IBM FlashSystem vs NEC D3 series comparison

IBM and NEC are both solutions in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category. IBM is ranked #2 with an average rating of 8.2, while NEC is ranked #15. IBM holds a 13.0% mindshare in MS, compared to NEC’s 1.6% mindshare. Additionally, 91% of IBM users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of NEC users who would recommend it.

IBM FlashSystem

Read 113 IBM FlashSystem reviews

7,692 Views
1,308 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

NEC D3 series

Read 1 NEC D3 series review

143 Views
142 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

IBM FlashSystem

NEC D3 series

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between IBM FlashSystem and NEC D3 series based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about NetApp, IBM, Hitachi Vantara and others in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network).

To learn more, read our detailed Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

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

IBM FlashSystem

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

2nd

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

6.9

Number of Reviews

113

Ranking in other categories

NAS (6th), All-Flash Storage (10th)

NEC D3 series

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

15th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category, the mindshare of IBM FlashSystem is 13.0%, down from 19.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NEC D3 series is 1.6%, up from 0.4% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
IBM FlashSystem	13.0%
NEC D3 series	1.6%
Other	85.4%

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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reviewer1369971

Head of IT at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees

Stable, performs well, and the technical support is good

We use this storage solution to host our ERP, CRM, file server, databases, and lots of other things The performance is better than with our previous version. We are not satisfied with the cost of licensing and would like to have a better price to performance ratio. We have had contract-related…

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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

"Installing FlashSystem is very easy. It takes less than half an hour, and I can handle it all myself."

"The feature I find most valuable, is the deduplication, because the nature of the data that we are using in our current environment, has a lot of replicated data."

"The initial customer technical support was efficient and effective."

"It's very easy to manage."

"The most valuable features are, of course, the virtualization of the storage, the performance, and the compression."

"The most valuable feature in demand is virtualization and its support storage of virtualization features."

"IBM's technical support do excellent work."

"Ability to manage third-party arrays and virtualise them: One screen to control multiple arrays. Simplified administration."

More IBM FlashSystem pros

"The performance is better than with our previous version."

Cons

"I think the only thing the developers can look at, is that it is limited to 25 gigabytes currently. In the next release they might want to increase that."

"GUI interface should be enhanced more as there is some issues in copy services."

"IBM FlashSystem 5300 needs improvement in its deduplication and compression features."

"Customization features must be improved."

"AHV is Acropolis Hypervisor – A relatively new Hypervisor, robust and stable as VMware vSphere, has built-in advanced analytics and powerful operations, Self Service Portal and components for DevOps included, managed by a single pane of glass (Prism) via HTML5 and it is free of charge – That is why Nutanix is so advanced and revolutionary."

"In the next release having the next level of high-speed performance would be great."

"In IBM FlashSystem, data reduction is an area with shortcomings where improvements can be made in the future."

"Sometimes the performance is effective but it gets resolved in the process."

More IBM FlashSystem cons

"We are not satisfied with the cost of licensing and would like to have a better price to performance ratio."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Pricing can be considered as per market competition."

"The solution requires a license and could be less expensive."

"I would rate the pricing of this solution a four out of five."

"The cost of the IBM FlashSystem is lower than the HPE solution."

"I price of IBM FlashSystem is reasonable and competitive."

"Its price is very good."

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

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

More IBM FlashSystem pricing and cost advice

Information not available

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	47
Midsize Enterprise	21
Large Enterprise	59

No data available

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?

The pricing is high; storage solutions are always expensive. I do not know if the price needs to be reviewed, but it is worth considering.

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What needs improvement with IBM FlashSystem?

As far as I know, IBM FlashSystem has already improved, but I do not see room for improvement. It is simple to use and manage via SVC, simple to configure, and even for the zoning, I do not see imp...

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Comparisons

Dell PowerStore vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 19% of the time

NetApp AFF vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 9% of the time

Pure Storage FlashArray vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 8% of the time

HPE Alletra Storage vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 8% of the time

Huawei OceanStor Dorado vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 7% of the time

More IBM FlashSystem Competitors

NetApp FAS Series vs NEC D3 series

Compared 100% of the time

More NEC D3 series Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

IBM FlashSystem

January 2026

Download IBM FlashSystem product report

Buyer's Guide

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

December 2025

Download NEC D3 series product report

Also Known As

IBM Storwize

D3 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

D3-10 is Low end disk array device with up to 144 HDD modules.

NEC

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

Tsukuba Science City, Hokkaido Telecommunication Network Co. Inc, PHP Institute

Buyer's Guide

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

December 2025

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