Dell NetWorker vs OpenText Data Protector comparison

Dell Technologies and OpenText are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. Dell Technologies is ranked #9 with an average rating of 7.8, while OpenText is ranked #22 with an average rating of 9.0. Dell Technologies holds a 1.5% mindshare in BRS, compared to OpenText’s 1.0% mindshare. Additionally, 90% of Dell Technologies users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 80% of OpenText users who would recommend it.

Dell NetWorker

Read 86 Dell NetWorker reviews

4,808 Views
4,423 Comparison Views

90% willing to recommend

OpenText Data Protector

Read 102 OpenText Data Protector reviews

3,326 Views
3,060 Comparison Views

80% willing to recommend

Dell NetWorker

OpenText Data Protector

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Download the report

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

OpenText Data Protector and Dell NetWorker compete in the data protection solutions category. Dell NetWorker seems to have the upper hand due to its advanced features and faster ROI.

Features: OpenText Data Protector features seamless integration, automation capabilities, and strong reporting options. Dell NetWorker offers advanced backup options, strong scalability, and a comprehensive feature set.

Room for Improvement: OpenText Data Protector needs enhancements in reporting, support for newer platforms, and better customer support. Dell NetWorker requires improvements in the configuration process, a more intuitive management system, and better documentation.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: OpenText Data Protector is straightforward to deploy, though customer service can be slow. Dell NetWorker has a steeper learning curve for deployment, but customer service is responsive and helpful.

Pricing and ROI: OpenText Data Protector offers a competitive initial setup cost but has slower ROI. Dell NetWorker is pricier but delivers faster ROI due to comprehensive features.

To learn more, read our detailed Dell NetWorker vs. OpenText Data Protector Report (Updated: March 2026).

Buyer's Guide

Dell NetWorker vs. OpenText Data Protector

March 2026

Download the complete report

Helped 884,371 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Dell NetWorker

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

9th

Average Rating

7.8

Reviews Sentiment

6.6

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

OpenText Data Protector

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

22nd

Average Rating

7.6

Reviews Sentiment

5.8

Number of Reviews

102

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of March 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Dell NetWorker is 1.5%, down from 3.1% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenText Data Protector is 1.0%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery Mindshare Distribution
Product	Mindshare (%)
Dell NetWorker	1.5%
OpenText Data Protector	1.0%
Other	97.5%

Backup and Recovery

Featured Reviews

RaedHassan

Senior Specialist Backup/Storage at National Bank of Kuwait

Has supported flexible multi-platform backups and improved over time

Regarding the effectiveness of Dell NetWorker in terms of role-based access controls, I have experience with it, but I find it somewhat lacking in flexibility as it offers limited features, and I would rate it around seven out of ten. It is not that there is something wrong with the role-based access controls in Dell NetWorker, but it lacks many permissions or roles to assign, providing options only for administrator or user. To improve Dell NetWorker for the next release, I recommend enhancing flexibility in the policy, allowing selection of multiple options within the same policy, and addressing issues like the DNS lookup dependency to make it more controllable from Dell NetWorker itself rather than relying on other applications. Looking forward, I would like to see improved policy features and a more enhanced GUI, as it is still slow.

Read full review

Ahmad-Hassan

Project Manager And Technical Consultant at EEMC

Provides effective backup for physical servers and needs improvements for cloud compatibility

We use OpenText Data Protector for Oracle database backup and some applications that run for database security OpenText Data Protector is good for physical backup, specifically for physical servers. It is effective for direct backups to EMC library or storage without using a repository. However,…

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"If it's set up the right way, it's a stable product."

"The backup software has been much faster since we've deployed the solution."

"Deduplication is the most valuable feature of this solution."

"It is the best umbrella, serving the best applications."

"The solution is stable."

"Technical support is good."

"The GUI is the best feature. It's very good and easy to use."

"Dell EMC NetWorker integrates well with our domain and the performance is quite good on-premise. We receive approximately 1 terabyte within one hour."

More Dell NetWorker pros

"Data Protector is very good at automation. From the time of the backup, verification, and copy to tape, it is very good. I don't need to touch it, it will do it by itself."

"The most valuable features of this solution were the features we worked most with which were telemetry, and the scheduler."

