IBM FlashSystem vs IBM System Storage DS5000 Series comparison

IBM FlashSystem and IBM System Storage DS5000 Series are both solutions in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category. IBM FlashSystem is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.4, while IBM System Storage DS5000 Series is ranked #6 with an average rating of 8.7. IBM FlashSystem holds a 18.5% mindshare in MS, compared to IBM System Storage DS5000 Series’s 1.4% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of IBM FlashSystem users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of IBM System Storage DS5000 Series users who would recommend it.

IBM FlashSystem

Read 112 IBM FlashSystem reviews

8,010 Views
1,282 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

IBM System Storage DS5000 S...

Read 18 IBM System Storage DS5000 Series reviews

273 Views
273 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM FlashSystem

IBM System Storage DS5000 S...

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Feb 2, 2025

IBM System Storage DS5000 Series and IBM FlashSystem are competing in the enterprise data storage market, with IBM FlashSystem generally having the edge due to its advanced features and performance. While DS5000 is favored for its competitive pricing and solid support, FlashSystem's superior technology tends to make it the preferred choice.

Features: IBM System Storage DS5000 Series is known for its robust scalability, reliable performance under demanding workloads, and integration capabilities. IBM FlashSystem excels in high-speed data access, efficiency, and cutting-edge flash storage technology.

Room for Improvement: DS5000 could benefit from enhanced data compression capabilities and more advanced storage management features. FlashSystem could improve its cost-effectiveness and possibly offer more flexible pricing models while expanding integration options with third-party products.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: IBM System Storage DS5000 Series offers straightforward deployment with comprehensive support, making it easy to integrate into existing systems. IBM FlashSystem provides rapid deployment and exceptional customer support, facilitating quick adaptation to fast-paced environments.

Pricing and ROI: IBM System Storage DS5000 Series is appreciated for its affordability and good return on investment, making it accessible for organizations with budget constraints. IBM FlashSystem, although more expensive, is considered a worthwhile investment due to its superior performance and long-term benefits.

To learn more, read our detailed IBM FlashSystem vs. IBM System Storage DS5000 Series Report (Updated: July 2025).

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem vs. IBM System Storage DS5000 Series

July 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

IBM FlashSystem

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

112

Ranking in other categories

NAS (5th), All-Flash Storage (13th)

IBM System Storage DS5000 S...

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

6th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2025, in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category, the mindshare of IBM FlashSystem is 18.5%, up from 16.7% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM System Storage DS5000 Series is 1.4%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

Featured Reviews

OmarIsmail1

Infrastructure Technical Specialist II at Clicks Group

Offers high performance and dependable support for fast storage needs

The most valuable feature of IBM FlashSystem is its robust back code. When integrated properly into the environment and configured according to the guidelines, it provides a very solid infrastructure that does the job on demand. Additionally, IBM FlashSystem offers competitive pricing and reliable performance. The hardware is dependable, ensuring that it functions effectively when the setup is done correctly.

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Gustavo Rosello

Technological Infrastructure Manager at Mercado Argentino de Valores S.A.

Provides solid hardware and ROI to users

Companies or groups of business units are growing fast. We have perhaps between four and five more people than what it was two years ago, so the systems are increasing, and now we are working with RPA in some of our processes for automation, especially wherever it is mandatory in the financial branch, like a common investment fund and the investment in action or where there are other products. Our market is directly related to small business. We are working with companies where data translation is needed or where invoices, specifically credit invoices, the negotiation of cheques, or a doc that shows receipt of money, which you can sell at a future date. We have a sub-warehouse that has a back office in the cloud to use all operations related to creditors so that the company can increase its share in the markets. I think that we may need something on-premises in the future. The trends indicate that users are returning to on-premises systems because of the high cost of public clouds. We are looking for a better data center. In Argentina, hardware costs are high, but now, it is a great investment. We are slowly planning to expand the tool. In the USA, when it comes to object-first devices, there is a cost of 48,000 USD for 128 TB, but in Argentina, the cost is 64,000 USD for 84 TB. In Argentina, we have a lot of taxes, and the government is in the process of reducing these taxes, but now we have a situation associated with our economy. Out of 100 companies, only two are seeking employees. We are waiting for the recovery of the economy, but everything here is expensive apart from the salaries.

