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Dell SC Series vs IBM System Storage DS8000 Series comparison

Dell Technologies and IBM are both solutions in the Frame-Based Disk Arrays category. Dell Technologies is ranked #2 with an average rating of 9.0, while IBM is ranked #3. Dell Technologies holds a 6.7% mindshare in FBDA, compared to IBM’s 33.5% mindshare. Additionally, 94% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 85% of IBM users who would recommend it.
Dell SC Series
Read 55 Dell SC Series reviews
  • 66 Views
  • 37 Comparison Views
94% willing to recommend
IBM System Storage DS8000 S...
Read 6 IBM System Storage DS8000 Series reviews
  • 223 Views
  • 27 Comparison Views
85% willing to recommend
 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary
We performed a comparison between Dell SC Series and IBM System Storage DS8000 Series based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Frame-Based Disk Arrays 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 Dell SC Series vs. IBM System Storage DS8000 Series Report (Updated: June 2025).
Buyer's Guide
Dell SC Series vs. IBM System Storage DS8000 Series
June 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

Dell SC Series
Ranking in Frame-Based Disk Arrays
2nd
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
7.7
Number of Reviews
55
Ranking in other categories
All-Flash Storage (17th)
IBM System Storage DS8000 S...
Ranking in Frame-Based Disk Arrays
3rd
Average Rating
9.4
Number of Reviews
6
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Frame-Based Disk Arrays category, the mindshare of Dell SC Series is 6.7%, down from 15.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM System Storage DS8000 Series is 33.5%, up from 27.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Frame-Based Disk Arrays
 

Featured Reviews

Steven McClendon - PeerSpot reviewer
Superior platform with excellent snapshots and cost-saving auto-tiering
I'm a big fan of the SC Series platform. Its feature set is superior to some of the other platforms. The snapshots on SC are excellent, allowing for multiple snapshot schedules for any one system. The auto-tiering functionality intelligently moves new data to the highest performance tier and then progresses it down to less expensive tiers over time, providing cost savings for customers.
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reviewer1392684 - PeerSpot reviewer
Great Global Copy and Global Mirror features with an easy initial setup
We're just a customer. We don't have a business relationship with the company. I'm an outsourcing service provider and I've had a lot of experience using the solution. We have everything from DS8100 disc storage, all the way up to 8990s. I'd advise new users to read the implementation installation guide. Most of the questions are answered in there. People just tend to skim over it and don't get into the details. However, it's important in making everything run smoothly and understanding the solution. That's probably the best advice I've actually heard from anybody. At the end of the day, don't be someone who skips the instructions, and all of a sudden you have a pile of parts. I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.
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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Everything is sub-5 MS for us. What I've found is that, with all-flash, when an app from my business is slow, I pretty much know it's them and not me. It leads to a performance conversation that has really hit an interesting threshold point where we are better than what they need. So now we get to have that "refactoring your application" conversation a lot quicker because now the performance on the infrastructure side isn't in question anymore."
"Its feature set is superior to some of the other platforms."
"The most valuable feature is the ability to replicate. We are running a financial company and it needs to be available 24/7. We can't afford any downtime."
"The solution is stable; we've had no problems at all."
"Most valuable features have been the system customization with it, the performance you receive, and their CoPilot Support (or Dell EMC Storage Support)."
"The setup and installation is much simpler now, because Dell has standardized the configure process."
"The management capabilities are excellent, and the stability of our storage hardware is remarkable."
"The flexibility of this solution has been valuable for our business."
More Dell SC Series pros
"The high throughput feature is the most powerful thing in this product."
"The Global Copy and Global Mirror features are the solution's most valuable aspects."
 

