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 8.4, while NEC is ranked #19. IBM holds a 19.2% mindshare in MS, compared to NEC’s 0.4% 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 111 IBM FlashSystem reviews

1,319 Views
359 Comparison Views

91% willing to recommend

NEC D3 series

Read 1 NEC D3 series review

69 Views
11 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, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and others in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network).

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

Buyer's Guide

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

May 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

7.0

Number of Reviews

111

Ranking in other categories

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

NEC D3 series

Ranking in Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

19th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Modular SAN (Storage Area Network) category, the mindshare of IBM FlashSystem is 19.2%, up from 16.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NEC D3 series is 0.4%, up from 0.3% 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 ( /products/ibm-flashsystem-reviews ) 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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Gungor Bingul

Head of IT at Korozo

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

"The pricing is reasonable."

"The performance of the solution is noteworthy."

"IBM FlashSystem is flexible, quick, and has a solid design."

"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."

"Data deduplication is one of the most valuable features of this solution."

"The performance is very good and we use this product to enhance our core system."

"IBM products at the enterprise level are stable solutions, with a score of nine out of ten for stability."

"IBM FlashSystem is a powerful effective storage solution. Additionally, it is user-friendly, anyone can use it."

More IBM FlashSystem pros

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

Cons

"I have looked at a few pages of a report I download and I saw a graph there regarding software-defined vendors. IBM is not in a good position on this graph. I know that they are working very hard on this, to make it much better and to get to a level where it's not only hardware but also software to provide a complete solution."

"We use some open-source tools for monitoring, such as Grafana and it should be bundled along with IBM FlashSystem."

"The data reduction pool feature sucks and is not recommended for use with heavy workloads."

"I would like to see an improvement in the handling of large amounts of rights."

"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."

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

"The GUI for monitoring performance metrics could provide better visibility. For example, it doesn't let me segregate the IOPS per volume."

"The price is very costly."

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

"The price of IBM FlashSystem is a little high because you pay a premium because the solution is from IBM. We had paid for the SLA prior to using the solution."

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

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

"The pricing is competitive in our country."

"The tool is cost-efficient."

"The pricing may be a bit higher than other brands. If you compare the IBM FlashSystems in midrange with Dell EMC in midrange, IBM costs a bit more, but I prefer IBM because it has more specs that I can benefit from."

"Regarding licensing make sure you add at least three years software maintenance from IBM at the beginning, because you will not be able to download firmware updates or any fixes/patches without this."

"The total storage capacity vs price is still quite high for the IBM Flash Array."

More IBM FlashSystem pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

14%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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?

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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Comparisons

Dell PowerStore vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 22% of the time

HPE Alletra Storage vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 9% of the time

Huawei OceanStor Dorado vs IBM FlashSystem

Compared 8% of the time

Pure Storage FlashArray 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

June 2025

Download IBM FlashSystem product report

Buyer's Guide

Modular SAN (Storage Area Network)

May 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)

May 2025

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