"The most valuable feature of Data Protector is its integration with VMware. A lot of software these days integrates with VMware, and you can run some of these things on virtual machines. You can even have your backup manager running on a virtual machine and use physical managers to move data around. Their VMware integration isn't too bad, but Commvault has that feature, and many other backup products do."

"The file system backup (by far, the most used) is the most valuable feature."

"It's a good product that's pretty easy to use."

"It's supports Unix, Linux, all of the OS's. It's very stable software."

"The initial setup was relatively easy."

"The normal file system backup is easy to manage, and our success rate is quite high."

More OpenText Data Protector pros

Cons

"There are too many reboots and the software requires constant updating."

"There are some limitations regarding scalability of the product."

"There should be more vendors incorporated into the solution."

"The solution could be graphically better."

"NetWorker's major problem is its legacy software."

"Support is definitely an area of concern because of the time it takes to resolve our issues."

"The licensing rules are difficult to navigate and understand."

"Could have a better recovery system."

More Dell NetWorker cons

"We face challenges with its stability."

"If you compare the solution with the same specific features and enhancements on another solution, Data Protector is expensive. This is especially true when compared to, for example, Veeam."

"The scheduler setup could be better. We are facing some issues scheduling the job based on our requirements."

"The downside of the flexibility on offer is if you over-configure it, it may fail to function as some configurations may not match."

"Many of our users complain about the GUI. You still need to rely on the command line interface. Because it originated as a Unix system, Data Protector is still a command line-driven solution, which makes it seem rather dated compared to systems that are built around a GUI from day one. It doesn't affect the functionality, but some people don't find it user-friendly."

"Other tools seem to be easier to use."

"The challenge is that we can't restore a single file from the VM in the data process when we do VM backups. But with Commvault, you can restore a single file even if you have a VM snapshot package. That's one drawback of this tool. When we do VM backups, it should help us browse the VMs to restore a single file instead of doing the complete VM restore."

"Micro Focus are improving Data Protector with every new version and since we began undergoing training with the latest version we have not faced any real challenges yet. However, their support does need to be improved, in my opinion. In certain critical cases that we've had, they did not provide a satisfactory level of support."

More OpenText Data Protector cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"We use a license without a time term. We just need to buy additional support when needed."

"It is a relatively inexpensive product compared to one of its competitors."

"The pricing of this solution is very good."

"Dell NetWorker is an expensive solution. None of the backup products are cheap. The licensing model offered is usually a five-year one."

"We do need to purchase a license, but sometimes, it comes as a part of the Dell Data Protection Suite (DPS). It has a capacity-based licensing."

"The price of the license could be cheaper and it would be a benefit if they came up with a new pricing model. The competitors here in Oman sell universal licensing where a number of virtual machines are hosted at the customer place which can be licensed, or you can license the CPU sockets in those servers. However, NetWorker offers only CPU sockets or overall storage capacity to backup, but there is no universal licensing where you can provide a number of VMs. They should offer more options to stay competitive with other solutions, such as Veeam."

"The price of the solution could be lower, it is expensive."

"I have a capacity-based license, but I don't know the exact cost of that license."

More Dell NetWorker pricing and cost advice

"The licensing cost was not annual. We didn't pay any license. We paid when we deployed and we didn't pay for anything after that. There were no additional fees after the initial payment."

"Avoid using many LTO drives; when using fewer drives, the price will be extremely good."

"There is a perpetual license involved in addition to support which needs to be renewed annually."

"The pricing is acceptable for enterprise level companies, but it's not acceptable for small- and medium-sized businesses. Micro Focus Data Protector is not an enterprise level solution, and it should cover small- and medium-sized businesses with acceptable prices."

"The pricing is neither too expensive nor very cheap."

"The license for the solution is very expensive compared to the other products in the market."

"They have two types of licensing, one is for storage capacity and the other is client licensing. The capacity licensing here is a bit expensive."

"Our licensing is on a capacity basis."

More OpenText Data Protector pricing and cost advice

See which vendors are best for you

Use our free recommendation engine to learn which Backup and Recovery solutions are best for your needs.

See recommendations

884,371 professionals have used our research since 2012.

