Cisco UCS B-Series vs HPE BladeSystem comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide
Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Cisco UCS B-Series and HPE BladeSystem based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out in this report how the two Blade Servers solutions compare in terms of features, pricing, service and support, easy of deployment, and ROI.
To learn more, read our detailed Cisco UCS B-Series vs. HPE BladeSystem Report (Updated: March 2024).
763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Featured Review
Quotes From Members
We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use.
Here are some excerpts of what they said:
Pros
"The architecture of this solution is very valuable; it has five traffic interconnects, and uses a network highway so bandwidth is never an issue.""The most valuable feature is the ability to replace a server with another one, simply by applying the profile""I can connect Cisco UCS B-Series to multiple chassis and rack servers using a unified platform, then manage them on a single console.""The scalability is very good.""The solution has the ability to reuse or divide the networking, making it a flexible networking environment.""The initial setup is simple, and not very complex.""Since its UCS release in 2009, Cisco has extended the core functionality with Central, a tool for managing multiple domains""I like that the hardware is separated from the software definition of the components."

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"It also has a pretty solid design and management.""The virtual connect and network management port is a valuable feature.""The solution has high performance.""The solution uses less cabling and less space in the data center.""It is a stable, dependable solution.""With just one cable, for redundancy let's say two, you can feed sixteen servers in a single c7000 chassis.""It is not expensive.""Cabling complexity and volume have been reduced."

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Cons
"Right now, the market is rapidly transitioning to solid-state media and the Cisco options tend to be less varied and more expensive than a broader slate of products from HP, Dell or IBM.""There are patches that cannot be implemented without any downtime or reboot required.""This model does not support virtualization of the switch.""Compared to the deployment of servers such as Dell XCDs, the deployment of UCS servers is more complex. They take longer to deploy.""Cisco is expensive and difficult to manage. The product is not intuitive. It also needs to improve storage management and upgrades.""Its scalability could be better.""We have to have Java to manage the infrastructure. It would be great if we can manage the infrastructure through a web browser.""USC Central seems a bit confusing for technicians."

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"Some part of virtual connections needs improvement.""They could include some embedded software for container technology.""We have not needed to contact support because we have not had an issue. However, the partner support we had could improve. There are some disadvantages compared to Dell. The questions that are asked from the support are too lengthy, this causes a delay in support.""​Storage capacity could be enhanced.""HPE BladeSystem that we are using is currently very old. It's not too good. We haven't renewed it. I would like the solution to have more updates.""The latest version of this system is called Synergy from HPE, and it comes with more advanced features. This is currently the most advanced solution available in the market. One of its key features is its energy efficiency, which optimizes energy usage.""I would like to see the upgrade path a little bit smoother.""It is lacking in the ability to replicate virtual machines more easily."

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Pricing and Cost Advice
  • "It makes much more sense for individual licenses for distributed environments"
  • "Make sure you work with a vendor partner than can get you a substantial discount off of list pricing."
  • "The type of service level purchase will determine the level of support response that you receive from Cisco."
  • "The price of this solution is a little bit higher, but given that this system is Cisco, it feels more secure and dependable."
  • "Cisco products are at the high end in terms of cost, but everything is included with the licensing fees."
  • "The pricing for Cisco is less than for the HP Proliant series."
  • "The pricing for Cisco products is always high."
  • "Pricing with Cisco is very high."
  • More Cisco UCS B-Series Pricing and Cost Advice →

  • "Their licensing program is pretty simple."
  • "With regards to the prices, they need to adapt to the current needs of the country."
  • "The prices for the HPE Virtual Connect Modules are expensive compared to other I/O Modules available."
  • "Add OneView and ILO advanced to the base product. Don’t adjust the price, but just include them."
  • "​The price could be cheaper."
  • "The chassis itself, with no blade server inside, so expensive. The C7000 model costs around $100,000."
  • "It is not expensive, really, in this class of server products."
  • "It is expensive. There are no additional costs. We are able to get good discounts anyway from HPE, but if the price can come down, we'll be happy."
  • More HPE BladeSystem Pricing and Cost Advice →

