Hitachi VSP E Series vs IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe comparison

Hitachi Vantara and IBM are both solutions in the NVMe All-Flash Storage Arrays category. Hitachi Vantara is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.5, while IBM is ranked #11 with an average rating of 8.3. Hitachi Vantara holds a 2.5% mindshare in N, compared to IBM’s 1.5% mindshare. Additionally, 83% of Hitachi Vantara users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 95% of IBM users who would recommend it.

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 5, 2024

IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe and Hitachi VSP E Series are competitive within the storage solutions category. IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe is seen as superior due to its advanced features and potential for higher ROI.

Features: IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe is distinguished by its high-performance NVMe interface, AI-enhanced storage optimization, and flexible scalability options. Hitachi VSP E Series is known for its strong data encryption, comprehensive data protection, and robust storage virtualization capabilities.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Hitachi VSP E Series offers simplified deployment with strong integration capabilities and comprehensive customer service. IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe provides more complex integration options requiring technical expertise but benefits from IBM’s extensive customer support.

Pricing and ROI: IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe generally requires a higher initial setup cost with the promise of greater long-term ROI. Hitachi VSP E Series offers a more cost-effective initial investment with dependable ROI from efficient storage management and lower total cost of ownership.

To learn more, read our detailed Hitachi VSP E Series vs. IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Hitachi VSP E Series vs. IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe

December 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

Pure FlashArray X NVMe

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the NVMe All-Flash Storage Arrays category, the mindshare of Pure FlashArray X NVMe is 4.0%, up from 2.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Hitachi VSP E Series is 2.5%, up from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe is 1.5%, down from 1.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

NVMe All-Flash Storage Arrays Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Pure FlashArray X NVMe	4.0%
Hitachi VSP E Series	2.5%
IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe	1.5%
Other	92.0%

NVMe All-Flash Storage Arrays

Featured Reviews

Jaehoon Oh

Chief Technology Officer at Lambda256

Supports efficient storage management through volume snapshots and offers reliable non-disruptive upgrades

I have no specific improvements to suggest for Pure FlashArray X NVMe at this time. The performance statistics could be enhanced. I can see the performance statistics in the Pure Storage console, but it does not show the performance by 4K byte unit. It displays IOPS and bandwidth, but IOPS is about real use, and I want to know how many IOPS are currently running in 4K byte units. I cannot see that IOPS because most storage systems report their performance by 4K byte unit. I want to see Pure Storage performance by 4K byte unit to compare with other storage or other internal NVMe SSD.

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Bilal Munir

Technical Architect at ASG Group

Enhanced speed and integration benefit hybrid environments but cost remains a concern

The Hitachi VSP E Series is all-flash storage, so it is fast. It is quite good for databases, and clients who are familiar with Hitachi prefer to use it. Clients with hybrid environments generally look for something like a single glass view, where they can integrate all their different systems and view everything on one screen or desktop.

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MohammedIsmail

Datacenter Manager at Tracker Connect

Enhanced storage performance and an easy setup with compression challenges

We use IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe as a storage device in the IT industry The features I find most valuable include its use for storage and performance. The solution's compression needs to be improved, as it's not the best. Furthermore, support from the partner could also be improved as it's been…

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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

"The most valuable features of Pure FlashArray X NVMe are its superior performance compared to other flash tiers, as well as its ease of use, with an intuitive user interface that is simple to deploy and use."

"Pure Storage has signature security technology, which cannot be deleted, even if you are an administrator."

"Pure FlashArray X NVMe will quickly overcome all the hurdles you face, including network and latency issues."

"The high availability of the product is the most valuable feature."

"FlashArray has some fresh efficiency features. I've never seen a storage solution with a compression rating this high before. It's at least 4-to-1 on Oracle databases. It's the best flash storage for Oracle."

"The database workloads are pretty fast because I frequently move data from here to there."

"Pure FlashArray X NVMe helps to improve our processing speed. It is user-friendly and easy to use."

"One of the best features is the support, which is excellent."

More Pure FlashArray X NVMe pros

"Its user-friendly configuration and maintenance processes contribute to its reputation for being straightforward and easily manageable."

"Hitachi VSP handles large volumes of transactions with ease, and we often support customers in this direction when we have Oracle in the middle."

"We are using the Hitachi VSP E Series for high IOPS."

"The product is generally quite stable."

"I rate Hitachi VSP series nine out of ten for a transactional workload requiring no compromise on availability and performance."

"It offers good file sharing."

"The most valuable features of Hitachi VSP series include its high performance and availability."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is its upgrades, as we don't have to do much homework because of its different controllers."

"The most valuable feature is the speed."

"It's easy to use, has good stability, and many features."

"IBM FlashSystem provides the same software on each box, including virtualized solutions."

"It is a very stable product. Stability-wise, I rate the solution a ten out of ten because we did not face any issues in the last three years."

"The high performance and high availability improved our overall processes."

"The most valuable feature of IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe is the snapshot. We use it daily for all of the storage units."

"The most valuable features of IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe are its steady performance and usefulness in high-traffic environments."

More IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe pros

Cons

"I would like to see some AI features that would allow arrays to intelligently identify threats or unusual behavior in the data pattern and give an alert."

"It's more multi-tenant functionality in their Pure1 manage portal that is lacking."

"I'd like to see the product implement active replication for vehicles such as VMware."

"Adding some functions to the product would be beneficial. Storage replication should be essential, and the analytics should not incur extra charges."

"The tool's pricing is higher than competitors."

"Managing data isn't difficult for me. The performance is usually perfect, but we sometimes have capacity problems."

"One point I'd like to improve is that the tool should start selling small boxes again. It discontinued some products and is focusing on bigger, more capable boxes, neglecting the SMB market. Even though it's not a big market, it shouldn't have removed them."

"Every time I think of something that needs to improve, they're one step ahead, which I love. The only area I wish to see improve, I believe is coming, is in the FlashBlade product. Blade implementation fell short on a few of the services."

More Pure FlashArray X NVMe cons

"Hitachi should work on unified storage platforms."

"The graphical user interface is somewhat outdated, lacking some of the modern features found in other solutions."

"The solution's support duration or end-of-support life is very short."

"Hitachi should work on unified storage platforms."

"There is room for improvement in simplifying the overall complexity of the environment."

"Hitachi is quite expensive, and small to medium-sized organizations usually do not purchase it."

"The pricing should be more competitive."

"The solution's compression feature could be better."

"I'd like to be able to connect to tape drives behind the storage device to back up the tape if need be. We have all of our storage running in all-flash, and we make a copy on tape. Currently, when we want to hook up tape drives, we have to add some extra equipment, which is a little bit complex. We want IBM to add a feature where we could install a tape into the storage so that we can connect it through a single pane of glass. We'd like to have a feature in the IBM flash storage system so that we can connect backup tape drives through the IBM storage system and we can manage the backup tape from the storage system."

"IBM is currently not offering volume-based encryption or compression, while other brands or IBM's competitors are doing it."

"The support could be better."

"IBM's support is not good. I experienced a big problem where I opened the console IBM Storage and would see that something was broken. I called the call centers, and I said, "I have a problem. My drive is not working." They want me to give them the serial number, I gave it to them and they told me "I cannot find your product. Your product is not here.""

"I would like to have replication functionality built directly in the product, rather than having to use a separate device for this."

"I would like to see IBM products become more affordable because they can be quite expensive, which limits their accessibility to a broader customer base."

More IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Our licensing fees are $500,000+ USD."

"They can tout the functionality and cutting edge technology that they have, but that's where the price tag comes in. The cost is high, but I think as they grow their business and get more customers that it will probably go down a little bit."

"We pay approximately $50,000 USD per year in licensing fees."

"Given its price, Pure is not the first option."

"Pure FlashArray X NVMe’s pricing is cheaper than other products."

"With VMware, we pay $300,000 annually."

"Pretty much everything that you need is licensed when you buy the product. Licensing to me is different than the maintenance cost, but they can bleed into one another. We buy the product, and we expect three years of support bundled into what we negotiate on our storage arrays. I would start to see maintenance costs going into the fourth year, but we're not there yet."

"The tool's pricing is cheap; I rate it a six to seven out of ten. Most of our sales are not subscription-based. We sell the hardware, and customers keep using it. They only renew the service part annually. The support can be a bit pricey, but the solution is more cost-effective than anything else out there."

More Pure FlashArray X NVMe pricing and cost advice

"Hitachi VSP E Series is an expensive solution."

"The pricing is fair, with additional costs for support services."

"The solution is priced well."

"The tool's pricing is competitive."

"It's a lot less costly than cloud storage. People get surprised by the cost of cloud storage, which is extremely expensive and four or five times the cost of storage on-premises. People don't realize what they're spending on storage until they start getting bills from Amazon, Microsoft, and others. This is a good way to reduce your cloud storage expenses."

"There are pricing options from the mid-rand to the high-range, of which the suitability depends upon the requirements."

"Compared to its competitors, IBM's offering is the most cost-effective."

"The price of IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMele can be considered affordable when taking into account the operating system that is required for it to function properly. This operating system, which is licensed by IBM, may carry a higher cost, but it is worth the investment for larger corporate entities, such as insurance companies, Fortune Five companies, and banks, who make up a significant portion of their target market. The FlashSystems are designed for larger corporations and multinational enterprises, and may not be the most cost-effective solution for smaller businesses."

"On a scale of one to ten, where one is a low price and ten is a high price, I rate the pricing an eight."

"The price of the FlashSystem 9100 NVMe is reasonable."

More IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

12%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

No data available

Government

Computer Software Company

Recreational Facilities/Services Company

Manufacturing Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	15
Midsize Enterprise	11
Large Enterprise	12

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	8
Large Enterprise	5

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Pure FlashArray X NVMe?

Pure FlashArray X NVMe helps to improve our processing speed. It is user-friendly and easy to use.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Pure FlashArray X NVMe?

The price of Pure FlashArray X NVMe is very expensive, though I do not know the actual price because I am using the E...

