NetApp SnapCenter vs Synology DSM comparison

NetApp and Synology are both solutions in the Backup and Recovery category. NetApp is ranked #36 with an average rating of 8.0, while Synology is ranked #20 with an average rating of 9.0. NetApp holds a 0.6% mindshare in BRS, compared to Synology’s 1.7% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of NetApp users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of Synology users who would recommend it.

NetApp SnapCenter

Read 26 NetApp SnapCenter reviews

1,421 Views
916 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Synology DSM

Read 10 Synology DSM reviews

1,432 Views
1,218 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

NetApp SnapCenter

Synology DSM

Comparison Buyer's Guide

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

NetApp SnapCenter and Synology DSM compete in the data management category. Despite NetApp SnapCenter’s strength in support and initial setup, Synology DSM has the upper hand due to its comprehensive features and overall user satisfaction.

Features: NetApp SnapCenter offers centralized management, robust backup capabilities, and high support ratings. Synology DSM provides an extensive app ecosystem, user-friendly design, and a broader feature set.

Room for Improvement: NetApp SnapCenter needs greater scalability, reduced setup complexity, and better integration with third-party services. Synology DSM requires improved third-party service integration, enhanced mobile access, and more advanced scalability.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: NetApp SnapCenter has detailed and complex setup processes but is backed by highly rated customer support. Synology DSM is known for its straightforward installation process and responsive customer service.

Pricing and ROI: NetApp SnapCenter is considered a valuable investment with substantial ROI, although it can be pricey. Synology DSM offers competitive pricing with quicker ROI due to lower upfront costs.

To learn more, read our detailed NetApp SnapCenter vs. Synology DSM Report (Updated: December 2024).

Buyer's Guide

NetApp SnapCenter vs. Synology DSM

December 2024

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Categories and Ranking

NetApp SnapCenter

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

36th

Average Rating

8.0

Reviews Sentiment

7.4

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Synology DSM

Ranking in Backup and Recovery

20th

Average Rating

9.0

Reviews Sentiment

8.0

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Mindshare comparison

As of December 2024, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of NetApp SnapCenter is 0.6%, up from 0.6% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Synology DSM is 1.7%, up from 0.2% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Backup and Recovery

Featured Reviews

MervynMorgan

IT Storage Engineer at Unixque Solutions Pty Ltd

Enables us to save data for data projection but could improve its integration with other backup solutions

NetApp SnapCenter is highly efficient because it allows you to automate the creation of snapshots. Instead of manually creating snapshots using IMS or HMS, you can schedule and automate them, specifying the timing and frequency. This eliminates the need for daily manual intervention and streamlines the process. SnapCenter also enables you to assign specific user roles to manage these tasks, enhancing efficiency. SnapCenter ensures that your LPOs and RTOs are extremely quick. Although it may seem expensive initially, after using it for a while, you'll appreciate the efficiencies and gains it provides. I recommend the solution. Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

Read full review

Michael Adejoh

Solutions Manager at Excel Connect Ventures

Reliable and cost-effective

One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication. Currently, it lacks the capability to automatically stop backups if it detects a virus or suspicious network activity, as some third-party solutions can. Having AI-driven analytics to identify anomalies and halt backups during potential attacks, along with notifications to administrators, would be valuable. Additionally, providing a dashboard for monitoring the backup environment's security would be a beneficial feature. These improvements would help address security concerns and make Synology more competitive in this aspect.

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

"It helps with strategic planning because it is easy to make a strategy when you have visualized the inflow and outflow of the backup and recovery."

"You can quickly deploy new virtual environments. It provides efficient and easy-to-use data protection. If a file goes missing or corruption occurs, you can restore it swiftly using the snap restore feature, allowing you to return to work almost immediately."

"The initial setup was straightforward."

"The backup features are the most valuable because they allow the DBAs to replace SnapManager for Oracle (SMO), which is going away, and to do cloning as well. We can also clone to different servers and have the actual backup clone mounted on different servers. And we can split easily too."

