on hardware solutions rather than support services.

Deploying Dell PowerEdge servers is straightforward and efficient. It saves us a significant amount of time since it's mostly plug-and-play, with minimal setup required. Our technicians have become accustomed to the process, with approximately fifty percent of the time previously spent on setup now being saved. As we continue to set up numerous Dell servers, we find the process consistently easy and reliable, with no major changes in the setup procedure.

Our primary deployment model for PowerEdge servers revolves around virtualization. While we do have some servers deployed on-premises, the majority are situated in the data center, serving as the backbone for our virtualization solution.

We have a strong agreement in place with our parent company, that typically ensures favorable pricing terms for us, although occasionally we may need to negotiate with Dell representatives for further discounts to provide competitive pricing to our customers.

In our business, we prioritize scalability over a plethora of features. Having identical servers across our infrastructure simplifies support and enhances technician familiarity. This uniformity streamlines processes, making it easier for our team to understand and manage the systems efficiently. Additionally, in our design and digital systems development, we lean towards utilizing Dell for its robust support and scalability, ensuring our solutions can easily scale as needed. Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

The product is used for virtualization. I work for a gas company. We have a lot of locations in France. We use some applications to pilot the process of making gases. In each location, we use Dell PowerEdge to implement and supervise the process of gas production and processing.

The solution is very strong and reliable. The capacity is very good. Whenever I want to add an application server in a production location, I choose Dell PowerEdge. The solution is simple to manage. The maintenance and support are really good. It is easy to use. We did not face any big problems that we couldn’t resolve.

The solution’s sales policies must be changed. Sometimes, we need the tool for a small use case. The vendor must provide cheaper versions of the tool for smaller use cases.

I have been using the solution since 2015.

The tool is stable compared to other products.

The support is really good. The support team is reliable. Compared to HPE, Dell's support is better. The support contracts of Dell are very clear. The communication we have with the salespeople is also very clear. The support team is quick. When we have a problem, we can find a solution quickly. We do not have to wait or send multiple emails to explain our problems.

Positive

We were using other servers before. However, there were long delays in deliveries. We use Microsoft’s operating system. I choose Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers because its compatibility with Microsoft is really good. We can use it with other operating systems, too. We also use HPE's servers.

The solution is expensive. We buy it for three years but use it for five years by extending the guarantee. We have been using it for ten years. It makes it past the depreciation value for a long time. We have to buy new servers every five years. If we need two servers, we buy one, use it for five years, and replace it with a new one. We are using it economically.

We provide products to beverage companies. We also provide medical gases to hospitals. In my company, we are not managing energy. We have a special team with many people who manage energy. We are buying energy. We need to do all the things that are needed to keep the production safe. Energy is not our focus. I have never thought about energy conservation in three years.

We use MPLS and SD-WAN. We have a private network for all our locations. The PowerEdge connects our VLAN and the users’ VLAN. When we want control of our servers, we can take the control directly. If we want to see whether the equipment is working well, we can take control of the switch that communicates to the server.

We have a special VLAN. It’s an administrative VLAN. Only IT persons like me have access to the VLAN. The access is quick and easy because of Dell PowerEdge. The implementation is simple. We use it every time and do not have a problem with it.

We don't use many other servers. We do not have problems with switching Dell PowerEdge on and off. It is really simple for our technicians. The tool has helped us reduce unplanned production downtime. In all our racks, we have an inverter. We have a program to notify the server to back up and shut down cleanly.

When there is a downtime, we only check whether the processing is fine. We have not had any problem with it for many years. It works well. We can do everything we want to do with the tool. When we chose other servers, we faced problems within a year. Dell PowerEdge is a good solution. We have been using it for a long time. The vendor must provide servers for smaller use cases.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

Foreign Language:(French)

Une Solution Robuste Et Fiable Qui Est Facile À Utiliser Et Qui Offre Un Excellent Support Technique

Quel est notre cas d’utilisation principal?

Nous nous servons de ces produits pour de la virtualisation. Je travaille pour une compagnie de gaz. Nous avons beaucoup de sites en France. Nous utilisons certaines des applications pour tester le processus de fabrication de gaz. Sur chaque site, nous utilisons des Dell PowerEdge pour implémenter et surveiller le processus de production et de transformation des gaz.

Qu’est-ce qui est le plus utile?

Cette solution est très robuste et fiable. La capacité est très bonne. Chaque fois que je veux ajouter un serveur d’application sur un site de production, je choisis Dell PowerEdge. Cette solution est simple à gérer. La maintenance et le support sont vraiment très bons. C’est facile à utiliser. Nous n’avons pas rencontré de gros problèmes que nous ne pouvons pas résoudre.

Qu’est-ce qui peut être amélioré?

