Dell PowerProtect Data Domain vs ExaGrid EX Series comparison

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain vs. ExaGrid EX Series

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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 PowerProtect Data Domain

Ranking in Deduplication Software

1st

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Disk Based Backup Systems (1st)

ExaGrid EX Series

Ranking in Deduplication Software

8th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

6.1

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Deduplication Software category, the mindshare of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is 20.9%, down from 28.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of ExaGrid EX Series is 5.4%, down from 8.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Deduplication Software Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain	20.9%
ExaGrid EX Series	5.4%
Other	73.7%

Deduplication Software

Featured Reviews

Branko Cirovic

Storage Engineer at Comtrade Group

Provides seamless backup integration and long-term reliability for enterprise data protection

The price is quite high; this product is not considered cheap. Additionally, if you use higher availability boxes, they also come at a premium price. However, they provide business continuity, which is the main reason why companies invest in this solution. Tape is slow; when restoring several virtual machines or databases amounting to several terabytes, Dell PowerProtect Data Domain represents the fastest and most reliable solution, ensuring great integration with backup software. If a customer has limited budget constraints, they may opt for cheaper external storage comprised of just a bunch of disks and utilize it for backup, as backup is not a business-critical service. However, I see great value in Dell PowerProtect Data Domain because it is fully automated, features great integration with backup software, and provides good value for money. I would rate software support as a ten, while I would give hardware support a seven. I never give any product a perfect score; I think Dell PowerProtect Data Domain deserves a nine. The only minor problems are the certificate issue and the price. These certificate issues are quite rare and mainly arise when we forget to restart and upgrade the box for several years.

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Daniel Gillber

Information Technology advisor at Lotus Consulting

Improvements in data storage efficiency and customer support experience

ExaGrid EX Series and Veeam was easy to set up, and it worked seamlessly. It was very simple to use. We rarely needed to touch the ExaGrid boxes, except for upgrades. With the systems engineer from ExaGrid, and with our common knowledge of backup software, it was very easy to use. The performance was good, the interface was good, and the GUI was good. When ExaGrid introduced the air gapped feature, it was almost complete. Almost every hardware vendor has an air gapped feature, but they were significantly ahead of other vendors. The air gapped and immutable storage are very nice features. The price compared to other competitors was good with better features. It is not a cheap product, but compared to the features, it is a good competitor.

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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

"With the increasing amount of data handled every year, the money we save on tapes, plus the speed that the DD allows backups to be done and having instant restores, makes this product the best investment a backup environment can add."

"It's very easy to use Data Domain once it's been set up, and the interface is also user-friendly."

"The most valuable feature, beyond simply backing up our servers, is the data compression capability."

"The initial setup was straightforward. Deployment takes about two weeks."

"It's very competitive in terms of price and technology."

"Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is absolutely scalable."

"Just keep going with the solution as it performs; it meets our expectations well."

"Data Domain is an excellent repository that's compatible with a lot of different solutions. Even Veeam Backup recommends sending backup to Data Domain. Space optimization is great. Currently, it guarantees 50-to-1 compression of the application in the same device. In all these years, I never had a client who was unsatisfied with Data Domain. It is a solid appliance with VMware integration, instant access to restore and search, and analytics."

More Dell PowerProtect Data Domain pros

"The most valuable features of the solution are deduplication and landing zone."

"The tool has improved backup and recovery times. One of the key features contributing to this improvement is the landing zone and deduplication retention zone. When data is in the landing zone, the process is fast, ensuring smooth backup and recovery operations at high speeds. However, the process becomes slower for long-term backups moved to the retention zone due to fragmentation. So, if the data is older than a few days, the speed may be limited, especially for non-deduplicated data in the landing zone."

"The solution easily integrates with the backup targets, such as Veeam."

"ExaGrid EX Series and Veeam was easy to set up, and it worked seamlessly."

"One of the most valuable aspects of the ExaGrid EX Series is the support."

"It is a solid and a quite simple solution, which is a good combination. The customers like the simplicity and its scale-out capacity. They like the support pricing, and even the extension capacity pricing, a fixed price, which the executive is offering in Czech market."

"The equipment is pretty solid."

