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Cisco MDS Series vs Dell PowerVault comparison

Cisco and Dell Technologies are both solutions in the Enterprise SAN category. Cisco is ranked #3 with an average rating of 10.0, while Dell Technologies is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2. Cisco holds a 7.6% mindshare in ES, compared to Dell Technologies’s 30.4% mindshare. Additionally, 80% of Cisco users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Dell Technologies users who would recommend it.
Cisco MDS Series
Read 9 Cisco MDS Series reviews
  • 809 Views
  • 512 Comparison Views
80% willing to recommend
Dell PowerVault
Read 23 Dell PowerVault reviews
  • 1,020 Views
  • 746 Comparison Views
100% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between Cisco MDS Series and Dell PowerVault based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Enterprise SAN solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.

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To learn more, read our detailed Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault Report (Updated: April 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault
April 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

Cisco MDS Series
Ranking in Enterprise SAN
3rd
Average Rating
9.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.5
Number of Reviews
9
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Dell PowerVault
Ranking in Enterprise SAN
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.9
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
Fibre Channel (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2025, in the Enterprise SAN category, the mindshare of Cisco MDS Series is 7.6%, down from 27.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerVault is 30.4%, up from 4.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Enterprise SAN
 

Featured Reviews

OğuzKalaycı - PeerSpot reviewer
Ensures consistent availability during updates and integrates seamlessly
I am using Cisco MDS in SAN environments for storage connections and server connections The product is very stable and performs well. During the update periods, the devices do not need to reload, ensuring constant availability. It is easy to set up and use. I do not have a central management…
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SigfridCecillon - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers good stability and simplicity
The room for improvement lies in the responsiveness and real-time feedback of the web server setup. We could set up the installation through a web server, but it's not very reactive on the web server. For example, when you launch a task, and you don't know exactly if the task has begun or if the task is in progress, or if it's finished. You have to wait for three to five to ten minutes to be sure that the task is running or in progress or finished. So at that point, it's not very good. For the rest, we have a good organization for the platform. And it's working everywhere. Another area of improvement is duplication.
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

"The product is easy to use."
"The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is security."
"The product is very stable and performs well."
"SAN switches in Cisco MDS Series are a valuable feature of the solution for our company."
"The most valuable feature of the Cisco MDS Series is its reliability, support, and scalability."
"The features I found most valuable are the ease of deployment, it's easy to upgrade, easy to configure and easy to administer. There is no need for vendor professional services which saves project cost. The usage of WebUI for all primary features like hostname, IP address, SNMP traps, zone sets, addition and deletion of zone members or zone sets, backup of switch DB is very simple."
"The issues with these switches are extremely rare, and the whole product line is very predictable and stable."
"The most valuable features of this solution are the devices, databases, and zoning."
"PowerVault comes with free software that performs functions like data deduplication and replication, which is cost-effective and delivers added value to the product."
"For us, the initial setup was easy."
"Dell PowerVault is cheap."
"The most valuable feature of Dell PowerVault is its performance."
"The stability is quite good. Once you deploy all the equipment, it's very stable."
"The solution is reliable and stable."
"The initial setup was easy and simple."
"I find this solution to be cost-effective in providing data storage for clients."
More Dell PowerVault pros
 

