Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers Reviews

The primary use is for virtualization.

They are currently used for VMware management.

On the Cisco side, there is a benefit in terms of server management. Cisco provides UCS Manager, which is a multi-tenant site manager. We can manage multiple sites while maintaining disaster recovery, a feature not available on other platforms.  That's about the added value.

For the Cisco side, improvements could be made in terms of scalability, costing, available capabilities, or support for multiple types of hard drives. 

Cisco currently supports a limited range of hard drives, so if possible, they can maintain further overhead rates and broaden support for various types of hard drives.

Another areas of improvement include pricing and scalability. 

We have worked with Cisco UCS for around six years. Some of the servers are still running.

We are stable right now. We are using 50 users. We use Cisco UCS C240 M5 Rack Server.

There is very little scalability for the cluster. If you need a higher availability, there is a user limitation. So that is the low side.

We have around 5 to 16 customers using this solution. They are mainly in the educational sector. 

Cisco's technical and learning support is better than Dell. Cisco provides a learning platform for technical guidance and free access for deployment engineers within our subscription, unlike Dell, where we have to pay for every enrollment.

The setup process of the UCS is simple. But the one setting it up must know how to use the UCS manager.

The deployment doesn't take a long time. UCS provides two options. One is from the local console. The other one is from the UCS manager.

So, from the UCS manager, we can autopilot to deploy into multiple servers at the same time. It takes around 20 minutes to deploy all the hypervisor solutions again.

The deployment process is very simple. We can get the firmware level and the operating system from the website. So we download it from there. And, using the console or the UCS manager, we can enroll it.

We have a Cisco-certified team responsible for managing the Cisco side.

Our customers don't pay for licenses. As a service provider, we cover the costs. They only pay for the services they use.

The subscription fee is on an annual basis. We always use annual. There are no extra costs in addition to the standard licensing fees.

Evaluate the price and look for scalability. Cisco's cost has increased post-COVID, so exploring other options is advisable.

Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten due to its scalability and expansion.

The solution is primarily used for storage. When I came into the company, I found it already in use. The company contacted the provider to renew its infrastructure. The providers offered this solution, and the company approved it. When I arrived, they were already using that.

It's very easy to operate the solution. It's quite user-friendly. 

The product doesn't take up too much space on the rack and I like that.

The scalability is very good.

The solution is quite stable.

The pricing is reasonable if you are an enterprise organization.

Something about the storage is somewhat lacking. They should work to improve and expand it. I almost prefer EMC's setup more.

Technical support could be more responsive. 

I've been using the solution for about five years at this point. It's been a while.

The product's performance is good. The stability is there. We haven't dealt with it crashing or freezing. We haven't had bugs or glitches.

The solution is capable of scaling.

I've found that it is hard to get a hold of technical support. I'd like them to be more helpful and responsive. I'm not completely satisfied with the level of service we receive.

We currently also use EMC storage.

I can't speak to the implementation process as the product was already installed prior to my arrival at the company. I didn't participate in the process and therefore cannot comment on how easy or difficult it might have been. I can't speak to how long it takes to deploy either.

The pricing is fair. It is an enterprise solution, however. The price might be a bit less if the organization is a bit smaller.  

I used Dell servers in past and comparing them with UCS, I would definitely recommend UCS over Dell.

We're just customers and end-users. We don't have a business relationship with Cisco.

I'd recommend the solution. We've been quite happy with its capabilities so far. 

I'd rate the solution, on a scale from one to ten, at a nine. It's been pretty seamless in terms of usage. I have no real complaints.

Cisco rack servers are very easy to integrate with other products from different vendors.

Generally, the solution performs well, but some customers have complained about delivery time. So, the main weakness is the lead time.

We provide Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers to our customers. However, the lead time for these servers, as well as for the switches, has been very long since COVID. So some people are looking at other products because of that.

The solution is very reliable and performs well. The customers never had any problems with them.

Scalability is okay. The solution offers good scalability.

I've heard some complaints because Cisco didn't have a dedicated company to manage the accounts. They used to be very vigilant in customer service, but once they were acquired, the customer experience has not been so good, especially regarding technical support.

Neutral

The solution is very easy to deploy.

For a typical deployment, with the right information, it should take about 2-3 weeks. However, if you need to customize the servers or deploy them in a complex environment, it could take longer.

The pricing is expensive. Compared to its competitors, Cisco servers are more expensive. The price of Cisco servers can vary depending on the configuration, the number of servers being purchased, the amount of RAM, and the storage capacity.

We are working with Cisco, Fortinet, Palo Alto, and all the popular options. We work with everything Cisco offers, like switches, routers, firewalls, and email security.