"It allows us to easily take a Snapshot and use it with any backup tools. We can also take Snapshots on the application side. We can also take Snapshots on the application side. If we want to restore an SAP or an Oracle machine, a normal Snapshot won't do it, but we can do so with SnapCenter."

"Technical support has been very helpful when we have issues."

"The centralized GUI is the best feature, that there is only one webpage where we can see the states of all the backup jobs. We can see all the tasks that are running and we can quickly see if one fails; if they are running or have any issues. We have all that in one place."

"The product’s most valuable feature is cloning."

More NetApp SnapCenter pros

"The most valuable feature of the solution is that it serves as a backup for our company's virtual machine."

"The product performs well. It is easy to use and implement."

"Synology DSM is very easy to work and operate."

"The most valuable aspect is its ability to handle multiple disks."

"The most valuable features are the basic storage, file management, Btrfs file system, and built-in backups that come with the solution."

"The solution's most valuable feature stems from its ease of use, making it the tool's most interesting part."

"The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity."

"It offers a variety of software options through its package center, allowing users to customize their NAS device to serve multiple purposes."

More Synology DSM pros

Cons

"I have an issue with SnapCenter because sometimes a VM cannot be backed up... The way SnapCenter works is that it makes a backup of all the VMs and then it removes all the old backups. If one VM cannot be backed up for some reason, it has already created a new backup for all the VMs but it cannot remove the old backups. It ends up creating so many backups in VMware and it will cause a performance problem if the condition is not fixed."

"The DBAs are comparing it to SMO but it doesn't have a lot of the functionalities that SMO has."

"There is one area that needs improvement and that's in the alerting. When you set up your SMTP alerts, it only has - and I don't understand why - the ability to send an anonymous SMTP. It doesn't do basic authentication, which frustrated me for a while until I figured out that I'm not missing something. It's just not there."

"We would like to see more granular repording and reporting in bigger sets available in SnapCenter."

"The GUI is still so-so. I' don't use the GUI that often anymore because it's really slow, refreshing disks, refreshing hosts, and you have to click a lot."

"Some of the minor functionalities from SnapManager did not transfer over to SnapCenter. These should be added in future releases."

"We have hundreds of servers and systems and hundreds of customers and they're separated in a multi-tenancy way in NetApp SVM. Right now, the problem is that it always scan all SVMs. If I backup Customer A, it scans all SVMs, or tries to scan all SVMs, if there is a backup relationship on the storage. But it doesn't have the permissions, so we run into timeouts or the backup just takes too long. They're fixing that in the upcoming release..."

"The compatibility with other manufacturers, like Oracle and Hyper-V, could be improved. I would like to see it be more compatible with other software."

More NetApp SnapCenter cons

"One area where Synology DSM could improve is in enhancing its ability to detect and respond to security threats during backups and replication."

"Synology DSM is a good enough solution for small and medium companies, but I have not seen a big configuration of the solution for a big organization."

"The product's only shortcoming is pricing, as it is an expensive solution."

"The platform could be much more cost-effective and flexible for integrating third-party products."

"The only bothersome aspect is that the device is aging."

"Even though Synology provides a backup solution, it does not recognize the VM movement across cluster hosts."

"Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly."

"There's a surveillance application that allows you to connect IP cameras and stream footage to Synology and it is a great feature, but it's not always clear that adding more cameras may require purchasing additional licenses."

More Synology DSM cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"The license for SnapCenter was included with the storage array."

"We have a site license, so it comes with the product."

"The licensing is well-designed because it's already included in some packages with NetApp storage. Therefore, for most customers, it's okay as the SnapCenter license is already included in some NetApp bundles."

"It's free. The license is included with other NetApp products."

"The product is inexpensive."

"We see a financial value with SnapCenter because we don't have to license Commvault, which is pretty expensive."

"It comes free with the amount of equipment we purchase from NetApp. In terms of pricing, zero is my favorite number."

