We use it for our databases.
Chief Manager - information technology at UTKARSH SMALL FINANCE BANK LIMITED
Is easy to install and has good technical support, speed, and performance
Pros and Cons
- "The speed, performance, and stability are the best features of IBM FlashSystem."
- "If you want to expand, you cannot expand the disc enclosure. You have to buy a total individual node. Sometimes, this is difficult because we are just looking for capacity and not a node."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The speed, performance, and stability are the best features of IBM FlashSystem.
What needs improvement?
It would be good to have historical graphs showing data for a month. Right now, only live graphs are available.
Space reclamation also needs to be improved.
If you want to expand, you cannot expand the disc enclosure. You have to buy a total individual node. Sometimes, this is difficult because we are just looking for capacity and not a node.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using this solution for the past two years.
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IBM FlashSystem
June 2026
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is a stable solution, and I would give the stability a rating between eight and ten.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
I would rate the scalability at seven out of ten.
How are customer service and support?
IBM's technical support has been good, and I would rate them at nine on a scale from one to ten.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is easy, and I'd give it an eight out of ten. It took about half a day to set up IBM FlashSystem.
What other advice do I have?
I would highly recommend IBM FlashSystem and would rate it at nine out of ten. It is definitely worth the cost.
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.
Commercial Director at MUK
An excellent storage system useful for SAP, landscape or banking systems
Pros and Cons
- "The storage system is one of the best in the world."
- "The initial setup is complex."
What is our primary use case?
It is useful for SAP, landscape or banking systems. The product system is good.
What is most valuable?
The storage system is one of the best in the world.
What needs improvement?
The setup could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have used this solution for 12 years and are using versions 5200, 5300 and 9000.
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 scalable. We have more than 12 customers using IBM FlashSystem in my country.
How are customer service and support?
I am satisfied because we have global technical support and other options. In addition, IBM has two specialized service centers based on the business partners' platform.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is complex, and the deployment depends on the project. It could take two hours or two or three months. We usually work with integrators working with companies, service and business partners.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Our clients pay for software licenses or other advanced licenses they need, such as Metro Cluster. The licenses are usually annual.
What other advice do I have?
I rate this solution an eight out of ten. I recommend this solution to others.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Buyer's Guide
IBM FlashSystem
June 2026
Learn what your peers think about IBM FlashSystem. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: June 2026.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Core Systems Services Consultant Infrastructure & Security at Asseco Central Europe, a.s.
Enterprise storage solution that offers good performance and is straightforward to setup.
Pros and Cons
- "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."
- "The storage capacity of this solution could be improved."
What is our primary use case?
We implement this solution for our customers, including African banks who use it for storage.
What needs improvement?
The storage capacity of this solution could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for six years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and support?
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.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward but does have some complexity in the middle.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price depends of the technology that our customers need.The price can come at a lower cost but this may increase as storage is added.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution because it offers good performance and the systems are fast. In terms of dealing with Oracle, it's really a good choice for customers that have their infrastructure that needs balance.
I would rate this solution ten out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
Private Cloud
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Microsoft Azure
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Partner
Senior Manager - IT at LankaClear
Enterprise storage solution that is AI based and is used for application and database coding
Pros and Cons
- "This solution is really user friendly. It also offers good performance and is highly reliable."
- "This solution could be improved by offering greater amounts of storage."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for application and database coding.
What is most valuable?
This solution is really user friendly. It also offers good performance and is highly reliable.
What needs improvement?
This solution could be improved by offering greater amounts of storage.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This is a scalable solution.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We switched to using IBM because we wanted an AI based solution.
What about the implementation team?
The entire hardware implementation was done by IBM.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others because it is reliable, high performing and user friendly.
I would rate this solution a nine 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.
Consultant at Pi DATACENTERS
Great visualization, minimal defaults, with scalability
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature in demand is virtualization and its support storage of virtualization features."
- "IBM FlashSystem is a very stable solution and its default rate is low."
- "In the next release having the next level of high-speed performance would be great."
What is our primary use case?
Our primary use case is we are required to share storage. We share and cluster the application and databases. We use the IBM Flash System as a tier of storage. We have SND, cache, SST storage system, and staff storage. When performance or database is required we provide the storage tier from the SAS-based storage. It is a hybrid storage system that combines both SAS and SN storage.
How has it helped my organization?
The data is the main factor. The security encryption of the data with storage has been the biggest improvement to our organization.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature in demand is virtualization and its support storage of virtualization features.
What needs improvement?
