Dell NetWorker Reviews

We use Dell EMC NetWorker for several solutions we have had such as Exchange, Microsoft SQL, Linux, Windows File, File data backups, and Oracle Databases.

It's easy to use.

NetWorker is coming to end-of-life in a couple of years, and even Dell has said that they are not going to continue with it. They no longer develop it.

They put their efforts into the new Power Protect products instead. 

Support for the cloud could be better and with the existing features, it could be a bit more robust. Also, the flexibility could be improved.

They need more support for image backups.

The company has used this solution for 15-20 years.

We are not working with the latest version.

It's a pretty stable solution.

It's not scalable. Once you have created a backup server and you have configured it for a specific load, then you can't change it. 

You have to estimate how big the load is that you are going to have. If that increases, suddenly, you will need to create a new server. 

I wouldn't suggest that it is scalable. Scalability is an area that needs improvement.

We are an admin group and we have several technicians that look into it as well. We have 40 users in our organization.

Experience with technical support varies, sometimes they are very good and other times they are not that good.

However, their higher levels of Technical support are very good.

I used other solutions in earlier employments. This company has been using NetWorker for as much as 20 years.

I did not participate in the installation. It was already installed when I arrived.

We have a team of 5 engineers to deploy and maintain this solution.

They are not cheap. I don't know the fees specifically but they should definitely be cheaper. Everything should be cheaper :-)

Since they are going to stop developing this solution, I cannot recommend it to others.

I would rate Dell EMC NetWorker a seven out of ten.

We have everything - we have Oracle databases, SQL databases, Windows platforms, Linux platforms, Exchange Servers. We have many servers along with several different storages. This is a very big group with a variety of systems.

Although Dell EMC NetWorker is a little bit more complex to combine with other products, it is really a very strong product. It became stronger when we started doing backups to disks instead of to data simulators when we import the Data Domain. The solution became stronger because the backup to disks is faster and the duplication ratios and compression are very high so it will save lots of space at this storage size. The granularity of the Exchange Servers is very good.

In terms of what can be improved, they need to be compatible with the cloud because EMC NetWorker cannot compete with other products at the moment. The other products like Veeam and Commvault are more flexible and are more compatible with other cloud vendors. EMC cannot do the same thing. EMC focuses only on their own cloud and do not take into consideration other cloud vendors.

I started using Dell EMC NetWorker in 2012.

It's stable. It is very, very stable software.

There are no problems in terms of stability. But as I said, the configuration, the deployment, etc... are more complex when you compare to the other products. That's the only thing. But from a stability point of view, it is very stable.

In terms of scalability, unfortunately, we were unable to upgrade the EMC NetWorker. We're still on version 8.1. So I have no idea of the capabilities of the latest release in terms of scalability. But for sure, when you compare to other products, EMC NetWorker will not be able to compete because other products are more agile and more compatible with many cloud vendors. They need to put more effort into that.

Despite it being more complex, it is a very powerful solution but still requires effort so that users can have good access to it. I cannot see people choosing EMC Networker. At the moment everybody chooses to go for Veeam and Commvault. At the moment everybody is waiting for BIM to go to Commvault. I've been in a deep study of the previous one and backup solutions, and I met many people and everybody prefers to go with Commvault or Veeam. I didn't see anybody preferring to go with EMC NetWorker.

The initial setup is complex. It requires a long brainstorming because you need to consider servers, storages, storage nodes, client servers, and the main backup server. It's quite complex. Brainstorming and designing will take time. You need the full verification and sometimes more than that if you have many servers where you need to install the client.

In order to implement, a consultant is needed. Without that, you cannot do it yourself. You can do it but there is a risk. So it's better to have another person.

In terms of pricing, yes, of course, EMC is cheaper. Commvault is more expensive. Maybe with the latest release, EMC Networker became more expensive, but I have no idea about the latest prices from EMC. Whatever we spent on EMC NetWorker was far cheaper.

