Dell PowerProtect Data Domain Reviews

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain serves as a backup repository for my customers, where I began implementation with Avamar, using Data Domain as the repository, and integrated it with the ECS platform for cloud archiving. However, I have not performed file solutions to back up or attach directly to clients' PCs, as all backups end up on Dell PowerProtect Data Domain.

Most use cases for Dell PowerProtect Data Domain as a backup repository are in VMware backup environments, where I integrate it with IDPA, Avamar, and Veeam by installing proxies inside the VMware environment and performing all backup restoration tests and processes as needed. Although I have only performed replication once, in some cases I have installed agents inside Windows servers or customer PCs to perform agent backup or file backups.

Regarding my main use case with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, I have not encountered any issues, though I would perform a replication scenario if the opportunity arose. Unfortunately, our customers in LatAm are not large enough for such projects, as their architectures typically involve active-passive or active-active setups for servers and storage, but not for backup solutions, which presents a challenge in educating customers on the need for proper disaster recovery or business continuity architectures.

What I value most about Dell PowerProtect Data Domain are its deduplication features, as the amount of information that can be stored is quite impressive. I also appreciate the DD Boost protocol for its enhancements and integration with other platforms, and I recall a provider using that protocol to improve the transportation layer, along with the data-at-rest encryption that protects all information inside Dell PowerProtect Data Domain. Primarily, the standout feature is the DD Boost protocol.

The DD Boost protocol improves my workflow with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain by using a native communication protocol, which allows for faster information transfer without protocol translations. Its integration with Dell's other products like Avamar is beneficial, and the openness of DD Boost enables compatibility with other vendors, making it important for customers with large information volumes to store efficiently and perform both backups and restorations with ease.

The impact of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain on my organization has been significant, particularly because its integration with Avamar and Veeam allows for instant recovery where the disk of VMs runs on Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, facilitating an easier restoration or recovery process since I can simply perform a vMotion to recover the VM.

I cannot quantify the exact time saved, but I have two scenarios with customers needing to restore large VMs. The ability to restore these in a few minutes is a remarkable improvement compared to the hours typically required for the whole restore process.

The significance of having fast backup and recovery solutions with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain for my organization revolves around business continuity, focusing on how quickly I can help customers get back on track.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is currently well-developed, and at this moment, I cannot think of any improvements needed.

I have been using Dell PowerProtect Data Domain for approximately eight years, implementing backup solutions and installing it as a repository for backups, including integrations with Veeam.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is stable; however, stability does depend on the customer's infrastructure and network setup. In terms of support, implementation, and maintenance, it is very predictable and easy to maintain in a positive sense.

The scalability of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is impressive, as you can add expansion shelves that significantly increase capacity.

The customer support experience I have had with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is quite good, characterized by fast service and a support team that resolves issues in a short time.

In my ten years of experience, I have not used a different solution. We explored alternatives but remained with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain.

I perceive a return on investment from Dell PowerProtect Data Domain in terms of the valuable time saved for every customer, emphasizing that time is indeed valuable.

Pricing, setup cost, and licensing are not my areas of expertise, as I mainly focus on implementation engineering.

Before choosing Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, we did not evaluate other options, as we consistently opt for Dell PowerProtect Data Domain.

I advise those considering Dell PowerProtect Data Domain to try it out, as there are various products on the market, but Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is easy to use, easy to install, and integrates well with the customer's environment, boasting spectacular backup and restore capabilities. I recommend conducting a proof of concept of the product. I have rated this product a ten.

My role in using or managing Dell PowerProtect Data Domain involves overseeing its implementation and operation. The significance of having fast backup and recovery solutions for my organization when using Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is that when you actually need it, it works efficiently. We have the ability to live restore, so we do not have to wait until the restore is fully finished.

The features of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain that I value the most include the simplicity of deployment, which is one key feature, and the data reduction we achieve on our appliances compared to other solutions.

The impact that Dell PowerProtect Data Domain has had on my organization's security is significant as the appliance comes with built-in security features, allowing us to limit access to the appliance, whereas with other solutions, we have to do that ourselves. With the Cyber Recovery Vault, we get an air-gapped solution.

