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Dell PowerProtect Data Domain vs IBM Storage Protect vs NetApp FAS Series comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive Summary

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
5.4
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain boosts ROI by reducing storage costs, space, and improving data management efficiency for larger enterprises.
Sentiment score
1.0
IBM Storage Protect enhances data recovery, reduces downtime, and aids compliance, making it a valuable investment for organizations.
Sentiment score
5.5
NetApp FAS Series users report positive ROI, cost savings, and satisfaction, especially in VMware settings, despite disk addition expenses.
If a customer uses Dell PowerProtect Data Domain with a replication policy, they can replicate minimal data changes daily, removing headaches associated with the physical transfer of tapes.
Pre Sales Manager at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
One is less floor space in the data center and the ability to pack more data into the backup storage on Dell PowerProtect Data Domain as compared to the traditional backup storage.
Vice President - Information Technology Systems Engineering at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
The best part is the compression and deduplication feature.
Lead Architect at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
If you have the configuration well maintained and configured, you should have good efficiency and compression for the clients and for yourself.
System Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
7.2
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain's customer support is highly praised but has occasional delays and inconsistencies, especially in complex cases.
Sentiment score
7.6
IBM Storage Protect's support shows mixed experiences, with praise for expertise but concerns over response times and service consistency.
Sentiment score
7.3
NetApp FAS Series is praised for reliable, responsive support, though some seek faster resolutions and enhanced first-tier expertise.
We feel that we are working with people who understand the technology and the historical patterns of this environment, and when we raise a support request, we have no doubt because it seems that we are working with a product engineer.
System Administrator at a financial services firm with 201-500 employees
Nowadays, we can connect directly to the Dell team and in a very minimal time, we can get the support from them.
Product Manager, Dell Client Solutions at Team Computers
They respond within 24 hours of case submission, which is crucial for maintaining the solution.
Sr System Expert at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Support from IBM is very good, and they always have knowledgeable people.
Interim Head of Infrastructure at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Support is good from IBM, although it mainly comes from my local partner.
Head of Infrastructure Security (S.A.V.P) at EXIM Bank Ltd
Some support staff are highly skilled, others are not, leading to longer times to resolve issues.
CEO at Fischerei Leipold
Sometimes, the support was inadequate because the initial architecture was poorly defined.
Pre-Sales Director France, Belgium and Luxembourg at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
We are also using it ourselves for the SAN and CIFS protocol.
System Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
They often provide basic solutions, such as suggesting a failover or a power cycle, which are not the sophisticated solutions we expect from a vendor.
Senior Cloud System Engineer at Atos Poland
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.6
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain offers scalable enterprise data protection, though hardware limits and scale-out concerns may require professional planning.
Sentiment score
7.7
IBM Storage Protect is praised for scalability and adaptability, though some users cite challenges in features and large-scale integration.
Sentiment score
7.3
NetApp FAS Series offers high scalability with Clustered Data ONTAP, supporting growth despite cost and complexity challenges.
The scalability depends on the IT department's strategy.
Sr System Expert at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is very scalable; it expands easily with new enclosures.
Storage Engineer at Comtrade Group
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain can scale up horizontally to meet the growing needs of our organization.
lead at Boston Scientific
TSM is a generic and robust product, which is why I continue using it for my core banking.
Head of Infrastructure Security (S.A.V.P) at EXIM Bank Ltd
It is one of the most scalable platforms, and that is its strong point.
Interim Head of Infrastructure at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Scalability is great in IBM Spectrum Protect; there are several options available to scale.
Solution architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
We normally avoid current versions and use versions that have been running for at least two months in client usage before updating drivers.
DIRECTOR at Vellore Online Systems
NetApp FAS Series is scalable, and it is possible, but you need to pay.
System Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
The NetApp FAS Series is scalable and offers numerous solutions, but only if customers are willing to invest in the shelves.
Senior Cloud System Engineer at Atos Poland
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.1
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is highly reliable, with minimal crashes, seamless replication, stability, and efficient recovery after hardware failures.
Sentiment score
8.0
IBM Storage Protect is highly stable and reliable, with consistent enhancements despite occasional minor issues with new features.
Sentiment score
7.9
NetApp FAS Series is reliable and stable, with minor issues swiftly resolved, earning high stability ratings despite occasional challenges.
We have never encountered issues such as data corruption with these systems.
Storage Engineer at Comtrade Group
I have not experienced any downtime, crashes, or performance issues with it.
ICT Assistant GM at Phpco
I have been using it for up to three years with no upgrading or downtime.
Data Protection Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
When panic occurs on the node, it reboots itself, and we have experienced numerous hardware-related issues.
Senior Cloud System Engineer at Atos Poland
Most things are tailor-made, and we avoid downtimes even with primitive CLI commands.
DIRECTOR at Vellore Online Systems
 

