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Dell NetWorker 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

Dell NetWorker
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
16th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
86
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
IBM ProtectTIER
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
62nd
Average Rating
7.2
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
Deduplication Software (13th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of October 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Dell NetWorker is 1.2%, down from 2.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM ProtectTIER is 0.7%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Dell NetWorker1.2%
IBM ProtectTIER0.7%
Other98.1%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

RaedHassan - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Specialist Backup/Storage at National Bank of Kuwait
Has supported flexible multi-platform backups and improved over time
Regarding the effectiveness of Dell NetWorker in terms of role-based access controls, I have experience with it, but I find it somewhat lacking in flexibility as it offers limited features, and I would rate it around seven out of ten. It is not that there is something wrong with the role-based access controls in Dell NetWorker, but it lacks many permissions or roles to assign, providing options only for administrator or user. To improve Dell NetWorker for the next release, I recommend enhancing flexibility in the policy, allowing selection of multiple options within the same policy, and addressing issues like the DNS lookup dependency to make it more controllable from Dell NetWorker itself rather than relying on other applications. Looking forward, I would like to see improved policy features and a more enhanced GUI, as it is still slow.
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 has the ability to support all kinds of backups. It can be used to back up databases, operating systems, virtual machines, Lotus Notes, and Exchange. It can also do remote image backups for remote sites. It integrates and works with Data Domain. It is an enterprise-class product that can be used for anything and everything across multiple sites and locations. It is also very scalable."
"It has lots of great features, and we don't find anything lacking."
"Dell NetWorker allows for extensive customization, supporting various open-source databases like PostgreSQL."
"Customer Service: It is great; EMC support is one of the best."
"The valuable features are scalability, virtual environment protection, and the migration to OneCloud feature."
"The compression ratio is very flexible for designing all the required policies for backup."
"Dell EMC Networker is really the best in the market! After evaluating the solutions, we automatically decided to use this solution."
"It is scalable software. All you need to increase is its RAM and CPU. It's pretty easy."
"If you are looking for a reliable and scalable enterprise-class solution, you should consider this solution."
"Overall IBM ProtectTIER is a great solution. It is easy to use."
"The most valuable feature is the incremental backup."
"The most valuable features are the self-service features and the ability to search the data."
"The solution is highly stable."
"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."
"I will highly recommend this product for excellent and quick backup solution in small and large IBM I Series environment."
"The command-line interface is good."
 

Cons

"It's not easy to integrate. We have to read a lot of documentation in order to configure the solution."
"The end-user experience is not good."
"The tool should be more streamlined and simplified to create a backup to receive objects."
"Since they are going to stop developing this solution, I cannot recommend it to others."
"The user interface needs some work. It would be beneficial to have a single user interface for all of the features."
"It has not improved functionality for us. At least the unsupported version we are on is difficult to administer."
"Since the product is not on the front banner of Dell, the support may not be the best."
"NetWorker isn't scalable - you can't add more nodes to it, although you can add some data zones."
"IBM ProtectTIER could improve by being more user-friendly."
"These days, we are thinking about pushing another solution because of the poor support from IBM."
"Setting up the system to work with legacy equipment is a bit complex at times."
"The configuration wizards are still complex and hard to navigate. These should be easier to manage."
"It is unmanageable. Support would be good."
"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."
"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."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It is inexpensive compared to new products."
"The pricing of the solution is not the cheapest compared to other similar solutions. The Networker is available as a component of the Dell EMC Data Protection Suite package and it should have the ability to be purchased separately."
"It is not very expensive and not very cheap."
"It is a relatively inexpensive product compared to one of its competitors."
"The price is a little on the high side, but it's reliable and provides a good service."
"The pricing for the telecom, government, and banking sectors is relatively affordable."
"You have to buy the deduplication software separately from the license."
"The pricing is okay."
"We have a capacity-based license, which is managed centrally for all the sites of my company."
"IBM ProtectTIER is an expensive solution."
"This solution is very expensive."
"The customer can decide how they want to purchase a license. However, the price of the solution is expensive."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Comms Service Provider
13%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Construction Company
7%
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 Business24
Midsize Enterprise33
Large Enterprise38
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What's the difference between Dell EMC Avamar and Dell EMC NetWorker?
From the very beginning, Dell EMC NetWorker considers users and those who might potentially become users. In terms of both pricing and setup, this product offers an experience that is significantly...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell NetWorker?
Regarding the pricing of Dell NetWorker, it depends on the deal or negotiation we have with the vendor, making it reasonable, although I cannot make a definitive decision without knowing the specif...
What needs improvement with Dell NetWorker?
Regarding the effectiveness of Dell NetWorker in terms of role-based access controls, I have experience with it, but I find it somewhat lacking in flexibility as it offers limited features, and I w...
Ask a question
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Also Known As

NetWorker
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Republic Bank, Westgate Resorts, Macquire Cloud Services, Shriners, Panatonni, Qatar Islamic Bank, Eurosport
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 Dell NetWorker vs. IBM ProtectTIER and other solutions. Updated: September 2026.
915,287 professionals have used our research since 2012.