The impact that Dell PowerProtect Data Domain has had on my organization's data backup efficiency is notable, as the data reduction is a major benefit.

I believe Dell PowerProtect Data Domain can be improved, but I do not have specific examples I would want to see in the next release.

I have been using Dell PowerProtect Data Domain for approximately four to five years.

I rate customer service and technical support at a nine out of ten, as there is always room for improvement, but at this moment, I do not have any major complaints about the support services. They are always able to help us when needed, and the responsiveness of the support team is excellent.

Prior to adopting Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, we were using a build-your-own solution, which was a backup to disk solution where we repurposed a server with disks and used it as a repository for our backup solution.

My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing is that at first, it obviously costs more than a simple setup where you bring your own resources. However, after a while, I see the return on investment regarding maintenance and lifecycle management and operating in a day two scenario, which is where the real savings work.

I also rate Dell PowerProtect Data Domain a nine out of ten. My advice for someone considering trying it is to be open to a new solution, give it a try, and see what it actually does. I would rate this solution a nine overall.

My main use case for Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is as a data backup target.

The features of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain that I like the most are the immutability, speed, and deduplication, which saves us a lot of money on storage costs.

The impact that Dell PowerProtect Data Domain has made on my organization is more efficient backups, a 99.9 percent backup success rate, and no data recovery issues in the last twenty years.

To improve Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, I would suggest making it cheaper.

I would like to see the ability to use more back end data ports as a new feature.

I have been using Dell PowerProtect Data Domain since it first came out.

I would rate customer service technical support an eight out of ten because sometimes there is a language barrier when talking to offshore support.

Prior to adopting Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, I was not using any other solutions to address the issues.

I do not deal with pricing, setup cost, and licensing for Dell PowerProtect Data Domain; I simply inform my manager, and he signs the check.

The other solutions I considered before selecting Dell PowerProtect Data Domain were Rubrik, Veeam, and Cohesity.

It would be beneficial to make support easier to access.

The typical use case for Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is for backup purposes; it is disk-based backup, which provides fast backup capabilities.

Additionally, data can be replicated from site one to site two, specifically backup data from backup device to backup device, not storage to storage.

Furthermore, deduplication and compression are enabled on the backup data, resulting in reduced bandwidth consumption. These are the three main functionalities.

The best feature of Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is its deduplication.

The integration of Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) with leading backup applications within the infrastructure is very good. It works with multiple backup solutions, not only with NetWorker or Avamar; it is also compatible with McAfee and NetBackup.

The security features of this solution, such as encryption and role-based access control, are included, and ransomware protection is also incorporated. The solution comes with security features by default.

Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) can be improved in terms of price. While Dell is providing a proper device, other solutions, such as Symantec, can replicate their data through any NAS storage. Although their deduplication and compression might not be as effective, they can still accomplish the task.

Medium-level and SME-level businesses can easily utilize this feature, but Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is a relatively expensive solution to propose to customers.

I have approximately 10 to 12 years of experience with Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain), which was previously known as Data Domain before PowerProtect.

This is a very stable solution.

The solution is scalable to higher models, both vertically and horizontally.

Technical support rates eight to nine on a scale from one to ten, with one being the worst and ten being the best.

Positive

The initial setup of Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is very easy to install and administrate.

The return on investment from Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is visible for enterprise customers, but not for SMEs. For enterprise customers, its price point is appropriate, but for SMEs, it is not suitable because the cost of the solution is much higher than the actual solution.

The backup solution cost is higher than the actual solution.

The solution is more suitable for large businesses rather than small or medium-sized enterprises.

I have utilized Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) cloud-enabled capabilities to manage backups and recoveries with good results.

The on-site solution is most requested in the local market because it is a backup device, and most organizations prefer to host it in their own data centers.

On a scale of 1-10, this solution rates an 8.

My use case for this solution is for protecting or backing up data to safeguard against hacking or for disaster recovery. I utilize it in more projects on the governmental side, the non-governmental side, and in the banking sector since they usually need to back up their data.

