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Aliyar Balikci - PeerSpot reviewer
Information Technology Senior Administrator at Genpa
Real User
Top 10
Good performance but technical support needs improvement
Pros and Cons
  • "It's easy to use, has good stability, and many features."
  • "IBM's support is not good. I experienced a big problem where I opened the console IBM Storage and would see that something was broken. I called the call centers, and I said, "I have a problem. My drive is not working." They want me to give them the serial number, I gave it to them and they told me "I cannot find your product. Your product is not here.""

What needs improvement?

The prices are high. Except for this, there is nothing I don't like in FlashSystem. Before IBM Flash, I was using NetApp 2020. You can't easily do what you want to do with NetApp. It takes more time to take snapshots, it takes more time to do deduplication. 

FlashSystem is better than the old system. I recommend it to my friends who ask what to pick.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe for about three years.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

FlashSystem doesn't have any limitations. 

How are customer service and support?

IBM's support is not good. I experienced a big problem where I opened the console IBM Storage and would see that something was broken. I called the call centers, and I said, "I have a problem. My drive is not working." They want me to give them the serial number, I gave it to them and they told me "I cannot find your product. Your product is not here."

It was unbelievable. I had purchased it a week prior. I was the first person in Turkey to buy it. They said they couldn't help me. I ended up fixing it myself. 

Buyer's Guide
IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Before buying IBM Flash, I tested many flash storage solutions. For example, I tested Pure Storage for about one and a half months, Huawei Storage, and Dell Storage. I tested and compared the performance results. 

I also tested Iometer. When we run the Imeter on NetApp, the performance result is not the same. It immediately goes down and suddenly, goes up. It's not stable. But when we were testing Pure Storage, we found it to be very good. It's stable. It goes on the same line. When I tested Dell Storage and removed the controller or hard drive manually I saw the performance go down. Dell goes down, and Huawei goes down. When I did the same test on Pure Storage,  the performance was near the same. Because of this, I would recommend Pure Storage. I plan to buy it when I have the budget for it. 

What other advice do I have?

I would rate IBM FlashSystem a seven out of ten. The performance is good but the support is not. It's easy to use, has good stability, and many features. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Executive IT at GBEL
Real User
Top 5
Useful for databases and web applications but costly
Pros and Cons
  • "What I like about the product are its high availability, maximum efficiency in performance, and its ability to handle a high level of I/O operations."
  • "I would like to see IBM products become more affordable because they can be quite expensive, which limits their accessibility to a broader customer base."

What is our primary use case?

I use it for a wide range of use cases such as databases and web applications.

What is most valuable?

What I like about the product are its high availability, maximum efficiency in performance, and its ability to handle a high level of I/O operations. This makes it very effective in reducing operational issues and ensuring smooth, reliable data processing.

What needs improvement?

I would like to see IBM products become more affordable because they can be quite expensive, which limits their accessibility to a broader customer base.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe for a couple of years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe is fairly scalable. Approximately 25 people use it at my company. 

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is good.

How was the initial setup?

The setup can be complex, but with training and experience in the technology, it becomes easier to manage. Overall, it is considered complex for newcomers. The maintenance is done by our engineers.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The product is very expensive.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to new users is to be aware that the product can be slow for general purposes. It is designed with specific use cases in mind, so ensure it aligns with your specific needs and purpose before using it. Overall, I would rate IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe as a seven out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
KashifAdeel - PeerSpot reviewer
Pre-Sales Consultant - Infrastructure at InfoTech Group
Real User
Top 5
An easy-to-setup solution with user-friendly technology
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a very stable solution."
  • "The solution's compression feature could be better."

What is most valuable?

The solution provides unique and user-friendly technology.

What needs improvement?

The solution's compression or deduplication features over volume need improvement. Also, the scalability of its box setup could be better.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using the solution since 2012.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a very stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. I rate its scalability a nine out of ten. It is suitable for medium to enterprise customers.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support team is proactive, although their services are costly.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The solution is easy to install. It took us around two to five hours to complete the initial configuration. Afterwards, it took us three days to migrate the data.

What about the implementation team?

The implementation team for the solution involved three executives from the vendor's support team, along with me as an architect for POC.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution's price is competitive with other products like Dell and Huawei. Also, the customers have to pay one time cost for it.

What other advice do I have?

I advise others to use the solution if they require good system performance and scalability. The product is excellent; I rate it a nine out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
PeerSpot user
General Manager at SinergyHard Ecuador
Real User
Scalable with good visualization and flash copy capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "The high performance and high availability improved our overall processes."
  • "Other vendors have included a block and file system. IBM doesn't include a file system. And yet, it's very necessary for all organizations' networks to have file systems. We have other systems for the file system, however, ideally, we would like to have one system with these features."

What is our primary use case?

We primarily use the solution for the database.

How has it helped my organization?

The high performance and high availability improved our overall processes.

What is most valuable?

The visualization, flash copy, and HyperSwap are the solution's most valuable features. The visualization in particular is stellar. It's very, very easy to use.

What needs improvement?

Other vendors have included a block and file system. IBM doesn't include a file system. And yet, it's very necessary for all organizations' networks to have file systems. We have other systems for the file system, however, ideally, we would like to have one system with all the features we need instead of having different solutions for certain aspects.

For how long have I used the solution?

Although I had been using the solution previously, I stopped using the solution about six months ago.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is very stable. It's reliable. We never had a problem with bugs or glitches. It never froze on us.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The system is very scalable. It's actually too much for our entire organization. We don't need the level of scalability offered.

At the time of the implementation, the FlashSystem had over 5,000 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is very good. Overall, I'd rate it nine out of ten. They could guarantee the time it would take to provide answers, however, so that we know when to expect results and aren't waiting on them to respond.

In terms of replacing parts, it would be nice if they could say something like "this will take us two days or two hours". It would help us manage expectations for turnaround.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is very easy and very quick. It's not too complex. We found it to be rather straightforward.

The advantage of FlashSystem is the stellar visualization of data integration. We deployed the solution very quickly due to the fact that, when the system was implemented, the migration was transparent. The tools make everything very clear for the user.

What other advice do I have?

IBM FlashSystem is an excellent product. That said, I don't recommend it to vendors due to the fact that IBM doesn't have a file system. For the operator, it's difficult to work with different types of storage. Again, we need to have one solution, one software that encapsulates everything, and right now, IBM is missing the file system.

On a scale from one to ten, I would rate the solution at a nine.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
reviewer1364211 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Client Specialist at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Reseller
High performance, stable, and the technical support is good
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is the speed."
  • "The pricing should be more competitive."

What is our primary use case?

We are a solution provider and this is one of the storage systems that we resell to our clients.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is the speed.

What needs improvement?

The pricing should be more competitive.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with this product for about five years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This is a stable product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I think that this FlashSystem is scalable. Our customers for this product are usually medium-sized companies with between 200 and 300 users.

How are customer service and technical support?

The technical support is good.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is straightforward and it usually takes about a day to deploy.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The price of the FlashSystem 9100 NVMe is reasonable.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: reseller
PeerSpot user