La politique de vente de cette solution devrait être changée. Nous avons parfois besoin de cet outil pour un cas d’utilisation à petite échelle. Le fournisseur devrait pouvoir proposer des versions de cet outil moins chères pour des cas d’utilisation à petite échelle.

Depuis combien de temps j’utilise cette solution?

J’utilise cette solution depuis 2015.

Quelles sont mes impressions sur la stabilité de cette solution?

Cet outil est stable par rapport à d'autres produits.

Comment sont le service clients et le support?

Le support est vraiment très bon. L'équipe de support est fiable. Par rapport à HPE, le support de Dell est meilleur. Les contrats de support de Dell sont très clairs. La communication qu’on a avec les commerciaux est également très claire. L'équipe support est rapide. Quand nous avons un problème, nous pouvons trouver une solution rapidement. Nous ne devons pas attendre, ni envoyer plusieurs courriels, pour expliquer nos problèmes.

Comment évalueriez-vous le service client et le support?

Positivement.

Quelle solution ai-je utilisé auparavant et pourquoi ai-je changé?

On utilisait d’autres serveurs avant. Par contre, on avait de gros délais de livraison. On utilise le logiciel d’exploitation de Microsoft. Je choisis les serveurs Dell PowerEdge Rack parce que leur compatibilité avec Microsoft est vraiment bonne. On peut s’en servir avec d’autres systèmes d’exploitation. On utilise également des serveurs HPE.

Quelle est mon expérience avec les tarifs, les coûts d’installation et du licensing?

Cette solution est chère. Nous l'achetons pour trois ans mais nous l'utilisons pendant cinq ans en allongeant la garantie. Nous l'utilisons depuis dix ans. Cela dépasse sa valeur d’amortissement de beaucoup de temps. Nous devons acheter des serveurs tous les cinq ans. Si nous avons besoin de deux serveurs, nous en achetons un et on s’en sert pendant cinq ans et puis, nous le remplissons avec un nouveau. Nous nous en servons de manière économique.

Quels autres conseils avez-vous?

Nous fournissons des produits à des compagnies de boissons. Nous fournissons également des gaz à usage médical aux hôpitaux. Dans ma société, nous ne gérons pas l'énergie. Nous avons une équipe spécialisée composée de plusieurs personnes et qui gère l'énergie. Nous achetons de l'énergie. Nous devons faire toutes les choses nécessaires à la sécurité de la production. L'énergie n’est pas notre priorité. Je n’ai accordé aucune pensée à l'économie d'énergie en trois ans.

Nous utilisons des MPLS et des SD-WAN. Nous avons un réseau privé pour tous nos sites. Les PowerEdge sont connectés sur notre VLAN et le VLAN des utilisateurs. Lorsque nous avons besoin de contrôler nos serveurs, nous pouvons directement prendre le contrôle. Si nous voulons vérifier que l'équipement fonctionne bien, nous pouvons prendre le contrôle de la commande qui communique avec le serveur.

Nous avons un VLAN spécial. C’est un VLAN administratif. Seul le personnel informatique, comme moi, ont accès à ce VLAN. L'accès est rapide et facile grâce au Dell PowerEdge. L'implémentation est simple. On l’utilise à chaque fois et nous n’avons aucun souci avec.

Nous n'utilisons pas beaucoup d’autres serveurs. Nous n’avons aucun problème à allumer ou éteindre les Dell PowerEdge. C’est vraiment simple pour nos techniciens. Cet outil nous a aidés à réduire les temps d'arrêts de production imprévus. Nous avons un inverseur dans tous nos racks. Nous avons un programme qui alerte le serveur pour tout sauvegarder et s'éteindre proprement.

Lorsqu’il y a un temps d'arrêt, nous vérifions seulement si le traitement fonctionne bien. Nous n’avons pas eu de problème avec ça depuis plusieurs années. Cela fonctionne bien. On peut faire tout ce que l’on veut avec cet outil. Lorsque nous choisissons d’autres serveurs, nous avons des problèmes la même année. Dell PowerEdge est une bonne solution. Nous nous en servons depuis très longtemps. Le fournisseur devrait fournir des serveurs pour des cas d’utilisation à petite échelle.

Globalement, je donne une note de huit sur dix pour cette solution.

We have two that we use as domain controllers and power servers. We're running an ERP system that is critical to the business, but the majority of our other stuff is cloud-based.

In comparison to what we had before, which was some older Dell equipment, the performance of the PowerEdge Rack Servers is stunning. They have improved the performance of our systems. We've been a Dell house for years and years, and replacing the older Dell equipment with these machines has given us a very positive performance increase.

We're quite a small company, so anything we can throw at any of these servers— they will just eat it for breakfast. We've had no problems with them.

