We're addressing performance issues in our data center as well as the data duplication features to make sure we can be efficient in how we're storing data.
Service Owner, Platform Services at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Great replication and deduplication with helpful new features about to come out
Pros and Cons
- "Currently, the features of replication and deduplication have been very important to us."
- "It was very new when we first deployed it a year ago. Even the upgrade processes and knowing what to expect, as well as documentation, could be more robust."
What is our primary use case?
How has it helped my organization?
The main improvement has been storage efficiency. The price per gig of what we're able to store has been the biggest aspect the business has seen.
What is most valuable?
Some of the new features that are coming out, like vVols support are valuable. We're very excited about it. Currently, the features of replication and deduplication have been very important to us.
We've just heard that in the second half of this year, they will come out with support for vVols and the storage replication of those, which are new features. We're very excited about those. We've been waiting for them for a while.
What needs improvement?
It was very new when we first deployed it a year ago. Even just the upgrade processes and knowing what to expect, as well as documentation, could be more robust. We had folks that helped us through, however, we did have some bumps and bruises along the way.
Buyer's Guide
Dell PowerStore
January 2026
Learn what your peers think about Dell PowerStore. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using a solution for just over a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability has been solid for us since we deployed it. We haven't had any issues to speak of. A part failed somewhere, but it didn't cause any user impact, however, that's been the extent of it.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We tend to think of the users being our applications that are in there. However, in terms of the total global footprint of users, we've probably got 40,000 end-users, and probably 500 applications that run on top of it.
We are considering increasing usage. We have two other global data centers where it'll be deployed and then about 120 remote sites that we're just looking at now, whether we should make PowerStore our standard there or stay with the current unity.
How was the initial setup?
My team was involved in the deployment. I know we had the pro deploy services that did a lot of the work for us. It took a little while to get updates done. It sat for a few months before our data center was ready to put it in. Other than that, the deployment went pretty seamlessly.
Once we actually had all the prereqs done, it was deployed within a week, it was probably just a few days even between the two sites. There were a couple of months of waiting, however, that was more on our side.
These were two new Greenfield data center builds. It was like starting from scratch with a partner and now we're migrating workloads into them. It wasn't integrating with anything that existed.
There was one person on my team who was coordinating with outside organizations to do some implementation work for us. He was a cloud/storage engineer.
In terms of maintenance requirements, there's one person who looks after things. We've got it integrated with CloudIQ from a management standpoint. It largely tells us when things need to happen, however, one person keeps up with updates, new firmware, and those kinds of things.
What about the implementation team?
We did have outside assistance. We had Presidio as part of that deployment and we also had Dell's ProDeploy services. Both were very positive. They helped us understand both the prerequisites and what we needed to get started and then got us up and running effectively.
What was our ROI?
In terms of ROI, I don't have a good measure of it, however, I do know that we've seen definite improvements when we just compare what we've done in the past to what we're doing now. We've definitely seen improvements in terms of price per gig.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The great thing was the guarantee that came with it of the four-to-one deduplication ratio. That really helped with the pricing as well as the anytime upgrades. From a TCO standpoint, we were really able to see some benefits.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We did a bake-off between NetApp, Pure, and Dell. We've used EMC and then Dell storage solutions in our environment for years and have a proven relationship with the organization, as well as the product's capability.
What other advice do I have?
We have a private cloud within our two new North American global data centers. We've looked at connectivity to both AWS and Azure, however, we really don't have any storage replication heading there at this point.
I'd rate the product nine out of ten. With the new features that'll be out in a few months, it just continues to get better.
I like this solution. This was built more from the ground up with new features in mind. In particular, some of the capabilities that are coming out in the near future are really going to set it in a class above what the others have to offer.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Head of Information Security at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
An easy-to-use and fast tool that needs to offer its users a better technical support team
Pros and Cons
- "Dell PowerStore is an easy and fast tool to work through our company's data."
- "There are certain shortcomings with the technical support team of Dell PowerStore, where improvements are required."
What is our primary use case?
I use Dell PowerStore in my company as a storage system.
How has it helped my organization?
Dell PowerStore is an easy and fast tool to work through our company's data.
What needs improvement?
Dell PowerStore is not a powerful tool. From an improvement perspective, Dell PowerStore needs to be a more powerful product.
There are certain shortcomings with the technical support team of Dell PowerStore, where improvements are required.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell PowerStore for five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. Scalability-wise, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
My company is a bulk user of the product and has around 100 users of Dell PowerStore, consisting of eight to ten IT engineers, and the rest are administrators.
