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Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs IBM Power Systems comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 8, 2024

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 UCS C-Series Rack Ser...
Ranking in Rack Servers
6th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
4.3
Number of Reviews
31
Ranking in other categories
Density Optimized Servers (3rd)
IBM Power Systems
Ranking in Rack Servers
3rd
Average Rating
8.8
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
73
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Rack Servers category, the mindshare of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is 5.6%, up from 4.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM Power Systems is 7.0%, down from 9.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Rack Servers Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Power Systems7.0%
Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers5.6%
Other87.4%
Rack Servers
 

Featured Reviews

reviewer1441011 - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr, Manager- Network Solution Architect at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Comprehensive support and integration ensure smooth cloud infrastructure operations
I may not be the right person to comment on advanced improvements because we are just using basic functionalities. We are getting all the functionalities which we used to get in other OEM rack servers. Potential areas for improvement may include a more flexible pricing model, better technical support, or tutorials from the vendor for users.
Foluso  Jibowo - PeerSpot reviewer
Product Manager at Hiperdist Ltd
Has empowered enterprises with secure and cost-effective solutions
When discussing disadvantages, I do not see many areas for improvement because we have received good testimonies from every client. IBM gives customers peace of mind. One challenge, which I would not really call a challenge, is that initially people have the notion that IBM Power Systems is quite expensive. However, IBM does not lose deals based on price. This is a message we need to keep communicating to people who feel that IBM is on the high side in terms of cost. We encourage them to have a discussion with us about their total cost of ownership over three or five years. There is a notion in the market that IBM is expensive, which is false. However, once we engage and show them their return on investments and their total cost of ownership savings, they tend to embrace IBM.

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"The support from Cisco UCS C-Series Rack has been very good."
"The solution is scalable."
"In terms of the features that I have found most valuable, that is basically the hardware, which is more dynamic."
"Cisco rack servers are very easy to integrate with other products from different vendors."
"It has centralized our server management and allows us to treat servers like a pool of resources instead of discrete devices."
"Its hardware is really reliable. We also like Cisco for its support."
"Excellent server solution with incredible network throughput."
"When you hear the brand Cisco, you don't really need to recommend it."
"Speaking from the IBM i perspective, it's a very well-integrated database, a well-designed power system."
"On the security side, we get regular security patch updates and system hardening. There are free tools available to harden the system."
"Stability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten...Scalability-wise, I rate the solution a nine out of ten."
"Some of the most valuable features are the processing power, stability, and security."
"The most valuable feature of IBM Power Systems is its performance."
"We've been using it for a long time, and it's stable."
"We have had a good experience with the technical support team at IBM."
"We do see ROI from the move from POWER7 to POWER8, as we do capacity management and are able to move quite a lot of workload."
 

Cons

"The product must add customer-friendly monitoring features."
"I would like to see a little more integration with VMware."
"The product's stability and delivery time could be better."
"The warranty and support periods should be extended."
"There is room for better integration with other brands."
"The product is losing ground to the competition, such as Nutanix."
"The price of the solution is problematic, not the solution itself. It could be less expensive."
"The improvement should be done as per customer requirements."
"The compatibility with other products could be better."
"I would rather have gum surgery than get on the phone and talk to somebody to try to put me with a technical consultant."
"The solution is quite expensive, and deploying it was also expensive."
"The initial setup is not straightforward."
"Technical support and documentation need to be improved."
"The solution could improve the memory database for better integration with SAP HANA."
"Unfortunately, the hardware models and all those things have gone down a little bit, and there's no such diversity of models, and again, IBM is getting more and more expensive."
"If you asked me what I'd like added, I'd say that it'd be nice if they ran GPUs, however, I know that's not the direction they're going. That said, I would appreciate it if they offered GPU support."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"​Best to buy all the blades configured for the same purposes of load balancing and failover or load shifting.​"
"The price of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is high."
"The pricing is expensive."
"My company has an agreement with Cisco to get discounted rates. It is one of the reasons why we chose the product."
"The solution is expensive and I give the price a four out of ten."
"The price for Cisco is a bit higher than its competitors. We paid 40k for one server."
"The price of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is approximately 20 percent more than other solutions."
"This product is slightly more expensive when compared to others."
"The additional software costs are high."
"The price of IBM Power Systems is expensive and could improve."
"Price-wise, I rate the solution a five out of ten."
"IBM Power is more expensive than other rack-mount servers, and you have to have a license for everything, including cores and memory."
"The solution's pricing is very, very high compared to other platforms."
"Its price depends on the sizing."
"I give the cost a one out of ten."
"The cost model is great. There is so much built in to the technology, that if you know how to use it you can save yourself a lot of money."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
11%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Retailer
7%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
7%
University
7%
Manufacturing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business11
Midsize Enterprise6
Large Enterprise14
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business17
Midsize Enterprise19
Large Enterprise42
 

Questions from the Community

What needs improvement with Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?
I may not be the right person to comment on advanced improvements because we are just using basic functionalities. We are getting all the functionalities which we used to get in other OEM rack serv...
What is your primary use case for Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?
We are running AI on Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers, and we can do it sometimes even without any GPU.
What advice do you have for others considering Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers?
I would strongly recommend Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers to others.
What needs improvement with IBM Power Systems?
In my opinion, the product can be improved by maintaining it and not sunsetting it; that would be my recommendation for IBM. I used to work for IBM for nineteen years, and I know, unfortunately, I ...
What is your primary use case for IBM Power Systems?
I am an architect and system administrator, and I'm responsible for anything related to IBM Power Systems. In IBM Power Systems, I have found a lot of valuable features such as LVM, TCP, ODM, RSCT,...
What advice do you have for others considering IBM Power Systems?
I would recommend IBM Power Systems to others. I have given this review a rating of ten out of ten.
 

Also Known As

Unified Computing System C-Series, Cisco UCS C-Series
IBM OpenPOWER LC
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Advanced Medical Transport, Aegean Motorway, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Artoni Transporti, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, City of Mississauga, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Electricity Authority of Cyprus, Grupo Industrial Saltillo (GIS), Kind en Gezin, Kuwait Petroleum Italia, Nationwide, Quest, Talbots, University of St. Gallen
Cipher
Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers vs. IBM Power Systems and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.
884,976 professionals have used our research since 2012.