"The most valuable feature is the ease of use and data deduplication. It's extremely easy to use and does a very good job of data deduplication and compression."

More ExaGrid EX Series pros

Cons

"We are using technical support from the producers, and it is not good. I'm not happy with the technical support."

"There is an inconsistency in support quality for Dell PowerProtect DD"

"Looking at Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain), there is a need for improvement, especially in terms of protection from cyber resiliency, cyber recovery, or man-in-the-middle attacks."

"We encountered data loss during the configuration process."

"Installation and deployment for this product need improvement. These processes need to made easier. Currently, it's not an easy installation for customers. This product needs to be installed by professionals."

"One improvement to the solution would be in the integration with backup software. They still have hardware different from the software."

"The cost is high now due to things such as SSD and memory prices being high in the current time."

"The solution could adjust the size of the discs."

More Dell PowerProtect Data Domain cons

"I would like for them to develop direct cloud integration with a third-party cloud. Direct integration with AWS and other cloud providers."

"The support is not that fast to deal with our concerns. It is next day support, they could improve on the speed."

"The one place where we are sometimes losing the opportunity with ExaGrid is that a few customers still require a fiber channel connectivity, which is not always possible."

"The product's documentation can be made more precise."

"The solution could improve by switching to a flash-type solution rather than the spinning drives that they currently use. However, we have not had any failure with the spinning drives. The flash-type drives are more up-to-date and are something that is in their roadmap."

"The tool reduces storage footprint. However, clients are now storing data for longer durations with increasing requirements to retain backups for longer periods, particularly as a defense against ransomware attacks. As a result, the retention zone with duplicated data is experiencing more demand, leading to space constraints. This necessitates using higher-end, more expensive models to address the issue."

"When speaking about a scale-out, you want to have better equipment. You cannot just add a disc to the foreign equipment. You have to buy another one and put it together, like parallel."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"It could be more competitively priced. Its licensing was for five years. Obviously, the support will get renewed at some stage, but that's it."

"Pricing for this product could still be improved, though several years ago, its price was very high. When buying an IDPA product such as Dell EMC PowerProtect DD (Data Domain), you don't have to buy anything else, because you'll have an integrated solution: a data domain appliance plus software."

"On a scale where one represents high price, and ten represents low price, I rate the solution a five, which means that the solution is of medium pricing."

"The yearly subscription is very affordable for our customers, but the price could be a little cheaper overall."

"There are many options in the pricing structure which can cause some confusion and necessitate the purchase of additional licensing."

"It is expensive, but the performance and deduplication cover for the cost."

"We usually buy products at the end year, and the license is included."

"Its price is reasonable."

More Dell PowerProtect Data Domain pricing and cost advice

"In comparison to other solutions, it's affordable. They're all too expensive."

"My company had to pay 1,60,000 EUR for the system we use, and the payment was made just once for the system and five years of full support."

"The previous solutions I have used both included the Backup Software and the Appliance making it hard to compare to this solution. However, overall the solution is reasonably priced for the features you receive. ExaGrid EX Series is priced better than HP, Dell, and possibly Commvault which I have compared in the past."

"The current agreement has 21 terabytes of free space and it cost approximately $35,000."

"I rate ExaGrid EX Series' pricing eight to nine out of ten."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

10%

Financial Services Firm

10%

Computer Software Company

Government

Manufacturing Company

18%

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	39
Midsize Enterprise	25
Large Enterprise	44

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	5
Midsize Enterprise	2

Questions from the Community

What is your primary use case for Dell EMC PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?

My main use case for Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is as a data backup target.

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?

Pricing, setup cost, and licensing are not my areas of expertise, as I mainly focus on implementation engineering.

What needs improvement with Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?

To improve Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, I would suggest making it cheaper. I would like to see the ability to use more back end data ports as a new feature.

What needs improvement with ExaGrid EX Series?

Everything can always be better, so I would give it a nine.

What is your primary use case for ExaGrid EX Series?

We used ExaGrid EX Series as a landing zone for Veeam software. Initially they did not have immutable storage, but when they released that feature, we implemented it. We used it with Veeam software...

What advice do you have for others considering ExaGrid EX Series?

I was a customer. My overall rating for ExaGrid EX Series is 9 out of 10.