We haven't had any unplanned production downtime. That is down to the quality of the Dell servers.

The fact that they came pre-installed was quite good. We didn't have to worry too much about that process. 

In terms of the usage of the machines themselves, one of the most valuable features is the Hyper-V element, although that's an application on the servers. 

Also, the maintenance part makes it very easy to raise queries and get repairs done.

In terms of handling the evolving needs of high-performance workloads, while I don't have anything to compare these servers against, I have no issues with the performance of our systems. They work as well as I could expect them to. They will be perfectly fine for our workloads.

The rate controller interface is difficult to get to without installing additional software. It would be helpful if they had preinstalled software to make that easily accessible.

The company I'm with at the moment purchased Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers back in 2018 or 2019.

We've never had any outages, so the stability is perfect, or as close to perfect as you can get.

We've had the UPS kick in a couple of times and they've stayed up; they haven't died instantly. They are perfectly acceptable and I can't see any issues with them at all.

We haven't really had to upscale anything on the servers, other than a bit of memory. The particular modules we have are about as high as we can go, but that's fine because we purchased them to be "high-spec'd."

The technical support is very good. We have access to our own account manager and he will pass queries on. And on occasion, I've spoken directly to their support teams. We have been very pleased with the account management from Dell. It's been good.

Positive

We previously used Dell, but older machines. We made the switch because the old kit was getting too old. It was getting to end-of-life, and we needed some performance improvements. The PowerEdge definitely gave us that.

It did the initial setup, more or less, by itself. I did a little bit of fine-tuning here and there, but nothing drastic. It was very easy. 

I was the only person involved. I was responsible for everything from physically getting the stuff in the rack to configuring it and making it live, and everything in between.

We have seen a return on investment because of the performance improvements and the fact that we have had no downtime. That's enough for us.

It's a bit of a shock when you have to find the money, but the pricing is very competitive, so I'm happy with that.

I've been working with Dell for a number of years and never had any issues, so Dell was the go-to solution for me. We had a quick look at other machines in terms of pricing, and there wasn't any particular benefit in terms of pricing by going with someone else. With the history and trust I had in Dell, I went with Dell.

One native OS security feature we use in our environment is Windows Defender, but at the same time, we are running a third-party endpoint protection solution. The native OS security features have had no negative impact. The endpoint protection is on both the clients and servers. We run vulnerability scanning regularly, and we do penetration testing, internal and external, on a regular basis.

As for public cloud servers, we did not consider them before choosing PowerEdge because we use them for internal management. We are looking at cloud solutions, but not for the core, critical servers.

Our main uses for PowerEdge Rack Servers powered by Intel are virtualization, file servers, and Active Directory, which our entire infrastructure sits on.

I have five Dell PowerEdge servers now. About 40,000 users are using these servers. About 70 to 80 people use the file server.

Support for virtualization is very important to us. It provides redundancy when booting from storage, where the servers are loaded from a separate storage. It provides full server support.

The use of OpenManage Console reduces the time it takes to manage PowerEdge Rack Servers in terms of updates and maintenance.

Unfortunately, PowerEdge Rack Servers do not support NVMe storage.

OpenManage Console is slightly confusing, especially after upgrade releases. There isn't a manual for what to do with lifecycle management and in what sequence. I have to rely on user forums instead of Dell in these cases.

This is my third purchase. I bought my first three PowerEdge Rack Servers powered by Intel two years ago.

The primary reason that we chose PowerEdge - they are stable and don’t crash.

I keep my firmware, BIOS, and drivers up-to-date. Regarding security, we have not had any incidents.

The two Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers that I am using solve my needs completely in terms of redundancy and scalability.

I used Dell support a couple of times, and it was okay.

I would rate Dell’s support as eight out of 10. When resolving an issue, they transferred me to multiple support techs. This is because when you reach global support, your request is processed by the operator. Then, there are a few other steps. Usually, I am asked primitive questions before being transferred to Tier 2 or 3, who take a couple of days to get back to me.

Positive

One of the reasons that we choose to use Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers is because we never had a problem with the previous ones. Whereas, we have had servers and blades from Lenovo with a lot of problems. There were constant motherboard failures.

In addition to Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers, we also have Dell's storage. Since there have been no problems with them, except for routine battery changes, we continue to use Dell’s reliable hardware. 

It was straightforward with the help of the Dell wizard. I just needed to connect it to VMware. Obviously, someone has to study when preparing to deploy and configure PowerEdge Rack Servers. In my case, deployment and configuration of two PowerEdge Rack Servers with VMware, cloud, and integration with our storage took about three days.

My strategy was to launch these servers as quickly as possible. First, we made sure that there was communication. Then, we installed clients in VMware. After that, we started installing the PowerEdge Rack Servers.

