Dell PowerProtect Data Domain Virtual Edition for AWS

I use Dell PowerProtect Data Domain  to take backups in the Data Domain.

The best features I have observed in Dell PowerProtect Data Domain  are the exception handling capabilities. For example, if any file is marked as quarantine or is suspicious, it can be excluded from the backup so the backup is not interrupted, allowing me to use the backup applications without any exceptions. Exceptions can also be excluded from the backup process, and that is one of the good components that I have seen.

The graphical interface has been quite easy to understand for people who are beginners and even for those who have good experience in backup applications. The method that Dell uses for the proxy servers and proxy application appliances is a good technology. The graphical interface and options that they are providing, as compared to other backup applications, have a more advanced level of functionality that I can utilize.

In terms of areas for improvement, I have not observed any significant issues with the product. The product is very good, and there are multiple options that I can use to utilize it in a perfect manner. If there would be any room for improvement, AI is one of the leading technologies in the market, so AI implementation should be considered. I would recommend that in the future, AI could diagnose any bugs or problems and provide recommendations. If this AI integration were integrated with this product, it could provide further enhancement.

I have been using the solution for around one and a half years.

Since I deployed it six months ago and until now, I have not observed any major issues. It is a very stable product, so I would rate it around eight to nine.

I assess the scalability of this solution as a nine.

I would rate Dell technical support as a nine because they are very good.

I deployed Dell PowerProtect Data Domain at the on-premises level, but the cloud solution is also easy to implement. There are simple options for the cloud deployment, and to enable the cloud feature, I only needed to define my subscription details and bucket details so that all files can be stored at the cloud level as well. It is not very complex.

For deployment, if starting from scratch where the Data Domain boxes are mounted into the rack, I needed to perform the cabling and then deploy the appliances. If deploying it granularly, it may take a maximum of two days, but not the entire day. I spent just two to five hours to deploy everything.

When comparing Dell PowerProtect Data Domain with other solutions or vendors, I can provide a detailed comparison. I previously used the Veeam backup solution, and the graphical interface in Veeam is very small, but in Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, its graphical dashboard and the other components are very visible and easy to understand.

In terms of efficiency, the backup application functionality is almost the same regardless of which company's backup application I use. However, when switching to Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, compared with others, it has more granularity, allowing me to utilize features in exception handling. The deployment procedure, which I deployed myself, is not very complex. The job scheduling can be defined based on my requirements, whether I need bare-metal backup or file-level backup.

Regarding the data reduction capabilities of the all-flash DD solution, I have not noticed much difference, and I cannot commit to any specific observations on that aspect.

About pricing and costing, these are considerations that were not at my level, so I cannot comment extensively on those aspects.

Regarding advice for others looking to implement this product, I highly recommend Dell PowerProtect Data Domain. If any organization is looking for a backup solution, this one is a really good solution from Dell. In terms of users, counting the virtual machines, I have taken backups of around 200 machines. I work with multiple customers, so it is not about 200, 500, or 300 machines in isolation, but the maximum backup I have taken is from approximately 200 machines. My clients are all medium to enterprise level, not small organizations.

The solution does not require complex maintenance. It is very easy to manage, and if any update or upgrade has been released, those managing the application conduct health checks every three to six months. During that period, if any upgrade has been released by Dell and if it is part of the warranty, I can raise the case to them, and they will help with the upgrade or any patching solution. I would highly rate this solution a 10 and recommend it to anyone considering implementing this product.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain  is mainly used for backup as a target for backup. Previously, I was working in Veeam, and nowadays, I am working with Commvault. For both backup software options, the target for the backup is Dell PowerProtect Data Domain .

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain has multiple valuable functions. The DD Boost  protocol is very fast in backup and while data is being transferred to Dell PowerProtect Data Domain. It is a very fast protocol. Additionally, I am using the immutability features built-in in Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, so that the backup copies are immutable. No one can edit or delete them anymore unless the retention period is over. I think those two functions are the best in Dell PowerProtect Data Domain.

The main benefits I receive from Dell PowerProtect Data Domain save time for me because of the time of backup. For example, I have reduced the backup window. Once I began working with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, it is very fast storage, especially while the backup is being taken. The backup window has been reduced by more than 30%. In my case, I am moving data over the WAN. The speed of the backup has reduced the bandwidth and the time being taken, resulting in cost reduction. From a pricing point of view, I think it is sufficient and good for me. It is the most reasonable option for my case.