My company plans to increase the use of the solution in the future.
How are customer service and support?
With the technical support team of Dell PowerStore, my company faces certain language barriers.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Negative
How was the initial setup?
The product's initial setup is easy.
I rate the product's initial setup a six on a scale of one to ten, where one is an easy setup phase, and ten is a difficult setup phase.
The solution can be deployed within two to four hours.
One person is required for the deployment of Dell PowerStore. Two people are required for the maintenance of Dell PowerStore.
The solution is deployed on an on-premises model.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Dell PowerStore is not a cheap solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would not recommend Dell PowerStore to those who plan to use it.
As the price of the product is high and it is difficult to contact the support, I rate the overall tool a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Last updated: Apr 30, 2025
Flag as inappropriateBuyer's Guide
Dell PowerStore
January 2026
Learn what your peers think about Dell PowerStore. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
881,082 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Coordinator Team Infrastructure at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
Offers great speed and deduplication functionality to users
Pros and Cons
- "The deduplication functionality provided by the solution is fairly good. The speed offered by the product is enough for our organization."
- "After the smooth launch of the product in our company, only the areas around upgrades are a bit problematic. In our organization, we face difficulties when updating the product."
What is our primary use case?
I use Dell PowerStore in my organization mainly for our server environment, so all of our virtual servers run on it. I also use Dell PowerStore in my organization to clone our environment to a test environment and some storage devices. The aforementioned details explain the main reason why our organization prefers Dell PowerStore.
How has it helped my organization?
With new features in the product, my organization hopes to get some more output. When our organization moved Dell EMC XtremIO to Dell PowerStore, we knew that the functionalities revolving around cloning and copies would become a little slower, but we made the decision to do so because it was cheaper for our environment, making it a cost-based decision.
What is most valuable?
The deduplication functionality provided by the solution is fairly good. The speed offered by the product is enough for our organization. Our organization also has Dell EMC XtremIO, which is a bit faster, though Dell PowerStore alone is more than enough for us.
What needs improvement?
After the smooth launch of the product in our company, only the areas around upgrades are a bit problematic. In our organization, we face difficulties when updating the product. Since Dell PowerStore's system health check runs correctly, there is a need to bypass the health check during the upgrading process. Sometimes, the replication part of the product doesn't work, and because of this, our organization has to contact Dell's support to fix it. In my organization, we have had to go through two weeks with no replication, which is not very handy for our production environment.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell PowerStore for two or three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
My company faces issues when we attempt to update Dell PowerStore, but under normal circumstances, we don't face any issues with the product.
How are customer service and support?
When you have someone on the line from Dell's support team, then everything becomes perfect, especially if they are early to address some of our issues since, in our organization, we have multiple appliances and storage areas, and to maintain it at a level, it's very difficult. My organization needs to create an incident and schedule a call with Dell's support team, which sometimes can be a bit of a rough process.
I rate the technical support a seven out of ten.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The implementation phase of the product was not difficult. An engineer from Dell came to our company to install Dell PowerStore, and afterward, we configured the zones and WWNs, and the product started to work perfectly. There were no problems at all with the implementation phase of the product.
I don't know how much time the deployment process takes since one of my colleagues handles it, as I am only a supervisor.
What about the implementation team?
A third-party help was required to install the product.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
My company chose Dell PowerStore over other products mainly because we have very good contact with Dell in the Netherlands. My company uses the server and storage devices from Dell. Our company's main support is from Dell. My company did take a look at Pure Storage. With the discounts and everything from Dell, my company runs about 30 servers, which cannot be the storage provided by Pure Storage.
What other advice do I have?
In my organization, there were no problems or challenges that we wanted to address through the implementation of Dell PowerStore.
I don't know how much money my organization saved after moving from Dell EMC XtremIO to Dell PowerStore, but I know that we have received some discounts from Dell. I don't know what the prices were when my company chose Dell EMC XtremIO or Dell PowerStore.
My organization doesn't use CloudIQ to manage and analyze Dell PowerStore.
I don't know how my organization assesses Dell PowerStore for its overall energy consumption. I don't know what kind of power it uses for anything.
I know that Dell PowerStore is a bit, if not much, better when it comes to areas like significant data consolidation and footprint reduction when compared to Dell EMC XtremIO. Dell EMC XtremIO was also a very good product for areas like significant data consolidation and footprint reduction.
It is a good product, considering my assessment of Dell Technologies' environmental, social, and governance values. My organization maintains good contacts with Dell, and Dell also supports us by providing good governance.
