When Avamar started out, it used to be for a small to medium environment, but now it's done a lot of changes and it's a good backup solution, especially within your VMware environment.
Ops Specialist: System Engineer Backup at a computer software company with 5,001-10,000 employees
A great, scalable solution that is easy to integrate with other solutions and VM stacks
Pros and Cons
- "The most valuable feature is the integration with Data Domain and your VM stacks."
- "If you don't have DPA, the reporting features are not as user-friendly, so reporting is something that they can improve on."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
The most valuable feature is the integration with Data Domain and your VM stacks. One of the good new features is that it integrates with Azure and AWS, and it has the potential to scale out into multiple cloud platforms.
What needs improvement?
If you don't have DPA, the reporting features are not as user-friendly, so reporting is something that they can improve on.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been working with Avamar for close to ten years.
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Dell Avamar
December 2025
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If you have Data Domain integrated, the solution is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
I would rate the tech support for Avamar as a nine out of ten.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is a bit complex, especially if it's a new installation, but once you get the hang of it, it's pretty smooth.
The length of the deployment depends on your plan, what you need to back up, and if you order Oracle and whatever else you need beforehand. Worst case scenario, it would probably take a week to set up, but if you have all your ducks in a row, it'll be maybe two days, max.
It is not difficult at all to maintain.
Which other solutions did I evaluate?
I have previously worked with Networker and Data Domain. I also worked with PPDM. When I logged calls with PPDM, there was always an issue and it would take a day or two for support to come. I don't know if it was a skill issue, but the guy would usually take the information and go and discuss it with guys at a higher level and then come back to me a day or two later.
What other advice do I have?
This is a great product and the integration is easy with other solutions, like the cloud or Data Domain, and it's scalable. I think to some extent Networker used to be the big brother, but now Avamar is taking over that space.
I would rate this solution as a nine out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer. Integrator
Business Development Manager at a tech services company with 1-10 employees
Slow support, complicated installation, but reliable
Pros and Cons
- "The stability of Dell EMC Avamar is very good."
- "I have found the support from Dell EMC Avamar to be not as good as Veeam. The time it takes to receive support could be improved. However, once we have the support the agents are knowledgeable and helpful."
What is our primary use case?
Dell EMC Avamar is a backup solution. It has integration with the hardware that Dell has and you can backup many things, such as snapshots.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have using Dell EMC Avamar for a few years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability of Dell EMC Avamar is very good.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Dell EMC Avamar is scalable.
We have 80% of our clients are using this solution. Most of our clients have Dell hardware and this is why they are using Dell EMC Avamar.
How are customer service and support?
I have found the support from Dell EMC Avamar to be not as good as Veeam. The time it takes to receive support could be improved. However, once we have the support the agents are knowledgeable and helpful.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have used Veeam previously.
How was the initial setup?
Dell EMC Avamar is a little bit more complicated to set up than the Veeam.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There are licensing costs for Dell EMC Avamar and it is paid annually.
What other advice do I have?
I would not recommend this solution to others.
I rate Dell EMC Avamar a five out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
Dell Avamar
December 2025
Learn what your peers think about Dell Avamar. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: December 2025.
879,371 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Vice President at a energy/utilities company with 10,001+ employees
Good performance and support, but experienced backup failures
Pros and Cons
- "The performance of Dell EMC Avamar is good."
- "The stability could improve, a lot of scheduled backups failed at one time."
What is our primary use case?
We use Dell EMC Avamar for backing up the data on the endpoint devices of the users.
What is most valuable?
The performance of Dell EMC Avamar is good.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell EMC Avamar for approximately
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability could improve, a lot of scheduled backups failed at one time.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
We have approximately 5,000 users using the solution in my organization.
How are customer service and support?
The support from Dell EMC Avamar was decent.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is complex.
What about the implementation team?
We used a consultant to do the implementation of the solution.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend this solution to others.
