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Senior Infrastructure Consultant at FORUM INTERNATIONAL
Real User
Compatibility with many databases, effective deduplication, and easy to install
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution offers compatibility with many types of database systems. It is one of the largest backup solutions. Additionally, it gives important information about data domain systems with deduplication."

    What is our primary use case?

    Our primary use case for the solution is for backup and recovery in all environments, such as physical and virtual ones.

    What is most valuable?

    The solution offers compatibility with many types of database systems. It is one of the largest backup solutions. Additionally, it gives important information about data domain systems with deduplication. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using the solution for approximately three years. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is stable.

    Buyer's Guide
    Dell NetWorker
    February 2025
    Learn what your peers think about Dell NetWorker. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
    838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    We have more the five customers using Dell EMC NetWorker.

    How are customer service and support?

    The technical support was slightly impolite in my experience.

    How was the initial setup?

    The deployment of the solution is easy when integrated with the data domain systems. Additionally, the documentation is available and it is simple to follow. It took approximately one week to deploy it. 

    What about the implementation team?

    The implementation of the solution took approximately one week and we used two engineers. 

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    The pricing of the solution is not the cheapest compared to other similar solutions. The Networker is available as a component of the Dell EMC Data Protection Suite package and it should have the ability to be purchased separately. 

    The solution requires a perpetual license. We can upgrade the solution without the need to be renewed at an additional cost. 

    What other advice do I have?

    I would recommend the solution to others, especially due to the data domain system, as the target of the backup.

    I rate Dell EMC NetWorker a nine out of ten. 

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Hybrid Cloud
    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
    PeerSpot user
    Founder & CEO at Technomatters
    Reseller
    Top 20
    Stable but tricky to use
    Pros and Cons
    • "If it's set up the right way, it's a stable product."
    • "The user interface has to be improved"

    What is our primary use case?

    We use NetWorker for login support for SAP and VMware. I handle all maintenance-related issues on my own.

    What needs improvement?

    There's a lot of room for improvement. The user interface has to be improved.

    Sometimes it duplicates jobs. Overall, it's a strong legacy product but there's still a lot of room for improvement.

    We have to perform the very basic client registration process twice. We have to do it on the client-side and the NetWorker server-side. Sometimes just re-installing a client can be a nightmare. 

    Also, the layout can be a bit scattered. It's difficult to learn for a new newcomer. If you work with Linux clients, if you've got another non-Windows system, it's a little bit tough — a little complex.

    When it comes to the monitoring of backups, or if you want to grab a certain log, it's not as intuitive as other solutions. For example, if you want to find a backup for a certain client, it's not straightforward. With other solutions, like Avamar, this process is much easier.

    Scheduling is complicated. If you use the GUI to create a schedule and you auto mark all your backups SQL, it's simply not there. You have to change the view of the schedule from a calendar view to what they call a non-calendar view. Then you have to modify the attributes. You have to operate in a non-conventional way. Typically, when using the GUI, the expectation is to use the GUI for everything. With this solution, you have to go online to check the logs. You have to do some manipulations here and there — it's complex.

    Recovery is also complex. You have to build what we call 'a proper workflow' for recovery. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It's quite a stable product. 

    What other advice do I have?

    I would recommend this solution. If it's set up the right way, it's a stable product. So, my advice is to make sure you set it up right the first time. As long as you've done that, it will run for ages.

    Overall, on a scale from one to ten, I would give this solution a rating of six.

    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: Reseller
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Dell NetWorker
    February 2025
    Learn what your peers think about Dell NetWorker. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: February 2025.
    838,713 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    Works at AIT Grupo
    Real User
    A stable and reliable backup solution for our client's data center
    Pros and Cons
    • "When it was required that data had to be restored for our customer, it was accomplished successfully and this has kept our end users satisfied."
    • "We would like support for tape space reclaim, using either the same or another pool."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use this solution for disk storage, and to administer Save and Restore functionality in our client's data center.                                                             

    How has it helped my organization?

    When it was required that data had to be restored for our customer, it was accomplished successfully and this has kept our end users satisfied.                                                    

    What is most valuable?

    Stability of NetWorker is very good.

    What needs improvement?

    We would like support for tape space reclaim, using either the same or another pool.

    NetWorker uses only a stage directed to a clone pool, which is not enough to recover space on the tape.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    Two years.
    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer1436463 - PeerSpot reviewer
    System Administration Team Leader at a educational organization with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    Helpful support, scalable, but user interface needs improvement
    Pros and Cons
    • "Dell EMC NetWorker is scalable."
    • "The user interface is hard to use, it should be simplified. There are a lot of web-based management interfaces which they should consider."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use Dell EMC NetWorker for backing up VMs, files, and databases.

    What needs improvement?

    The user interface is hard to use, it should be simplified. There are a lot of web-based management interfaces which they should consider.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Dell EMC NetWorker for approximately eight years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    I have found Dell EMC NetWorker to be stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Dell EMC NetWorker is scalable.

    How are customer service and support?

    The support of Dell EMC NetWorker is very good.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup is complicated. It is difficult to implement for clients.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

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

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    We have evaluated Veeam.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would not recommend this solution, we are switching to Veeam, and I would recommend it.

    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.
    PeerSpot user
    head of presales at a tech services company with 11-50 employees
    Real User
    Integrates well with data domain, user-friendly, and has good support
    Pros and Cons
    • "It's a good product that can be integrated easily with the Data domain."
    • "In the next release, I would like to see better pricing and more integration with the other products in Dell EMC."

    What is our primary use case?

    We are system integrators.

    We have many systems that are being backed up using NetWorker, mainly in a virtualized environment, with several typical workloads.

    What is most valuable?

    It's a good product that can be integrated easily with the Data domain. 

