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Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) 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 DP (IDPA)
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
19th
Average Rating
8.4
Reviews Sentiment
6.7
Number of Reviews
23
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
IBM ProtectTIER
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
65th
Average Rating
7.2
Number of Reviews
7
Ranking in other categories
Deduplication Software (12th)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of August 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is 0.7%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of IBM ProtectTIER is 0.7%, up from 0.1% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA)0.7%
IBM ProtectTIER0.7%
Other98.6%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

NimitPuvar - PeerSpot reviewer
A VP Enterprise Sales at Ashtech Infotech (India) Pvt.Ltd.
Centralized backup has improved data protection and simplifies secure, compliant restores
The biggest advantage of the product is that it is basically a single appliance which comes with a bundle of backup software and the appliance, as we have a single console to manage it. It also provides other features such as data encryption at rest, along with data deduplication and compression in backup which is very useful. From the centralized dashboard, we can manage the backup job and determine if the backup job is happening appropriately or not. If any backup job fails, we can find out the root cause for the failures. Because it is a hardware-based appliance, we can restore the data immediately, and it provides genuine restore capabilities. In terms of data availability compliance, we are looking for data availability and data security in terms of encryption, data deduplication and compression. It provides data availability as each appliance comes with RAID. If one or two disks fail, then our data appliance is still available for backup. It also provides encryption, so our data is also ransomware protected.
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

"Dell PowerProtect is stable and scalable."
"The product is integrated with Huawei software and its backup and recovery time is very fast."
"What I appreciate most about Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is the ability to adjust your type of bandwidth, because some of our nodes sit in remote areas in the mining industry, so we have wireless links running, and especially with wireless, we sometimes have intermittent connectivity."
"In summary, this product is very stable, has the best of Avamar Data Domain, and has good reporting."
"The most valuable feature is the deduplication rate."
"It is a good, stable product with good reliability and performance."
"It backs up our Windows systems and our Linux systems and everything."
"Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) reduces downtime by around ninety percent."
"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."
"If you are looking for a reliable and scalable enterprise-class solution, you should consider this solution."
"In terms of stability, I've found it to be very stable."
"The most valuable features are the self-service features and the ability to search the data."
"The command-line interface is good."
"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."
 

Cons

"The only disadvantage I can see with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is the cost."
"Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) requires more updates and innovations in AI-powered cyber resilience."
"One area of Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) that can be improved is probably more integrations with third-party software, particularly third-party backup software."
"The two-factor authentication is missing from Dell products."
"The solution's implementation was very complicated and could be improved."
"The product's index master feature needs improvement."
"The solution should be easier to use."
"After resizing and compression, the system continuously runs out of space. Dell EMC doesn't do automatic cleanup or other things, so we constantly have to manually go in there or work with Dell support on this. The solution has not been working as advertised."
"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."
"The configuration wizards are still complex and hard to navigate. These should be easier to manage."
"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."
"It is unmanageable. Support would be good."
"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."
"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."
"Setting up the system to work with legacy equipment is a bit complex at times."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"I would rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten."
"It is a cost-effective solution."
"Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) has a yearly subscription fee."
"We have a perpetual license. It is a capacity-based license."
"The licensing is billed on a monthly basis. Dell is bundled so that when you order IDPA, you get everything together with the license."
"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
Construction Company
11%
Outsourcing Company
10%
Comms Service Provider
8%
Financial Services Firm
7%
Construction Company
22%
Manufacturing Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
12%
Comms Service Provider
10%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business8
Midsize Enterprise8
Large Enterprise9
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business3
Midsize Enterprise1
Large Enterprise3
 

Questions from the Community

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA)?
It is competitive; it is not expensive, but it is competitive with the other similarly available solutions.
What needs improvement with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA)?
Each and every Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) appliance comes with a fixed size, which means if our data has grown, we have to upgrade to another appliance. Some appliances provide in-place data upgra...
What is your primary use case for Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA)?
Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is used centrally for backup purposes, as we use it for backup purposes only with our critical applications.
Ask a question
Earn 20 points
 

Also Known As

Dell EMC IDPA, Dell IDPA, EMC IDPA
No data available
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Under Armour, Christian Brothers University, Presidio
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 DP (IDPA) vs. IBM ProtectTIER and other solutions. Updated: August 2026.
909,948 professionals have used our research since 2012.