I rate Dell EMC Avamar a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Executive IT Operations at a pharma/biotech company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Reporting feature is too complex but the stability is okay
Pros and Cons
- "The stability is okay."
- "Dell EMC Avamar is a very complex product. It took a lot of time for the IT admins to get trained on how to use it. It is not very user-friendly, and we won't be using Avamar anymore. It needs a lot of improvement in terms of how the backups have been configured, and the reporting is too complex."
What needs improvement?
Dell EMC Avamar is a very complex product. It took a lot of time for the IT admins to get trained on how to use it. It is not very user-friendly, and we won't be using Avamar anymore.
It needs a lot of improvement in terms of how the backups have been configured, and the reporting is too complex. There are a lot of improvements that should be done in the reporting feature and how the endpoints are getting added to the console. These processes need to be a little more simplified. It is not that easy to get an immediate report based on our requirements. It is too complex. We have to write some scripts and things like that. There are predefined scripts, but they aren't very user-friendly for the customer.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been using this product for more than six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is okay.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
If you want to scale up again, you have to buy a complete appliance. There is no option for just scaling up for the mid-phase entities. Only the larger entities would be able to afford that kind of complete appliance scalability. In terms of scalability, I'm not a fan of Avamar.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We haven't used Veeam before, but we are currently replacing Avamar with Veeam now. We are still in the process of switching.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The cost is high.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate this product 5 out of 10.
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
DGM Data Centre at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
Scales according to budget, and is easy to use
Pros and Cons
- "More integration would be helpful, as well as the addition of more applications."
What is our primary use case?
We use it for our desktops and laptops end-users. We have a network in place for server backup and archive.
What is most valuable?
I have not yet explored this solution in its entirety. Maybe six months down the line, I will be able to tell you about this solution with more confidence.
I believe it is a good backup and recovery solution based on our limited experience in the short period we have been using it.
It is easy to use.
What needs improvement?
More integration would be helpful, as well as the addition of more applications.
The technical support should be improved. They could be more responsive in the future.
For how long have I used the solution?
We have been working with Dell EMC Avamar for six months.
I assume we're using the most recent version because it was just installed by our implementation team.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
In order to make an opinion, we must compare the performance to established benchmarks. We are still working on it, and we're still evolving.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Scalability is determined by the number of licenses purchased. Only a few have been accepted.
We have approximately, 100 users, but we have plans to expand very soon.
We may have some remote offices set up, in the near future.
How are customer service and support?
We experienced a problem with the network backup installation, so we called technical support. One of the backups failed continuously.
We were not exactly satisfied with the turnaround time. It was an issue that was unique for them to resolve, but we were not able to assistance instantly.
The support could be better.
How was the initial setup?
When you consider the hardware involved, the initial setup was not straightforward.
In the beginning, there were a lot of trials and errors to suit our exact requirements. Our installation was the standard that most normally have.
What about the implementation team?
This solution was not installed by us. We agreed that the implementation team would complete the installations.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Licensing fees are paid annually.
I am not sure if the fees are comparable; I would like to compare them to other solutions.
What other advice do I have?
We have Data Domain and network backup software.
I would recommend this solution to others who are interested in using it.
I would rate Dell EMC Avamar, an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
IT Manager at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Easy to use with good performance and stability
Pros and Cons
- "The installation process is pretty straightforward."
- "The solution could be a bit easier to use in the sense that they need to make it simpler to backup products and restore items."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution as a backup. Avamar is used to back up our production workloads. Production workloads include Oracle, EBS, SharePoint, file and print service, other application services.
What is most valuable?
The stability is good. We have found that the performance is excellent.
The product is easy to use.
The installation process is pretty straightforward.
What needs improvement?
The solution could be a bit easier to use in the sense that they need to make it simpler to backup products and restore items.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for more than three years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is very stable and the performance is reliable. There are no bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Whether or not we will scale the solution depends on the business. If we have a requirement to do so, then definitely we'll expand it. If there will be year-over-year growth and if it will be 10%, we're likely to expand and will need to scale.