In my opinion, for the version I am using of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, I am not sure if there is another version that will have the functionality I will discuss. I need them to add the air-gapped technology to Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, as some other vendors have. The air-gapped technology is very important.

I have been working with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain for more than five years.

The stability of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is rated at nine. It is very stable.

The scalability of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is good for scale-up. I have two models of scale: scale-up or scale-out. For scale-up, it is very good. However, for scale-out, I am not sure they are doing this effectively. I think they have an issue with scale-out by adding multiple controllers and multiple bays, for example.

The technical support for Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is very helpful. I have created multiple tickets with them and they have a very fast response time with very good technicalities. They are brilliant in all aspects.

Dell's response time and quality are very fast and very good.

The initial setup for Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is very simple. One of my team members completed it on his own. He did not even want support in any of its operations. It is very simple. All operations, such as upgrading firmware, initializing it, and making a target, are very easy.

I purchased Dell PowerProtect Data Domain through a partner. It was through one of their partners in Egypt.

Pure Storage is the most similar option to Dell PowerProtect Data Domain. Pure Storage is a very powerful storage system that came to the market recently. I am sure they started with the end goal in mind compared to other competitors. They are very intelligent and they have integrated all other vendors' functionalities inside their product. I have not used it, but I have attended some seminars and webinars for them. They speak about very good technology.

For the same reasons I have mentioned that Dell needs to address, I would select Pure Storage because it has built-in air-gap technology and I think it is the only storage that came with all-flash SSD . Both features I am seeking for in Dell PowerProtect Data Domain already exist in Pure Storage. Regarding pricing, I think Pure Storage will take over Dell PowerProtect Data Domain.

I can recommend Dell PowerProtect Data Domain to other users. I would rate this review at six out of ten.

I am calling to complete our feedback and survey for this product. We have been using Dell PowerProtect Data Domain for about 10 years. We had an implementation of a 2200 model, but we should be receiving new devices that have been procured and are not yet delivered to us through an IPA project.

We had no additional licenses, no VTL or other add-ons; just an ordinary backup target with deduplication and compression. It is currently still employed and used as a long-term backup solution for the monthly backups.

What I appreciate about Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is that the deduplication is quite good and it simply works. It is quite insensitive to all the problems we have here in Bosnia.

The features in Dell PowerProtect Data Domain have greatly benefited our organization by allowing for easier and quicker backups and easier restores. We used different backup tools back then, and at the moment, we are using Veeam. It simply works. It is a simple tool that just works. Under the hood, all the complexity is mostly hidden from the users that use it.

I have not really noticed any drawbacks or downsides other than the price.

About 10 years.

Regarding Dell's technical support, since we did not have any need for it, I cannot complain or say anything because we had no problems with the device, and it simply works.

Over this period of time, over 10 years, I had no need for support.

Since the product works, I would rate the support at least nine.

Before, we were using Veeam more than 10 years back, and right now, we are planning a change, but due to procurement, I am unable to give more information.

The deployment of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain took about two days when it was implemented, and to change its purpose from the primary backup target to this kind of monthly secondary long-term archive, it took perhaps half a day.

It was quite quick and easy to do because our implementation is quite simple.

I and another contractor participated in the deployment.

We are a government agency, so regarding Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, return on investment is not something we do.

The implementation of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is not really difficult for us. It is just a backup target. I would rate this product overall as a 9.

I have implemented a couple of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain  at the premises and we have integrated that appliance with Veeam backup solutions only.

Apart from that, I already worked on Avamar  which was earlier part of EMC.

The cost is high now due to things such as SSD  and memory prices being high in the current time. Earlier it was good and it would have been the best fit in the customer budget. So due to international price increases for the memory and the SSDs, it is currently a little bit costlier than the earlier one. But it doesn't matter. If we have an enterprise customer and their data is critical for them, then I think the price being high or low doesn't matter.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain  has a protocol which is a very good protocol. With the help of that particular OST protocol, we can take the backup in a very fast manner over the FC. That appliance is very good in comparison to HP StoreOnce . We can restore the data in a very minimal time because the data is transferring over the FC protocol, which is 32Gbps. I always recommend it to others who have huge data and they are continuously taking the backup onto external devices.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain data backup transfer throughput and deduplication are exceptional because it works on the variable blocks. When we are using variable blocks, we can take the backup in a very fast manner and then we can save the storage space due to the deduplication functionality. The deduplication is very good, with a 20:1 ratio of deduplication, which is not available in other solutions such as HP.