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Product Reports

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain

Download Dell PowerProtect Data Domain product report

ExaGrid EX Series

Download ExaGrid EX Series product report

Also Known As

DataDomain, Dell EMC Data Domain, PowerProtect Data Domain

EX Series

Overview

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is the leading backup appliance built for powerful cyber resilience and seamless integration into on-premises environments. It supports both traditional and modern workloads, simplifying operations while reducing risks and costs.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain offers scalable storage capabilities that integrate smoothly with backup systems. Its deduplication and compression technologies enhance storage efficiency by significantly reducing data volumes. Users appreciate its secure data protection, excellent deduplication and compression, efficient data replication, and the DD Boost protocol for faster data transfer. However, feedback suggests improvements are needed in areas like complex VTL tape addition, high pricing, and challenging cloud integration. The implementation may benefit from boosted processing power and enhanced ransomware protection.

What are the key features of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain?

Deduplication and Compression: Significantly reduces data volumes, optimizing storage usage.
Efficient Data Replication: Enhances data protection by securely transferring data across locations.
DD Boost Protocol: Promotes faster data transfer, streamlining backup processes.
Scalable Storage: Adapts to varying data capacities, ensuring growth accommodation.
Secure Data Protection: Safeguards data with robust encryption and protection features.

What benefits should be expected from Dell PowerProtect Data Domain?

Space and Cost Savings: Achieves reductions in data footprint, lowering storage expenses.
Reliable Backup and Recovery: Provides consistent and fast data backup and restoration capabilities.
Seamless Integration: Operates smoothly with existing backup software and environments.
Data Security: Offers comprehensive data protection to ensure business continuity.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is widely employed across various sectors like banking, finance, and government for its backup, deduplication, and archiving functions. Organizations utilize it with software like Veeam and NetWorker to optimize bandwidth, manage large data capacities, and deliver secure, reliable backup features, supporting both on-premises and hybrid deployments.

Dell Technologies

ExaGrid EX Series provides ease of use, strong data deduplication and compression, and a fast recovery landing zone. It integrates seamlessly with backup environments and is known for competitive pricing, particularly in the Czech market, despite requiring higher investment.

ExaGrid EX Series is highly valued for onsite backup and recovery, often paired with Veeam software, specifically for virtual machine backups. It offers improved backup and recovery speeds, excellent scale-out capacity, and an innovative air-gapped feature that enhances data protection. The system's integration with Veeam, Oracle Storage, and VMware allows efficient data management. Feedback highlights the need for direct cloud integration and better next-day support parts. There's a call for fiber channel connectivity and enhanced documentation. Transitioning to flash drives is a consideration for more modern infrastructure, although the current technology remains effective.

What are the Key Features of ExaGrid EX Series?

Data Deduplication and Compression: Minimizes storage needs and reduces costs.
Fast Recovery Landing Zone: Ensures quick and reliable data retrieval.
Scale-Out Architecture: Facilitates expansion by adding appliances, optimizing capacity.
Seamless Backup Integration: Works effectively with Veeam, Oracle Storage, VMware.
Air-Gapped Feature: Adds an extra layer of protection against data breaches.

What Benefits Should Users Consider in Reviews?

Improved Backup and Recovery Times: Enhances operational efficiency.
Cost-Effectiveness: Offers competitive pricing, especially in certain markets.
Reliable Performance: Delivers high-quality data management and protection.
Simplicity of Use: Reduces complexity in data operations.

ExaGrid EX Series excels in sectors requiring robust data protection, such as finance and healthcare. Its compatibility with Veeam and VMware suits organizations with extensive virtual environments. Industries with stringent data integrity requirements benefit from its air-gapped feature and high deduplication efficiency, ensuring secure operations.

ExaGrid

Sample Customers

The US Army, City of Houston, Lloyds TSB, TiVo, Teck, Ingram Entertainment, The New York Mets

NCI Group, North Attleborough Public School, North Kingstown School Department, NPS Pharmaceuticals, Prudential Douglas Elliman, Rathbone Brothers PLC, Rio Hondo College, Ruder Finn, Sarah Lawrence College

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain vs. ExaGrid EX Series