Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) Reviews

The data domain is a backup solution.

The compatibility within the Dell PowerProtect DD portfolio makes data management more seamless. This integrated solution improves efficiency in our data center and simplifies operations by relying on a single company for servers and storage.

Support is essential, for clients using servers and storage. We have a backup solution, so if a company requires data backup, we can help. An improvement would be the ability to back up some of the databases or legacy applications used by IBM. 

I have been using Dell PowerProtect DD for two years.

I rate the solution's stability a ten out of ten.

350 users are using this solution.

Support takes a long time. In Bangladesh, we do not have a dedicated support team available for all products. For situations involving credentials, the first level of support is provided from a database, and additional support comes from either Malaysia or another support hub. This can cause delays.

I rate the product’s pricing an eight out of ten, where one is cheap, and ten is expensive.

The client uses several servers and storage systems, so Dell PowerProtect DD does not add value in terms of efficiency and data protection. However, since it does not function as a primary storage solution, it could enhance the efficiency of solar technology applications.

Having a backup available in a disaster is crucial and makes recovery much more accessible. This is always a situational requirement; the backup is not utilized if my application or data center does not experience any attacks.

I recommend Dell PowerProtect DD. It's a perfect solution with high efficiency and numerous cost-effective security measures.

Maintenance is handled by the sales support team, and our organization has certified engineers. We strive to make as many features available as possible.

One server engineer is sufficient for initial support. Our team has certified engineers who are distinguished based on requirements and the complexity of support needed.

It is an appliance-based solution, so most of the insurance and volume stages are pre-installed from the factory. We need to activate the license and connect it to the environment where it will be used.

Overall, I rate the solution an eight out of ten.

I am using Dell PowerProtect DD for data extraction for extract, transform, and load(ETL) processes. This is a tool that receives data from operational platforms, or systems, such as in my factory in insurance, underwriting, claim management or health provisioning, et cetera. It receives the data from the source systems and not from the data warehouse platform by doing transformation or by loading the data or after loading the data. 

The usage of this solution is a bit difficult to develop processes, and it takes a long time to market permits.

I have been using Dell PowerProtect DD for 15 years.

Dell PowerProtect DD is a stable solution.

Dell PowerProtect DD is scalable but there are better tools.

The data engineers are using this platform in my company. There are 15 data engineers, and all of them are using this tool.

We are using technical support from the producers, and it is not good. I'm not happy with the technical support.

I rate the support from Dell PowerProtect DD a two out of five.

The initial setup of Dell PowerProtect DD is complex. Its initial setup is a bit complex because it uses many services on the operating system. Sometimes it is hard to solve the issue while installing the solution on-premises.

I rate the initial setup of Dell PowerProtect DD a three out of five

With the Dell PowerProtect DD, it is not possible to deploy the solution by ourselves. We deployed, and upgraded the solution, it took more than a month because there were problems, and the producer need to solve the issues. This is what took time.

We needed to get help to implement the solution because the producers because it is not easy.

If we do not move to the cloud solution and stay with our on-premise version we will miss some new features.

I rate the price of Dell PowerProtect DD a three out of five.

I rate Dell PowerProtect DD a six out of ten.

We primarily use the solution for storage.

The solution integrates well with our VM.

I like the hardware and the software together.

Based on what we have achieved in our environments on the bank's telecom, it's the best product. We have it installed with Dell EMC protection suite, NetWorker, but also with VM. There are many cases where we integrated with IBM TSM as a VTL. 

The best point is the duplication encryption and disaster recovery replication. The network replication's software has network verification where the product can not offer it. We use nothing for Data Domain replication. And when we use NetWorker, we use prone console application. With VM, also we use replication under the Data Domain application instead of copying the data from the VM.

The solution is very scalable.

The product offers excellent security.

The price could be improved. 

Technically speaking, the solution is okay. It's not perfect. We have to remember that it's a backup appliance. A storage appliance is not primary service. Let's say in a standard configuration you have only one controller, you don't have high visibility. We have installations on higher-visibility on one environment when one bank says, "We want a controller, doesn't matter how much it costs." We explain that something that is not the main storage is not production. " It's not primary storage, however, it can be used for different environments. Let's say to use it as the NFS or VMware deployment. 

