

Actifio and Dell PowerProtect Data Manager are both leading data protection solutions, with Dell PowerProtect Data Manager generally offering more comprehensive features and higher overall user satisfaction.
Features: Actifio users value strong backup and recovery capabilities, data virtualization, and rapid provisioning features. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager is valued for its integration with VMware, extensive policy-based automation, and broader feature set.
Room for Improvement: Actifio users desire better reporting capabilities, enhanced scalability options, and improved error-handling. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager users seek an improved error-handling system, enhanced documentation, and better customer support responsiveness.
Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Actifio is noted for straightforward deployment and robust customer support but has an initially complex setup. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager is praised for ease of deployment but receives mixed reviews on customer support responsiveness.
Pricing and ROI: Actifio has higher upfront setup costs but delivers strong ROI through efficient functionalities. Dell PowerProtect Data Manager offers competitive pricing with a fast return on investment.
Previously they had somewhere around 100 TB of capacity for the backup for a few VMs on one side. Now, the overall setup is hardly 80 TB, where they use almost 240 TB of production data into that 80 TB.
I would recommend Dell PowerProtect Data Manager to other organizations because it is cost-effective and delivers good performance compared to alternative solutions.
I do find that with Dell PowerProtect Data Manager, the ROI is good when compared to other Dell products, but when compared to others in the current market, such as Cohesity or Veeam, it is not as good.
Their knowledge isn't great.
Dell provides reliable support for PowerProtect Data Manager, with 24/7 availability and a qualified support team.
My experience with the technical support team of Dell is that they are actually great.
When we had the compliances and any of the backups were getting failed or we identified that some of the backups were frequently failing, the system would alert us.
Its capability to back up existing environments can be improved, particularly when it comes to disaster recovery in the cloud.
As per the documentation, that is an easy process, whether you need to scale up or scale out.
If you are okay to purchase the license, they have the feasibility to increase the capacity as well.
Once we sorted out all our problems with Actifio and our configuration of our database and other components, I would probably rate stability about a seven.
It is extremely reliable and I have never experienced a crash.
Making sure the system is properly understood before deployment and handling upgrades efficiently would improve stability.
I would assess the stability and reliability of Dell PowerProtect Data Manager as quite stable; there are no issues with the workloads I am using.
The most concerning issue is IBM support.
I would like to see improvements that include bare metal restore capabilities and enhanced data restore features in Dell PowerProtect Data Manager.
This is an enterprise solution and a bit costlier, but it is a solution where people should be looking into if they want to go into one single umbrella and have the centralized backup solution, which integrates with the cloud and can manage their cloud workload as well as the on-premises workload, and can be managed with one dashboard.
Enhancements for microservices and container backups would be beneficial, enabling a more consolidated management platform for modern architectures.
From a license perspective, it is a cheaper option, and there is a subscription license as well.
Dell PowerProtect Data Manager is cost-effective, as it is licensed per socket rather than by workload.
Overall, pricing does not significantly impact our decision.
What really stands out in Actifio is that it can provide us full copies of the database without having full copies of the database.
It provides a seamless backup solution integrated with a dashboard full of capabilities, enhancing recovery point objectives and recovery time objectives.
It satisfies my customers' scalability needs and provides interactive features, allowing efficient integration.
Compared to other products such as Veritas, Dell offers more competitive pricing while other vendors charge significantly more.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Dell PowerProtect Data Manager | 1.8% |
| Actifio | 0.6% |
| Other | 97.6% |


| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 1 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 3 |
| Large Enterprise | 5 |
| Company Size | Count |
|---|---|
| Small Business | 14 |
| Midsize Enterprise | 2 |
| Large Enterprise | 16 |
Actifio offers a streamlined approach to data management, spotlighting its ease of use and seamless cloud integration. By eliminating the need for additional OS licenses, Actifio reduces costs while ensuring efficient time-saving backups and rapid recovery solutions.
Actifio integrates well with cloud storage, providing features like the Golden Copy for incremental backups with fast restores. It supports workflows and cloud processes effectively and is known for its excellent backup health monitoring and test environment management without full database copies. Recent user feedback indicates areas for improvements in workflow scheduling and recovery speed, alongside enhanced support for systems like AIX and Oracle.
What features make Actifio stand out?In industries focusing on data backups and test environment management, Actifio is a go-to choice due to its ability to manage non-production databases efficiently, allowing organizations to handle multiple database copies effectively without increasing disk usage. Its capability to back up virtual environments like VMware and Hyper-V ensures that organizations can rely on instant backup and recovery, particularly beneficial in test data management contexts.
Dell PowerProtect Data Manager offers modern backup and recovery for hybrid and multicloud environments, providing protection through a unified interface for VMware, Kubernetes, databases, and file systems.
This software-defined platform simplifies operations with automated discovery, policy-based protection, and intelligent analytics. With deduplication for efficient data management and robust backup support for virtual and container environments, it integrates seamlessly with Dell Data Domain. Notable features like Transparent Snapshots, Instant Recovery, and anomaly detection enhance data protection. PowerProtect offers centralized management, flexibility, and integration with cloud services, alongside advanced security features such as encryption and access control.
What are the most important features of Dell PowerProtect Data Manager?Organizations rely on Dell PowerProtect Data Manager for protecting data in virtual environments, cloud-native apps, and enterprise-level backups. It is frequently used for backing up virtual machines, databases, and Kubernetes clusters, thanks to its flexible and centralized approach. Sectors like telecommunications and large enterprises find it suitable for diverse data needs and cloud protection capabilities.
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