Dell EMC PowerProtect Data Domain Reviews

We use model number 6800. The operating system is 7.4.

I find the data to be most valuable. 

The price is on the high side.

I would like to see integration with public cloud.

We have been using Dell EMC PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) for almost ten years. 

The solution is, thus far, stable. 

The solution is scalable. 

The technical support is okay. It's not bad.

I did not work with other solutions prior to using Dell EMC PowerProtect DD (Data Domain).

The initial setup was handled solely by the Dell EMC, so it was okay and not that complex. 

The price is a bit steep. 

We pay for the support every three years. 

I am an end user.

I feel the solution works fine for us. 

There are around four or five people working with this solution in our company.

My advice to others looking into implementing this solution is that they acquire the requisite knowledge. It is important to be properly trained in how to use it. 

I rate Dell EMC PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) as an eight out of ten. 

We primarily use the solution for storage.

The solution integrates well with our VM.

I like the hardware and the software together.

Based on what we have achieved in our environments on the bank's telecom, it's the best product. We have it installed with Dell EMC protection suite, NetWorker, but also with VM. There are many cases where we integrated with IBM TSM as a VTL. 

The best point is the duplication encryption and disaster recovery replication. The network replication's software has network verification where the product can not offer it. We use nothing for Data Domain replication. And when we use NetWorker, we use prone console application. With VM, also we use replication under the Data Domain application instead of copying the data from the VM.

The solution is very scalable.

The product offers excellent security.

The price could be improved. 

Technically speaking, the solution is okay. It's not perfect. We have to remember that it's a backup appliance. A storage appliance is not primary service. Let's say in a standard configuration you have only one controller, you don't have high visibility. We have installations on higher-visibility on one environment when one bank says, "We want a controller, doesn't matter how much it costs." We explain that something that is not the main storage is not production. " It's not primary storage, however, it can be used for different environments. Let's say to use it as the NFS or VMware deployment. 

Dell is improving the product all of the time, actually. There were a lot of improvements from version 7.3 to 7.4 for example. 

I've worked with the solution on and off since 2009 and I've watched it evolved from a small backup appliance to what it is now. They've done very well with it. 

I've been working with the solution since at least 2009.

In terms of stability, it depends on who is using it. When our customers use it via IP, now, almost everybody has 10G. When they use the application, they have at least one gigabit for the application. Data Domain is capable of using smaller bandwidth and therefore I haven't had any complaints regarding how it's working. The main problem is not the backup, its costs vary. 

The data has to get duplicated in blocks and sent across the network. It's optimized in such a way where when you bring back the data there is a process that will take place in the memory or the system in order together that data and compose the file. Then it will take it back to the network to where it will need to be stored. We have a fiber cable, so we are okay. We don't have a problem with this. However, smaller bandwidths may face issues.

The scalability of the solution is excellent.

We can start from many minimal configurations for SMB customers and we can scale it out for big a environment, for example, for different bank clients. It's suitable for all environments. It works well with other solutions as well, such as VM or TSM. 

Any company can work with it and any company can expand it to fit their needs.

Dell works with partners in order to provide technical support, and as partners, we often troubleshoot for our clients. We are sent alerts the moment a ticket is opened and so we are able to see if there are problems happening right away. When it comes to hardware, we'll be able to see what parts get dispatched and we can follow everything. From a hardware perspective, support works very well and is very transparent. 

From a software perspective, that's handled by a different team. If we have problems we can't fix we can apply for help to the software team. They can release patches and can inform us if an upgrade is mandatory in order to fix an issue. They are also very helpful and responsive.

Overall, I would say we are quite pleased with the level of service we receive from Dell. 

The initial setup is not complex. It's very straightforward. If you have a serial port opened up, and you configure the management port fees, first on the licensing, then it's really straightforward. However, if you have a different configuration, it may be a bit more challenging. Even so, it's not that complicated. It's 90% straightforward. If somebody is not comfortable with the console, they can use a web interface and it's fine. 

