Dell vs. HPE: Choosing the Right Enterprise Server and Storage Partner
Compare Dell PowerEdge and storage with HPE ProLiant and GreenLake, then see which resellers can help you evaluate both. WWT, CDW and SHI are useful starting points.
Top Resellers to Shortlist for Dell and HPE
World Wide Technology, CDW and SHI are established options with published Dell and HPE practices. Their services give you different reasons to start a conversation; this shortlist is based on project fit rather than a universal ranking.
A starting shortlist ... choose the team whose work matches your project
| Reseller | Useful for | Vendor coverage |
|---|---|---|
| World Wide Technology | Compare server and storage designs in a lab before a large rollout. | Cisco, HPE, Dell Technologies |
| CDW | Multi-vendor purchasing with server, storage and deployment support. | Cisco, Dell Technologies, HPE |
| SHI International | Server and storage purchasing with configuration, staging and deployment services. | Cisco, HPE, Dell Technologies |
See all matching resellers in our directory for more options, including Presidio and Insight Enterprises.
Dell and HPE are the two most common head-to-head comparisons in enterprise hardware procurement, because they genuinely overlap. Both sell x86 servers, both sell enterprise storage, and both have deep reseller networks. The differences show up in consumption models, storage architecture, and how aggressively each reseller network competes on price versus bundled services.
Quick Comparison
Dell vs. HPE at a glance
| Category | Dell Technologies | HPE |
|---|---|---|
Server line |
PowerEdge |
ProLiant |
Storage line |
Dell EMC storage (PowerStore, PowerMax, PowerScale) |
HPE storage (Alletra, Primera, Nimble heritage) |
Consumption model |
Capital purchase, APEX pay-as-you-go |
Capital purchase, GreenLake pay-as-you-go |
Virtualization tie-in |
Deep VMware integration (Dell was VMware's parent company) |
Broad hypervisor support, strong Microsoft Azure Stack ties |
Reseller tiers |
Dell Technologies Partner, Gold, Titanium |
HPE Partner Ready: Silver, Gold, Platinum |
Typical differentiator |
Aggressive volume pricing, all-flash storage breadth |
Consumption flexibility, Pointnext managed services |
When Dell Makes Sense
Dell tends to win on price at volume and on all-flash storage breadth, and its historical VMware relationship still shows up in how tightly PowerEdge and Dell EMC storage integrate with VMware environments. If your organization is VMware-heavy and price-sensitive at scale, Dell resellers are usually the stronger starting point.
When HPE Makes Sense
HPE tends to win when consumption flexibility matters more than upfront cost, particularly for organizations that want GreenLake's pay-as-you-go model or need managed services layered on top of the hardware. HPE's Pointnext services and closer Microsoft Azure Stack integration make it a strong fit for hybrid-cloud-first buyers.
Questions to Ask Resellers Before You Decide
- Are we buying storage and compute from the same vendor, or mixing platforms?
- What does a 3 to 5 year total cost comparison look like, including support renewals?
- How does each platform handle firmware and lifecycle management at scale?
- What managed services are bundled in versus billed separately?
- What certifications and volume discounts does this reseller hold with each vendor?