Dell Data Protection Advisor vs NetApp SnapCenter comparison

Dell Technologies and NetApp are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. Dell Technologies is ranked #38 with an average rating of 8.5, while NetApp is ranked #53 with an average rating of 7.0. Dell Technologies holds a 0.6% mindshare in BRS, compared to NetApp’s 0.7% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of NetApp users who would recommend it.

Dell Data Protection Advisor

Read 14 Dell Data Protection Advisor reviews

1,600 Views
1,552 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

NetApp SnapCenter

Read 27 NetApp SnapCenter reviews

1,268 Views
1,192 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Dell Data Protection Advisor

NetApp SnapCenter

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

Dell Data Protection Advisor and NetApp SnapCenter are two notable data protection solutions competing in the enterprise software market. Dell Data Protection Advisor seems to have the upper hand in deployment and customer service, while NetApp SnapCenter takes the lead in features and ROI.

Features: Dell Data Protection Advisor has comprehensive monitoring, robust alerting capabilities, and advanced data analysis. NetApp SnapCenter offers integration with diverse environments, efficient backup options, and seamless snapshot management.

Room for Improvement: Dell Data Protection Advisor could improve scalability, reporting flexibility, and customization options. NetApp SnapCenter users suggest improvements in the learning curve, support documentation, and making management more intuitive.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Dell Data Protection Advisor is praised for straightforward deployment and responsive customer service. NetApp SnapCenter reports a steeper learning curve but benefits from robust functionality.

Pricing and ROI: Dell Data Protection Advisor offers competitive setup costs with mixed reviews on ROI. NetApp SnapCenter, though higher in upfront cost, is considered worth the investment due to its extensive features and positive ROI.

To learn more, read our detailed Dell Data Protection Advisor vs. NetApp SnapCenter Report (Updated: September 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Dell Data Protection Advisor vs. NetApp SnapCenter

September 2025

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Helped 869,566 peers since 2012

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

Dell Data Protection Advisor

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

38th

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

NetApp SnapCenter

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

53rd

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Dell Data Protection Advisor is 0.6%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of NetApp SnapCenter is 0.7%, up from 0.5% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Dell Data Protection Advisor	0.6%
NetApp SnapCenter	0.7%
Other	98.7%

Backup and Recovery

Featured Reviews

AnkurGupta1

Lead Consultan at HCL Technologies

Offers seamless integration with robust data privacy features

I am currently working with other companies on data center solutions. In our data center, we work with HP, Dell, and Nutanix on data center build-up and migrations. I work with Dell Data Protection Advisor for cloud, though not extensively, and we provided that solution to one customer and are awaiting their approval. I am a reseller and service provider. We implemented Dell Data Protection Advisor for data privacy, and another team handles data protection and related issues. I did not work extensively on specific features, so nothing particularly stands out. From my reseller and end customer perspective, I would rate Dell Data Protection Advisor an eight out of ten as it is a good solution.

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MervynMorgan

IT Storage Engineer at Unixque Solutions Pty Ltd

Enables us to save data for data projection but could improve its integration with other backup solutions

NetApp SnapCenter is highly efficient because it allows you to automate the creation of snapshots. Instead of manually creating snapshots using IMS or HMS, you can schedule and automate them, specifying the timing and frequency. This eliminates the need for daily manual intervention and streamlines the process. SnapCenter also enables you to assign specific user roles to manage these tasks, enhancing efficiency. SnapCenter ensures that your LPOs and RTOs are extremely quick. Although it may seem expensive initially, after using it for a while, you'll appreciate the efficiencies and gains it provides. I recommend the solution. Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

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Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"It has a lot of stock reports. I believe over 300 canned reports, which for the most part meet a lot of generic needs."

"The deduplication is probably the most valuable feature of that requirement."

"The predictive analytics feature in Dell Data Protection Advisor provides predictions about backup size and capacity for future periods."

"This is a stable solution."

"The most valuable aspects of the solution are the compression and the duplication."

"It generates very detailed reports, which makes things easier when it comes to IT auditing."

"The platform's most valuable features are data protection and retention."

"The reporting feature and the Dell's continuous improvement of the solution are the most valuable features. The solution not only supports Dell Power Products but also other products."

More Dell Data Protection Advisor pros

"The backup features are the most valuable because they allow the DBAs to replace SnapManager for Oracle (SMO), which is going away, and to do cloning as well. We can also clone to different servers and have the actual backup clone mounted on different servers. And we can split easily too."

"I like the instant backups and recovery feature that SnapCenter provides within NetApp storage systems."

"We have been very satisfied with the technical support's help. Their knowledge level is great. For a noncritical question, they will get back to us within a day."

"A feature that stands out is cloning databases. If you have a SQL database and it's huge, like one terabyte, the classical SQL way would be to do a backup-restore to create a clone of your database for test purposes. With SnapCenter now, we can clone a database but through the Snapshot technology, which means if you right-click and you click Clone, the one terabyte database is there instantly."

"What is very handy for our clients is the consolidated view. They have a dashboard with everything, through a single pane of glass. This is what they really need because, within seconds, they can have a good overview and see if there are any errors or any issues."

"The central pane view is the most valuable feature. You have one console where you can monitor all your jobs, as opposed to going to different vCenters."

"It has greatly improved our DR activity."

"The product’s most valuable feature is cloning."

More NetApp SnapCenter pros

Cons

"The solution requires more integration with our other solutions. I know that they have full integration with VMware because it is also from EMC. However, we have to have better integration with Microsoft and Nutanix as well."

"The product could be improved by addressing intermittent collector failures affecting status reports' accuracy."

"There is a steep learning curve to use the interface and to create new reports, this could be made easier. If the solution could provide more drag and drop functionality to build more advanced reports that would be very helpful."