Room For Improvement

The product faces high pricing, complex installation, and lacks efficient integration, security, support, and user-friendly features.
IBM Storage Protect needs an improved interface, intuitive features, better cloud integration, and enhanced reporting and virtualization support.
NetApp FAS users desire better performance, documentation, UI, cost efficiency, cloud integration, automation, support, and competitive pricing.
Local support must be available in the country.
Head Of Systems Group at NCCPL
We can leverage writing NAS level backup into Dell PowerProtect Data Domain rather than utilizing any other software tools such as Networker.
Vice President - Information Technology Systems Engineering at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain represents the fastest and most reliable solution, ensuring great integration with backup software.
Storage Engineer at Comtrade Group
It is not compatible with other operating systems like Windows or Linux.
Head of Infrastructure Security (S.A.V.P) at EXIM Bank Ltd
IBM Storage Protect does not work well with virtual environments such as VMware and Hyper-V.
CEO at Fischerei Leipold
There is a need for additional layers of security to fill the gaps, which is why we are using Cobalt Iron.
Solution architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Storage companies should create encrypted storage solutions between the OS and storage to protect against ransomware attacks.
DIRECTOR at Vellore Online Systems
Nutanix leads the business in this approach, and I feel that NetApp is missing some aspects, such as CPU, GPU, and RAM, in its AI portfolio.
Pre-Sales Director France, Belgium and Luxembourg at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
There is an opportunity there for NetApp with Cloud Volumes ONTAP.
Technological Consultant at a computer software company with 11-50 employees
 

Setup Cost

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is a costly solution for enterprises, offering robust performance and scalability with potential discounts.
IBM Storage Protect offers varied and complex licensing, often seen as expensive but potentially cost-effective with tailored agreements.
NetApp FAS Series is costly but offers value with features like deduplication; planning and negotiation optimize ROI and pricing.
It is almost four times the earlier price.
Head of Sales and Operations at New Horizon Computers
For small clients, it is very expensive.
Specialist Senior N2 at Entelgy
The pricing has become higher since July, and the license costs are more expensive compared to the past.
Technical manager at Advanced Computer Technology (ACT)
We do not see the cost of the licensing.
Interim Head of Infrastructure at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
It's expensive.
Head of Infrastructure Security (S.A.V.P) at EXIM Bank Ltd
IBM Storage Protect is generally an expensive tool.
CEO at Fischerei Leipold
The pricing of NetApp FAS Series is not cheap, but in comparison to other vendors, NetApp FAS Series is affordable.
System Engineer at a computer software company with 1,001-5,000 employees
 

Valuable Features

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain offers efficient backup with deduplication, reliability, and integration, excelling in storage and data protection.
IBM Storage Protect excels in efficient backups, cost-effective storage, scalability, reliability, user-friendliness, adaptability, and robust disaster recovery.
NetApp FAS Series offers performance, flexibility, and reliability with robust deduplication, seamless integration, and efficient data management for diverse environments.
The most valuable feature of Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is its deduplication capability.
Technical manager at Advanced Computer Technology (ACT)
Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is highly consistent, durable, easy to install, scalable, and compatible with any software today.
Head of Sales and Operations at New Horizon Computers
The most beneficial features in the product are compatibility, which is the most valuable function.
Head Of Systems Group at NCCPL
The product works efficiently with very large tape libraries, unlike most other products in the market that have problems handling large tape libraries or more than one tape library.
CEO at Fischerei Leipold
IBM Spectrum Protect has excellent integration capability.
Solution architect at a tech vendor with 10,001+ employees
Incremental and differential backup features are built-in, which I frequently utilize on a weekly and daily basis.
Head of Infrastructure Security (S.A.V.P) at EXIM Bank Ltd
While NVMe disks are expensive and require three disks for parity calculations, hard drives in NetApp FAS Series are inexpensive, making it more cost-efficient per GB, even with RAID tech implementation.
Senior Cloud System Engineer at Atos Poland
Our IOPS are very high, reaching somewhere about 50k to 150k or 1.150k.
DIRECTOR at Vellore Online Systems
One important feature for customers is its ease of use and continuity, enabling seamless usage across on-premise and cloud environments.
Pre-Sales Director France, Belgium and Luxembourg at a tech vendor with 5,001-10,000 employees
 