Dell is improving the product all of the time, actually. There were a lot of improvements from version 7.3 to 7.4 for example. 

I've worked with the solution on and off since 2009 and I've watched it evolved from a small backup appliance to what it is now. They've done very well with it. 

I've been working with the solution since at least 2009.

In terms of stability, it depends on who is using it. When our customers use it via IP, now, almost everybody has 10G. When they use the application, they have at least one gigabit for the application. Data Domain is capable of using smaller bandwidth and therefore I haven't had any complaints regarding how it's working. The main problem is not the backup, its costs vary. 

The data has to get duplicated in blocks and sent across the network. It's optimized in such a way where when you bring back the data there is a process that will take place in the memory or the system in order together that data and compose the file. Then it will take it back to the network to where it will need to be stored. We have a fiber cable, so we are okay. We don't have a problem with this. However, smaller bandwidths may face issues.

The scalability of the solution is excellent.

We can start from many minimal configurations for SMB customers and we can scale it out for big a environment, for example, for different bank clients. It's suitable for all environments. It works well with other solutions as well, such as VM or TSM. 

Any company can work with it and any company can expand it to fit their needs.

Dell works with partners in order to provide technical support, and as partners, we often troubleshoot for our clients. We are sent alerts the moment a ticket is opened and so we are able to see if there are problems happening right away. When it comes to hardware, we'll be able to see what parts get dispatched and we can follow everything. From a hardware perspective, support works very well and is very transparent. 

From a software perspective, that's handled by a different team. If we have problems we can't fix we can apply for help to the software team. They can release patches and can inform us if an upgrade is mandatory in order to fix an issue. They are also very helpful and responsive.

Overall, I would say we are quite pleased with the level of service we receive from Dell. 

The initial setup is not complex. It's very straightforward. If you have a serial port opened up, and you configure the management port fees, first on the licensing, then it's really straightforward. However, if you have a different configuration, it may be a bit more challenging. Even so, it's not that complicated. It's 90% straightforward. If somebody is not comfortable with the console, they can use a web interface and it's fine. 

Dell Avamar is a very good product. We've used it in the past when it was, let's say, one of the first solutions. I believe they offer duplication. Whenever Avamar came on the market, it was a revolutionary application. Right now, however, due to other software solutions not only for Dell EMC but for Avamar, it makes everything very good and also very bad from the sales point of view. 

With aggressive marketing of products, clients may request the wrong product. Avamar isn't well-positioned in Romania right now. Data Domain is better. When clients ask for certain other products, we try to steer them to Data Domain. 

Depending on the customer's needs, Dell can fit into all environments. If you want to have a very good backup appliance, then choose Data Domain because it will fit in almost everywhere. I don't think I know of another solution in which somebody can have a backup project or data protection where this product will not fit. 

Technically speaking, I cannot make a comparison with other products, as this solution can fit almost everywhere.

I recommend better sizing to the client. That's important. Customers need to take into consideration their needs very, very well so they don't end up with too small of a product. It's better to go a bit bigger if it will fit the budget. Of course, the technical requirements need to be addressed. Data Domain integrates well with other products. It's something to consider.

Overall, I would rate the solution nine out of ten.

We use Dell EMC PowerProtect DD for backing up a target.

The most valuable features of Dell EMC PowerProtect DD are the duplication security and uptime.

Dell EMC PowerProtect DD works well with other solutions, such as NetWorker. It's really easy to pass over to Data Domain and vice versa. 

I have been using Dell EMC PowerProtect DD for approximately 10 years.

The stability of Dell EMC PowerProtect DD cannot be beaten, it is highly stable and reliable.

The scalability of Dell EMC PowerProtect DD is very good.

We have around 2000 employees and all the infrastructure that goes with it. We back up maybe 250 to 300 servers.

I have had excellent support because I am not using overseas support. I try to have support agents in Utah USA, and Canada.