In the next release having the next level of high-speed performance would be great. We should see an increase in the FC board to thirty-two G, sixty-four G UBS port for the performance to be readily available.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IBM FlashSystem for the past two and a half years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
IBM FlashSystem is a very stable solution and its default rate is low. In the past four to five months we only received one default.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability is excellent. We can add a storage box as required and the capability is increased on that particular box. In one year we export our data to the boxes and we have doubled.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used HP three Power and DX four hundred and ten storage. We needed the virtualization feature and IBM FlashSystem was the only one that offered that.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is complex because it requires a more extensive knowledge base. There are multiple parts from storage, and data parts, and the configuration zoning of each of them.
What about the implementation team?
We used a third party and had it deployed by IBM.
What was our ROI?
We can see a return on investment on the technical side. IBM FlashSystems is stored in a centralized way and with the original fee. We can protect the time and we can restore the application in case of any disaster.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate IBM FlashSystem a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?
Other
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Systems Manager at Tapal tea
High availability, responsive support, and robust
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable features of IBM FlashSystem are performance and security."
- "If someone wants a robust, scalable, and consistent behavior for their site, then they should use IBM FlashSystem."
- "The interface could improve in IBM FlashSystem."
What is most valuable?
The most valuable features of IBM FlashSystem are performance and security.
What needs improvement?
The interface could improve in IBM FlashSystem.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IBM FlashSystem for approximately four years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
IBM FlashSystem has high availability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The scalability of IBM FlashSystem has been good.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support from IBM FlashSystem is very good.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have not used other solutions other than IBM FlashSystem.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup of IBM FlashSystem was easy.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
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.
What other advice do I have?
If someone wants a robust, scalable, and consistent behavior for their site, then they should use IBM FlashSystem.
I rate IBM FlashSystem a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Manager - Information Technology Infrastructure and Development Support at Royal Ceramics
User-friendly, convenient and reliable solution used for SAN storage
Pros and Cons
- "This solution is convenient, user-friendly, convenient and reliable."
- "We previously used Dell EMC and switched to this solution because the support, product and performance are of a higher standard."
- "The interface of this solution could be improved."
- "This is an expensive solution compared to other similar solutions."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for SAN storage.
What is most valuable?
This solution is user-friendly, convenient and reliable.
What needs improvement?
This solution is expensive compared to other systems. The interface of this solution could be improved.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for 13 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
This solution is scalable. We have 400 users using it.
How are customer service and support?
The support for this solution has fast response times.
How would you rate customer service and support?
Positive
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We previously used Dell EMC and switched to this solution because the support, product and performance are of a higher standard.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is complex. Deployment took six months.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is an expensive solution compared to other similar solutions.
What other advice do I have?
I would advise users of this solution to ensure they have the correct licensing and continue to maintain the product while using it.
I would rate this solution a nine out of ten.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Deputy General Manager(IT) at Tamilnadu Newsprint and PapersLimtied
User-friendly, priced well, powerful, and effective
Pros and Cons
- "IBM FlashSystem is a powerful effective storage solution. Additionally, it is user-friendly, anyone can use it."
- "We use some open-source tools for monitoring, such as Grafana and it should be bundled along with IBM FlashSystem."
What is our primary use case?
We are using IBM FlashSystem for Oracle E-Business Suite backups.
What is most valuable?
IBM FlashSystem is a powerful effective storage solution. Additionally, it is user-friendly, anyone can use it.
What needs improvement?
We use some open-source tools for monitoring, such as Grafana and it should be bundled along with IBM FlashSystem.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using IBM FlashSystem for approximately two years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
IBM FlashSystem is stable, we have not found any issues.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The solution is scalable.
The solution can be used for any size of business.
How are customer service and support?
I have not needed to contact the support.
How was the initial setup?
The implementation is very simple.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The price of IBM FlashSystem is reasonable.
What other advice do I have?
IBM FlashSystem is very simple and plug-and-play. I would recommend it.
I rate IBM FlashSystem 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. partner
Head of IT at a manufacturing company with 501-1,000 employees
Good Performance, user interface, simple to use and install
Pros and Cons
- "The price-performance ratio is most valuable; it is simple to use, and both the performance and interface are good."
- "They don't offer subscription-based payments. You pay for the license."
What is our primary use case?
IBM FlashSystem is used for online transaction processing in TP solutions.
What is most valuable?
The price-performance ratio is most valuable.
It is simple to use.
Both the performance and interface are good.
For how long have I used the solution?
We are in our second year of using IBM FlashSystem.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
IBM FlashSystem is a stable solution.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It is a scalable product.
In our organization, we have more than 1,000 people using this solution.
In general, we plan our investments for three to five years in advance. Because technology evolves every five years, the solution is usually changed after five years. As a result, we had to replace everything.
We don't have any plans to purchase additional licenses in the near future.
How are customer service and support?
We haven't needed any assistance from technical support so far.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We use a variety of solutions from Hitachi, EMC, and NEC.