As an educational institution, we have certain budget restraints. So, we work around our budget and what hardware we can get from it.

We considered Lenovo and HPE, but chose Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers because of their reliability.

Choose stable servers when considering fast servers, because even though they might work fast, they might not last. We have been happy with Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers.

I would absolutely rate PowerEdge Rack Servers as 10 out of 10.

We use this solution for our on-premises infrastructure to mainly provide office support and data storage.

We use it for data storage and it allows for easy access to the data on-premises. It has helped increase staff productivity.

PowerEdge is one of the top solutions when it comes to the security features that it provides including firmware, drift protection, and systems management.

It's a pretty nice system. You can log in to iDRAC, you can look at the logs, the temperature, etc. Essentially, all of the metrics of the server are there, so you can get a complete view and immediately know what's going on.

One of the things that I've noticed is that over time, the system degrades, meaning that little things don't work. For example, the hard drive would need to be replaced or iDRAC would not be functioning properly. We may have to flash the firmware. It is not like some other hardware where it just runs without issues for four or five years. With Dell, generally, there are little hiccups here and there.

I've used PowerEdge Rack Servers on and off for about 20 years.

It's very stable. I would give it a ten out of ten. The system is pretty redundant, so we never really have any downtime.

We have about 250 users. It's used 90% in the company, in terms of our infrastructure. We do not plan to increase usage because we're moving more things to the cloud. We're trying to reduce our server footprint on-premises.

Dell's technical support is pretty good. I'd give them a ten out of ten.

Positive

We've always switched between Dell and HP, depending on the current state and the cost. The reason for switching is primarily the cost involved.

The initial setup is not intuitive. The first one took a while, but after that, we were done within an hour.

When deploying the PowerEdge solution, we were able to use the automated server and OS deployment features, but I had to talk to Dell support. They had to walk me through it. However, once you do it once, it becomes very easy.

We implemented it ourselves with help from Dell's technical support.

For deployment and maintenance, we need one person.

When you compare public cloud solutions to PowerEdge in terms of cost, initially the cost of Dell servers or Dell technology was really high. However, right now it's on par and maybe even cheaper when we use Dell hardware. If we don't swap it out in three years and stretch it to four or five years, then we can get even more of an ROI versus cloud cost.

We've always chosen HP or Dell depending on the year, the product, and any promotions offered by the respective companies. We generally use Dell laptops, so by default we often go with Dell servers as part of the ecosystem.

I highly recommend Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers; they are solid. If you do your due diligence and do your homework or your janitorial work, they'll never break.

I would give this solution a ten on a scale from one to ten.

We use it in the media industry.

Our customers have numerous benefits, including an array of features such as RAM quantity, CPU power, and storage capacity.

Our energy consumption was quite high five years ago when we were a service provider. Today, over the last two generations, our power consumption has decreased significantly. This reduction is highly beneficial for our operations.

The flexibility is commendable. Whenever we need to perform any task on our records or servers, the process is smooth and swift. In the twenty years of using Dell, we haven't encountered any troubles, problems, or issues, which speaks volumes about the reliability of their products.

The enduring stability and longevity offered by Dell PowerEdge Rack Servers stand out as their most invaluable feature. These qualities enable organizations to deploy and utilize the same server model for extended periods, bolstered by Dell's steadfast guarantee.

The pricing structure could be improved.

I have been using it for over ten years.

Stability is excellent overall. We've encountered only one issue, which pertained to a SAN rather than a server. This occurred due to a peak in energy, affecting the controller within the rack. Nonetheless, stability remains consistent for our servers.

Scalability is truly excellent, as we can start with a certain number of memory units, and when a customer requests additional memory or space, we can easily upgrade. This process is fast and straightforward, making it highly beneficial.

We've relied on tech support for at least twenty years, and every time we've reached out, we've received swift and effective solutions. I would rate it nine out of ten.

Positive

The advantage of Dell over other vendors lies in the fact that over the course of twenty years, we've consistently opted for solutions that include mission-critical assistance. However, we've only needed to utilize this assistance twice in two decades. This demonstrates the exceptional quality of Dell's hardware, which has been thoroughly tested and proven reliable—an essential feature and service for us.

Deploying was simple. We were assigned directly to the data center. As consultants, we began by working directly in the rack. We initiated the installation process, starting with the hypervisor, and everything proceeded smoothly.

Twenty years ago, we used to purchase directly from Dell. However, they later decided to sell only through partners in Italy. Consequently, when we transitioned to buying from partners, we also became partners ourselves. At present, the pricing seems a bit high for us. While we manage to procure products through competitive bidding, the list pricing remains challenging for us. This difficulty primarily arises when selling to customers, especially medium-sized ones requiring only two or three servers.

Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.