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DD Boost vs IBM ProtectTIER comparison

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Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Jun 3, 2026

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Categories and Ranking

DD Boost
Ranking in Deduplication Software
6th
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.3
Number of Reviews
40
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
IBM ProtectTIER
Ranking in Deduplication Software
13th
Average Rating
7.2
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
Backup and Recovery (62nd)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of September 2026, in the Deduplication Software category, the mindshare of DD Boost is 3.7%, down from 4.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM ProtectTIER is 2.6%, up from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Deduplication Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
DD Boost3.7%
IBM ProtectTIER2.6%
Other93.7%
Deduplication Software
 

Featured Reviews

Daniel Dumitru - PeerSpot reviewer
Inginer de system IT Senior at ENGIE
Speedy data backup with significant space savings and efficient deduplication
DD Boost has been very beneficial in enhancing our data backup processes. We perform backups with less time, and it allows for efficient on-premises recovery and restoration. We use it in conjunction with the Veeam suite. Overall, it has helped us make a big impact by allowing us to have more restore points and optimizing our storage efficiency with faster backups compared to tape backups.
AG
Technical Lead at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Provides a short-term backup, archive, and cataloging for 20,000 people in our organization
The backup for a large amount of data is slow. When there's a large amount of data, sometimes the backup isn't completed in time. I have a 24 hour cycle, so it doesn't get completed in 24 hours with the large amount of data. With Veritas NetBackup, I can take 20 terabytes of backup in a day.

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

Pros

"It's a stable solution."
"Data Domain is valuable, especially for restoring data, as for normal data the restore from Data Domain is very efficient and fast."
"To be sincere, I never had problems with the stability of DD Boost."
"Scalable and stable solution for backup purposes, with good encryption and huge data conversion features."
"It's very stable as an infrastructure for backup, and we can use it as a storage as well."
"The functionality is very good. DD Boost and DD entry replication are used in almost all backup concepts. Those are the most used features."
"DD Boost is a proprietary technology of Dell, which helps to store the data faster and in a more secure way compared to open protocols."
"We can retain the data for a pretty long time."
"If you are looking for a reliable and scalable enterprise-class solution, you should consider this solution."
"The most valuable feature is the incremental backup."
"The cataloging is the best feature, as it takes millions of frames for the backup and, because it's incremental, it takes less time to complete."
"Overall IBM ProtectTIER is a great solution. It is easy to use."
"The solution is highly stable."
"The most valuable features are the self-service features and the ability to search the data."
"In terms of stability, I've found it to be very stable. I've walked into the server room when it was at 60 degrees Celcius, and it was still running fine."
"The command-line interface is good."
 

Cons

"DD Boost could improve the solution by offering additional customizations that build upon existing features such as deduplication ratios. The primary objective of the solution is to create backups of existing data and push that data out to clients' backup systems. If they can make the process faster and introduce more enhancements, it would greatly benefit the backup environment."
"The setup and handover process was not effective, preventing us from leveraging the software's available benefits."
"In terms of Data Domain, the restored items should be converted from the Rockwell SQL end. That is the one thing which puts me off being a Data Domain administrator."
"The main issue I've identified is that when backing up a final backup from the branch server, we don't have deduplication functionality."
"My experience is that the fact that they give you certain toolsets based on certain modules only makes it difficult for us to save costs due to upgrading."
"The multi-tier functionality can be improved, but it is quite good. They could improve replication and perhaps support additional sharing network protocols. I would also like to see better implementation of NFS Version 3, but it is already implemented and quite usable as it is."
"Some competitors may not allow the use of DD Boost with their data management systems. The application process is not determined at the source site but on the estimation side."
"It would be nice if they could have the same tool set right from the smallest to the biggest modules, but being specific frame dependent."
"IBM ProtectTIER could improve by being more user-friendly."
"It is unmanageable. Support would be good."
"These days, we are thinking about pushing another solution because of the poor support from IBM."
"My advice to anybody who is considering this solution is to conduct a proof of concept first because everybody's needs are different, and this product is not suitable for every kind of backup."
"Setting up the system to work with legacy equipment is a bit complex at times."
"I would like the possibility to back up the infrastructure and then replicate it upon on restart, without having to orchestrate the starting of the VM."
"The backup for a large amount of data is slow. When there's a large amount of data, sometimes the backup isn't completed in time."
"The configuration wizards are still complex and hard to navigate. These should be easier to manage."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The pricing is competitive when compared to other vendors."
"We scale this product by adding licenses, which are related to capacity."
"DD Boost's price is good for its features."
"The solution is very good because it is easy to use and it speeds up the backup and lowers the requirement for the storage rate. It is capable of encryption, compression, and deduplication and it is fast for sending all of the data over the network because it sends only the change blocks from the client to the DD server."
"The cost is monthly."
"The pricing is definitely competitive and unmatchable. The price of Data Domain is very attractive compared to HPE, StoreOnce, or its current alternative, which is probably more expensive."
"The hardware platform is cost intense, so for small and mid-range, this product is not the best choice."
"My company must pay approximately 10,000 USD annually, making it an expensive product."
"The customer can decide how they want to purchase a license. However, the price of the solution is expensive."
"This solution is very expensive."
"IBM ProtectTIER is an expensive solution."
"We have a capacity-based license, which is managed centrally for all the sites of my company."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Construction Company
12%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Comms Service Provider
9%
Construction Company
20%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Outsourcing Company
11%
Comms Service Provider
11%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business21
Midsize Enterprise10
Large Enterprise12
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for DD Boost?
It's complicated for me because when we buy, we buy a package, so I don't have the DD price. Every Data Domain we buy comes with Boost technology, with the DDoS feature. I don't know the price of D...
What needs improvement with DD Boost?
DD Boost can improve by providing some sort of API to track the progress or the number of remaining data transfers. For instance, in other Dell products such as storage, SRDF replication protocol i...
What is your primary use case for DD Boost?
I am handling the storage part, not the compute part. Through storage, I have Dell PowerMax 2000, Dell Unity, Data Domain, and Dell SAN switches. Additionally, I have two boxes from IBM FlashSystem...
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Overview

 

Sample Customers

Information Not Available
Durham Police Department, Re-Store LLC, CenterGrid, pixx.io GmbH, Australian Government Department of Defence, QD, Refresco Gerber
Find out what your peers are saying about DD Boost vs. IBM ProtectTIER and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
912,930 professionals have used our research since 2012.