I would recommend them as long as they have the budget for it, but exploring other options is also worthwhile.

Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. In terms of the product itself, I don't think they need to add any features. However, they could improve the delivery charge and technical support price.

We provide the solution to our customers as per their requirements. Our customers are using the server, and they highly recommend it.

The server can be configured easily.

The product must add customer-friendly monitoring features.

I have been working with the solution for more than nine years. I am using the latest version of the solution.

The tool has high stability.

I rate the tool’s scalability a nine out of ten.

We require technical and pre-sale support.

Positive

The initial setup was easy. I rate the ease of setup a ten out of ten. It is an enterprise-level solution.

Compared to HPE and Dell, the commercial aspect of the product is on the higher side. Overall, I rate the product an eight out of ten.

The most valuable feature of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is server management.

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers could improve by adding a wider portfolio because they only have two main categories, the C-220 and 240. There is no wide range of options as other solutions have, such as Dell. Additionally, if it was more flexible with the configuration it would be good.

I have been using Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers for approximately 10 years

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers are stable.

The scalability of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is okay. However, we do not have many options in this category.

We have enterprise-sized customers using this solution.

The support from Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers has been satisfactory. However, not all of the support agents have the same level of knowledge. We can experience some delays in having a response because the issue we are facing has to be escalated to the next level of agent for support.

We did not have any issues with the initial setup of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers. The process takes approximately 30 minutes.

I do the implementation of this solution for our customers.

The price of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers is approximately 20 percent more than other solutions.

When comparing this solution to others, I prefer Dell. Dell is more flexible and technical support is more accessible here in Egypt because they have a technical support office here. Additionally, Dell has a wider array of options that we don't have in Cisco.

The intersite options for management make life easier for the operations and management teams because it's a single point of management for the whole server infrastructure.

I rate Cisco UCS C-Series Rack Servers an eight out of ten.

The solution is reliable and easy to use. 

The capacity is quite small, so I need the CPU performance to be a bit higher. The memory is also limited, and we cannot upgrade more. The solution needs more capacity and more scalability. 

I have been working with this product for three years.

The product is scalable. Currently, we have six people working with it in our company. 

The technical support from Cisco is fair. 

I have used HP and Dell servers before. The products are pretty similar, but we use them for different purposes. 

The initial setup was easy. It was not complex. It took around two hours, including the installation of the operating system. 

We handled the implementation with help from the local vendor. 

The price for Cisco is a bit higher than its competitors. We paid 40k for one server. We paid 50% at the time of the purchase order and 50% after the product was delivered. 

I would rate this solution as a nine out of ten. 

The primary use case of this solution is to help manage our infrastructure within our data center service.

The solution has improved our organization by easily integrating with our VMware and storage solutions.

The most valuable feature of this solution is the expansion and replacement of parts.

The solution can be improved by adjusting the cost.

I have been using the solution for seven years.

The solution is stable.

The solution is scalable.

The support team is good, responsive, and helpful.

Positive

Before using the solution we used Dell and HP solutions and we switched because of a suggestion from our technology partner.

The initial setup is straightforward and takes a couple of hours. 

The implementation was completed through a vendor team.

The solution requires an annual licensing fee.

I give the solution an eight out of ten.

The solution can be implemented by one person in a couple of hours.

We currently have 1000 people using the solution.

I recommend the solution to others.

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack can be used as an entry-level server for small database servers, and active directory servers, which are to be visualized with VMware.

The most valuable feature of Cisco UCS C-Series Rack is the use of databases, such as MySQL.

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack could improve by selling storage. Cisco doesn't sell storage, which is a problem because some customers ask for storage. There are several brands in the market, such as HPE, and Dell EMC. However, Cisco doesn't have any storage. This is where the tension comes from buying this solution.

If you buy a Dell server, you want Dell storage, if you want HPE, you want HPE storage. Other suppliers sell compatible Cisco storage but not one made by Cisco.

I have been using UCS C-Series Rack Servers for approximately 10 years.

Cisco UCS C-Series Rack is stable.

The scalability of the Cisco UCS C-Series Rack is good.

The support from Cisco UCS C-Series Rack has been very good.

I rate the support from Cisco UCS C-Series Rack a five out of five.

The initial setup of the Cisco UCS C-Series Rack is easy.

To deploy one server, we only need one engineer. For larger deployment, the number of people we need depends on many factors.

The price of the Cisco UCS C-Series Rack could improve. It's a little more expensive in comparison with Dell or HPE solutions.

My advice to others wanting to purchase this solution is only to purchase what you need because it is an expensive solution. However, they are very good servers.

I rate Cisco UCS C-Series Rack an eight out of ten.