What I've seen is renewal prices. Maybe the price of the implementation would be more expensive. But, at least from what I've seen, Commvault is more expensive than EMC NetWorker.

There are some main differences between Commvault and NetWorker and a lot of people prefer Commvault. First of all, worldwide ranking. If you look at the ranking starting from 2017 until today, you will find Commvault is always ranked first of second. EMC is not at those levels. Whenever you want to buy a backup solution, you need to look at the worldwide ranking. You need to conduct customer feedback. This is the first main difference between EMC NetWorker and Commvault. The second thing is their architecture, which is easier with Commvault. Commvault is easier to deploy.

On a scale of one to ten, I would give Dell EMC NetWorker a seven.

They need to allow EMC NetWorker to be more agile and flexible with other cloud vendors. It has to come into the cloud arena because now everybody's talking cloud. They shouldn't be only restricted to on-premise. Everybody now is talking cloud, so it has to talk the latest language in IT. You need to make it more compatible with cloud vendors. When you talk about Commvault, it is very compatible with many cloud vendors like AWS. But you do not see the same thing with EMC NetWorker. They need to work on this point.

I would not hesitate to go to Commvault. Undoubtedly, Commvault is better. It is the best. If somebody would ask me which one to choose between EMC or Commvault, I would not hesitate to say go for Commvault rather than for EMC NetWorker.

We mostly use this solution for file-based backups. 

We are a global company. We use NetWorker and other backup products throughout the world. We have a very close and long-term relationship with the EMC Networker and we are not going anywhere. We have roughly 30 to 40 TB of data stored with them.

We use this solution daily.

We have scheduled backups, daily, weekly, and monthly and we use the dashboard as a monitoring tool; if there is a failure, we can reconnect all the operational activity.

I don't directly do the backups, my backup administrator coordinates with EMC regarding all configurations, upgrades, and operational needs.

Storage-wise, EMC is user-friendly.

The configuration is too complex. As a backup solution, it's not user-friendly.

I have been using EMC NetWorker since 2014.

Dell EMC NetWorker is stable. We don't have any issues scalability-wise, but configuring and upgrading are complex.

Scaling out is very easy. We have a capacity-based license so we have no issues with the scalability.

I personally don't deal with customer support but due to multiple unsuccessful attempts to upgrade, my administrator is not satisfied.

We are using Microsoft BPM in parallel; it's not an enterprise backup solution, but it is an alternate solution. EMC is a one-vendor solution — that's why we chose it, but it is not a good backup solution, it's a complex solution.

The initial setup is complex. Currently, my team is doing an upgrade and they are having a lot of trouble. They have attempted it multiple times but are still unable to complete the upgrade.

We are located in Pakistan, we have a vendor that supports and guides us. The configuration and upgrades are not simple compared to storage and other uses; it's much more complex.

We have our own team that takes care of all maintenance-related issues.

We're using a capacity-based license. My administrator can take backups as per we have the license. Our license includes support and maintenance. 

In my opinion, Networker is not a very good product. It's very complex compared to Veeam and other products. In short, we needed a single bundle solution, that's why we chose Networker. Overall, I think Veeam is better.

I don't recommend it because of its complexity and the updates, etc. We don't recommend that anyone uses Networker. We recommend looking into Veeam or another solution.

On a scale from one to ten, I would give Networker a rating of five.

I am a business partner of Dell EMC. For POC purposes, we deploy and use it on-premises to get an overview of each and every feature of Dell EMC NetWorker.

We use Dell EMC NetWorker for physical workload as well as virtual workload. We have deployed it on-premises as well as on the cloud for our clients. We have deployed it for a number of projects, and we are completely satisfied with it.