See all answers

What needs improvement with Pure FlashArray X NVMe?

I have no specific improvements to suggest for Pure FlashArray X NVMe at this time. The performance statistics could ...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Hitachi VSP E Series?

The solution is expensive, which can be considered a con.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Hitachi VSP E Series?

Hitachi needs to work on the marketing side because communication is a problem, as many customers do not know what th...

See all answers

What advice do you have for others considering Hitachi VSP E Series?

Currently, we are not approaching the virtual storage. We are working with Hitachi and Pure Storage; in some cases, w...

See all answers

What do you like most about IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe?

The storage serves the virtual environment. Most of our applications run in the virtual environment, and it serves ne...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe?

The tool is expensive, though I do not know the specific licensing costs.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe?

The solution's compression needs to be improved, as it's not the best. Furthermore, support from the partner could al...

See all answers

Comparisons

Dell PowerStore vs Pure FlashArray X NVMe

Compared 18% of the time

Dell PowerMax vs Pure FlashArray X NVMe

Compared 12% of the time

HPE Alletra Storage vs Pure FlashArray X NVMe

Compared 10% of the time

TrueNAS R-Series vs Pure FlashArray X NVMe

Compared 10% of the time

Pure Storage FlashBlade vs Pure FlashArray X NVMe

Compared 8% of the time

More Pure FlashArray X NVMe Competitors

Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform vs Hitachi VSP E Series

Compared 28% of the time

Dell PowerStore vs Hitachi VSP E Series

Compared 23% of the time

NetApp ASA vs Hitachi VSP E Series

Compared 16% of the time

Dell PowerMax vs Hitachi VSP E Series

Compared 12% of the time

Hitachi VSP 5000 Series vs Hitachi VSP E Series

Compared 10% of the time

More Hitachi VSP E Series Competitors

Dell PowerMax vs IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe

Compared 30% of the time

Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform vs IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe

Compared 19% of the time

Dell PowerStore vs IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe

Compared 18% of the time

HPE Alletra Storage vs IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe

Compared 18% of the time

More IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Pure FlashArray X NVMe

January 2026

Download Pure FlashArray X NVMe product report

Buyer's Guide

NVMe All-Flash Storage Arrays

January 2026

Download Hitachi VSP E Series product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe

January 2026

Download IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe product report

Also Known As

Pure FlashArray//X NVMe, Pure FlashArray//X, FlashArray//X

No data available

IBM FlashSystem 9100, FlashSystem 9100

Overview

Pure Storage FlashArray//X is the world’s first enterprise-class, all-NVMe flash storage array. It represents a new class of storage – shared accelerated storage, which is a term coined by Gartner – that delivers major breakthroughs in performance, simplicity, and consolidation.

Pure Storage

Hitachi VSP E Series offers an advanced storage solution designed for enterprises seeking scalability and performance. It is suitable for a range of applications, providing reliability and efficiency to meet demanding IT environments.

Hitachi VSP E Series is designed to enhance storage capabilities with robust features catering to needs such as data management, storage optimization, and system versatility. This series integrates seamlessly within IT infrastructures, offering improved data protection and resource management. Its enhanced storage architecture ensures data integrity while supporting high data loads efficiently, making it a go-to choice for enterprises requiring high-performance storage systems.

What are the most valuable features of Hitachi VSP E Series?

Scalability: Enables seamless expansion as data requirements grow, ensuring continued performance without disruption.
Reliability: Provides consistent uptime and data protection, minimizing risks associated with data loss.
High Performance: Delivers fast data processing speeds to support demanding applications.
Data Management: Offers advanced data management tools for streamlined operations and efficiency.
Energy Efficiency: Designed to reduce power consumption while maintaining optimal performance.

What benefits and ROI should be considered?

Cost-Effectiveness: Benefits from lower operational costs due to efficient data handling and energy use.
Operational Efficiency: Enhances work productivity by optimizing data processes, leading to better resource allocation.
Flexibility: Supports various deployment scenarios, allowing adaptation to different business needs.
Data Security: Enhances data protection mechanisms to prevent unauthorized access and data breaches.

Hitachi VSP E Series is widely implemented in industries such as finance, healthcare, and manufacturing, where data integrity and speed are crucial. Its ability to integrate with existing IT frameworks makes it a valuable addition to businesses aiming to streamline data processes while maintaining high standards of data protection and system reliability.

Hitachi Vantara

IBM FlashSystem 9100 combines the performance of flash and Non-Volatile Memory Express (NVMe) end-to-end with the reliability and innovation of IBM FlashCore technology and the rich features of IBM Spectrum Virtualize - all in a powerful 2U enterprise-class storage system. Providing intensive data driven multicloud storage capacity, FlashSystem 9100 is deeply integrated with the software defined capabilities of IBM Spectrum Storage allowing you to easily add in the multicloud solutions that best support your business.

IBM

Sample Customers

Fremont Bank, Judson ISD, The Nielsen Company

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Hitachi VSP E Series vs. IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe

December 2025

Free Report: Hitachi VSP E Series vs. IBM FlashSystem 9100 NVMe

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