The implementation of Dell EMC PowerProtect is straightforward. However, there are lots of options available. There are three different types of compression. It mainly dupes the data, and it also does local compression on the data domain itself. Once you choose the compression, you then have to decide whether you're going to do an entry backup or a straightforward input, big bucket type of backups, and only have one directory for your data.

When you purchase Dell EMC PowerProtect DD, you always have help from EMC. They will help you get familiar with whatever is new to you. 

When you spend the kind of money for this solution you do receive good support to help you through any issues, it is not complicated.

We have two people that manage the solution, but the two people are more to cover sickness, training, vacation time, et cetera. A single person can do the maintenance.

The price of Dell EMC PowerProtect DD could improve, it is expensive.

My advice to others is to ensure they understand the solution well so that when they do implement it, it is done correctly for the business. Lots of different companies use it in different ways. I was with EMC for 10 years and I have spent the last 15 years supporting EMC customers, every implementation is unique because everybody has different ways of doing things. They don't always follow best practices, they will follow their business best practice rather than the vendor's best practice. They want a different thing out of a backup environment.

If my business said that they were going to change to a different backup product, I'd be looking for another job because I wouldn't trust my data with anything else.

I rate Dell EMC PowerProtect DD a ten out of ten.

Our primary use for this product is for backup purposes and compression.

There are a number of ways that it improved our organization with the processing of backups and saving disk space, but the costs are somewhat prohibitive.

The most valuable feature, beyond simply backing up our servers, is the data compression capability.

There are several things that can be improved with this product even though it is not bad. 

The biggest concern for us is the licensing model. In terms of feature capability, there are too many separate modular features that require licensing. I would like to see a Data Domain license for one cost that contains what we need to utilize the product to its full capability. I don't like the idea of having to worry about buying another license to do something else and add functionality. So I am suggesting that it would be good if they made the product more integrated and adaptable.

If I choose not to use only EMC products, it should allow me to make whatever integration I choose to do with ease. It is not so easy to do this.

The technical support after the initial deployment and having the service account manager on site was not so good. They should have better means of support while you are using the product to encourage success with the product and that you remain a customer. 

During the period where you have resident, live support to take care of issues the product remains stable because they help with any issues. Without a service account manager after the initial deployment, the support is poor. Because of this, stability starts to become a problem.

The solution is centralized to the company or business process, so I don't really have users using it as an application. I've got one division — a team — that takes care of data protection which makes use of Data Domain services.

The initial, on-premises EMC technical support is pretty good. I have no complaints about them. Although we did have some initial support issues with Data Domain during the implementation, we always had that EMC account manager available. He dealt with most of the support issues when they arose and he was resident on-site. He was there only for as long as he was required to be there. He was very good. So we didn't really have support issues with EMC product initially as they addressed problems fully. However, when we did not have the service account manager resident on-premises anymore, the level of service changed. The regular channels for support are poor and not so responsive or they don't come back with good with solutions.

EMC is a solution we are starting to move away from because of the cost more than anything. We are evaluating it along-side a Veritas product currently.

The installation and initial setup of the program was a straightforward process.

We did use EMC services for that initial implementation and had a service account manager on site.

I can't say I am very happy with the cost of the EMC product because we also have got a Veritas product. The comparison is that the EMC Data Domain solution is more expensive than the Veritas and they have similar capabilities.

We were satisfied at the time we made the purchase of the EMC product, but subsequently, we went in a different direction. We added another product because we decided the price was too high for the original solution and to continue to add licenses. We are running both environments now.

Anyone who is considering this as a solution should study the availability of the features and caveats surrounding the licensing. You will want to make sure that you are covered for all the capabilities that you require. Then, if you choose to go with the product, I suggest adding a service account manager as part of the initial scope of the project and implementation as that was very helpful to us. That sort of guarantees you will definitely have a more controlled approach to implementation and better continuity from your experience with EMC.

On a scale from one to ten, where one is the worst and ten is the best, I would rate the product about seven or eight. For us now it is a little closer to a seven.

A lesson that we learned in using the product is that its CPU capability does not match its storage capacity. These two things should be more in synch to enhance performance.

The primary use case of our customers is to do backup for their data.