The best feature of Dell EMC NetWorker is its wide spectrum of available plugins for each and every software that you can back up, such as SAP HANA, Oracle, AXI-based machines, or Dell-based machines. Whatever you want to back up, you can do it with Dell EMC NetWorker. It is a very solid backup software. It is the oldest backup software from EMC, and it comes from Dell EMC's legacy.

It is not easy to understand and deploy. It is complex in nature. Simplicity is not there. When we deploy it, the customer always needs some training from us. To make it user friendly, there should be one agent that can be used to back up every product. Dell EMC NetWorker uses so many user agents. In PowerProtect Data Manager, you can just install its VM, import that VM into vCenter, and you can start to do backups directly from vCenter. However, in Dell EMC NetWorker, you always need one server, and from that server, you need to initiate all backups. You must know the interface and the CLI. It is not user friendly.

It would be a great feature if we can deploy Dell EMC NetWorker on a virtual machine, like Avamar. The additional features that are required in Dell EMC NetWorker are already available in PowerProtect Data Manager and Avamar. Therefore, there is no need to enhance Dell EMC NetWorker. It would be better if they can just rename it to PowerProtect Data Manager or Avamar.

I have been using Dell EMC NetWorker for more than six years.

It is stable.

It always provides you ethical backup. When you reach your maximum license capability, it never stops you from doing your backups. This is a caring feature of this solution that I always liked. 

When you get a license for one terabyte, you can back up 100 terabytes of data. They never stop you from doing that ethically. We always need to follow the ethics of any software. Customers in Pakistan are using over commercial licenses, and they are happy with this feature.

It is excellent from the pricing point of view. It is free with Data Protection Suite. Similarly, when you purchase Avamar, Dell EMC NetWorker is free with one terabyte license capacity. Its price is very competitive. 

We have deployed this solution for many companies and for every kind of company, such as banks, logistics companies. One of the biggest companies in Pakistan is using Dell EMC NetWorker since 2015, and they are very happy with it. Another company with a big data center is using this solution since 2016, and they are also happy. There is no challenge in adapting and having this solution in your environment.

Dell EMC NetWorker is a very good software for physical workloads and virtual workloads. It is known for certain features. PowerProtect Data Manager is a next-generation backup software. It also provides you the simplicity and ease of use. It is not complex. I always recommend using the latest backup software. I would first recommend PowerProtect Data Manager. Avamar would be number two, and Dell EMC NetWorker would be number three. 

I would rate Dell EMC NetWorker a seven out of ten. 

We are service providers and provide NetWorker for our end-users, our customers.

For POC purposes, we use it on our premises. Also, to have an overview of each and every kind of NetWorker.

We have a number of projects that we supply Networker for and we are completely satisfied with it. We use NetWorker to serve both workload types; a physical workload, and a virtual workload.

Dell EMC NetWorker is a very solid Backup software. It is the oldest backup software from EMC. It comes from Dell EMC's legacy.

The most valuable feature of NetWorker is the wide spectrum of available plugins for each and every software you can back up. For example, SAP, SAP S/4HANA, Oracle, and AIX.

Networker is very good backup software. It always provides you with incremental backups.

When you reach out to your maximum license availability, or you exceed your license limit, NetWorker never stops doing your backups.

With one terabyte of a license, you can back up a hundred terabytes of data back up. They never stop doing that. We always need to follow a fixed software but some customers have an overcapacity license, and they are happy about this feature.

It has a rich set of features.

It is not easy to understand. 

It's not easy to deploy.

It's complex in nature.

When it's deployed, the customers always need to have training from us. In order to make it user-friendly, there is an agent that can be used to back up every product.

Networker users many agents, and just like Powerprotect Data Manager, you can install its VM to import the VM into vCenter, and from Center, you can start your backups.

With NetWorker, you always need to have one server, and from that server, you need to initiate all backups.

You will need to know the interface and NetWorker CLI.

It's not user-friendly.

If NetWorker could be deployed on a virtual machine, similar to Avamar, that would be a great feature.

