Dell Data Protection Advisor vs Synology DSM comparison

Dell Technologies and Synology are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. Dell Technologies is ranked #25 with an average rating of 9.5, while Synology is ranked #18 with an average rating of 9.0. Dell Technologies holds a 0.4% mindshare in BRS, compared to Synology’s 1.9% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Synology users who would recommend it.

Dell Data Protection Advisor

Read 13 Dell Data Protection Advisor reviews

1,681 Views
582 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

Synology DSM

Read 10 Synology DSM reviews

2,068 Views
1,585 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Dell Data Protection Advisor

Synology DSM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

Dell Data Protection Advisor and Synology DSM compete in data protection. Synology DSM has the upper hand due to its user-friendly interface and lower pricing, appealing more to budget-conscious users while offering effective features.

Features: Dell Data Protection Advisor supports various storage systems, robust reporting tools, and extensive system support. Synology DSM offers intuitive management features, modern capabilities, and strong integration options.

Room for Improvement: Dell Data Protection Advisor needs a more intuitive design, streamlined processes, and simplified interface. Synology DSM could improve in scalability, advanced feature integration, and enhanced performance.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Dell Data Protection Advisor's deployment is comprehensive but complex, with responsive customer service needing enhancement. Synology DSM's deployment is straightforward, with effective and well-received customer service.

Pricing and ROI: Dell Data Protection Advisor has higher setup costs, justified by its features and long-term benefits. Synology DSM offers competitive pricing with quicker ROI, appealing to budget-conscious users seeking effective protection.

To learn more, read our detailed Dell Data Protection Advisor vs. Synology DSM Report (Updated: June 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Dell Data Protection Advisor vs. Synology DSM

June 2025

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Helped 859,129 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

25th

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

7.8

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Synology DSM

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

18th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2025, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Dell Data Protection Advisor is 0.4%, down from 0.5% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Synology DSM is 1.9%, up from 0.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

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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Michael Adejoh

Solutions Manager at Excel Connect Ventures

Reliable and cost-effective

One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication. Currently, it lacks the capability to automatically stop backups if it detects a virus or suspicious network activity, as some third-party solutions can. Having AI-driven analytics to identify anomalies and halt backups during potential attacks, along with notifications to administrators, would be valuable. Additionally, providing a dashboard for monitoring the backup environment's security would be a beneficial feature. These improvements would help address security concerns and make Synology more competitive in this aspect.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"I have never found any glitch in any Dell solution to date."

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

"The solution is easy to use, flexible and has a lot of out-of-the-box functionality. You can configure the dashboards or you can use a script. However, to fully utilize its capabilities you will want to use a lot of scripts which you will need advanced training. The reports can be customized for many things, such as chargeback billing."

"The product's ability to give predictions and advice on how to protect data is incredible."

"The initial setup is very straightforward. Deployment typically takes about one hour. You just need one person to handle the deployment process."

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

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

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

More Dell Data Protection Advisor pros

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it serves as a backup for our company's virtual machine."

"Synology DSM is very easy to work and operate."

"The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity."

"Because of its simplicity and the wide array of features it offers, I would recommend DSM for both tech-savvy individuals and those who prefer a straightforward file-serving solution."

"It offers a variety of software options through its package center, allowing users to customize their NAS device to serve multiple purposes."

"The most valuable aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."

"The solution's most valuable feature stems from its ease of use, making it the tool's most interesting part."

"The most valuable features are the basic storage, file management, Btrfs file system, and built-in backups that come with the solution."

More Synology DSM pros

Cons

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

"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 addressing."

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

"Customization of reports or creating new reports can be difficult. Users need to have a deep knowledge of SQL. 70-80% of customers can't seem to understand how to do it. They don't know how to address reporting. If Dell EMC could simplify it, it would benefit the end-user."

"They should empower their customers with the ability to upgrade this solution as long as it's in the same major release."

"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."

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

"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."

More Dell Data Protection Advisor cons

"The only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."

"The platform could be much more cost-effective and flexible for integrating third-party products."

"One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication."

"Synology DSM's user interface is not quite intuitive."

"The product's only shortcoming is pricing, as it is an expensive solution."

"Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly."

"There's a surveillance application that allows you to connect IP cameras and stream footage to Synology and it is a great feature, but it's not always clear that adding more cameras may require purchasing additional licenses."

"Synology DSM is a good enough solution for small and medium companies, but I have not seen a big configuration of the solution for a big organization."

More Synology DSM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

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

"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."

"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."

"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."

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

"The product is affordable."

"The price of the solution is very good."

"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."

"The licensing part of the solution is free. The hardware is more expensive than the other solutions in the market, but it's okay in the long run."

"The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."

"It is quite an affordable solution."

"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."

"Synology DSM is a free tool."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

11%

Government

11%

Computer Software Company

Manufacturing Company

Computer Software Company

14%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

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 do you like most about Synology DSM?

The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Synology DSM?

The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Synology DSM?

Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly.

See all answers

Comparisons

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Compared 26% of the time

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Compared 21% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs Dell Data Protection Advisor

Compared 15% of the time

Veritas NetBackup vs Dell Data Protection Advisor

Compared 15% of the time

Rubrik vs Dell Data Protection Advisor

Compared 12% of the time

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Veeam Data Platform vs Synology DSM

Compared 15% of the time

NetApp SnapCenter vs Synology DSM

Compared 9% of the time

UrBackup vs Synology DSM

Compared 8% of the time

GoodSync vs Synology DSM

Compared 5% of the time

ExaGrid Tiered Backup Storage vs Synology DSM

Compared 5% of the time

More Synology DSM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dell Data Protection Advisor

June 2025

Download Dell Data Protection Advisor product report

Buyer's Guide

Synology DSM

May 2025

Download Synology DSM product report

Also Known As

DPA

Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)

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

Synology DSM (DiskStation Manager) is a comprehensive software platform designed for Synology NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices. It serves as the operating system for these devices, providing a wide range of features and functionalities.

The primary use case of Synology DSM is to centralize and manage data storage for organizations. It allows businesses to store, access, and share files securely across multiple devices and platforms. With its intuitive user interface, DSM simplifies the management of data, making it easy to create shared folders, set access permissions, and monitor storage usage.

One of the most valuable functionalities of Synology DSM is its robust data protection capabilities. It offers various RAID configurations, including SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID), which ensures data redundancy and safeguards against drive failures. DSM also supports advanced backup and disaster recovery solutions, such as Snapshot Replication and Hyper Backup, enabling organizations to protect their critical data effectively.

Furthermore, Synology DSM provides a wide range of productivity and collaboration tools. It offers applications like Synology Drive, which allows seamless file synchronization across devices, and Synology Office, a web-based suite for document editing and collaboration. DSM also supports various third-party applications, including popular cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive, enabling organizations to integrate their existing workflows seamlessly.

Synology

Sample Customers

Nielsen, Trek Bicycle, Cal-Israel Credit Cards

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Dell Data Protection Advisor vs. Synology DSM

June 2025

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