Dell Avamar is a very good product. We've used it in the past when it was, let's say, one of the first solutions. I believe they offer duplication. Whenever Avamar came on the market, it was a revolutionary application. Right now, however, due to other software solutions not only for Dell EMC but for Avamar, it makes everything very good and also very bad from the sales point of view. 

With aggressive marketing of products, clients may request the wrong product. Avamar isn't well-positioned in Romania right now. Data Domain is better. When clients ask for certain other products, we try to steer them to Data Domain. 

Depending on the customer's needs, Dell can fit into all environments. If you want to have a very good backup appliance, then choose Data Domain because it will fit in almost everywhere. I don't think I know of another solution in which somebody can have a backup project or data protection where this product will not fit. 

Technically speaking, I cannot make a comparison with other products, as this solution can fit almost everywhere.

I recommend better sizing to the client. That's important. Customers need to take into consideration their needs very, very well so they don't end up with too small of a product. It's better to go a bit bigger if it will fit the budget. Of course, the technical requirements need to be addressed. Data Domain integrates well with other products. It's something to consider.

Overall, I would rate the solution nine out of ten.

The Data Domain serves as our primary backup device used with Veeam. It is used for all service backups and restores.

This allows our organization to send more data to this device compared to others. It also allows us a fast recovery of files or Virtual Machines if needed being on-premise.

I would rate it at 5/5 as the deduplication and compression of the device for backups are outstanding. We have about 55TB of total space in the Data Domain which we send Veeam backups to, and we have sent over 200TB to the array.

The Deduplication and Compression are the most valuable as they allow us to back up a lot more data to the device knowing it will compress it well.

The processing capabilities I believe could be improved, however, we have an older unit DD670 and newer units may have already improved upon this.

I have been using the solution for more than five years.

We had no issues with stability.

No issues were encountered as we added a second shelf of disks without bringing the head unit down.

Customer Service:

Customer service for this unit is top notch and they are fast to get back to you with a Support issue.

Technical Support:

Technical Support is also top notch and are quick to respond to queries or tickets.

Positive

I was not involved in the initial setup of the array.

It was implemented through a vendor as well as in-house personnel.

It has been very good especially with the expansion shelf added.

Review the newer versions of the device and evaluate them if possible. You will get great benefits for backups.

We use Dell PowerProtect DD for all financial cloud and banking systems to back up critical workloads. It serves as a Data Domain product to back up their environment. Additionally, we offer a two-minute backup, which refers to the capability of the Data Domain. This requires using data protection tools, including Networker and PowerProtect Data Manager. Networker serves as traditional backup routers.

When utilizing Dell PowerProtect DD for backup systems, Data Domain offers fast performance with low latency, providing high throughput for quicker backups compared to other vendors. Additionally, the network component is suitable for backing up Dell infrastructure, particularly for managing MA workloads efficiently. Restoring data through the backup process is straightforward, especially for users with experience using the DPS software.

The Dell PowerProtect DD architecture offers several significant features. One is DD Boost, which is utilized at both the source and destination sites for application processing. By employing DD Boost, the backup process is offloaded to the server side, efficiently utilizing network resources. 

Additionally, the Data Domain incorporates a Global Deduplication feature. This feature allows Data Domain to deduplicate all data streams simultaneously, enabling more efficient utilization of backup space within the Data Domain system.

The solution's pricing could be cheaper.

I have been using Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) for two years.

The solution is stable.

The solution is scalable. 300 users are using this solution.

Dell PowerProtect DD's features and functionalities vary depending on the segment. Its advantages include cost-effectiveness, reduced footprint, and efficient management of backup services.

There are two types of licenses available for Data Domain. One is the capacity license, based on the amount of data stored. For instance, you would need a capacity license if you require one terabyte of storage in Data Domain. Additionally, if you need performance and optimization features, you would require a database license, a subset of the capacity license. Harmony licenses are also necessary for certain functionalities.

Data domain has two features. We also implement many customer tracking. We like a sum of customer tests, compliance, and regulations due to government systems and cybersecurity, and the retention length is a very useful solution.