"It's a bit difficult for first-time users."

"Dell Data Protection Advisor's feature for data domain protection needs enhancement."

"The functionality of the Data Protection Advisor is limited and is something that is lacking in this solution. Other solutions like CloudIQ and DDMC provide a much better outlook on how data protection should be done."

"We have encountered issues where we were unable to pull data from the database server. It should also improve the backward compatibility."

"It is difficult to manage the solution with the available tools. You need to know exactly what are you are doing."

More Dell Data Protection Advisor cons

"The interface usability needs improvement. It should be more user-friendly and easier for customers to use."

"The replication feature needs improvement in future releases."

"I want to see a few more features add that will help our team in managing solution better."

"My major issue is when I upgrade. I have to touch every last client that I have in SnapCenter, and right now I have 60... They said that in another release that will get better, but right now it's not better and I've had to do this three times."

"Since the solution's initial setup is complex, it should make training documents available in the public space."

"I would like to see replication support between systems. Right now, it's kind of limited. We manage them separately from the storage system interface, not from SnapCenter. It would be nice if it was integrated into SnapCenter."

"The product lags in terms of availability."

"What I did witness lately are issues with some Microsoft KBs, the updates. But it happened only once, and not on a major platform, it was on a small one."

More NetApp SnapCenter cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It's not very expensive — I think the price is fair."

"You have to procure the license when you are ordering or quoting for Dell Data Protection Suite (DPS). DPS is bundled with the suite and comes with a license. However, if you purchase NetWorker separately then you will have to procure the license for DPS separately."

"For pricing, I would rate Dell 2 out of 5. It's affordable."

"The product pricing has been satisfactory, particularly with the economy of scale in our agreement."

"The product is affordable."

"You need to make an upfront payment for three, five, or seven years and renew the licenses for support. We can do an annual maintenance contract with Dell. I would rate the product's pricing a six out of ten."

"If the customer has huge lineup of Dell Products then they receive discount on the pricing."

"It comes free with the amount of equipment we purchase from NetApp. In terms of pricing, zero is my favorite number."

"Pricing is very good because if you already have NepApp controllers, then it's included."

"We see a financial value with SnapCenter because we don't have to license Commvault, which is pretty expensive."

"The product is inexpensive."

"The license for SnapCenter was included with the storage array."

"The licensing is well-designed because it's already included in some packages with NetApp storage. Therefore, for most customers, it's okay as the SnapCenter license is already included in some NetApp bundles."

"We have a site license, so it comes with the product."

"It's free. The license is included with other NetApp products."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Performing Arts

13%

Government

Energy/Utilities Company

Financial Services Firm

Manufacturing Company

17%

Computer Software Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	2
Midsize Enterprise	5
Large Enterprise	7

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	8
Midsize Enterprise	9
Large Enterprise	11

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Dell Data Protection Advisor?

The platform's most valuable features are data protection and retention.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell Data Protection Advisor?

The product is satisfactory regarding pricing, setup cost, and licensing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Dell Data Protection Advisor?

From a service perspective, improvements are needed at Dell because when customers call, it takes a long time to get a response for calls or emails. Response time is the main problem that needs add...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetApp SnapCenter?

The product should be free because it is just software to administrate systems purchased from NetApp, which are already expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with NetApp SnapCenter?

The interface usability needs improvement. It should be more user-friendly and easier for customers to use.

See all answers

What is your primary use case for NetApp SnapCenter?

I help my customers to install and integrate NetApp SnapCenter ( /products/netapp-snapcenter-reviews ). The solution is used for central consolidation of NetApp ( /products/netapp-41749-reviews ) d...

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 18% of the time

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager vs Dell Data Protection Advisor

Compared 17% of the time

Veritas NetBackup vs Dell Data Protection Advisor

Compared 15% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs Dell Data Protection Advisor

Compared 14% of the time

HPE Zerto Software vs Dell Data Protection Advisor

Compared 14% of the time

More Dell Data Protection Advisor Competitors

Synology DSM vs NetApp SnapCenter

Compared 22% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs NetApp SnapCenter

Compared 14% of the time

Veeam Data Platform vs NetApp SnapCenter

Compared 14% of the time

Veritas NetBackup vs NetApp SnapCenter

Compared 11% of the time

Rubrik vs NetApp SnapCenter

Compared 11% of the time

More NetApp SnapCenter Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dell Data Protection Advisor

October 2025

Download Dell Data Protection Advisor product report

Buyer's Guide

NetApp SnapCenter

September 2025

Download NetApp SnapCenter product report

Also Known As

DPA

SnapCenter

Overview

Effectively managing your data protection environment can be labor intensive and complex. It requires knowledge of backup applications, replication technologies, and the entire supporting infrastructure, yet it is critical in keeping your data secure.

With Dell Data Protection Advisor, you can automate and centralize the collection, monitoring and reporting of this data and get a single, comprehensive view of your environment, no matter where your data resides. This includes monitoring data on AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

With clear visibility, you can gain actionable insight and effectively manage service levels while reducing costs and complexity. You can also collect and report on that data to help other stakeholders make the best decisions for your organization.

Data Protection Advisor is available as part of Dell Data Protection Suite.

Dell Technologies

Unified, scalable platform for application-consistent data protection and clone management. This software simplifies backup, restore, and clone lifecycle management with application-integrated workflows.

NetApp

Sample Customers

Nielsen, Trek Bicycle, Cal-Israel Credit Cards

All for One Steeb AG, Accenture

Buyer's Guide

Dell Data Protection Advisor vs. NetApp SnapCenter

September 2025

Free Report: Dell Data Protection Advisor vs. NetApp SnapCenter

Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Data Protection Advisor vs. NetApp SnapCenter and other solutions. Updated: September 2025.

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