Cons

"The product is very expensive."
"The licensing model could be less complicated."
"It is quite a stable product. It should be shipped with the latest firmware to avoid download and upload schema at the beginning of the initial setup. There should also be the possibility of downgrading the firmware when required. WebUI needs DCNM instead a web-based GUI should be made available like Brocade san switch."
"I do not have a central management software to manage these products due to the licensing cost. It would be beneficial to have central management software for easier handling."
"Cisco MDS Series can improve by having API functionality for automation and programming."
"The solution's management interface and GUI need improvement."
"The GUI client is Java-based and we know that Java is not secure, so everyone disables it."
"Cisco MDS Series could improve by adding more gigahertz. However, they are doing this over time."
"Sometimes integrating into a cluster can be difficult as you have to do it manually."
"Dell PowerVault could improve by having a higher cache and file protocol support added."
"PowerVault doesn't integrate with Active Directory. Other storage solutions offer SAN and NAS unified storage in a single appliance, but PowerVault is only SAN."
"I would like to see improvements made to the user interface."
"In the next release, I would like the deduplication and compression included, as well as the flash technology. It doesn't currently use it."
"In most instances, clients are using Dell PowerVault with tape drives, but we want to transition them away from tape drives due to the risk of data loss."
"PowerVault could be improved by increasing its memory cache capacity and adding the ability to export data to the cloud."
"If the solution came with a synchronous application, it would be particularly advantageous for small businesses operating across multiple sites."
More Dell PowerVault cons
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The price of the Cisco MDS Series is high."
"It's perpetual licensing and maintenance is a recurrent cost."
"Pricing cannot be considered an advantageous trait of the solution since it is expensive. I rate the solution's pricing a three out of ten."
"They are offering a wide range of support models for the customers such as basic support that is budget-friendly, but they also provide a professional support solution that is a bit costly"
"I rate the product price a nine on a scale of one to ten, where one is low, and ten is high."
"The product is inexpensive."
"The price of Dell PowerVault could be reduced. It is more expensive than some IBM solutions."
"I would rate the pricing model a nine out of ten, with one being expensive and ten being cheap."
"I rate the solution's pricing a seven to eight out of ten."
"It is important to remember that the retail price may seem high, but the final price is usually different."
"The solution is more cost-effective than the competitors. It’s an affordable option for small businesses."
More Dell PowerVault pricing and cost advice
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
25%
Government
13%
Financial Services Firm
9%
Educational Organization
7%
Computer Software Company
16%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Government
9%
Financial Services Firm
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Cisco MDS Series?
The product is easy to use.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Cisco MDS Series?
The pricing could be improved as the solution is very expensive. I am on a yearly payment basis.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Cisco MDS Series?
I do not have a central management software to manage these products due to the licensing cost. It would be beneficial to have central management software for easier handling.
See all answers
What do you like most about Dell PowerVault?
Dell PowerVault offers valuable full flash storage.
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerVault?
I rate the solution's pricing a seven to eight out of ten.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Dell PowerVault?
The product is generally stable, but there have been instances, to my knowledge, where we faced issues in the controller during software upgrades. The availability is not at the desired level durin...
See all answers
 

Comparisons

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Compared 63% of the time
HPE B-series SN6000B Fibre Channel Switch vs Cisco MDS Series Logo
HPE B-series SN6000B Fibre Channel Switch vs Cisco MDS Series
Compared 37% of the time
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Dell PowerStore vs Dell PowerVault Logo
Dell PowerStore vs Dell PowerVault
Compared 60% of the time
HPE StoreOnce vs Dell PowerVault Logo
HPE StoreOnce vs Dell PowerVault
Compared 19% of the time
Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) vs Dell PowerVault Logo
Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) vs Dell PowerVault
Compared 12% of the time
Lenovo Storage V Series vs Dell PowerVault Logo
Lenovo Storage V Series vs Dell PowerVault
Compared 4% of the time
Huawei OceanStor SNS vs Dell PowerVault Logo
Huawei OceanStor SNS vs Dell PowerVault
Compared 2% of the time
More Dell PowerVault Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Enterprise SAN
May 2025
Cisco MDS Series reportDownload Cisco MDS Series product report
Buyer's Guide
Dell PowerVault
May 2025
Dell PowerVault reportDownload Dell PowerVault product report
 

Also Known As

Cisco MDS 9100, Cisco MDS 9222i, Cisco MDS 9700
PowerVault
 

Overview

Cisco MDS 9000 Series Switches have met and often exceeded the demanding requirements for storage area networks for more than a decade. They offer a combination of performance, non-stop operations, and multiprotocol flexibility.

Cisco
PowerVault MD3 storage arrays help you cost-effectively address the challenges of data growth with versatile solutions that are optimized for smaller-scale storage consolidation, flexible virtualization projects and high business continuity.
Dell Technologies
 

Sample Customers

National Rugby League
Dayco, FAW Foundry, University of Cambridge, Finder, Stadtwerke Pforzheim GmbH & Co.
Buyer's Guide
Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault
April 2025
Free Report: Cisco MDS Series vs. Dell PowerVault
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