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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

"It's very easy to manage."

"Virtualization of external storage, while adding cache and speed to the external storage."

"The most valuable feature of the solution is compression."

"The technical support for this solution is good. They used to help us when the motherboard of Power Systems broke. Their response times are really fast."

"IBM FlashSystem is a stable solution."

"User friendly management interface."

"The most valuable features were the performance of the array, i.e., very low latency and high IOPS. Plus, the management interface is very easy to use."

"This solution is really user friendly. It also offers good performance and is highly reliable."

More IBM FlashSystem pros

"The most valuable aspects of the DS5000 Series are its high availability (almost six nines), stability, cost-effectiveness, and the unique IBM FlashCore modules, which other competitors lack. These FlashCore modules enable local operations on the drive itself without a performance overhead, a significant advantage."

"The stability is excellent."

"The system would work well for the customer."

"We use it for applications, databases, media, files, etc."

"The security and velocity for fetching data are valuable."

"The most valuable feature is compression."

"The solution is reliable."

"The initial setup is pretty straightforward."

More IBM System Storage DS5000 Series pros

Cons

"There is room for improvement in the troubleshooting part, specifically related to IBM Spectrum for Insight. Customers are uncomfortable with remote access, which affects automated remote support."

"Additional licenses might be added for the fundamental licenses, such as those for copying and flash copies."

"I would like to see bigger modules."

"The storage capacity of this solution could be improved."

"They can include Amazon file system S3 protocol in the upcoming releases. It is a cloud file system. IBM FlashSystem doesn't have this feature in the box for high-end or mid-range. We have got requests for this from customers because we need to use S3 for EDI application storage. At the beginning of every year, IBM releases firmware. When I find any bugs in the firmware during the year, I am unable to find any information from IBM regarding the bug. I need to open a ticket, and the IBM engineering team makes a patch only for me. This patch is not public. By creating a customized patch for a client, they don't really solve the issue for everyone. If multiple users have the same bug, IBM should upload the patch on the official website so that we can download it. IBM FlashSystem has a monitoring tool in the box, but it is not advanced. I need a more advanced tool for more advanced equations and monitoring. All top three storage vendors, that is, EMC, IBM, and Pure Storage, don't have a powerful monitoring tool. To monitor our box to show the statistics for I/Os and latency, I need to pay for extra software. The built-in monitoring storage is not mature enough to handle all requests and generate all reports that I need. They can include the functionality to stretch a cluster natively without using any additional boxes. In addition, there are some features that EMC has integrated with the box. These features are not available in IBM FlashSystem."

"The solution is quite expensive. That's one of the downsides to using it."

"The marketing could be improved."

"The installation is not easy. You need to have extensive knowledge to handle it."

More IBM FlashSystem cons

"The solution is not flexible enough."

"The product should improve its support."

"If you decide to expand the IBM System Storage DS5000 Series by adding an extension frame to the controller, you won't have the ability to incorporate flash storage models directly. Instead, you'll need to work with SSD which may be slightly slower."

"Regarding improvements, there's a common perception, primarily during pre-sales, that IBM storage solutions are expensive, though studies often prove otherwise. As for additional functionality, supporting two to three sites for applications might be a potential enhancement."

"The amount of storage could be increased."

"I find the solution isn't so easy to understand. A user must be quite knowledgeable in the product. It isn't like HPE 3PAR, which you can use quite easily without too much storage experience."

"The solution's integration with other tools could be improved."

"The initial setup is hard."

More IBM System Storage DS5000 Series cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The solution has good pricing, but it is not cheaper."

"You purchase it as a bundle and the price is comparable."

"This is an expensive product and if the price were reduced it would be better."

