POWERVAULT ME5 STORAGE | Storage designed for emerging businesses - without compromise
Growing businesses need storage that scales with demand while protecting data and controlling costs. This datasheet outlines how Dell PowerVault ME5 delivers high performance, flexible configurations, and built-in data services like snapshots and replication in a simple, cost-effective platform. Download it to help you confidently position ME5 for workloads like SQL, virtualization, VDI, HPC, backup, and edge environments.
What is Dell PowerVault ME5 and who is it for?
Dell PowerVault ME5 is an entry-level external storage platform designed for emerging and growing businesses that need strong performance, straightforward management, and room to scale without a complex setup.
It’s built for highly transactional and mixed workloads such as Microsoft SQL, virtualization and VDI, high-performance computing, backup and archiving, and edge applications like CCTV surveillance or cloud gaming.
Key points for emerging businesses:
- **Balanced performance and capacity**: Up to **800K IOPS** and support for up to **8PB** of capacity, so you can handle both performance-intensive and capacity-heavy workloads.
- **Enterprise-class features in an entry package**: Dual-active controllers, multi-core processors, and **99.999% availability** help keep applications responsive and data accessible.
- **Flexible configurations**: Deploy as **all-flash**, **hybrid flash**, or **all-HDD** to match your performance and budget needs.
- **Validated with Dell PowerEdge servers**: Designed to work smoothly with Dell servers, making it easier to build a consistent infrastructure.
In short, PowerVault ME5 helps you reimagine what “entry-level” storage can do by combining performance, data services, and simplicity in a way that fits smaller IT teams and tighter budgets.
How does PowerVault ME5 simplify management and operations?
PowerVault ME5 is designed to keep storage management straightforward so smaller or busy IT teams can stay focused on higher-value work.
Management and operations benefits include:
- **PowerVault Manager (web-based UI)**: An intuitive, browser-based tool for configuration, alerting, and remediation that’s included at no additional cost. It’s built to make common tasks—like provisioning volumes or checking system health—quick and accessible.
- **Dell OpenManage Integration**: Lets you centrally manage PowerVault ME5 alongside your Dell infrastructure, helping you automate routine tasks and maintain consistency across servers and storage.
- **Dell AIOps (with ProSupport)**: For customers using Dell ProSupport Services, Dell AIOps is included as a cloud-based SaaS tool. It helps:
- Reduce alert noise and highlight the most critical issues
- Predict potential failures
- Speed time to resolution by up to **10x**
- Save IT admins about **one workday per week on average** (based on a Dell Technologies survey)
Together, these tools help you reduce IT complexity, respond faster to issues, and manage more infrastructure with the same or fewer resources.
How does PowerVault ME5 balance performance, protection, and cost?
PowerVault ME5 is built to give you strong performance and data protection options while keeping acquisition and operational costs in check.
**Performance and scalability**
- High-performance architecture optimized for speed, delivering up to **800K IOPS** and strong read/write bandwidth for transactional workloads.
- Scales up to **8PB** of capacity, so you can start small and expand as your data grows using a pay-as-you-grow approach.
- Available in **2U** and **5U** configurations, letting you choose between compact performance systems and high-density capacity systems.
**Cost-conscious design**
- Combines **flash performance with the affordability of disk** by supporting all-flash, hybrid, or all-HDD configurations.
- All essential software for storing, managing, and protecting data is included, reducing the need for multiple add-on licenses.
- Designed to fit a wide range of budgets while still supporting demanding workloads like SQL databases, VDI, HPC, backup/archiving, and edge deployments.
**Data protection and availability**
- **99.999% availability** target with dual-active controllers and multi-core processors to help keep applications online.
- Built-in data protection features, including:
- Snapshots
- Metro DR (disaster recovery)
- Intelligent drive updates
- KMIP-based key protection
- Self-encrypting drives (SEDs)
- ADAPT RAID technology
- Veeam 12.3 certification for backup integration
By combining these capabilities, PowerVault ME5 helps you reshape your storage strategy: you get performance and protection typically associated with higher-end systems, but in a package that aligns with the financial and operational realities of emerging businesses.