Dell Avamar Reviews

We're a solutions provider with backup and recovery software as our main focus, and my work deals with customer support for the backup domains from an architect's perspective.

Usually, it's for on-prem server backup. It's mostly virtual. We have VM backups and subsequent file backups, and we do file restores. In addition, the customer I work for has old Domino Notes, and we also provide support for that with Avamar.

We mostly work with its latest or latest minus one version. It depends on the bug fixes and vulnerabilities in a version.

For the on-prem backup, it has all the necessary features that we require. They keep coming up with new scripts and new updates. It's excellent for VMware backup, and we have no complaints. 

Everything is easy. We can do most things through the GUI. We don't have to go to the CLI for most things.

We use Dell Avamar for backing up a VMware environment.

What I found valuable in Dell Avamar is the deduplication feature. I also like that the solution can be integrated with Data Domain.

It is a backup solution. So, we do daily backups of around 3,000 VMware guests. That is normally just an image backup where it goes to the VMware API, backs up the image file, and then puts it on the backend to Avamar into Data Domain. It has a specialized storage system that does dedupe and compression, so we can get more on a single disk array. We have more than one site. We have a primary site and a secondary site.

At the Data Domain level, we replicate site to site every backup every day so that we have the availability in our secondary site for every VM. The replication is done with the architecture of the Data Domain itself. 

We have the rapid recovery solution that allows you to stand up any box at either location and have it come up online within just a minute or two. That's done via NFS. It becomes a data store into VMware, and then you vMotion it out. So, it has got rapid recovery at both locations as well.

We are using its newest version. We keep it up to date.

There are occasions where we have a problem with the system, and we can either try to fix it or recover it. With rapid recovery, we can get the system operational where people can get access to it in less than 10 minutes. So, we can have a problem with a system, and instead of messing around with it, we can bring up the copy. If it is a system that doesn't allow you to have a lot of daily change rate in the data, we can bring up yesterday's copy or last night's copy and have it up and running online in less than 10 minutes.

I use Dell Avamar primarily for backup and recovery.

The most valuable feature for me is the backup functionality. It gives large enterprises the comfort of knowing their workloads are being backed up.

I use the solution in my company as a backup tool.

For improving the data backup process, Dell Avamar component was basically chosen because of the type of customer base that we work with presently. The upfront use of the tool was based on the fact that the customer's background was geared toward using such a solution. It is used by those who prefer Windows-based VMs, and so many were enticed to use the tool. Currently, Dell's benefit is precisely the IDPA component, which is a module package that comes in a combination. Secondly, it uses Dell Avamar's very fast and effective deduplication engine.

In terms of manageability, I would like to improve the product. The tool's interface is very much in a spreadsheet format. It doesn't have a subsystem structure around it with its own command sets and subshells that it works with.

To tell you the truth, Dell Avamar is used as a backup, and the way it is currently used in our environment is very static. We have a subset of clients for it, so we actually outsourced to another subsidiary of the business to do it for them on their behalf. If I think widely about it, reporting is an area with shortcomings requiring improvement.

We're using Dell Avamar for data and endpoint protection.

Dell Avamar has many features, and I like that it meets my company's requirements.

I also like that you can use it for client servicing and transmission, plus it has a push upgrade feature that lets you simultaneously push updates to thousands of clients.

I also found the self-service part of Dell Avamar helpful.

Mainly we suggest it to our users, to our clients, when it comes to a fully virtualized environment of VMware.

The global duplication is great. The combination of those features with DD Boost from Data Domain, are the main features we suggest to our clients.

It is a very complete product.

The interface is fine.

We find the configuration capabilities okay.

It offers an easy initial setup. 

In Avamar, we work within the IT environment, integrating state-of-the-art solutions. Avamar is installed on appliances, and we initialize it using specific tools. If you're starting with the basic setup, you can install the OVA file within Dell's management center. For this solution, we utilize E-Lab Navigator.

In our system, clients often request image-level backup capabilities. These are highly valued, and it's recommended to use data packages for image-level backups. At the GaN Summit, it was also suggested that GANFAST services recommend high-level backups because they have a MELT library for our storage systems. So, based on the client's needs.