Retention for data, deduplication, and replication between sites are valuable features. The solution syncs immediately.

The model 3330 may need improvement. Then we have another model, 6300. In my opinion, the 6300 model is better. It is suitable for more customers since it is small, cost-effective, and a good start for any customer to know about Data Domain and DBS solutions.

I have been using it for between three or four years.

Dell is more stable than any other device. After Dell, HPE follows, then IBM, and then any other device. Dell is especially more stable in the enterprise product.

I usually don't worry about scalability or upgradability for a device like PowerProtect, VRTX, or any Dell product. 

I can buy any Dell device in Egypt and they offer strong after-sales support. We have a call center, and they call us continuously to ensure satisfaction. I have encountered an issue before with other brands that would not have occurred with Dell.

Neutral

I sold HPE servers to PepsiCo due to their global agreement. I faced issues with HPE's support. Dell resolved similar issues much quicker.

I'm aware of Huawei's scalability, which, in comparison, surpasses Dell's. Huawei's storage device can be upgraded with another 16 devices, while Dell and HVE talk about only three devices that can be scaled up.

The price is also a disadvantage. Price is a disadvantage with the PowerProtect as it needs to be cheaper. The cheaper device costs around $70,000, which is a big sum to pay for a device like this.

Price is a major factor. Replication and data deduplication ensure there is no duplication for backing up data. The technology it uses is the shortest and minimized. The size of the data should be backed up every time. The customer needs to know about data duplication and data replication. This is the tool I recommended to customers. 

Overall, I rate the product eight out of ten.

I use Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) for archiving and storage for the server. It is also used for daily backup purposes.

The solution is valuable for its security purposes and good support. It securely protects data against threats like Trojans. The solution has been awesome over the last ten years, offering stability and reliability, which I recommend for stable storage. 

Additionally, it supports new technologies and offers a fantastic after-sales service, with engineers responding within 24 hours to solve issues, proving crucial for our operations.

If I were a manager for this infrastructure, I would look into load balancing for cost, maintenance after sale, and improving Dell PowerProtect DD. It is important to consider features you need or don’t need.

I have been using the Dell PowerProtect DD solution since 2008.

The solution is very stable. Over the past ten years, it has been an awesome project.

In my plan, I renew the support every three years, and it is scalable. The scalability depends on the IT department's strategy.

The customer service after sale is very important. They respond within 24 hours of case submission, which is crucial for maintaining the solution. Technical support is rated nine out of ten.

Positive

Before Dell PowerProtect DD, I used Veeam Backup, which is easy to manage and offers a reasonable backup solution.

The initial setup is for archiving and daily backups. It is set up on premises with virtual machines.

Occasionally, there are significant monetary savings and time savings.

Pricing is sometimes reasonable depending on the discounts provided by the company.

I advise potential users that Dell PowerProtect DD is a good product, but it has to be aligned with your strategy, capacity, and budget. Rating for the overall solution is nine out of ten. The considerations should be to focus on price and on your strategy for your environment.

The primary use case for Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is for deduplication and archiving, including achieving efficient archiving. We sometimes use Veeam backup with Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) and other times with Dell PowerProtect to extend retention periods of our backup jobs.

The most valuable feature of Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is its deduplication capability. This feature is crucial for our customers as it allows them to have more storage space for backup jobs. 

Additionally, the integration with Dell EMC arrays and storage snapshot backup functionalities are key elements, enabling efficient daily and nightly backups of sensitive ERP or applications.

Improvement is needed in terms of telemetry and high availability as the high availability feature is only present in the higher models of Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain). The entry-level and medium-level models, such as the 6000 and 4400, lack this feature. 

Moreover, integration with cybersecurity measures can be enhanced, particularly with ransomware protection.

I have been working with Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) for about ten years.

Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is stable in terms of software performance. However, problems arise during the software upgrade process from version to version.

Scalability is mainly constrained by hardware limitations. The software has good scalability, however, there is an issue with high availability in entry and medium-level models.

Customer service from Dell is good. We buy the product with a 24-hour onsite response support in Tunisia, and we face no issues with the support quality.