The features that are required in NetWorker are available in PowerProtect and Avamar. There is no need to enhance Networker, they just need to rename it to PPDM or Avamar. That would be better.

I have been using Dell EMC NetWorker for six years, since 2014.

This product is stable. Our customers have never experienced any issues.

Dell EMC NetWorker is scalable.

We have many different companies that we deal with, some are banks, using Networker. One of the largest companies in Pakistan has been using this solution since 2015. Another client with a big data center has been using it since 2016. We have many other vendors who are happy with this solution.

The NetWorker price point is excellent. When you purchase the Data Protection Suite, NetWorker is free with that suite. If you purchase Avamar, NetWorker is free with Avamar, for one terabyte license capacity.

NetWorker is very competitive.

NetWorker is a good product.

There is no challenge in having NetWorker in your environment.

Powerprotect Data manager is the next generation backup software. I would recommend using the latest backup software suite.

NetWorker is also a very good backup software, for physical or virtual workloads. People know the features that NetWorker is providing.

If I had to choose one, I would go with Powerprotect. It provides simplicity and ease of use. It is not complex. Second I would recommend Avamar, then it would be Networker.

I would rate Dell EMC NetWorker a seven out of ten.

We are using Dell EMC NetWorker for backup and restore purposes.

The support for legacy products is very good.

The components for container support such as Docker and Kubernetes need improvement. They are lacking.

Stability needs improvement. Also, scalability could be better.

I would like to see better support for the container systems, and we would like to see more support for image backups instead of pure file backups. Image backups are faster.

I have been using this solution for more than 15 years.

We are not using the latest version, we are one major version behind.

We have had some issues with stability, but we can't say for certain that it is an issue with the client's environment, or if it's an issue with the server.

It's a scalable solution.

We have approximately 5,000 clients per backup server, and we have six servers.

We have not contacted technical support. We have only had a few issues that we were able to resolve.

For newer software, EMC has expressed that they will not be supporting NetWorker for much longer. It is my understanding that they will continue for the next two years only. 

We are looking for new technology, and we are in the middle of an RFI.

I would not recommend Dell EMC NetWorker, as the product will end in a few years.

I would rate Dell EMC NetWorker a seven out of ten.

I was hired as a solution architect and implementation specialist for this solution. We are maintaining this solution for a customer in Hamburg, Germany.

I am working with an SAP on Oracle solution at the moment.

Our customers use this solution for backup and disaster recovery.

The usual deployment model for this solution is on-premise.

The most valuable features for us at the moment are NFS, file system backup, and IP backup.

The main problem that we are having had to do with stability. We are looking forward to better stability in future versions.

Our customers often ask for better integration with Microsoft Exchange.

Stability is something that needs to be improved.

This is a highly scalable solution, but on a larger scale, it is not very stable.

I was contracted to migrate our client's disaster recovery environment from Tivoli Storage Manager to EMC NetWorker.

The solution itself was easy to set up, but configuring a global disaster recovery environment was quite complex.

I am a consultant who implements these solutions for our clients.

When it comes to choosing this solution, it depends on the environment and the scenarios that you're focused on. There are many advantages with EMC NetWorker compared to other disaster recovery solutions, but the software is lacking in some areas that other vendors focus on. It really depends on what you want to get from the solution.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

The primary use case is for system and data backup. I'm the area technical manager and we are resellers. 

This is a good solution and our clients are happy with it. There are no issues and it meets expectations. It's very user-friendly with a good interface. 

I'd like to see a faster recovery window. Having a better recovery system would make a big difference. 

We've been using this product for 20 years. 

The stability is great. 

The scalability is good, we currently have over 100 users. 

Customer support is very good and I rate it highly. 

Positive

The initial setup is very straightforward and usually takes a couple of hours. 

Licensing costs are a little high. Dell has different kinds of licenses including a traditional license and a capacity-based license.

I recommend this solution and rate it nine out of 10.