    What needs improvement?

    They have many different products but they don't integrate all of the features into one product. This is an area of failure with this solution. For example, if we want source-side deduplication then we have to use Avamar because this kind of feature isn't available in NetWorker.

    Some features in NetWorker are good as well as some features in Avamar are good. If they could combine the features of both products into one single product, it would be better.

    In the next release, I would like to see better pricing and more integration with the other products in Dell EMC.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We have been using Dell EMC NetWorker for three years.

    We are using the latest version.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It's a stable solution and we have not had any issues.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It's a backup system that is backing up more than 50 different systems.

    We plan to continue using this solution. It's a good product.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    We have contacted technical support and they have provided us with good technical support. 

    We have no issues.

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    Because NetWorker does not provide all of the features such as source-side deduplication, we have had to go with some other products.

    How was the initial setup?

    The Installation is quite easy. 

    The deployment took a maximum of three to four days.

    The complete installation needed a bit of extra time due to some downtime for adding systems. But generally, the basic installation and configuration are done within three to four days.

    What about the implementation team?

    We have a good engineering team and the internal team is capable of handling the implementation.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    The price is a little on the high side, but it's reliable and provides a good service.

    There are other products on the market with better pricing, which makes it a challenge to sell NetWorker.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would definitely recommend NetWorker to others who are interested in using it.

    I would rate Dell EMC NetWorker an eight 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: Integrator
    PeerSpot user
    IT Infrastructure Manager at a comms service provider with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    A very stable solution, but not user friendly and with disappointing technical support
    Pros and Cons
    • "The solution is very stable, especially if you are using a RAC environment."
    • "The software also isn't user-friendly like Convault or Rubrik. The solution errors and management aren't so good in comparison."

    What is most valuable?

    It's a very good solution if you are using an Oracle-like environment. It's a very good, very powerful solution, but at the same time, it's a legacy solution. That's why we moved from NetWorker to Commvault.

    What needs improvement?

    They need to improve their level of support.

    The software also isn't user-friendly like Commvault or Rubrik. The solution errors and management aren't so good in comparison.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using the solution for six to seven years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution is very stable, especially if you are using a RAC environment.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The scalability of the solution is okay.

    How are customer service and technical support?

    I was very dissatisfied with technical support. It's one of the reasons we switched to Commvault.

    How was the initial setup?

    The setup was very difficult. 

    What about the implementation team?

    We used an integrator for the implementation.

    What other advice do I have?

    We use the on-premises version of the service. We were also using a legacy solution from EMC.

    In terms of recommending the solution, it would be my third choice, behind Rubrik and Commvault. There are newer versions, which are hyper-converged, but I would have to seriously evaluate them before I could recommend them.

    I would rate this solution five or six out of ten.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    it_user324444 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Senior Associate - System Engineer at a financial services firm with 501-1,000 employees
    Vendor
    With the integration with Data Domain Boost, we are significantly saving backup space. However, backups of VMs could be improved.

    Valuable Features

    • Support for various operating systems, we use, AIX, Solaris, Linux, VMware, and Windows
    • Excellent deduplication with Data Domain Boost
    • A good user interface, so we can, from a single console, manage the entire backup infrastructure

    Improvements to My Organization

    We are using a single product, with the same licenses, to backup Oracle servers, SQL Servers, Exchange, and our virtual environment. It also allows us to clone the backups to a disaster recovery site. With the integration with Data Domain Boost we are significantly saving backup space.

    Room for Improvement

    I think, first of all, the part that relates to backup virtual machines. I've seen better and faster solutions, for example: Veeam.

    Use of Solution

    We've used NetWorker for about ten years. We are primarily using NetWorker to backup our core servers with Solaris. For the last three years, we use Networker to backup the entire infrastructure.

    We're also using the NetWorker Module for Microsoft v8.2.1.8, and the NetWorker VMware Protection v1.1.1.50.

    Deployment Issues

    No issues encountered.

    Stability Issues

    We had no problems with stability.

    Scalability Issues

    We had no problems with scalability. We have two data centers with different infrastructure.

    Customer Service and Technical Support

    Customer Service:

    I have worked with local EMC partners, I have had a positive experience.

    Technical Support:

    I did not use technical support for NetWorker, but I have used it for some other EMC products and I think they were a little slow. 7/10.

    Initial Setup

    Initial setup was straightforward. The documentation is good.

    Implementation Team

    We did it in-house.

    Pricing, Setup Cost and Licensing

    We use NetWorker Capacity Licensing Model. Estimating the backup environment's capacity is, for me, very complex, and I think not even clear.

    Other Advice

    It is a good product with some problems backing up virtual machines (slow restore). We use NetWorker Capacity Licensing Model. Estimating the backup environment's capacity is, for me, very complex, and I think not even clear.

    Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
    PeerSpot user
    Senior Consultant at global brands
    Real User
    Has good backup and restoration features but the UI could use improvement
    Pros and Cons
    • "The full backup is a great feature. Restoration is also good and very quick."
    • "The UI needs some enhancement to be more user-friendly."

    What is most valuable?

    The full backup is a great feature. Restoration is also good and very quick. 

    What needs improvement?

    The UI needs some enhancement to be more user-friendly.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been using this solution for over a year. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Once it's deployed, the solution is very stable. 

    Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

    Both Veeam and Veritas are similar solutions. I went with Dell NetWorker because my hardware is Dell, so it's one call for support.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial setup doesn't take very long. It's only used by the backup admin.

    What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

    Licensing is moderately expensive.

    What other advice do I have?

    For anyone using Dell products, it's important to have a backup software like NetWorker in the same ecosystem.

    I rate the solution seven out of 10. 

    Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Dell NetWorker Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
    Updated: February 2025
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    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free Dell NetWorker Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.