Dell NetWorker Reviews

The experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Dell NetWorker varies among users. Some users mention that they receive significant discounts, especially in the educational sector, through deals between Dell and their organizations. However, others find the licensing costs to be high, with different types of licenses available including traditional and capacity-based licenses. The pricing is generally considered relatively high compared to other solutions, although some users find it to be okay. 

Dell NetWorker is a valuable investment compared to not having the solution. 

The primary use case of Dell NetWorker is for backup and recovery purposes. It is used to back up and recover various types of data, including VMs, file systems, mission-critical business databases, virtual machines, databases, and applications. 

It is also used for disaster recovery and availability for Unix servers and enterprise database solutions. Additionally, it is used for long-term backups to tape and for backup and recovery in all environments.

The most valuable features of Dell NetWorker include its flexibility and ease of use for backing up virtual machines and a wide range of databases. It also offers reliable backup for VMs, integration with data domains and tape, and the ability to offload backups on Data Domain 6800s. 

Users appreciate its user-friendly interface, quick configuration, and handling of large databases. The solution is stable and scalable and offers features such as full backup and quick restoration. It has multiple options for configuration and provides extensive information on tool properties. Users also value its scalability, virtual environment protection, and migration to OneCloud feature. 

The solution allows for the recovery of up-to-the-moment data and offers broad coverage for data protection. Integration with Data Domain allows for seamless operation and easy setup. NetWorker's most valuable feature is its recovery capability, including policy-based backups. It also offers extensive information on databases and has tight integration with Data Domain. Users find the solution to be efficient, reliable, and fast. 

Its integration with data domains allows for direct data transfer, and the solution is very user-friendly. Deduplication is another valuable feature, as well as its compatibility with various database systems. 

Improvements needed for Dell NetWorker include enhancing the API side to address certain shortcomings and improve functionality. Dell's advertising strategy should be revised to encourage the use of NetWorker instead of discouraging it. A clear vision for the future of NetWorker is lacking, and support for tape libraries should be added. Additional features like cloud integration and ransomware protection are desired, with a more seamless and efficient Cyber Vault offering. Integration with contemporary storage solutions like Pure Storage is currently missing. 

The recovery window should be faster, and the GUI could include rack recovery. The product needs to be more user-friendly, with better integration with Hyper-V and improved compatibility with Exchange backups. The implementation process should be simplified, and support for all brands and solutions should be provided. The management interface should be consolidated into a single interface for ease of use. 

The interface needs to be centralized and made more user-friendly. The solution sometimes has issues with backup initiation and connection to Oracle servers. The appearance of the interface can be improved for a better user experience. Built-in support for Linux, UNIX BMR, container backups, and Kubernetes is necessary. 

Technical support should be enhanced, and integration with the environment needs improvement. The web console should be improved, and documentation should be more comprehensive and up-to-date. 

The front end of the solution lacks user-friendliness. Dell EMC NetWorker is not as mature as its competitors, with issues in error logging, reliability, and user-friendliness. 

Pricing should be more competitive. I

The initial setup for Dell NetWorker can vary in terms of ease and complexity. Some users found it easy, straightforward, and even fast to deploy. They mentioned that it could be done in just a few hours or even minutes, depending on the size of the environment. However, there were also users who found the setup process complex and not straightforward. They mentioned that it took a few days or required the assistance of consultants or Dell-certified engineers. 

 Dell NetWorker is highly scalable and can easily be expanded by increasing RAM and CPU. It is widely used by large enterprises and can handle a wide range of modules for storage, databases, and backups. The scalability of Dell NetWorker is rated as good, with some users mentioning that it extends well. 

However, there are some limitations to scalability, particularly for medium-sized enterprises. It is important to note that adding more nodes to NetWorker can be challenging, and additional standalone solutions may be required. 

Customers have varying experiences with Dell NetWorker's customer service and support. Some customers appreciate the availability of technical support and the option to escalate issues. However, others feel that support is not the best, especially since Dell's attention is focused on other products. While support for other Dell products is excellent, Dell NetWorker can be complex and challenging to debug. There have been issues with scheduling tags and dynamic groups, and even with Dell support's assistance, problems remain unresolved. 

Dell NetWorker is highly stable and reliable. Users have experienced limited downtime and have not encountered any bugs, glitches, crashes, or freezing. The solution has worked without troubles or significant issues for a couple of years. However, some users mention that proper monitoring and following recommended best practices are necessary to maintain its stability.