"I find the pricing of the solution to be very reasonable."

"Our customers would like IMB FlashSystem to be less expensive."

"Pricing can be considered as per market competition."

"They've been much more aggressive in the last five, six years than they were before that."

"Overall the price of the solution is expensive and this includes the license."

More IBM FlashSystem pricing and cost advice

"Its price is fair. IBM is quite fair in price when you compare it with others. We also use Hitachi internally, and Hitachi is always a little bit more expensive. NetApp is also a bit more expensive. So, IBM has good positioning in terms of price."

"The basic functionalities of the product are provided within the normal license, but users can opt for some optional features from IBM's licensing model."

"It's an expensive solution."

"Compared to other vendors, I think it's expensive."

"We mounted all the virtualization with less than 1,50,000 USD. We are negotiating to get the tool for 800,000,000 Argentine Pesos. The tool is expensive, but it is worth the money."

"It is a competitively priced solution. The cost can vary depending on whether it is purchased from the hardware or the software departments."

"This product is priced well. The ratio between cost and productivity is very high and we're happy with it."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about IBM FlashSystem?

It is simple to make an update.

See all answers

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

Many factors affect purchasing directly from IBM, often involving a multi-step process. Customers, especially in banking, often use the latest devices as they are upgrading, indicating they do not ...

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What needs improvement with IBM FlashSystem?

The deduplication technology in IBM FlashSystem needs significant improvement. Other vendors like NetApp ( /products/netapp-41749-reviews ) offer better deduplication technology, which is noticeabl...

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What do you like most about IBM System Storage DS5000 Series?

The solution is reliable.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM System Storage DS5000 Series?

The price fits well with the proposal of this equipment. Although IBM is not cheap, the cost fits well with the propose.

See all answers

What needs improvement with IBM System Storage DS5000 Series?

There are some functions that can only be used in prompt mode. If these functions could be shown in the graphical interface, it could be better.

See all answers

Comparisons

Dell PowerStore vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 22% of the time

HPE Alletra Storage vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 9% of the time

Pure Storage FlashArray vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 8% of the time

Huawei OceanStor Dorado vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 8% of the time

NetApp AFF vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM FlashSystem Competitors

No data available

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem

August 2025

Download IBM FlashSystem product report

Buyer's Guide

IBM System Storage DS5000 Series

August 2025

Download IBM System Storage DS5000 Series product report

Also Known As

IBM Storwize

System Storage DS5000 series

Overview

IBM FlashSystem products are enterprise computer data storage systems that store data on flash memory chips. Unlike storage systems that use standard solid-state drives, IBM FlashSystem products incorporate custom hardware based on technology from the 2012 acquisition of Texas Memory Systems. This hardware provides performance, reliability, and efficiency benefits versus competitive offerings.

IBM

DS5000 storage systems are equally adept at supporting transactional applications such as databases and online transaction processing (OLTP), throughput-intensive applications such as high-performance computing (HPC) and rich media, and concurrent workloads for consolidation and virtualization. DS5000 series storage systems can support service level agreements (SLAs) for the most common operating systems, including Microsoft Windows, UNIX, Linux and Apple Macintosh.
With drive-level encryption, DS5000 series storage systems support affordable data security with no performance penalty. The DS5000 storage system’s multiple replication options, drive-level encryption, and persistent cache backup can help ensure that any data in cache is captured and safe in the event of a power outage.

IBM

Sample Customers

Celero, Friedhelm Loh Group, Clarks, Mingkang Natregro Health Food Group, Sofia, Etisalat Fights Fraud, UF Health Shands Hospital, Generali, Elecon Engineering Company Limited, Ventiv , Technology, CPFL Energia, Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., SciQuest, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated, Paddy Power, Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, Interconnect Services, Severstal IP-Only AB, PVU Group GmbH

Engine Informštica

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem vs. IBM System Storage DS5000 Series

July 2025

Free Report: IBM FlashSystem vs. IBM System Storage DS5000 Series

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