I rate the overall product an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Director at a construction company with 501-1,000 employees
Good scalability and efficient data compression process
Pros and Cons
- "It is a stable solution."
- "The solution's pricing could be better."
What is our primary use case?
We use the solution for visualization and protection of the environment.
What is most valuable?
The solution's most valuable features are the quick data compression process and ease of scalability for all types of support contracts.
What needs improvement?
The solution's pricing could be better.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using the solution for half a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable solution. We have more than 300 end users and two administrators using it. We also plan to increase the usage.
How are customer service and support?
The solution's customer service is excellent.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
How was the initial setup?
The solution's initial setup was straightforward. It took one or two days to complete it.
What about the implementation team?
Our in-house team of two executives implemented the solution.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of the solution is high compared to IBM. There are additional costs for storage and support apart from the standard license.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated IBM and Fujitsu storage before. In comparison with Dell, IBM has stable software. But Dell is perfect for technical support and training, helping us make the right decisions. Also, we can choose between different strategies or configurations. It is more intuitive and complex as well.
What other advice do I have?
I advise others to prefer more disks for the solution than standard ones. Also, wait to install updates after release. Overall, it is a great product. I rate it as a ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Manager Enterprise Solutions at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Effective end-to-end performance, minimized latency, and responsive support
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of Dell PowerStore are the support for NVMe and SCM, which provides end-to-end performance and high IOPS, minimizing latency. It is a full-fledged storage solution."
- "Dell PowerStore is a good solution overall, but some models could support hypervisors better by allowing for more customization and flexibility for customer needs."
What is our primary use case?
Dell PowerStore is primarily used for high-performance applications, such as databases, but it is also suitable for virtualization and other applications.
How has it helped my organization?
Dell PowerStore has helped in resolving latency issues in our applications. Our customers mostly use it to improve performance.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of Dell PowerStore are the support for NVMe and SCM, which provides end-to-end performance and high IOPS, minimizing latency. It is a full-fledged storage solution.
What needs improvement?
Dell PowerStore is a good solution overall, but some models could support hypervisors better by allowing for more customization and flexibility for customer needs.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell PowerStore for approximately three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the stability of Dell PowerStore a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have five to six customers using this solution and we plan on increasing our customers.
I rate the scalability of Dell PowerStore a nine out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support from Dell PowerStore has always been good, they respond quickly and you can reach them 24 hours a day seven days a week.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of Dell PowerStore requires expertise, but for someone trained in the solution, it's not too complicated.
One person is needed for configuration, and two people are needed for installation and cabling.
What was our ROI?
By using Dell PowerStore's best deduplication and compression features, its ROI is very good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I rate the price of Dell PowerStore a seven out of ten.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We evaluated options like HPE Primera and Huawei Dorado.
Dell PowerStore provides the best performance, deduplication, and compression, although other storage is also supporting these features. However, the Dell PowerStore guarantees 4:1 compression and deduplication, which goes up to 20:1.
What other advice do I have?
If anyone wants to implement Dell PowerStore, I would advise that they seek help from an expert rather than deploying it by themselves.
I rate the scalability of Dell PowerStore a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Devops Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
High-performance and high-availability features but support needs improvement
Pros and Cons
- "Typically, high-performance and high-availability features, such as application snapshots and remote and local replication, are highly valued."
- "The customer service and support are bad."
What is our primary use case?
Our clients mainly use it for additional workloads in databases and EDI.
What is most valuable?
Typically, high-performance and high-availability features, such as application snapshots and remote and local replication, are highly valued.
What needs improvement?
There is room for improvement in the support.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell PowerStore for over a year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
For stability, I would rate Dell PowerStore as a seven out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability varies depending on the model. The smaller models are not very scalable, while the larger ones offer better scalability. So it really depends on the specific model. For example, the 400 series models are less scalable.
Our customers are a mix of small, medium, or enterprise businesses.
How are customer service and support?
The customer service and support are bad. The response time from the support team was not very satisfactory. They also struggled with handling cases from different time zones.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
I would rate my experience with the initial setup a six out of ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
I would rate it as a six out of ten, one being cheap and ten being expensive, because pricing depends on the model and negotiation. Sometimes we manage to get good discounts, sometimes not.
It's an all-inclusive license, so there are no additional charges. It's a one-time license fee for the device.
What other advice do I have?
Overall, Dell PowerStore is a good platform, but it's not the best, in my opinion, due to the support issues and stability concerns.
Additionally, the shift from a storage controller to Dell servers as the controller is not ideal for a storage operating environment. Ultimately, it's a Dell Server working on the software for PowerStore.
Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Principal Consultant at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Easy to use, good performance, and highly stable
Pros and Cons
- "The solution is easy to use and has good performance."
- "Horizontal scaling has room for improvement."
What is our primary use case?
We utilize Dell PowerStore for VMware and to establish an OpenShift environment for deploying applications on the customer's end.
What is most valuable?
The solution is easy to use and has good performance.
What needs improvement?
Horizontal scaling has room for improvement.
The price has room for improvement.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for around five years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I give the stability a nine out of ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I give the scalability a seven out of ten. While the solution can be vertically scaled without issues, horizontal scaling presents challenges.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is usually good but they are not very robust.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Neutral
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. I give the setup a seven out of ten. To ensure successful deployment, a certain level of technical knowledge is necessary. Typically, a team of one to two engineers can complete the deployment within a few hours. However, the duration may vary and take up to two days depending on the specific configuration requirements.
What about the implementation team?
We implement the solution for our customers.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The solution is expensive. I give the cost a two out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
I give the solution an eight out of ten.
The solution requires hardware maintenance. Depending on the customer's contract agreement, we can maintain the solution and provide replacement parts by the next business day.
Our clients are enterprise-level.
I recommend Dell PowerStore because it is a highly stable solution.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Presales System Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Great migration performance with unlimited scalability
Pros and Cons
- "Migrations are very easy and fast."
- "More demonstration and training options are needed."
What is our primary use case?
Our company partners with the solution to offer customers storage as a service. We currently use the solution internally for our data center and to conduct tests or demos.
We have not yet used the solution for customers because product lead time is slow and long.
How has it helped my organization?
We are focused on providing our customers with quality service. The solution saves customers time and money because it handles migrations quickly and does not require additional IT resources or staff.
What is most valuable?
The solution's scalability, capacity, and performance are great.
Migrations are very easy and fast. The solution works well with native products such as VxRail, Unity, or VMware.
What needs improvement?
Products that are not native sometimes cause migration issues.
The solution should include access to Dell Demo Center. Our prior partnership included it and I was able to learn more about products, schedule demos, view functionalities, and run tests in real-time. Without access, I have to wait to get answers to my questions.
More demonstration and training options are needed. It is important to understand the solution before speaking with customers about its functionality and benefits.
Documentation and videos are not very rich and should include the whole interface with detailed information that can be shared with customers.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using the solution for one year.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
We don't have enough use cases to determine overall stability. The solution does perform well when scaling.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution's scalability is great. Customers view this as an advantage because they can roll out in stages.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
The company previously used Dell Demo Center.
In my role as presales engineer, I implement products for a demo environment. I have knowledge of HPE 3PAR and NetApp but have worked almost exclusively with Dell products for twelve years.
How was the initial setup?
The setup is advertised as plug-and-play but it is not quite that easy.
What about the implementation team?
We installed the solution in-house for our demo environment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price is high compared to the Tunisian market. The solution is T-level but is not priced that way. Customers want the option to scale in or out while managing costs.
We are using PowerStore 1000 but that is already secondary level since 1200T and 1200X have been released.
The price is more exciting when you consider the solution's scalability and performance.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
We were already with Dell so we knew the solution would easily manage our migrations.
What other advice do I have?
I rate the solution an eight out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Dell PowerStore Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: January 2026
Popular Comparisons
NetApp AFF
Dell PowerScale (Isilon)
Pure FlashArray X NVMe
Pure Storage FlashArray
Pure Storage FlashBlade
HPE Alletra Storage
Dell Unity XT
IBM FlashSystem
NetApp FAS Series
VAST Data
Dell PowerMax
Hitachi Virtual Storage Platform
HPE 3PAR StoreServ
Huawei OceanStor Dorado
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Dell PowerStore Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Quick Links
Learn More: Questions:
- How does Dell's EMC PowerStore compare with its EMC Unity XT?
- Which solution do you prefer: Dell PowerStore 1200 or Dell Unity 400?
- What do you think about Dell EMC PowerStore? Is it actually a new product?
- Has anyone tried Dell EMC PowerStore? What do you think of it and how was migration?
- What's the difference between DELL EMC Powerstore and Powermax NVMe?
- Which solution do you prefer: Huawei OceanStor 5300 or Dell PowerStore 500T?
- What is the best solution for an enterprise-level storage environment?
- How would you recommend selecting a compute and storage solution based on the company size?
- Does NetApp offers Capacity NVMs All-Flash Storage Arrays?
- When evaluating NVMe, what aspect do you think is the most important to look for?