One of the most valuable features is that it looks for the deduplication, which can reduce the amount of the data.

One improvement to the solution would be in the integration with backup software. They still have hardware different from the software.

We have been working with Data Domain for around 10 years.

The stability and performance of the solution is good.

Data Domain is suitable large enterprises. Because it's scalable, the solution is targeted toward medium to large enterprises.

The technical support is good. It's better than others, but if they are not familiar with the problem, they have to take their time. But in general, they are good.

I have a team that takes care of the deployment. They say it's easy but it takes some time, in terms of policies and integrating with infrastructures the customer already has. These are the challenges but it's easy to use.

A medium project takes around seven days to implement and integrate. A large project, 200 terabytes or 300 terabytes of data, will take around 15 days to 20 days to integrate with all the servers and backup software.

The solution comes with three years warranty and support from the vendor, but we have a lot of users with electrical outages, or unexpected errors happen. So we replace the hardware in terms of the hard disk or the controller, or we do maintenance in terms of upgrading the firmware on all of it.

The solution was cheap; now it's becoming more expensive. For example, if you buy it for 10 terabytes, you have to buy 10 terabyte also of software for it. It's called the capacity software. It increased our prices.

I've compared Data Domain to NetBackup Appliance. The pros for Data Domain are the starting capacity and the scalability, but the pro for the NetBackup Appliance is it's being integrated with their backup solution, which is NetBackup software. In terms of the integration with the software and the ability to have it, if you have a problem with your backup, you can restore it on the same machine. So, it's better in terms of NetBackup. 

Overall, whenever we integrate Data Domain with NetBackup software, it's been good.

I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. It's a good product that we recommend.

We use the solution for documented backup.

We use it to back up the whole database through the EMC network.

We are unsatisfied with the EMC network because Data Domain only works for backups. The system is connected through backup software, which operates over the Internet. This setup limits Data Domain's functionality in terms of backups.

It is designed primarily for archiving and backup purposes. You can utilize it, but it depends on the EMC network. The software configured with Data Domain system may concern you. Data Domain is configured with the EMC network, but the EMC network is not easy to use and is not a very good product.

I have been using Dell PowerProtect DD for over five years. We are using DD890 of the solution.

Our management is not very happy with the EMC network. It is not easy to take or edit backups, and even small errors can cause the entire backup process to stop. Only one senior system administrator is using the solution.

Support is good.

Neutral

We are switching to Veritas Backup.

Lenovo is cheaper than Dell.

They will offer Lenovo products and servers as well as storage and archiving solutions. They plan to begin this initiative immediately, but the paperwork is still ongoing. Once we receive the RFP, we will start proceeding.

The advantage of the Dell PowerProtect DD is that we only use it for our archiving servers.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

I have an IT company and have tested it in order to see if I could resell it to clients.

They have a very nice, clearly laid out dashboard.

The functionality has been excellent.

So far, the solution is stable. 

Its pricing is not overly expensive. 

I still need to try all the features and functions. As a reseller, it's important I understand it and I have only used it for a few weeks. It helps if you have in-depth knowledge in order to use it correctly.

Scaling can be better.

I've worked with the solution for 15 days so far. I was testing it.

I'm not sure about the stability. I haven't yet tried it with big companies. I just tested the solution for a little bit. So far, for that purpose, it was stable. I didn't come across bg or glitches, and I haven't seen it crash or freeze. 

The scalability could be better. I'm not sure how it would scale for bigger organizations. 

We have just two people using the solution right now. It's myself and an administrator.

I haven't needed any help yet and therefore have not used technical support.

I'm not sure if we used a different solution previously.

The solution is moderately straightforward to set up It's not easy or difficult. 

The deployment took about one to two hours. It didn't take long. 

I handled the implementation myself. I did not need help from integrators or consultants. 

The price of the product is pretty reasonable. 

We are dealing with the latest version of the solution.

We haven't had any difficulties with the solution while testing it. Maybe once we try to deploy to a sizeable company, we will find challenges. However, so far, it is good. 

I'd recommend the solution. It's worked well, and it has good Google reviews. 

I would rate the solution eight out of ten.