Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series vs SteelFusion comparison

Lenovo and Riverbed are both solutions in the HCI category. Lenovo is ranked #23, while Riverbed is ranked #30. Lenovo holds a 1.7% mindshare in HCI, compared to Riverbed’s 1.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Lenovo users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Riverbed users who would recommend it.

Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series

Read 3 Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series reviews

1,195 Views
1,195 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

SteelFusion

Read 2 SteelFusion reviews

754 Views
694 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series

SteelFusion

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 31, 2024

SteelFusion and Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series are advanced infrastructure solutions competing in the IT infrastructure domain. SteelFusion seems to have the upper hand in data optimization and centralized management, while Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series excels in scalability and integration.

Features: SteelFusion offers WAN optimization, centralized management, and streamlined branch management, ideal for distributed workflows. Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series provides Hyperconverged Infrastructure, high availability, and scalability, suitable for businesses seeking seamless integration and growth capacity.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: SteelFusion offers a straightforward deployment process with centralized management tailored for distributed networks and provides prompt customer service. Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series ensures robust pre-integrated solutions compatible with VMware and Nutanix, providing flexible deployment options but potentially more complex initial setups. Lenovo’s support is comprehensive, meeting enterprise-grade requirements.

Pricing and ROI: SteelFusion presents a compelling cost-to-benefit ratio with reduced management overhead and WAN usage, offering quick ROI. Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series may involve higher initial costs, but its integration and scalability deliver long-term value, justifying the investment for scalable and integrated deployments.

To learn more, read our detailed HCI Report (Updated: April 2026).

Buyer's Guide

HCI

April 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 893,221 peers since 2012

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

Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series

Ranking in HCI

23rd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.5

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

SteelFusion

Ranking in HCI

30th

Average Rating

9.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of May 2026, in the HCI category, the mindshare of Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series is 1.7%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of SteelFusion is 1.1%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

HCI Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series	1.7%
SteelFusion	1.1%
Other	97.2%

HCI

Featured Reviews

Adeel Hashmi

IT Technical Advisor at a construction company with 501-1,000 employees

With an easy deployment phase, the tool offers good scalability and stability

Suppose you don't compare Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series with the newest features available in the other variants of the product, then everything is pretty standard, so I cannot pinpoint any areas of issue in particular. With Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series, the firmware from VMware or Nutanix takes time to be made available compared to other products that we use in our company's IT environment. If you want to go to a certain version of VMware and check what Nutanix offers, you see that both the offerings don't go hand in hand, and you have to wait for a quarter or two quarters until you see the same versions of both being made available for the other products, like Dell or HPE. There is a delay in the availability of similar versions of firmware from both the products, which are VMware and Nutanix for Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series, due to the delayed releases from both products, maybe by a quarter or so. The aforementioned area can be considered for improvement in a solution. In future releases of the product, I may want some improvements to be made in the products from Nutanix and VMware.

Read full review

it_user866178

Chief Technology Officer at MAZZETTI+GBA

Sync to Central and edge protection mitigate my risk in our branch offices

The level of tech support depends on who you get. There are some techs that just read the script and ask you if you’ve rebooted, but once you get past that - or if you have a very technical issue - the support is great. They really know the product and get you up and running again ASAP.

Read full review

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 the Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series are the ease of use and simple configuration."

"The most valuable feature of the solution stems from the fact that the product's deployment phase is pretty easy."

"Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series is cost-effective, and when comparing this solution to other OEM solutions it is relatively inexpensive."

"The initial setup is simple. We were able to deliver the hyper-convergence solution in a very good time."

"Sync to Central and edge protection mitigate my risk in our branch offices. All services that need to be local to the user exist on local servers. Users run applications and access data locally while the data is constantly being synced to Central, and protected. If an edge device fails, we can recover quickly."

"That is why Riverbed SteelFusion has delivered a masterclass technology that not only abstracted and virtualized the storage vendors’ unique logical storage structures, it has made it logically closer and seamless to the branch applications from a performance and experience perspective."

"All services that need to be local to the user exist on local servers, so users run applications and access data locally while the data is constantly being synced to Central and protected, and if an edge device fails, we can recover quickly."

Cons

"The technical support of Lenovo ThinkAgile HX can improve. I rate the support from Lenovo ThinkAgile HX a three out of five."

"Here in Nigeria, the only challenge that we have, which I think is also experienced globally is the delay in bringing in the spare parts. This is a challenge facing our country, such as the Forex market. However, this is beyond the control of Lenovo themselves."

"There is a delay in the availability of similar versions of firmware from both the products, which are VMware and Nutanix for Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series, due to the delayed releases from both products, maybe by a quarter or so."

