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Dell NetWorker vs Microsoft DPM comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Oct 19, 2025

Review summaries and opinions

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

ROI

Sentiment score
5.0
Dell NetWorker delivers cost savings, enhanced recovery, and efficiency, proving invaluable for business continuity and operational efficiency.
Sentiment score
3.3
Microsoft DPM improved backup efficiency, reduced costs, minimized data loss, and enhanced productivity with streamlined integration and minimal maintenance.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.1
Dell NetWorker customer service is praised for quick assistance but criticized for delays and variable expertise, especially regionally.
Sentiment score
5.7
Microsoft DPM support is mixed, with praise for responsiveness but concerns over limited features and paid technical assistance.
quick responses whenever we log a complaint
Sr. Area Technical Manager at tata elxsi
Technical support from Dell is excellent.
Solution Architect at Apollo Telecom
I think the support provided by Dell is good when compared to other vendors, so I have a positive view of it.
Senior Specialist Backup/Storage at National Bank of Kuwait
They provide professional services that are quite good and can meet your needs.
manager/consultant at a consultancy with 1-10 employees
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.8
Dell NetWorker offers scalability but faces challenges in VMware connections, storage, licensing, and large-scale stability for some users.
Sentiment score
5.8
Microsoft DPM scales well with Microsoft products but may need adjustments for non-Microsoft databases and user-friendliness.
While the solution is scalable, the cost involved in upgrading or enhancing the solution can be significant.
Solution Architect at Apollo Telecom
Dell NetWorker is very scalable and flexible, deserving a high rating for its scalability.
Cloud Infrastructure Engineer at Safaricom Ethiopia plc
Dell NetWorker is scalable in the sense that I can migrate to a higher spec server.
Senior Specialist Backup/Storage at National Bank of Kuwait
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
7.6
Dell NetWorker exhibits stability, rated high by users, improving with updates, while older versions faced occasional challenges.
Sentiment score
6.3
Microsoft DPM's stability is generally praised, though some users experience synchronization issues and challenges with integration and patching.
In terms of stability, I would say it is about 80% stable now.
Senior Specialist Backup/Storage at National Bank of Kuwait
The stability of Dell NetWorker is excellent.
Sr. Area Technical Manager at tata elxsi
Dell NetWorker is stable.
System Engineer at NCCPL
The product is very stable, rating between eight and nine out of ten.
IT Administrator at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
 

Room For Improvement

Dell NetWorker users seek improved interfaces, cloud integration, and security, citing deployment challenges and a need for modern enhancements.
Microsoft DPM lacks user-friendliness, struggles with backups, and needs better integration, documentation, and support for efficient performance.
The interface on the Java application makes it difficult, whereas the web interface is simple to use.
Cloud Infrastructure Engineer at Safaricom Ethiopia plc
I recommend enhancing flexibility in the policy, allowing selection of multiple options within the same policy.
Senior Specialist Backup/Storage at National Bank of Kuwait
It is complex, and compared to solutions like Tivoli, Veritas, Veeam, and others, its look and feel are not up to par.
Solution Architect at Apollo Telecom
The backup should have compression, deduplication, and DR replication.
Senior Manager - System Infrastructure Software Support Team at DMS Electronics (Pvt) Ltd
Microsoft DPM could improve by adding S3 backup to S3 storage capabilities.
IT Administrator at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
 

Setup Cost

Dell NetWorker offers complex licensing, with varied pricing; included in bundles, often costly but comprehensive and flexible for sectors.
Microsoft DPM pricing is appealing for enterprise buyers due to integration, reasonable value, and affordability compared to competitors.
The licensing cost is somewhat expensive.
Sr. Area Technical Manager at tata elxsi
Microsoft licensing is complex, especially for enterprise or data center solutions.
manager/consultant at a consultancy with 1-10 employees
The pricing of Microsoft solutions rates in the middle range at five out of ten.
IT Administrator at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
 

Valuable Features

Dell NetWorker provides robust backup solutions with automation, deduplication, scalability, and wide compatibility for various environments and systems.
Microsoft DPM efficiently manages VM migration, backup, and recovery, integrates with Microsoft tools, and supports SMB environments.
The new deduplication feature helps significantly with data compression and saves disk space by using pointers for repeated data, improving backup speed.
Sr. Area Technical Manager at tata elxsi
The most useful features of Dell NetWorker for me are its support for all platforms, allowing me to take backups of Oracle, SQL, and AS/400, so it is flexible.
Senior Specialist Backup/Storage at National Bank of Kuwait
I find NetWorker valuable for its wide range of automation features, including replication and data processing systems.
Solution Architect at Apollo Telecom
Microsoft DPM impacted my organization positively, and that was definitely possible.
Senior Manager - System Infrastructure Software Support Team at DMS Electronics (Pvt) Ltd
The two-layer backup system is a particularly valuable feature in Microsoft DPM.
IT Administrator at a comms service provider with 51-200 employees
One of the most effective features of Microsoft DPM is its integration with the entire Microsoft ecosystem.
manager/consultant at a consultancy with 1-10 employees
 

Categories and Ranking

Dell NetWorker
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
10th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
86
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
Microsoft DPM
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
38th
Average Rating
7.2
Reviews Sentiment
6.1
Number of Reviews
21
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Dell NetWorker is 1.7%, down from 3.2% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft DPM is 0.9%, down from 1.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery Market Share Distribution
ProductMarket Share (%)
Dell NetWorker1.7%
Microsoft DPM0.9%
Other97.4%
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.
Nirukshitha Gamage - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager - System Infrastructure Software Support Team at DMS Electronics (Pvt) Ltd
User finds setup straightforward but seeks wider platform support and advanced features
Microsoft DPM could implement backup capabilities for third-party systems such as Linux. They also need to consider other features such as replication to DR sites, similar to what Veeam and other products offer. Microsoft DPM didn't have that capability at that time. If they want to remain competitive in the market, they need to observe the competition and implement improvements. The backup should have compression, deduplication, and DR replication. They should also improve monitoring of the environment. Microsoft DPM didn't have these basics at that time. If they had continued development on the products, they could have reached a higher level, especially given Microsoft's significant presence and majority of servers. Microsoft DPM didn't have any support structure in the backend. If they had a support structure, we could have escalated issues. I never received any support from Microsoft DPM.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
15%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Government
9%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Computer Software Company
14%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
9%
Retailer
6%
 

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 Business9
Midsize Enterprise7
Large Enterprise7
 

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 do you like most about Dell NetWorker?
The feature that offers the greatest benefits in ensuring data integrity is its backup capability.
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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Microsoft DPM?
The pricing of Microsoft solutions rates in the middle range at five out of ten.
What needs improvement with Microsoft DPM?
Microsoft DPM could improve by adding S3 backup to S3 storage capabilities. AI integration is not necessary for backups as this is not a security solution.
What is your primary use case for Microsoft DPM?
We use Microsoft DPM for backup servers. ManageEngine is used to manage workstations and servers, and Operation Manager is used for monitoring.
 

Also Known As

NetWorker
DPM, Data Protection Manager, MS DPM
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Republic Bank, Westgate Resorts, Macquire Cloud Services, Shriners, Panatonni, Qatar Islamic Bank, Eurosport
Medical Park, Centropol Energy, a.s., NCFE, D & H Distributing, Metalor, Colosseum, a.s., Sanitas S.A., Icebreaker
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell NetWorker vs. Microsoft DPM and other solutions. Updated: December 2025.
879,425 professionals have used our research since 2012.