NetWorker is for backing up large files and data banks.
Storback at storback
It's fast and reliable, but it needs some upgrades to stay competitive
Pros and Cons
- "NetWorker is fast and reliable."
- "The price could be cheaper."
What is our primary use case?
What is most valuable?
NetWorker is fast and reliable.
What needs improvement?
The price could be cheaper.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using NetWorker for a long time. I've been a Dell reseller in Brazil for 10 years.
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Dell NetWorker
November 2024
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What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
NetWorker is scalable.
How are customer service and support?
Dell EMC support is good.
How was the initial setup?
Installing NetWorker is somewhat complicated. You need people with some technical expertise to do it. It takes one or two Dell-certified engineers to deploy and maintain it.
What other advice do I have?
I rate NetWorker seven out of 10. Dell EMC needs to update NetWorker to stay competitive in the niche market for backup structures.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
General Manager at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
A stable and scalable backup and recovery solution
Pros and Cons
- "This solution is very stable."
- "The data storage capabilities should be improved."
What is our primary use case?
Our retirement system in Chile is private. In short, in our social security system, when you put funds in every month, you'll have some money for your retirement. One of our client companies uses this solution for backups. There are a lot of terabytes that need to be backed-up.
They have been using this solution for eight years. They are upgrading their hardware every day. Their hardware solution is EMC Data Domain and they use Dell EMC NetWorker in order to store the data. It works fine.
Another one of our clients is a telephone company. They need to keep call data for long periods of time. Our other client is an astronomical observatory — the largest observatory in the world. They use Dell EMC NetWorker to keep track of their astronomical images, etc.
We plan to extend our use of this solution. It's our life — we sell and deploy depending on our clients' needs.
What needs improvement?
They need to take off the tape and allow us to use different repositories in order to keep the data for five to 10 years. The data storage capabilities should be improved.
The next release will include better integration with Data Domain, which is a really good product.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
This solution is very stable.
How are customer service and technical support?
The technical support is okay, but it could be better.
How was the initial setup?
You need to have some knowledge, but overall, the initial setup is not that complex.
Deployment depends on how many machines you want to back up — but that's not really a big issue. I think it's fast but it depends on if you have virtual machines, and on the size of the machines that you need to backup. The first thing you have to do is design. If you design everything properly, the setup is easy. Once this stage is complete, it's not a problem.
What about the implementation team?
We have some integrators and consultants that help us with deployment.
Just one person is required for deployment, but you need some client representatives, some telecommunication guys, some storage guys, and some virtual machine guys. In reality, only one or two people are necessary — one technician and one project manager.
One technician and one project manager are enough, even for a big project. As long as you plan and you control the different phases of a project, there won't be a problem.
What other advice do I have?
On a scale from one to ten, I would give this solution a rating of nine.
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.
Buyer's Guide
Dell NetWorker
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about Dell NetWorker. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,660 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Backup and Storage Administrator at a media company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Strong stability and technical support offers good solutions for any problems
Pros and Cons
- "NetWorker has very good scalability."
- "The deduplication needs improvement and it could use better integration."
What is our primary use case?
We used the on-prem version of this solution. Our primary use case of this solution is for backup and recovery software.
What needs improvement?
The deduplication needs improvement and it could use better integration.
For how long have I used the solution?
I've been using EMC NetWorked for fifteen years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
It's very stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
NetWorker has very good scalability.
How are customer service and technical support?
They have good technical support. They had good solutions for any problems I had.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
We are in the process of switching to Commvault. It was a business decision, not a technical problem with NetWorker.
What other advice do I have?
This solution might be a bit complex for an end-user but it's a great solution for a technical person.
I think it's a very good solution.
I would rate it an eight out of ten. No solution can be a ten.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
Presales Technical Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Stable with a long life span and okay scalability
Pros and Cons
- "The solution has a longer lifespan."
- "The initial setup is complex."
What is our primary use case?
We primarily use the solution for backup systems at the company. Ther is also a secondary use case whereby if our customers have this software, we can supplement it.
What is most valuable?
The solution has a longer lifespan. The customer doesn't have to change their solution and upgrade every four years. It's much better for the customer to have a stable piece of software that has a lifespan of maybe ten years or more.
What needs improvement?
The scaling can be difficult when updates are involved.
Sometimes the systems come in faster than a producer of the software can react to the new features.
The solution should have better access to Linux or virtual systems of files based on Linux. It doesn't matter if it is a hard installation or only a virtual installation. Sometimes the client doesn't need a backup of the whole system and only needs a handful of files.
The initial setup is complex.
Technical support should be more accessible.
For how long have I used the solution?
While the company may have been using the solution for ten or more years, I'm new to the organization. I don't have as much experience with it.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution offers excellent long-term stability. The product doesn't have a short lifespan, meaning clients can use it and rely on it for ten to 15 years or so. It helps with continuity.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
While it might be scalable, every day we see some new operating systems and some new updates, and so on. Occasionally, there is a problem with these new one updates, due to the fact that something is changed in some settings in the new system. Therefore, when you use the old settings for such a backup, sometimes it doesn't work normally. You need to go back and recalibrate.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support is okay. They often have patches and other solutions that can help resolve issues. However, sometimes they are not accessible. It's a big problem.
How was the initial setup?
The initial implementation is not straightforward. It's a bit complex. I wouldn't say the process is easy. You have to create a map of the main points and storage. There are three levels of the agents. While it's easy to use for the customer, setting it up is a bit tricky.
