Buurst SoftNAS vs Dell PowerScale comparison

Why PeerSpot?

Buurst and Dell Technologies are both solutions in the NAS category. Buurst is ranked #17 with an average rating of 7.0, while Dell Technologies is ranked #1 with an average rating of 8.8. Buurst holds a 1.5% mindshare in N, compared to Dell Technologies’s 13.3% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Buurst users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of Dell Technologies users who would recommend it.

Buurst SoftNAS

Read 1 Buurst SoftNAS review

841 Views
841 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Dell PowerScale

Read 107 Dell PowerScale reviews

18,812 Views
10,535 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Buurst SoftNAS

Dell PowerScale

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Buurst SoftNAS and Dell PowerScale based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, NetApp, CTERA and others in NAS.

To learn more, read our detailed NAS Report (Updated: September 2026).

Buyer's Guide

NAS

September 2026

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Helped 914,938 peers since 2012

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

Buurst SoftNAS

Ranking in NAS

17th

Average Rating

7.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Dell PowerScale

Ranking in NAS

1st

Average Rating

8.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

107

Ranking in other categories

File and Object Storage (1st)

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the NAS category, the mindshare of Buurst SoftNAS is 1.5%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerScale is 13.3%, down from 16.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

NAS Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Dell PowerScale	13.3%
Buurst SoftNAS	1.5%
Other	85.2%

NAS

Featured Reviews

SwapnilDaga

Infrastructure Architect at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees

Shared file access has improved collaboration but documentation and support still need work

Buurst SoftNAS can be improved regarding enterprise features, as those are not yet matured enough for enterprises. It covers most of the NAS requirements, but some of the advanced features available in premium storage platforms could be more mature. Organizations like ours, which are highly specialized for storage requirements, need additional validation before large-scale deployments. Regarding the needed improvements, I think the documentation and troubleshooting guides are not up to standard and could be improved. The best practices, architectures, and advanced configuration examples should be included in those documentations. Customer support for Buurst SoftNAS can be improved, as I have not seen major support.

Read full review

RahulSharma8

Storage Platform Engineer at Expedia Group

Unified file sharing has simplified multi-tenant access and has delivered seamless data replication

Dell PowerScale (Isilon) includes its replication features; when we decommissioned our old Isilon cluster, we migrated all of the data to a new cluster, and it was pretty seamless. All you have to do is create the certificates and make those certificates available to the target cluster, then initiate a few jobs. The inter-cluster replication feature, called SyncIQ, allows you to set up all of the jobs and move your data entirely, either timely or all at once. Another suitable feature is the ability to back up your directories; you can take snapshots for all of your directories, and in fact, I believe you can take around a thousand snapshots for a single directory. The inter-replication, geo-replication is one feature. Dell provides a variety class of hardware suitable for your workloads, meaning if your data is just lab and not critical, you don't have to spend much on the hardware; conversely, if your data is mission-critical, you can buy a high-performance node from Dell. Additionally, you can span Dell PowerScale (Isilon) cluster to a large number of nodes, and code upgrades are pretty smooth because all protocols will be upgraded under a single piece of code. Since it provides a single file system that spans across the nodes, you don't have to worry about that directory structure being separately created on individual nodes, making it a fitting solution for a data lake solution because you can access the same data from multiple protocols.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Buurst SoftNAS has impacted my organization positively through cost efficiency compared to other NAS platforms, offering a compelling value proposition."

"The solution in general has allowed us to move off of multiple Windows boxes where they had huge data stores, and we migrated it to the Isilon, making it easier and more cost-effective with just one point of contact."

"Operational efficiency with Dell PowerScale is relatively easy to operate."

"The most valuable feature for me is SyncIQ."

"It's easy to manage. The web UI is very intuitive, and there's CLI also that you can use to manage it."

"Dell PowerScale has positively impacted my organization as the students and the teachers are much happier using our services."

"Customer service is absolutely satisfying, rating at least nine out of ten, as they have managed previous issues well."

"Our main goal is to do disaster recovery with whatever solution we use and Isilon makes it pretty simple to replicate those workloads over to our secondary data center."

"Features like ransomware protection, file lock retention, and third-party integrations (e.g., Superna for ransomware protection) are significant benefits."