Positive

The initial setup of Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is not easy compared to other solutions like Veeam or Commvault. It is moderately difficult and sometimes complicated due to the large number of products involved in the DPA suite.

An experienced engineer is essential to handle the complicated implementation process of Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain).

The pricing has become higher since July, and the license costs are more expensive compared to the past. It now uses a different licensing model, which is calculated based on the number of virtual machines instead of storage or processors.

I recommend Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) for its integration with Dell EMC solutions and its superior compression and application ratios. This makes it more interesting compared to other products. 

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

We use Data Domain for our backups, including long-term retention. This eliminates the need for two separate solutions for online and cold backups. Data Domain effectively meets both requirements, providing online backup copies and long-term archival storage.

I work in a presales role, having transitioned from a position where I was involved in day-to-day operations for over ten years. As part of a presales team, we focus on commercial aspects and meeting technical availability requirements.

There are a few exceptions to this. We have some clients using Data Domain's virtual appliance, particularly with the enterprise recovery vault solution. This solution provides an isolated third copy of backups, the enterprise recovery vault, designed to protect against ransomware attacks.

It increases uptime and compatibility with our product and other third-party backup solutions. It offers ease of integration with any of our backup systems. The software provides a reliable backup and recovery process, making it easy to integrate into that area. We have encountered very few issues, only about 1% with our data domain storage, which required an engineer to address a hardware problem.

An additional advantage is the compression provided. The front-end and back-end capacity we gain significantly reduces our total ownership cost. In most cases, we achieve a compression ratio of more than 2.5:1. For example, if we purchase 100 terabytes of storage, we can store 250 terabytes of data.

It can be effective if we design the backup solution correctly, focusing on online backups with Data Domain and not heavily on archival data. For instance, I’m working with a customer with nine petabytes of archival data.

I was looking for a virtual edition, and that is now available. Many customers struggle to find a solution for ransomware protection, but we can set up an enterprise recovery vault for that purpose. These features are now part of Dell's overall offering. The solution has matured, and while I don't criticize technology, most of our technical and business requirements are met with the Data Domain storage solution.

We can meet customer requirements easily with Data Domain. Some feedback has been received from our operations team. There’s always room for improvement. For instance, there may be suggestions regarding enhancements to the reporting dashboard

I have been using Dell PowerProtect DD as a partner for over 15 years.

It offers 99.99% availability. If the sizing is done correctly, we can meet the scalability requirement. Scalability with Data Domain is straightforward. If enough disk capacity is planned with additional space for future expansion, scaling up is feasible. If the existing disk space is already full, we would need to purchase an additional unit, either a smaller one or one of similar capacity, to accommodate new data.

The majority of the bugs are fixed. The team who's working as a technical engineer to support us during the incident, are also supporting us in the right order to get that rectification or the solution.

Positive

Data Domain and NetApp are key competitors when we consider backup solutions or storage. HPE offers similar storage products, but the choice depends on the requirements. If it’s a full data center exit solution involving storage, backup, and computing, a single-vendor solution like Dell’s Data Domain or PowerProtect is a good fit.

When we consider a mix-and-match approach, we evaluate NetApp's offerings, focusing on features, overall reliability, and cost-effectiveness. In most cases, both products can meet business and technical needs. Bugs or issues with new firmware are always a factor in our decision. NetApp and Data Domain are mature enough to be reliable options.

It is simple. This is all a menu-driven GUI combination.

It varies from region to region. For example, in the Middle East, there is no strong preference for an OpEx model; most cases push us toward a CapEx model. This approach can differ from country to country.

While there are challenges, such as delays in receiving the bill of quantities and quotes, the overall value proposition with Dell remains strong. The response times in the Middle East can sometimes be slower, which we must navigate.

It’s often a preferred solution when comparing costs. Features like deduplication, compression, and ransomware protection are standard across vendors. The decision comes down to cost. If two vendors offer similar pricing and there’s no need for a mix-and-match approach, we prefer a single vendor like Dell.