If you need to add more capacity, you will need to pay for it.
How was the initial setup?
The installation process is straightforward. That said, it would require an engineer from Dell to do it. We ourselves cannot do it. We don't have the knowledge necessary.
We needed two engineers to handle deployment.
Installation was quite fast. It took about four to five hours. After that, the configuration and other policies, that took about two days.
What about the implementation team?
We had Dell assist us with the implementation process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
This is a capacity-based license, it's a one-time payment.
In order to increase capacity, you need to pay more. You also can expect more maintenance.
The pricing of the product seems to be less expensive than other options, however, I can't speak to the exact cost of the product.
What other advice do I have?
I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten. We're quite happy with its capabilities.
This product is for production users. We do not backup user backups; it's only for the production workload.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Manager IT at a manufacturing company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Offers good backups without much of a failure ratio and is very scalable
Pros and Cons
- "The product has a proven track record of good backups without much of a failure ratio. It also has a good backup in terms of the compression ratio."
- "The user interface still needs to have some level of improvement. It could be more user-friendly and intuitive."
What is our primary use case?
I'm using the solution for our entire daily data backup for laptops and desktops. We also use it for some of our virtual machines and some of our databases systems.
What is most valuable?
The product has a proven track record of good backups without much of a failure ratio. It also has a good backup in terms of the compression ratio.
Overall, my experience with Avamar is very good.
Technical support has been helpful.
The performance of the solution is excellent.
The product scales easily.
What needs improvement?
The user interface still needs to have some level of improvement. It could be more user-friendly and intuitive.
The reporting aspect of the product could be better. For example, I'd like to have reports on the daily failure of systems. If I have more than 1000 systems, if I want to know that how many systems failed yesterday, I'd like to be able to pull that information in a single click.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using the solution for the past ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I'm very happy with this product and the performance of this product is good. For the purposes of backups and restoring, it is very smooth and proven for the last 10 years. The failure rate is low. It doesn't crash or freeze.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
While, on the admin side, we have two to three people as administrators for Avamar. However, in the case of how many systems are to be backed up through Avamar, it's around 1,000 or more.
Right now, the current product is Dell DP4400 and it's a very scalable product. I have purchased the license for 8 TB only, however, the box itself already comes with a 64 TB hard disk. At any point, we can increase it. We just have to put in a license and we can increase it very easily.
We use the solution on a daily basis.
How are customer service and support?
Technical support is good. I get support in a timely manner. Since our last installation, which was in March, we have just logged two calls and both were closed in a very timely manner. We are quite satisfied with the support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
In the past, we've used Arcserve and Commvault.
In terms of differences, Arcserve and Commvault, are both Windows-based systems. They do not have their own hardware, which means that they are only software-based backups. It's your own decision in terms of which type of hardware you want.
There is nothing like a complete product with these two options. You are buying software from the vendors, and then you have to buy the hardware from another vendor. The issue is, when you need support, sometimes the software vendors tell you that problem is with hardware and the hardware vendors tell you that problem is with software. That can become an issue.
Also, due to the fact that both are Windows-based systems, there are some performance-based issues. I found that the Avamar system is better than Arcserve and Commvault for these reasons.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is somewhere in between straightforward and difficult.
The deployment takes between four and six hours.
The maintenance required is quite minimal. It's based on a Linux setup, which makes it pretty easy.
What about the implementation team?
I have set up the solution with an expert from Dell. With the help of an expert from Dell, the setup is straightforward.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
The pricing of the solution is okay.
What other advice do I have?
We're just a customer and an end-user.
I'm using the latest version of the solution. It's an iteration of version 17.
I'm very happy with this product. I recommend it to everyone who is searching for any complete backup for an entire infrastructure, for example, for a virtual server, a database server, or a laptop or desktop. This is a single product that can handle a complete infrastructure backup.