More Dell PowerScale pros

Cons

"Buurst SoftNAS can be improved regarding enterprise features, as those are not yet matured enough for enterprises."

"Dell PowerScale can improve in speed and IO throughput."

"The initial setup for this solution is complex."

"Dell PowerScale (Isilon) could improve the load distribution capability. For example, in some cases, the system load is not distributed automatically on all the nodes but is concentrated only on one. You have a peak request on only one node and the others don't do anything."

"The only thing that I think PowerScale could do better is improving the HTTP data access protocol. At the present, you cannot protect access to data via HTTP or HTTPS the same way that you can secure data access through other protocols like NFS or SMB[...]the Unified Permission Model that would allow a user to authenticate before being able to access a private file, does not apply."

"There are some missing features in the product, especially when our company needs to do some tape backup, and we see that the tool doesn't have integration capabilities."

"A recent development is, that there's a key feature coming out in OneFS 9.3, however, when you then try to get to 9.3 or 9.4 of the OneFS, it's been pulled from the download of the Dell website and we're referring back to 9.2.1 as the target code."

"The biggest weakness is small file handling. Small file compression options are not enabled out of the box. It would be good to have this enabled by default."

"I have escalated questions to the technical support team of Dell, and I find the support center to be very poor compared to what it was during EMC's time."

More Dell PowerScale cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

Information not available

"The pricing is excellent."

"It is a really expensive solution."

"It is an expensive solution."

"I always want things to be less expensive. However, I would say the pricing is fair. Their costs are in alignment with their competitors. It is a good value for the money."

"The general cost for a system like this is expensive. The total cost depends on your use case. You need to pay for every additional feature that you use."

"The solution's licensing cost varies based on capacity and performance requirements."

"The price of Dell PowerScale (Isilon) is reasonable."

"Dell PowerScale (Isilon) is an expensive solution."

More Dell PowerScale pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Manufacturing Company

10%

Outsourcing Company

Financial Services Firm

Government

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	30
Midsize Enterprise	23
Large Enterprise	66

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Buurst SoftNAS?

My experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Buurst SoftNAS was that the pricing was initially high. After discussions with the team of Buurst SoftNAS, I was able to negotiate, and as ...

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What needs improvement with Buurst SoftNAS?

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Buurst SoftNAS?

I have been using Buurst SoftNAS for two years. File workloads are my main use case for Buurst SoftNAS, and the SMB environments are where we primarily use Buurst SoftNAS. We provide our users with...

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?

The on-premises solution with Dell PowerScale, when we buy directly from Dell, is economical. We have done some level of comparison. Although in the current markets we have seen the price differenc...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?

Dell PowerScale can improve in speed and IO throughput. Additionally, it could benefit from more integration options and additional automation activities. I would add that some competitors in the m...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Dell EMC PowerScale (Isilon)?

My main use case for Dell PowerScale is for S3 or NAS. Dell PowerScale plays a role in my organization's AI initiatives as it supports AI-driven data insights, automation, and advanced workloads.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 23% of the time

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Compared 22% of the time

Huawei N2000 V3 Series NAS Storage System vs Buurst SoftNAS

Compared 20% of the time

NetApp FAS Series vs Buurst SoftNAS

Compared 19% of the time

HPE 3PAR StoreServ vs Buurst SoftNAS

Compared 5% of the time

More Buurst SoftNAS Competitors

NetApp FAS Series vs Dell PowerScale

Compared 16% of the time

Everpure FlashBlade vs Dell PowerScale

Compared 7% of the time

Qumulo vs Dell PowerScale

Compared 5% of the time

VAST Data vs Dell PowerScale

Compared 3% of the time

Dell ObjectScale vs Dell PowerScale

Compared 3% of the time

More Dell PowerScale Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

NAS

September 2026

Download Buurst SoftNAS product report

Buyer's Guide

Dell PowerScale

September 2026

Download Dell PowerScale product report

Also Known As

SoftNAS Cloud Enterprise

PowerScale, Dell EMC Isilon

Overview

Buurst SoftNAS offers scalable cloud storage solutions designed to meet demanding data management requirements. Ideal for businesses seeking to optimize their cloud infrastructure, Buurst SoftNAS provides flexible deployment options and ensures data protection and high availability.