I recommend the features for all customers.

According to benchmarks and customer feedback,  Data Domain is highly regarded for its excellent throughput and performance compared to other vendors. Customers have reported that Data Domain handles backup and restore processes exceptionally well, demonstrating quick response times and efficient performance.

Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.

We use this solution for various workloads for our customers. It is a backup solution for our banking customers' applications, farmer customers' farm assist applications, and manufacturing customers.

The most valuable features are that it is secure, reliable, and has officer support.

We have worked with this solution for about six years and deployed on-premises.

It is a stable solution with no issues.

It is a scalable solution, and we have more than 50 customers using this solution.

We have support within our company but leverage the technical support for backup support when required.

The initial setup was easy and not complex. It took about two to three houses to deploy.

The licensing is not cost-effective, and the pricing could be better. It is a costly solution compared to Veritas, but it has good performance, scalability and assurances.

I rate this solution a nine out of ten. I would recommend this solution to other companies.

We use Dell PowerProtect DD for different scenarios like database storage and backups.

I like the different features. We work closely with Dell on different products and features, which is why we use them all. 

It could be more secure.

I have been working with Dell PowerProtect DD for almost four years.

Dell PowerProtect DD is a stable solution.

Dell PowerProtect DD is a scalable solution. We have about seven customers using this solution.

It's ok because we have our own support and our own distributors for the vendor's part.

The initial setup doesn't take too long—just one or two days. You need two people to deploy and maintain this solution.

We are integrators, and we implement this solution ourselves.

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

I will recommend this solution to potential customers because it's one of the top brands and it's good.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) a nine.

We use Data Domain to back up the SAP ERP system, and it worked very well.

We are moving to a public cloud.

We are very satisfied with this solution. It's easy to use and efficient.

The price is expensive, so that could be improved. The interface and dashboards could also be improved.

We have some problems with backing up on the Power Platform. PowerServer is an IBM product, and it forces us to back up over LAN, which is not suitable for us.

It needs some added features to back up the AIX OS or the old applications running on AIX OS.

10 years ago, we used the network backup, but we have upgraded our devices many times.

It's 99% stable.

It's 99% scalable.

Technical support is very good.

Setup was very easy.

The cost is expensive.

I would rate this solution 8 out of 10.

I would recommend this solution to anyone who wants to use it, for an enterprise of any size.

We use it mostly combined with software, such as NetWorker, and the Data Domain works as a repository for the information.

The features that I have found most valuable with Dell EMC PowerProtect DD are its deduplication feature and its DD Boost protocol for fast transfer, which is amazing.

I have seen documentation from other products saying that they protect against ransomware and I haven't seen this in Data Domain. I don't know if it is a good idea to have it in the appliance, but I would like to see some kind of integration with the ransomware in the next release.

I have been using Dell EMC PowerProtect DD for about 15, 20 years.

It is working stably. I haven't had any trouble with the implementations I have done.

The backup solutions are from EMC umbrella. I have been using them for more than 20 years. All the implementation I have done for the past nine years+ have combined NetWorker and Data Domain.

In terms of scalability, you can grow it and you can put additional units as needed.

In terms of the number of people required to maintain the solution, that depends on the size of the customer environment. As an example, we have a customer with about 50 physical and virtual servers. They have two Data Domains with an administrator, but it is maintained by only one person.

I haven't dealt with support because I haven't had any problems with the equipment.

The initial setup is pretty straightforward. It is pretty straightforward to implement - nothing very complicated. Most of the work is in the software part, so it depends on the software solution, not Data Domain particularly.

The software part also depends on the amount of servers we are trying to protect. It also depends on the amount and types of database and applications. That is the complex part of these types of implementations.

My advice to anyone considering this product is that the most important thing is to have a good sizing. If the sizing at the beginning is good, you won't have any trouble with the implementation or using the product. But if you have a bad sizing, it's going to be a headache.

On a scale of one to ten, I would give Dell EMC PowerProtect DD a 10.