I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Senior Engineer, Disaster Recovery at a financial services firm with 1,001-5,000 employees
Rock solid, does its job, but needs better UI, deduplication, and ease of doing certain things
Pros and Cons
- "Scheduling is valuable. It does a good job of backing up, and it does a good job of restoring. Nobody has got a problem with that. The agents are well supported."
- "When you get down to doing certain things, such as somebody wants a particular file restored, the process by which you do that is stupid. You kind of have to know exactly where to look for in order to find it. Even on older backup products that I've used, I didn't have that kind of problem. If we were looking for a file with a particular kind of a name, the solution would find that file anywhere irrespective of where it resides within the backup system. So, we didn't have to know the name of the specific server, the specific timeframe, almost all the characters of the file name, and all kinds of data in order to find a file. In Avamar, we got to know these details. We've gone around and around with them on that, and their attitude seems to be that it is working just fine. There is nothing for them to improve. The organizational system of other products that I'm working with, such as Zerto and Cohesity, seems to be centered around the tasks that you would most commonly do and want to do, as opposed to we've laid it out in a really neat technical hierarchy."
What is our primary use case?
It is our main backup system while we're in the middle of switching over to Cohesity.
What is most valuable?
Scheduling is valuable. It does a good job of backing up, and it does a good job of restoring. Nobody has got a problem with that. The agents are well supported.
In terms of functionality, it is rock solid. It does its job.
What needs improvement?
The UI is a complete mess. It is graphic, but it might as well be a CLI considering how difficult it is to work with. It takes an entire person and a significant amount of time to manage backups within the company. It really shouldn't be that hard.
When you get down to doing certain things, such as somebody wants a particular file restored, the process by which you do that is stupid. You kind of have to know exactly where to look for in order to find it. Even on older backup products that I've used, I didn't have that kind of problem. If we were looking for a file with a particular kind of a name, the solution would find that file anywhere irrespective of where it resides within the backup system. So, we didn't have to know the name of the specific server, the specific timeframe, almost all the characters of the file name, and all kinds of data in order to find a file. In Avamar, we got to know these details. We've gone around and around with them on that, and their attitude seems to be that it is working just fine. There is nothing for them to improve. The organizational system of other products that I'm working with, such as Zerto and Cohesity, seems to be centered around the tasks that you would most commonly do and want to do, as opposed to we've laid it out in a really neat technical hierarchy.
There should be some kind of greater granularity in the way it is storing backups. The reason why we're using things like Zerto and going to Cohesity, at least in the DR environment, and this will work in terms of backups as well, is that we need to be able to have a recovery point objective with some kind of granularity, such as every 15 minutes, every half hour, or every hour in case of a disaster recovery scenario, ransomware scenario, etc. We're pretty much allowed to do our once-in-a-day backup every 24 hours or however we schedule them. In most cases, we don't do anything different for basic backups, but it seems very difficult within Avamar to do anything if we want to have an image of a system every so often or at least an incremental point of reference or an RPO point.
The other thing is that the way that it locks files seems to make those systems unavailable while it is operating the backup. So, we have to very carefully schedule our backups after hours or over periods of time when there is low bandwidth of the transactions happening. With the other products we have, we don't have this problem. I certainly don't have that problem with Zerto. I've got a recovery point of every few seconds, and it doesn't seem to take a lot of storage room to do that. Storage is a big thing for us. It is very expensive, and that's always an issue for us. So, things like deduplication would be really nice to have.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for at least six years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It is rock solid. We don't ever have any problems with backups being lost or anything like that.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
All of the data in the company is used by one person or another, so there are a couple of thousand users.
How are customer service and support?
Their technical support is excellent. We've never had any problem dealing with Avamar in terms of technical support. We've had some nasty instances too where they've not been able to drill down on things and support their own product.
How was the initial setup?
I've only been with the company for about five years, and it was present when I came on board.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Dell EMC Avamar a six out of 10. It is a pretty basic backup system in terms of features. It does its job. However, its UI is just ridiculous.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
Buyer's Guide
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Updated: December 2025
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Buyer's Guide
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