Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series Reviews

Name: Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series
Brand: Lenovo
Rating: 3.9 (14 reviews)

3.9 out of 5

14 reviews
60% willing to recommend

What is Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series?

To meet enterprise storage requirements, ThinkSystem All-Flash DM Series systems provide high performance, superior flexibility, and best-in-class data management. DM Series runs on ONTAP data management software, which gives customers unified storage across block-and-file workloads. It accelerates your business while improving the efficiency, flexibility, and reliability of your IT operations.

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Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series is the #25 ranked solution in best All-Flash Storage Arrays. PeerSpot users give Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series an average rating of 7.8 out of 10. Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series is most commonly compared to Dell PowerStore: Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series vs Dell PowerStore. Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series is popular among the large enterprise segment, accounting for 46% of users researching this solution on PeerSpot. The top industry researching this solution are professionals from a computer software company, accounting for 21% of all views.

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All-Flash Storage

March 2025

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Featured Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series reviews

Mark Richmond

Chief Technology Officer at Next Level Communications

We use on-premise servers with Lenovo ThinkSystem. We set up Hyper-V and load multiple types of servers including a domain controller, a SQL Server, and application servers The solution provides fast servers that are reasonably priced. We set up RAID ten to ensure drive redundancy, leading to…

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Sanjesh Kumar

System Engineer at Tech Data GmbH

My experience with the Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series is very good. The pricing is okay, and it's one of the best systems. I rate the overall solution an eight out of ten. I advise using the tool; it is the best solution. Don't be misled by some people who say this is a Chinese company; this is incorrect. It is not a Chinese company but an international and big company. Lenovo currently offers many products for AI projects. I hope it becomes the number one distributor for AI next year.

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Sanjesh Kumar

System Engineer at Tech Data GmbH

The DM Series uses ONTAP software from NetApp, which is complex. You can't run this system if you don't have experience with ONTAP, then you can't install this system. We install the systems for the end customer. Last year, I did a DM Series installation with my colleague, and this installation was effortless because we had Lenovo support on the phone, so it was easy to get help if we had any problems.

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Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series mindshare

As of March 2025, the mindshare of Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series in the All-Flash Storage category stands at 2.3%, down from 2.9% compared to the previous year, according to calculations based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

All-Flash Storage

Key learnings from peers

Last updated Mar 16, 2025

Valuable Features

Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series offers valuable features including FlexClone, clustering for high availability, cloud tiering with Azure or AWS, and effective data management via deduplication, compression, and software encryption. It provides strong performance guarantees, efficient storage with the 1:3:1 Promise, and useful ONTAP features like snapshotting. Its competitive pricing, speed, and user-friendliness add to its appeal for organizations seeking reliable storage systems.

"One of the most valuable features of Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series is the snapshot feature."
"It has been a perfect fit for the workload that our customer is doing."
"The servers are fast and affordable."

Room for Improvement

Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series faces several challenges. Users highlight complex licensing lacking flexibility, slow management console access, and high costs. Configuration and deployment are deemed difficult, with limited marketing awareness. Essential features like clustering mode and IBM Easy Tier are absent, and storage options are narrow. Complaints about slow data restoration, complicated pricing tools, and inadequate after-sales service are frequent. Better licensing, faster drive throughput, and improved features such as deduplication are sought by users.

"Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series is not stable. If I have sold fifty boxes, about fifty percent of them experienced failure."
"Lenovo could have a wider variety of storage solutions in the NAS space."
"There might be improvements needed in drive throughput as disk speed has been a limitation on Windows servers."

ROI

Users found Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series enhanced data management efficiency and storage performance. Several users noted significant cost savings and operational improvements, with reduced downtime and faster access speeds. Many users appreciated the scalability offered, which allowed for easy adaptation to varying workloads. Enhanced security features were frequently highlighted as a plus, leading to better data protection and compliance with regulatory requirements, making Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series a valuable investment.

Pricing

Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series offers flexible pricing and licensing with two software tiers: basic and premium. Users highlight competitive pricing comparable to Dell and HPE, with some noting it to be more cost-effective than HP servers. Though initially perceived as high, costs can be negotiated for a single set price without hidden fees. Additional expenses may occur for features like replication and deduplication, while Lenovo provides guidance in pricing calculations.

"The solution's pricing is similar to Dell and HPE."
"The solution is highly-priced."
"The price of the Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series is good."

Popular Use Cases

The primary use case for Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series includes IT infrastructure renewal for customers, unified storage, ERP, BI, production, PLM, and CAD applications. Organizations deploy the system to update hardware, utilize it for VMware backend infrastructure, file storage, SMB sharing, and sandbox environments. It is implemented as a storage hub in industries like healthcare and auto parts manufacturing, supporting both NAS and SAN with cloud tiering capabilities.

Service and Support

Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series support varies with some users finding it reliable and effective, rating it four out of five, while others face delays, especially after 6 PM, and require overseas assistance. Some users are satisfied, describing it as good, while others mention lengthy issue resolutions and technical problems. The absence of local support leads some to rely on the company site. Some experience bad service, rating it poorly, while others report reliable past assistance for servers.

Deployment

Some found Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series initial setup complex, particularly without ONTAP expertise. Others described it as straightforward, completed within hours. Familiarity with storage systems eased the process. While Lenovo improves technician accessibility, initial setup varies with project size, with small deployments taking just hours. Assistance from Lenovo support made installation easy for seasoned teams. Specialized teams encountered minimal difficulty, completing setup in two to three hours with expert support.

Scalability

Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series offers strong scalability, suitable for medium to large businesses. User experience varies, noting possible cost increases with expanding storage due to technology updates. Though it easily accommodates varying workloads, there are constraints related to drive slots and client-side connections. It's an expensive system, adaptable for different company sizes, provided adequate resources. Some users highlight the need for additional enclosures for expansion, rating scalability highly despite these factors.

Stability

Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series receives mixed feedback on stability. Many express satisfaction, stating it's reliable without issues such as bugs or crashes. Several users rate its stability highly, citing improved performance over older systems. Other users, however, mention instability, noting concerns about resilience, with some experiencing significant failure rates. Comparisons with IBM's performance show disparities, indicating varying experiences among users regarding reliability and performance of Lenovo ThinkSystem DM Series.

These insights are based on the in-depth reviews provided by peers to help you make a better buying decision.

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