The benefit of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is that we are storing the data in a very small footprint. Huge data can be stored in a very small storage capacity because the deduplication and the compression ratio is very good. This is the beauty. We do not need to spend more money, and then we can achieve cost saving at the drive level.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is a perfect solution. I don't think we have to make any improvement to it. It is completely perfect for the enterprise-class customers. It is not meant for the smaller customer. When the data size is huge, it is always good for them to store the data in the terabyte or petabyte form.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain can be integrated with other third-party backup software. We can integrate it with Commvault, we can integrate it with Veritas, we can integrate it with Veeam backup solutions, or Dell's own solution as well. It is a very good solution to integrate with others.

It is reducing the backup window since the backup transfer rate is very high, so we can complete the backup in very minimal time. The data is always transferring in a very fast manner over the iSCSI, FC protocol, iSCSI protocol, NFS protocol, or CIFS protocol as well. It depends on the customer environment. It can be easily fitted in their environment and then transfer the data for a shorter period of retention and a longer period of retention.

The data reduction policy is supposed to be 20:1. It is supposed to have a very good deduplication and compression ratio.

I think we have to involve the immutability functionality within the system so that we can use these storage boxes for the immutable purpose to store the data for a longer period of retention and to protect from ransomware attacks.

I'm working on Dell PowerProtect Data Domain since approximately eight years.

I think because it is a secondary storage, the downtime doesn't matter, because it is always available. It is a backup appliance only. Critical workload is not running on it. The critical workload always runs on the primary data storage, which is basically PowerMax  or PowerStore . If it is not available, then it is a backup solution. Whenever it is available, then we can restore the data. I have not faced any challenges in the past with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain such as shutting down or stopping.

We can easily scale. We just have to get the capacity-based license for Dell PowerProtect Data Domain from Dell, and then we have to add disks to the physical appliance. If the physical appliance disk is full in that array, then we have to add another array and then put the disk within that particular array system. It is very easy to scale up to petabytes.

It is fantastic. We just have to raise a ticket, and immediately, we can get the response from them. There is no challenge with that.

For Dell PowerProtect Data Domain support, I will assign a nine for the support. Sometimes, earlier there was an issue where we had to call to the A&T and then we had to connect to Dell. Nowadays, we can connect directly to the Dell team and in a very minimal time, we can get the support from them.

I worked on PowerStore  as well.

It is not complex. It is very easy. Nothing is tough in doing the setup of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain. Basically, we just have to access the Dell PowerProtect Data Domain appliance through the URL, then we can integrate it with any backup solution. It is not a complex solution.

We are getting the complete ROI. As I mentioned earlier, with the help of deduplication and compression, we have to invest less money than with other competitors. If the number of days or the footprints of the data are less than others, then obviously we can get the best ROI in that kind of situation.

This is very good and it can be integrated with any third-party backup solution. I always recommend going with it if the customer is an enterprise customer or it is basically a big SMB. I always recommend going with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain and then you can keep the last retention on to tape devices or some others for the longer period of retention. But initially, we have to keep the backup on Dell PowerProtect Data Domain. I always recommend that to others.

The pros are much more than the competitors. There is another competitor that is ExaGrid. The cost of the ExaGrid is a little bit lower than Dell PowerProtect Data Domain. That is the con. They have to reduce the cost. But when you talk about the deduplication and compression ratio, then obviously Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is at the highest level. We can get the highest level of deduplication and compression and then reduce the footprint. If we reduce the physical footprint, we can save money and we can save energy. These are basically the pros of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain. Apart from that, when we have to compare it with StoreOnce, then again, it can be integrated with other protocols apart from Catalyst. Catalyst is the main core protocol which is basically part of HP StoreOnce . Dell PowerProtect Data Domain can be more feasible to run with any other OEM backup solutions.

We are using Dell PowerEdge server, which is a rack-based server, that is 760 and 760xs, and some servers are 660 and 660xs as well.

I work with the physical Dell PowerProtect Data Domain boxes. There are multiple versions. It is available in the VE format, which is a virtual format. Another one is the physical appliance. For the testing purpose or for the POC, we can use the VE version. If the data size is not huge, then again, we can use the VE version, which is a virtualized appliance. If the data size is heavy, then we have to always recommend going with the Dell PowerProtect Data Domain physical appliance only.

I would rate this product a ten out of ten.