Cons

"In the future, I want any box that comes on-premises to have the provision to integrate with cloud storage."
"I would like to see higher compression, dedupe, faster I/O, and bigger drives."
"The SC Series doesn't support NVMe storage."
"I would like to improve the processing ability."
"The initial setup is somewhat complex and should be made simpler to do."
"Some menus aren't so intuitive."
"An issue we had was that the controller went down during an upgrade because of their upgrading the code. One side of the switch was down."
"If Dell SC Series wasn't being phased out, adding an NVMe tier and secure snapshots like those on the PowerStore platform would be beneficial."
More Dell SC Series cons
"The solution should embedded replication switches into the hardware instead of using them externally."
"The GUI isn't as user-friendly as other options."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We have found it to be affordable. Comparing the cost with other hardware, it seems to be right in line with the compute and the storage that we get with it."
"We have the basic license for the use of this solution and it is a permanent license. The overall cost could be less, it is expensive."
"The pricing is reasonable, but it is expensive."
"We were able to afford two tiers of flash storage at a price where the competition was giving us one tier or just a handful of discs."
"It's absolutely affordable. Again, not having to do a forklift upgrade like some of the others have had to do in the past, it's very affordable for our customers and they continue to buy."
"It has a good price point and offers some value-added enterprise features."
"It's a very affordable solution."
"The SC Series was priced fairly. I wouldn't call it either expensive or cheap because we had a very tight budget, so if they were able to fit in that type of budget, they met our expectations."
More Dell SC Series pricing and cost advice
"The license is very expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Computer Software Company
21%
Financial Services Firm
9%
University
8%
Manufacturing Company
6%
No data available
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell SC Series?
I find this version to be more budget-friendly compared to products from other vendors. This aspect greatly benefits my customers. It's highly advantageous due to its affordability. The operational...
See all answers
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell SC Series?
Cost considerations are crucial when choosing between solutions like Dell and NetApp. Sometimes Dell offers better performance for less money. That said, the costs can vary.
See all answers
What needs improvement with Dell SC Series?
In the future, I want any box that comes on-premises to have the provision to integrate with cloud storage. If I want a second copy or need to replicate data from on-premises to the cloud, this pro...
See all answers
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Comparisons

Dell PowerStore vs Dell SC Series Logo
Dell PowerStore vs Dell SC Series
Compared 61% of the time
Dell Unity XT vs Dell SC Series Logo
Dell Unity XT vs Dell SC Series
Compared 11% of the time
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs Dell SC Series Logo
Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs Dell SC Series
Compared 10% of the time
IBM FlashSystem vs Dell SC Series Logo
IBM FlashSystem vs Dell SC Series
Compared 10% of the time
NetApp AFF vs Dell SC Series Logo
NetApp AFF vs Dell SC Series
Compared 7% of the time
More Dell SC Series Competitors
Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform vs IBM System Storage DS8000 Series Logo
Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform vs IBM System Storage DS8000 Series
Compared 100% of the time
More IBM System Storage DS8000 Series Competitors
 

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide
Dell SC Series
June 2025
Dell SC Series reportDownload Dell SC Series product report
Buyer's Guide
IBM System Storage DS8000 Series
June 2025
IBM System Storage DS8000 Series reportDownload IBM System Storage DS8000 Series product report
 

Also Known As

SC Series Storage, Compellent
System Storage DS8000
 

Overview

Dell EMC SC Series arrays provide a unified platform for the ultimate in performance, adaptability and machine-driven efficiency. SC Series software delivers modern features that help you meet aggressive workload demands using the fewest drives necessary. With an open, future-ready design, SC Series storage integrates seamlessly with applications and infrastructure, enabling you to scale on a single platform and add capabilities without forklift upgrades.

Dell Technologies
IBM System Storage DS8000 series is a high-performance, high-capacity series of disk storage that supports continuous operations. The DS8000 series includes the DS8800 (Models 951 and 95E) and the DS8700 (Models 941 and 94E).
IBM
 

Sample Customers

TGen, Frost Science, Gerrie Electric
Renfe, Park Nicollet Health Services, Ricoh Americas Corporation, SK Energy, SWK STADTWERKE KREFELD AG
Buyer's Guide
Dell SC Series vs. IBM System Storage DS8000 Series
June 2025
Free Report: Dell SC Series vs. IBM System Storage DS8000 Series
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell SC Series vs. IBM System Storage DS8000 Series and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
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See our Dell SC Series vs. IBM System Storage DS8000 Series report.
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We monitor all Frame-Based Disk Arrays reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.