Designed for enterprise use, Buurst SoftNAS supports seamless migration to the cloud while maintaining secure and reliable access to critical data. Offering comprehensive file storage support, it empowers businesses to increase efficiency and manage data more effectively. With its adaptability and robust features, SoftNAS delivers an optimized solution tailored to meet business-specific demands in the cloud environment.

What are the key features of Buurst SoftNAS?

Performance: Optimizes storage performance with fine-tuned settings.
Security: Ensures data protection through encryption and access control.
Scalability: Easily scales storage capacity to meet growing data needs.
High Availability: Offers continuous access to data with failover protection.
Cross-Platform Support: Integrates with different OS environments seamlessly.

What are the ROI benefits when evaluating Buurst SoftNAS?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces storage costs with optimized cloud usage.
Business Continuity: Minimizes downtime with robust data protection.
Enhanced Productivity: Boosts operational efficiency by simplifying access to data.
Future-Proofing: Keeps businesses agile in adapting to new storage demands.

Buurst SoftNAS can be implemented in industries such as healthcare, finance, and media, where data integrity and security are paramount. In these sectors, it enhances data management strategies by providing scalable and secure cloud storage, allowing organizations to meet industry-specific regulatory requirements and improve data workflow efficiency.

Buurst

As a storage engine in Dell AI Data Platform, Dell PowerScale is the world's #1 scale-out NAS platform for enterprise unstructured data. Trusted by more than 25,000 customers, including more than 1,500 customers running GPU workloads, PowerScale uses OneFS operating system to provide a single namespace and unified file and object access for AI/ML training, RAG pipelines, analytics, media production, and life sciences, and other demanding workloads. PowerScale F710 was the world’s first Ethernet-based storage appliance certified with NVIDIA DGX SuperPOD. Selected configurations support NVIDIA GPUDirect Storage, pNFS, and NFS over RDMA for high-throughput parallel AI data access. PowerScale supports near-linear, non-disruptive scaling from terabytes to petabytes. Available in all-flash, hybrid, and archive configurations for on-premises and cloud deployment options, including AWS and Azure. Supported next-generation configurations deliver up to 35 GB/s read throughput per node.

Dell PowerScale Isilon provides a comprehensive platform for unstructured data, excelling in scalability, management, and performance. With features like single-pane management, SyncIQ, and SmartQuotas, it handles large datasets with flexibility and robust security. Its multi-protocol support and seamless expansion improve operational efficiency. While it offers strong data protection, enhancements in cloud integration, cybersecurity, and performance are sought. Users note potential for cost reductions and streamlined configurations and mention desired improvements in object storage handling and NFS support.

What are the key features of Dell PowerScale Isilon?

Single-pane management: Simplifies data control and monitoring through a unified interface.
SyncIQ: Ensures efficient data replication for business continuity.
SmartQuotas: Provides intelligent quota management for optimized storage allocation.
Multi-protocol support: Facilitates cross-platform data access and integration.
Seamless storage expansion: Allows effortless scaling to accommodate growing data needs.

What benefits should users consider when reviewing Dell PowerScale Isilon?

Operational efficiency: Reduces workload with easy management and automation.
Enhanced security: Offers comprehensive data protection and recovery options.
Scalability: Supports large-scale data storage with flexible growth capabilities.
Performance: Delivers high-speed data processing for demanding applications.
Integration flexibility: Adapts to on-prem and hybrid cloud environments for diverse deployment needs.

Organizations across industries utilize Dell PowerScale Isilon for large-scale unstructured storage, supporting applications like video archiving, genomic data storage, and high-resolution imaging. Educational institutions, research centers, and media enterprises rely on its scaled-out storage capabilities, providing centralized, secure storage for diverse applications in hybrid, cloud, and on-prem environments.

Dell Technologies

Sample Customers

Netflix, Boeing, Nike, Coca Cola, Hearst, Ndemand, Carbon Media Group, Atypon, The Street, MagHub, CenturyLink, InfoSys

OMRF, University of Utah, Translational Genetics Research Institute, Arcis, Geofizyka Torumn, Cyprus E&P Corporation, Colburn School, Columbia Sportswear, Harvard Medical School, University of Michigan, National Library of France,

Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, NetApp, CTERA and others in NAS. Updated: September 2026.

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