It all depends on negotiation when we're bundling components. If we opt for a single-vendor solution, our relationship with that vendor often leads to more competitive pricing. HCI allows us to avoid the complexities of setting up separate backup servers, as everything comes integrated into one box, including storage and all necessary roles. We prefer HCI backup solutions if the footprint doesn't increase drastically. If we can control the infrastructure, it's more efficient without managing multiple VMs or physical machines. While Data Domain is a good product, it doesn't fit every case, as customer requirements vary. Cohesity, on the other hand, offers a software solution with comprehensive features to meet technical needs. Dell doesn't always offer the most cost-effective solution; sometimes, we find better pricing elsewhere. OEMs often struggle to add new logos, so they may provide higher margins, which we can pass on to the customer.

It's a good product, no doubt about that. Other similar products also perform well. It largely depends on the profile I'm working with; we prioritize cost in our validations. For example, getting the first vendor to match five can be challenging if one vendor quotes ten and another quotes five. On the other hand, it's often easier to negotiate down the vendor, quoting five to three or even two.

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

Currently, we are using only NetWorker, and that too only for a file system backup. We have also started taking backup of the Oracle data. The Oracle database plugin has been installed, the license has been bought, and we are protecting a hot backup of the Oracle database.

It's deduplication and faster recovery that are the key features. We had a challenge with the backup window because earlier, we were using traditional backup methodology, which used to take an enormous amount of time. By using Data Domain, we get the advantage of data deduplication, reducing data size. The backup window is also reduced, and recovery is definitely faster.

The Data Domain solution appliance is quite expensive. It is on the higher side, but technically or functionally, there is no issue.

We have been using Dell Data Domain for the last five years.

There have been absolutely no stability issues so far.

By keeping the increasing data in mind, we decided to go for Data Domain. It was a practical solution to the challenges we faced earlier.

Technical support was absolutely supportive. Whenever we faced any issues, we logged a call with Dell and immediately received a response, which was fantastic.

Positive

We were earlier using the traditional backup methodology, which used to take a lot of time to back up the data.

Once we received proper training from the respective vendor, and since we were using NetWorker earlier, we didn't find any difficulties. We are currently using it efficiently and are happy with the experience.

Commercially, the Data Domain solution appliance is on the higher side, however, technically and functionally, there is no issue. It is quite expensive.

Just keep going with the solution as it performs. It meets our expectations well. 

Overall, I rate it nine out of ten.

Customers primarily use the solution for data backup. Dell PowerProtect DD is a state-of-the-art backup device. Although we can use it as a storage device with VMware Association or NFS server, most users use it as a backup solution.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain provides data duplication. For backup technology, we take the same backup every day. The only difference should be the differential thing, whatever is added on the same day. If we take a full backup, the difference is only for one day.

The solution provides the best deduplication and compression ratio with respect to backups. Two to three organizations I worked in use Data Domain due to this great feature of deduplication and compression.

The solution allows us to take a huge number of backups, and the footprint is quite small. The speed and throughput we get are very good. We can take a backup of 16 terabytes in 20 minutes, depending on our connectivity. Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is the best product in the market right now.

Sometimes, we face support issues. We have to change the solution's password regularly. If we lose the admin password, Dell always asks for separate charges. This should also be included in the support contract.

The solution should include integrations with third-party solutions. We can introduce raw volumes to the VMware virtualized environment or assign some volumes to physical servers. If it is not available, it should be there.

I have been using Dell PowerProtect DD for two years.

It's a very easy and normal process. We don't need to do the backup off-site. We're just using it as a big dump of data. For scalability, we need to add new expansion to add new devices. We recently did it. Currently, we back up 1,600 terabytes daily. In my last organization, we had around 16 terabytes plus daily backups.

We sometimes encountered response issues with the technical support team. Overall, they have the technical abilities to resolve our issues. We rarely use the solution's technical support because of its strong design and product.

Positive

The solution improved our customers' operational efficiency. We are taking a copy of HDFS backup using some scripts. It is raw data. We already have two to three copies in our Cloudera environment and one copy in Dell PowerProtect Data Domain. I would recommend Dell PowerProtect Data Domain to other users because it's the best product for taking backups.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.