Mindshare comparison

Deduplication Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain21.4%
HPE StoreOnce17.2%
Dell PowerProtect Data Manager10.9%
Other50.50000000000001%
Deduplication Software
Backup and Recovery Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
IBM Storage Protect1.6%
Veeam Data Platform6.0%
Commvault Cloud3.6%
Other88.8%
Backup and Recovery
Deduplication Software Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
NetApp FAS Series4.8%
Dell PowerProtect Data Domain21.4%
HPE StoreOnce17.2%
Other56.6%
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.
reviewer2787573 - PeerSpot reviewer
Interim Head of Infrastructure at a real estate/law firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Backup coverage has supported immutable protection and now needs a more modern, intuitive interface
IBM Storage Protect is from a previous generation of backup software. In those days, backup software was complex in setting up and complex to manage. The new software, such as Rubrik, is very easy to use and more relatable to younger engineers because its interface design is more similar to Office 365 and the newer controls and labels that we are accustomed to. The difficulty that we now have with IBM Storage Protect is that for this day and age, compared to other products that are out there, it seems complex. If we look back 15 years ago, all enterprise class backup software was complex, so IBM was not any different. However, many of these older systems, such as Commvault, still have the same complaint that they are very complex because they have tried to keep that same interface and the same way it works. This suits them, but it probably needed a complete overhaul to bring it into the ease of use that we have with modern software. However, that upgrade has not been done. IBM Storage Protect has not been upgraded into a modern platform. It still looks a legacy platform.
Srikanth Purushothaman - PeerSpot reviewer
DIRECTOR at Vellore Online Systems
Has supported long-term data protection and backup while requiring better part availability and pricing options
For monitoring purposes, we normally use flash access storage exclusively. We utilize a hybrid system because we need performance, combining NL-SAS for the volume and SAS flash to use as a fast cache system that provides more IOPS. We normally implement RAID 10, which we prefer over RAID 6's n plus 2 combinations. We utilize it for data redundancy, even with write intensity on. Regarding the unified storage architecture for NetApp FAS Series, we normally opt for exclusivity unless budget constraints exist. Our IOPS are very high, reaching somewhere about 50k to 150k or 1.150k. The high performance ensures minimal latency. An advantage we've seen with NetApp FAS Series is that snapshots provide very rapid backup and fast recovery. We basically use snapshots for data protection as first-level protection, with deduplication between the two storages serving as second-level protection.
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
10%
Computer Software Company
10%
Manufacturing Company
10%
Government
7%
Financial Services Firm
19%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Construction Company
6%
Computer Software Company
6%
Manufacturing Company
14%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Computer Software Company
10%
Construction Company
5%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business37
Midsize Enterprise24
Large Enterprise40
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business53
Midsize Enterprise25
Large Enterprise95
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business31
Midsize Enterprise38
Large Enterprise58
 

Questions from the Community

What is your primary use case for Dell EMC PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?
The central purpose for which my clients are using Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is for backup. Dell PowerProtect Dat...
What needs improvement with Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?
In general, for improvement purposes, I can say that the features are not easy to understand to customers with Dell P...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for IBM Storage Protect?
I do not know the current licensing cost for IBM Storage Protect and how we get our support because our licensing mod...
What needs improvement with IBM Storage Protect?
IBM Storage Protect is from a previous generation of backup software. In those days, backup software was complex in s...
What is your primary use case for IBM Storage Protect?
IBM Storage Protect is my primary tool for backup and recovery. We also use it for immutable backups to protect again...
Which SAN product would you choose: IBM FlashSystem (FS9500) vs PureFlash Array/X NVMe vs PureFlash Array/XL NVMe?
Have you considered a NetApp FAS Storage for your NAS needs? I am sure it fits very well.
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetApp FAS Series?
I do not handle the pricing part of NetApp FAS Series since it is managed by the sales team.
What needs improvement with NetApp FAS Series?
There is room for improvement when it comes to response time and first-level support quality. If a new feature needs ...
 

Also Known As

DataDomain, Dell EMC Data Domain, PowerProtect Data Domain
IBM Spectrum Discover
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

The US Army, City of Houston, Lloyds TSB, TiVo, Teck, Ingram Entertainment, The New York Mets
CEMEX
Children's Hospital Central California, Plex Systems, PDF PNI Digital Media, Denver Broncos, PDF KSM Legal, Clayton Companies, Virginia Community College
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Technologies, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, NetApp and others in Deduplication Software. Updated: April 2026.
892,487 professionals have used our research since 2012.