What about the implementation team?
It may be helpful to get the help of an integrator during the implementation process.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
While it's my understanding that the solution is a bit expensive, I'm not in sales and therefore can't really comment on actual costs. I can't compare it to other options on the market.
What other advice do I have?
We are an authorized service provider of Dell.
The company is working on a hybrid cloud solution currently.
In general, I would rate the solution nine out of ten. If it offered better access to Linux or virtual systems of files based on Linux, it would be perfect.
I'd advise potential new users to take a look at the product if they are looking for a long-term solution. It is not software for one year. It is likely something that can be used for five or more years. That is why it is better to really research and compare to see if it really is needed as it's a bit hard to install it. And, once implemented, it's likely going to be hard to change.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Integrator
System Administrator at a tech services company with 501-1,000 employees
Stable, high performance, and straightforward installation
Pros and Cons
- "Dell EMC NetWorker integrates well with our domain and the performance is quite good on-premise. We receive approximately 1 terabyte within one hour."
- "The solution could improve by having more integration."
What is our primary use case?
Dell EMC NetWorker is used for backing up and restoring data.
What is most valuable?
Dell EMC NetWorker integrates well with our domain and the performance is quite good on-premise. We receive approximately 1 terabyte within one hour.
What needs improvement?
The solution could improve by having more integration.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell EMC NetWorker for approximately 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The solution is stable.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Dell EMC NetWorker is scalable but it has some limitations.
We have approximately five people using this solution in my organization.
How are customer service and support?
I have been satisfied with the technical support.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
I have previously used Commvault.
How was the initial setup?
The installation is straightforward.
What about the implementation team?
We can do the implementation with two engineers and one manager.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a license required to use the solution and it is on an annual basis.
What other advice do I have?
I would recommend the on-premise deployment of the solution but not the cloud version.
I rate Dell EMC NetWorker a seven out of ten.
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.
Technical Consultant at a tech services company with 10,001+ employees
Easy to deploy, scalable, but the features for troubleshooting could be improved
Pros and Cons
- "It can support many different versions, both newer and older."
- "I would like to see the user interface improved, more documentation, faster support, and it could be easier to configure."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for backing up our systems.
What is most valuable?
It can support many different versions, both newer and older.
What needs improvement?
The interface is the same, so when we are trying to troubleshoot the logs, it doesn't display properly.
There doesn't seem to be a lot of development with this solution. You don't see any updates with the features, or any development with the features. In general, Dell EMC doesn't seem to be investing much in the R&D of this product. They are selling it off.
I would like to see an improvement with the features in terms of troubleshooting and ease of use.
The documentation is very poor. It takes quite a bit of experience to understand the documentation. A new person who is going through the documentation will not be able to understand. There is no detailed documentation.
The product itself is good, but it takes a lot of time to troubleshoot.
I would like to see the user interface improved, more documentation, faster support, and it could be easier to configure.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using this solution for five to six years.
We are using the latest version.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
The stability is okay. When it works, it works perfectly, but when we run into issues it requires a lot of effort to fix it.
You can't rate it as good or bad, because this is how it works.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
It's a scalable solution. We have 10 customers and we plan to continue using it.
How are customer service and technical support?
Technical support should be a lot better.
How was the initial setup?
It takes a few hours for a smaller implementation. I can plan and implement it.
It takes more time for a larger implementation.
We have one engineer to deploy and maintain this solution.
What about the implementation team?
I completed the implementation myself.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
There is a licensing fee.
What other advice do I have?
Recommending this solution would depend on the customer. Certain customers will require this it.
Deployment is easy, but managing is more difficult when you run into issues.
I would rate Dell EMC NetWorker a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
System Network Administrator at a healthcare company with 51-200 employees
Provides successful backup in multiple locations, but it is too complex to use properly
What is most valuable?
It is application aware for Meditech, Exchange and SQL. We do not want to check for successful backup in multiple locations. We want the backup application to handle all of that.
How has it helped my organization?
It has not improved functionality for us. At least the unsupported version we are on is difficult to administer. Most of the functions it can perform are not being used by us because of the complexity.
What needs improvement?
Reduce the product's complexity.
For how long have I used the solution?
Eight years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
Stability is an issue.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
No.
How is customer service and technical support?
A seven out of 10. We must engage a reseller who supports it. They also are having difficulty troubleshooting it.
How was the initial setup?
Complex in this version. It is not intuitive and logs are not easily accessible or decipherable.
What other advice do I have?
Be sure to do a PoC.
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
System Engineer at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
Easy to scale, and stable, but the user interface needs some work
Pros and Cons
- "It is the best umbrella, serving the best applications."
- "It would be beneficial to have a single user interface for all of the features."
What is our primary use case?
We use this solution for backup and recovery.
What is most valuable?
It is the best umbrella, serving the best applications.
What needs improvement?
The user interface needs some work.
It would be beneficial to have a single user interface for all of the features.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Dell EMC NetWorker for 10 years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
There are no issues with the stability of this solution. Dell EMC NetWorker is a stable product.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Dell EMC NetWorker is a scalable solution.
How are customer service and technical support?
I have contacted technical support. As a percentage, I would rate them 70%.
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup is moderate. It's not easy but it is not complex.
What other advice do I have?
I would rate Dell EMC NetWorker a seven out of ten.
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Dell NetWorker Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros
sharing their opinions.
Updated: November 2024
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