We switched to IBM FlashSystem because of the scalability, it was a beneficial option for us, as well as the price-performance ratio and technology.
They compare the IBM features with those of EMC and HP.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is straightforward. It is easy to install.
It takes very little time to deploy. The initial implementation will take two days. The data will then be moved by wifi over a three-week period due to the implementation study.
The installation is being managed by a team of two engineers.
What about the implementation team?
A company called Compro assisted us with the installation. They were good.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
They don't offer subscription-based payments. You pay for the license.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to anyone else who is interested.
Because technology is evolving at a rapid pace, they should compare the benefits. Of course, solution technology is important, but the most important aspect is service and knowledge.
I would rate IBM FlashSystem a nine 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.
Head of IT Infrastructure at a insurance company with 501-1,000 employees
Good performance, energy efficient with a small form factor, helpful support
Pros and Cons
- "The performance is very good and we use this product to enhance our core system."
- "This is definitely a product I can recommend based on its performance and reliability."
- "This product lacks some of the options we wanted. For example, expansion was difficult and it required a lot of patching to be done."
What is our primary use case?
We use IBM FlashSystem as part of our core system to enhance performance.
How has it helped my organization?
This product will improve your performance and it has helped us with that.
Also, in prior systems where we had mechanical drives, there would have been at least a couple of drive failures. With this solution, no drive failures have been experienced so far.
Compare to our previous system, space utilization has definitely been reduced. Our old system used two racks, whereas this solution sits in a single rack and initially took up 2Us. Post-upgrade, it is 8Us but even so, compared to what we had, it is a considerable energy saving. Also, when we upgraded, it helped us to mitigate a lot of our legacy issues present with the old hardware.
What is most valuable?
The performance is very good and we use this product to enhance our core system.
The reliability is better than it is with mechanical drives.
This is a compact system, and it has a lot of pieces built into it. For everything is included for us to be able to replicate to a DR site.
What needs improvement?
This product lacks some of the options we wanted. For example, expansion was difficult and it required a lot of patching to be done. It's not a seamless process because you need to do multiple modifications or alterations. There is a lot of effort required by the customer in order to expand the hardware.
Further expansion of our model is not feasible. As new models are released, expansion becomes difficult and you have to switch to a new model when you want to upgrade. This means that you have to migrate data between models. We want something where you can use for at least five years, where you can expand the hardware without the inconvenience of changing models. Ideally, the operating system and other applications would not be affected when expanding.
It would be helpful if the solution had built-in safeguards against security threats and malware, such as ransomware. Anything that can be utilized to enhance data integrity would be helpful.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been working with IBM FlashSystem for three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of the IBM FlashSystem is excellent.
There was no downtime when we patched the system, which is good because we wouldn't want our core system to go down.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
In our experience, scalability is not very easy. This may depend on our systems so it might not be universally true but definitely, for us, scalability was a problem. IBM came out with a newer version and told us that "To scale, you'll have to either switch over to a new version or buy an additional controller."
So, scalability on that particular model was not feasible. There may be better models but the model that we purchased was not easily scaled.
We have 800 users and there are four engineers who manage our IT products.
We do not plan on expanding our use of this product in the future because our plan includes moving to the cloud.
How are customer service and support?
The IBM technical support is excellent. When we had a hardware issue, they were able to fix it within the SLA period. They have back-to-back support for resolving any hardware problems.
When it comes to managing hardware, they're excellent.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We have worked with systems from Dell and HPE and we have found that more maintenance and patching needs to be done on products by those vendors, as compared to IBM.
This is important to consider because if you don't have a high-availability system then you are going to end up with downtime when patches are implemented.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup was complex because we had to move a lot of data from our old system to the new one. It wasn't difficult because of the hardware, but rather, due to our pre-existing setup. The fact that we had to migrate a lot of data was the source of the complexity.
It took at least one and a half years because we had to deploy while the system was still running. At the same time, the deployment was dependent on the systems that we had running. This is why it took so long to complete.
What about the implementation team?
An integrator assisted us with our deployment and our experience with them was excellent. They've been supportive and they successfully helped us to migrate all of our data.
What was our ROI?
This product is part of our core systems, and we have definitely seen a return on investment.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost is pretty high in terms of licensing. We pay at least $100,000 USD in licensing fees for the storage. We have multiple types of storage, not only flash. We have the older versions of other storage and other versions of IBM flash as well.
In addition, we have a maintenance contract for this product when the warranty support period expires.
What other advice do I have?
This is definitely a product I can recommend based on its performance and reliability. I don't know whether it is cost-effective compared to other similar products because we are an IBM shop from end to end. We chose IBM because the products have been well suited for our setup, and the performance and reliability are excellent.
I would rate this solution an eight 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.
Buyer's Guide
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Updated: June 2026
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