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Financial Services Firm

15%

Comms Service Provider

12%

Government

Manufacturing Company

Marketing Services Firm

13%

Performing Arts

Manufacturing Company

Comms Service Provider

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	24
Midsize Enterprise	33
Large Enterprise	38

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	28
Midsize Enterprise	22
Large Enterprise	61

Questions from the Community

What's the difference between Dell EMC Avamar and Dell EMC NetWorker?

From the very beginning, Dell EMC NetWorker considers users and those who might potentially become users. In terms of both pricing and setup, this product offers an experience that is significantly...

See all answers

What do you like most about Dell NetWorker?

The feature that offers the greatest benefits in ensuring data integrity is its backup capability.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell NetWorker?

Regarding the pricing of Dell NetWorker, it depends on the deal or negotiation we have with the vendor, making it reasonable, although I cannot make a definitive decision without knowing the specif...

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Micro Focus Data Protector?

The solution is expensive as it requires purchasing all features without the option to negotiate based on client numbers, unlike Veeam which offers flexibility in pricing.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Micro Focus Data Protector?

OpenText Data Protector is not user-friendly, especially for cloud backup. It lacks functions and facilities compared to Veeam, which offers more user-friendliness for virtual machine backups. Ther...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for Micro Focus Data Protector?

We use OpenText Data Protector ( /products/opentext-data-protector-reviews ) for Oracle database backup and some applications that run for database security.

See all answers

Comparisons

Dell PowerProtect Data Manager vs Dell NetWorker

Compared 20% of the time

Veeam Data Platform vs Dell NetWorker

Compared 11% of the time

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain vs Dell NetWorker

Compared 7% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs Dell NetWorker

Compared 7% of the time

Rubrik vs Dell NetWorker

Compared 4% of the time

More Dell NetWorker Competitors

Veeam Data Platform vs OpenText Data Protector

Compared 10% of the time

Commvault Cloud vs OpenText Data Protector

Compared 4% of the time

Symantec Data Loss Prevention vs OpenText Data Protector

Compared 4% of the time

Veritas NetBackup vs OpenText Data Protector

Compared 3% of the time

Dell Data Protection Advisor vs OpenText Data Protector

Compared 3% of the time

More OpenText Data Protector Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Dell NetWorker

March 2026

Download Dell NetWorker product report

Buyer's Guide

OpenText Data Protector

February 2026

Download OpenText Data Protector product report

Also Known As

NetWorker

Micro Focus Data Protector, Data Protector, OmniBack, HPE Data Protector

Overview

Built on a reputation of efficiency and reliability, thousands of customers trust Dell NetWorker to protect their data and applications across multiple environments, from core to edge to cloud.

Inherently flexible, NetWorker helps you deploy and leverage the data protection that fits your needs. NetWorker protects both physical and virtual environments, including VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V, as well as cloud workloads on AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud.

NetWorker is available as part of Dell Data Protection Suite, which offers comprehensive data protection software applications and tools. NetWorker is delivered as software and as a virtual edition.

Dell Technologies

OpenText Data Protector standardizes and consolidates backups across multiple platforms. It provides secure, comprehensive backup protection for business-critical data and applications whether virtual, physical, or online in the cloud.

OpenText

Sample Customers

Republic Bank, Westgate Resorts, Macquire Cloud Services, Shriners, Panatonni, Qatar Islamic Bank, Eurosport

GSK Vaccines, Repsol, Vodafone Group, Siemens AG, Medium Enterprise Transportation Services Company

Buyer's Guide

Dell NetWorker vs. OpenText Data Protector

March 2026

Free Report: Dell NetWorker vs. OpenText Data Protector

Find out what your peers are saying about Dell NetWorker vs. OpenText Data Protector and other solutions. Updated: March 2026.

DOWNLOAD NOW

884,371 professionals have used our research since 2012.

See our Dell NetWorker vs. OpenText Data Protector report.

See our list of best Backup and Recovery vendors.

We monitor all Backup and Recovery reviews to prevent fraudulent reviews and keep review quality high. We do not post reviews by company employees or direct competitors. We validate each review for authenticity via cross-reference with LinkedIn, and personal follow-up with the reviewer when necessary.