"Pricing is very good because if you already have NepApp controllers, then it's included."

"Synology DSM is a free tool."

"The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive."

"The pricing varies widely, catering to a broad range of needs."

"It is quite an affordable solution."

"The price of the solution is very good."

"The licensing part of the solution is free. The hardware is more expensive than the other solutions in the market, but it's okay in the long run."

"Synology DSM is a cheap solution."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Manufacturing Company

22%

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

Financial Services Firm

Computer Software Company

13%

Government

10%

Retailer

Educational Organization

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about NetApp SnapCenter?

Most banks and financial institutions use the solution.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for NetApp SnapCenter?

If you have a license, you don't need to buy anything extra. If you have multiple storage systems and want to manage them with a central tool, you are covered.

See all answers

What needs improvement with NetApp SnapCenter?

There is always a chance for improvement. One thing that might be improved is the ease of management. It might be made a little less complicated.

See all answers

What do you like most about Synology DSM?

The most valuable features of Synology DSM are its security and connectivity.

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Synology DSM?

The solution’s pricing is neither cheap nor expensive.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Synology DSM?

Users may lose their data if they don't configure the solution properly.

See all answers

Comparisons

Commvault Cloud vs NetApp SnapCenter

Compared 23% of the time

Veeam Data Platform vs NetApp SnapCenter

Compared 22% of the time

Cohesity DataProtect vs NetApp SnapCenter

Compared 16% of the time

Delphix vs NetApp SnapCenter

Compared 10% of the time

Veritas NetBackup vs NetApp SnapCenter

Compared 8% of the time

More NetApp SnapCenter Competitors

Veeam Data Platform vs Synology DSM

Compared 24% of the time

UrBackup vs Synology DSM

Compared 9% of the time

ExaGrid Tiered Backup Storage vs Synology DSM

Compared 8% of the time

SyncBack Pro vs Synology DSM

Compared 5% of the time

Acronis Cyber Protect vs Synology DSM

Compared 5% of the time

More Synology DSM Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

NetApp SnapCenter

December 2024

Download NetApp SnapCenter product report

Buyer's Guide

Synology DSM

November 2024

Download Synology DSM product report

Also Known As

SnapCenter

Synology DiskStation Manager (DSM)

Learn More

NetApp

Video not available

Synology

Overview

Unified, scalable platform for application-consistent data protection and clone management. This software simplifies backup, restore, and clone lifecycle management with application-integrated workflows.

Synology DSM (DiskStation Manager) is a comprehensive software platform designed for Synology NAS (Network Attached Storage) devices. It serves as the operating system for these devices, providing a wide range of features and functionalities.

The primary use case of Synology DSM is to centralize and manage data storage for organizations. It allows businesses to store, access, and share files securely across multiple devices and platforms. With its intuitive user interface, DSM simplifies the management of data, making it easy to create shared folders, set access permissions, and monitor storage usage.

One of the most valuable functionalities of Synology DSM is its robust data protection capabilities. It offers various RAID configurations, including SHR (Synology Hybrid RAID), which ensures data redundancy and safeguards against drive failures. DSM also supports advanced backup and disaster recovery solutions, such as Snapshot Replication and Hyper Backup, enabling organizations to protect their critical data effectively.

Furthermore, Synology DSM provides a wide range of productivity and collaboration tools. It offers applications like Synology Drive, which allows seamless file synchronization across devices, and Synology Office, a web-based suite for document editing and collaboration. DSM also supports various third-party applications, including popular cloud services like Dropbox and Google Drive, enabling organizations to integrate their existing workflows seamlessly.

Sample Customers

All for One Steeb AG, Accenture

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

NetApp SnapCenter vs. Synology DSM

December 2024

Free Report: NetApp SnapCenter vs. Synology DSM

Find out what your peers are saying about NetApp SnapCenter vs. Synology DSM and other solutions. Updated: December 2024.

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