"Here in Nigeria, the only challenge that we have, which I think is also experienced globally is the delay in bringing in the spare parts."

"Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series could improve by having better integration with the solutions from VMware and vCenter"

"Setting up disks for use is a multi-step process that could use some refinement. Setting up a core-to-core replication or DR strategy is also cumbersome."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"Price-wise, it is a pretty good product. The product's price was one of the main criteria that made my company choose it over the other products in the market."

"When comparing this solution to other OEM solutions it is relatively inexpensive."

"Price is an issue – this is expensive stuff. My advice is to beat up Riverbed as much as possible on price. These things are expensive and there is room for negotiation."

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which HCI solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Construction Company

13%

Comms Service Provider

12%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

Comparisons

Azure Local vs Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series

Compared 14% of the time

Lenovo ThinkAgile VX Series vs Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series

Compared 9% of the time

VMware vSAN vs Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series

Compared 8% of the time

HPE SimpliVity vs Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series

Compared 8% of the time

More Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series Competitors

Nutanix Cloud Infrastructure (NCI) vs SteelFusion

Compared 14% of the time

HPE SimpliVity vs SteelFusion

Compared 12% of the time

Sangfor HCI - Hyper Converged Infrastructure vs SteelFusion

Compared 10% of the time

Pivot3 vs SteelFusion

Compared 8% of the time

VxRail vs SteelFusion

Compared 5% of the time

More SteelFusion Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

HCI

April 2026

Download Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series product report

Buyer's Guide

HCI

April 2026

Download SteelFusion product report

Also Known As

Lenovo HX Series, ThinkAgile HX Series

No data available

Overview

Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series delivers flexible, scalable hyperconverged infrastructure optimized for simplified IT management. It is tailored for customers seeking efficiency and transformation in enterprise environments.

Combining Lenovo's robust hardware with Nutanix's software, ThinkAgile HX Series provides an agile platform designed for rapid deployment and integration. It supports diverse workloads, ensuring seamless data management and optimized resource utilization. With its flexible architecture, enterprises can adjust configurations to match specific business demands, providing an adaptable and responsive IT environment.

What are the key features of Lenovo ThinkAgile HX Series?

Scalability: Easily expand resources in line with business growth.
Simplified Management: Integrated management tools for efficient oversight.
High Performance: Optimizes applications with responsive, high-speed operations.

What benefits and ROI should users consider?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces overall expenditure with integrated systems.
Time Savings: Decreases deployment times through streamlined operations.
Flexibility: Supports dynamic workload demands with adaptable solutions.

ThinkAgile HX Series finds applications in industries such as healthcare, enabling data-driven decisions and timely patient care, and in financial services, where efficient data processing and security are paramount. Its adaptability makes it a crucial component across multiple sectors.

Lenovo

SteelFusion is a high-performance converged infrastructure solution designed to streamline and secure data management in branch office environments, combining server, storage, and network functionalities in a single platform.

SteelFusion enhances efficiency in remote IT operations by integrating with existing IT systems to deliver seamless data centralization and protection. Its architecture supports diverse applications without compromising on performance, making it essential for enterprises looking to optimize their remote branch office operations. Organizations can reduce data footprint, improve resiliency, and ensure data compliance across dispersed locations.

What are the key features of SteelFusion?

Edge Servers: Deliver high-speed performance with robust compute capabilities.
FusionSync: Offers real-time data replication to maintain data consistency.
Virtual Services Platform: Simplifies branch IT with centralized management.
Branch Recovery: Minimizes downtime with rapid recovery options.
Hybrid Cloud Support: Integrates seamlessly with cloud services for extended scalability.

What benefits can users expect in reviews?

Cost Efficiency: Reduces overall IT costs by consolidating infrastructure.
Data Security: Enhances data protection through centralized monitoring.
Operational Simplicity: Lowers complexity in management and deployment.
Performance Optimization: Ensures consistent application delivery across branches.
Risk Mitigation: Decreases risk with improved disaster recovery processes.

SteelFusion is prominently implemented in industries such as finance, healthcare, and retail, where secure data access and rapid recovery are critical. These environments benefit from its robust data management capabilities, enabling them to maintain continuous operations while reducing operational burdens. Its deployment allows businesses to adapt quickly and remain competitive in fast-paced markets.

Riverbed

Sample Customers

Information Not Available

Roxtec, Engen, Bobst, CBP, IUCN, Mahoning County, Kentucky Transportation Cabinet

Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, Broadcom, Nutanix and others in HCI. Updated: April 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

893,221 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our list of best HCI vendors.

We monitor all HCI 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.