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Dell PowerProtect Data Domain vs IBM ProtectTIER comparison

 

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 PowerProtect Data Domain
Ranking in Deduplication Software
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
99
Ranking in other categories
Disk Based Backup Systems (1st)
IBM ProtectTIER
Ranking in Deduplication Software
13th
Average Rating
7.2
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
Backup and Recovery (65th)
 

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 IBM ProtectTIER is 2.5%, up from 0.9% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Deduplication Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain20.9%
IBM ProtectTIER2.5%
Other76.6%
Deduplication Software
 

Featured Reviews

Branko Cirovic - PeerSpot reviewer
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.
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

"I don't believe we have a better solution available now for fast backup and recovery speed, capable of quickly restoring large amounts of data the way Dell PowerProtect Data Domain does."
"The backup is very secure, the deduplication using EMC is very good, we are able to make systems and handle random cloning, and EMC is a very stable solution for making backups."
"We never go without Data Domain if we are talking about backup solutions; we always go with Data Domain, as it's a very reliable and consistent product and there's no match with any other product."
"9900 has around 1.5 petabits of capacity in a single rack, and that's huge."
"Data Domain deduplication is excellent."
"I like Data Domain as a protocol for data backup."
"The initial setup was straightforward. Deployment takes about two weeks."
"It securely protects data against threats like Trojans."
"The most valuable features are the self-service features and the ability to search the data."
"The command-line interface is good."
"If you are looking for a reliable and scalable enterprise-class solution, you should consider this solution."
"The cataloging is the best feature, as it takes millions of frames for the backup and, because it's incremental, it takes less time to complete."
"The most valuable feature is the incremental backup."
"In terms of stability, I've found it to be very 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."
"The solution is highly stable."
 

Cons

"Technical support from Dell can be better; it is essential to align the level of support with customer requirements."
"The pricing could be better, but it's still not too expensive."
"We encountered data loss during the configuration process."
"The price of the product is high."
"Dell PowerProtect DD does not have integration with the cloud and virtualization software."
"We would like faster instant recovery."
"The firmware upgrades could be simplified. I'm in the process of struggling to upgrade right now."
"The pricing should be adjusted."
"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."
"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."
"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

"The cost is expensive."
"If we do not move to the cloud solution and stay with our on-premise version we will miss some new features."
"The price of Dell EMC PowerProtect DD could improve, it is expensive."
"The solution is expensive. However, if you pay less you receive less, it is cost-effective."
"There are many options in the pricing structure which can cause some confusion and necessitate the purchase of additional licensing."
"The cheaper device costs around $70,000."
"Users have to pay a capacity-based licensing fee for the solution."
"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."
"This solution is very expensive."
"We have a capacity-based license, which is managed centrally for all the sites of my company."
"IBM ProtectTIER is an expensive solution."
"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
Manufacturing Company
10%
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
9%
Government
6%
Construction Company
21%
Manufacturing Company
16%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Comms Service Provider
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business39
Midsize Enterprise25
Large Enterprise44
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise3
 

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.
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Also Known As

DataDomain, Dell EMC Data Domain, PowerProtect Data Domain
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

The US Army, City of Houston, Lloyds TSB, TiVo, Teck, Ingram Entertainment, The New York Mets
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 PowerProtect Data Domain vs. IBM ProtectTIER and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,838 professionals have used our research since 2012.