What is our primary use case?
Most replication products focus solely on replicating block data from production to your disaster recovery (DR) site. RecoverPoint's advantage is snapshots. You can recover data from up to ten minutes or ten hours ago on your DR side.
For example, if your production site data is corrupted, the replicated data on the DR side is also unusable. You need a good backup of the production environment. RecoverPoint's snapshots allow you to restore or view the image on either the DR or production side if data is compromised.
I've used both Dell RecoverPoint and Dell RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines.
During the first phase, I used the RecoverPoint appliance, a physical hardware appliance by Dell EMC. Later, I used RecoverPoint for Virtual Machines in a smaller capacity. I recommend it to clients as well.
What is most valuable?
The image backup feature is great. For example, if you set the journal to take a backup every ten minutes, it will create a snapshot or pointer every ten minutes for as long as you need.
It's very user-friendly. RecoverPoint has an excellent graphical user interface (GUI). I even prefer it over Veeam in terms of ease of use.
What needs improvement?
Everything is delivered at the appliance level. I recommend using dedicated hardware appliances. Once the development relies on physical hardware, the performance and operating system are very good. However, they are moving the appliance functionality into the virtual machine realm. If the cluster is down on the virtual machine side, you cannot restore your data or run your DR site until the cluster is back up. So, I recommend using physical appliances.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's a very stable product. I've installed it in two zones, and I've been using RecoverPoint appliances since 2007.
For almost twenty years. Earlier versions did have some bugs – not many, but there were configuration or validation issues. However, it's a very stable product now.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
A small IT team dedicated to data management and infra team uses it since they own the device.
How are customer service and support?
I've worked closely with Dell since 2007. Back then, we could create a "Severity 1" case. I think they've discontinued that option. Now, you can create a "Severity 2" case. For Severity 1 issues, you can call the helpline.
I've often recommended to Dell EMC Pakistan that there should be a portal option to create Severity 1 cases. Their engineers are good, but since COVID, many experienced engineers have left the company. This is a problem for every vendor, not just Dell EMC – they face challenges finding experienced technical engineers.
So, while I recommend Dell EMC, sometimes they don't have the technical staff for very quick responses. In those cases, you might need to engage your account manager to find the best engineer on a Severity 1 issue.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
Any replication product – Zerto, Veeam, or RecoverPoint – encrypts data by default. The appliance compresses and encapsulates data before replicating it. This reduces network bandwidth usage. When data travels across the network, it's encrypted, and upon reaching the disaster recovery (DR) site, the appliance decrypts it.
How was the initial setup?
The deployment is based on specific principles. If you are very technical, you'll need to be trained by Dell EMC because they have to mark specific flags on both the storage side and the replication side. It's not easy for an end-user; they need Dell EMC or a similarly trained professional to configure it. That's why it's not easy.
Basic tasks like creating a new LUN or replicating are straightforward. But the initial setup, where you receive the appliance, unbox it, rack it, and configure it, is difficult for a new user. However, I can do it since I've been trained.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
While I recommend Dell EMC, it depends on your specific use case. Licensing is perpetual, meaning you buy it once. For example, you have 100 terabytes (TB) of data but only need to replicate 10 TB of critical transactional data. You purchase a license to replicate only that 10 TB. I wouldn't recommend replicating the full 100 TB – focus on the most critical data. Consider what your replication requirements are in terms of TBs, GBs, or MBs.
What other advice do I have?
First, consider the criticality of your data. If you're a bank where you can't afford to lose any transactions, RecoverPoint is a great option. If you have a good budget, it's worth considering.
Another excellent product is Zerto, which offers similar functionality. If you have a smaller budget, then Veeam replication is also an option. So, there are three options I've used, and the best choice depends on your company's specific needs.
Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. The main reason I recommend it is the ability to restore data from previous points in time. Also, RecoverPoint is designed to integrate seamlessly with Dell EMC storage. If you don't have Dell EMC storage, you can't use it with other brands like IBM or HP. If you do have Dell EMC, it works well. Another good EMC product is SRDF (Symmetrix Remote Data Facility); I haven't worked with it directly, but it's worth considering.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
*Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