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    Questions from the Community
    Top Answer:The platform has valuable features for management and good monitoring tools. It provides efficient insights.
    Top Answer:The product is expensive. We encounter a licensing issue as well. It could be subscription-based.
    Top Answer:There is a delay in the product's reporting and the rebooting system compared to servers from other vendors like Dell and HP.
    Top Answer:For me, choosing between HPE’s Bladesystem and Synergy came down to which solution was more powerful, reliable, and stable. It turns out Bladesystem was the winner. Bladesystem is excellent because it… more »
    Top Answer:Remote management features are valuable.
    Ranking
    3rd
    out of 22 in Blade Servers
    Views
    2,109
    Comparisons
    1,576
    Reviews
    20
    Average Words per Review
    442
    Rating
    8.6
    2nd
    out of 22 in Blade Servers
    Views
    3,923
    Comparisons
    2,897
    Reviews
    18
    Average Words per Review
    420
    Rating
    8.9
    Comparisons
    Also Known As
    UCS B-Series, Unified Computing System B-Series
    HP ProLiant BL Series Servers, HP ProLiant BladeSystem, HP BladeSystem
    Learn More
    Overview
    Based on Intel Xeon processor E7 and E5 product families, Cisco UCS B-Series Blade Servers work with virtualized and non-virtualized applications to increase: Performance, Energy efficiency, Flexibility and Administrator productivity.
    HP ProLiant BladeSystem share power, cooling, network, and storage infrastructure via the blade enclosure. Since equipment is not needed for each server, you get a dramatic reduction in power distribution units, power cables, LAN and SAN switches, connectors, adapters, and cables. And you can add the newest-generation technologies by simply changing individual components.
    Sample Customers
    Aegean Motorway, Anilana Hotels and Resorts, Anonymous Banking Group, Artoni Transporti, Bellevue, BH Telecom, Bowling Green State University, Children's Hospital Colorado, City of Biel, Dimension Data, Dualtec Cloud Builders, Hertz, Houston Methodist, Kuwait Petroleum Italia, Lufthansa Systems GmbH & Co.KG, Outscale, Sony Corporation, Talbots
    EMIS Health
    Top Industries
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm24%
    Manufacturing Company17%
    Comms Service Provider14%
    Computer Software Company10%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company21%
    Financial Services Firm12%
    Government10%
    Manufacturing Company10%
    REVIEWERS
    Financial Services Firm18%
    Insurance Company9%
    Computer Software Company9%
    Government7%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Computer Software Company15%
    Financial Services Firm11%
    Government10%
    Manufacturing Company9%
    Company Size
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business25%
    Midsize Enterprise17%
    Large Enterprise57%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business18%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise68%
    REVIEWERS
    Small Business16%
    Midsize Enterprise22%
    Large Enterprise61%
    VISITORS READING REVIEWS
    Small Business23%
    Midsize Enterprise14%
    Large Enterprise63%
    Buyer's Guide
    Cisco UCS B-Series vs. HPE BladeSystem
    March 2024
    Find out what your peers are saying about Cisco UCS B-Series vs. HPE BladeSystem and other solutions. Updated: March 2024.
    763,955 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    Cisco UCS B-Series is ranked 3rd in Blade Servers with 22 reviews while HPE BladeSystem is ranked 2nd in Blade Servers with 21 reviews. Cisco UCS B-Series is rated 8.6, while HPE BladeSystem is rated 8.6. The top reviewer of Cisco UCS B-Series writes "Modular, extendable, and high-density". On the other hand, the top reviewer of HPE BladeSystem writes "Good service, reliable, and remotely accessible through the iLO feature". Cisco UCS B-Series is most compared with HPE Synergy, Dell PowerEdge M, Super Micro SuperBlade, Pure Storage FlashBlade and Lenovo Flex System, whereas HPE BladeSystem is most compared with HPE Synergy, Dell PowerEdge M, Super Micro SuperBlade, HPE Superdome X and Pure Storage FlashBlade. See our Cisco UCS B-Series vs. HPE BladeSystem report.

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    We monitor all Blade Servers 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.