Dell PowerProtect Data Domain Virtual Edition for AWS

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain  serves as a backup repository for my customers, where I began implementation with Avamar , using Data Domain as the repository, and integrated it with the ECS platform for cloud archiving. However, I have not performed file solutions to back up or attach directly to clients' PCs, as all backups end up on Dell PowerProtect Data Domain .

Most use cases for Dell PowerProtect Data Domain as a backup repository are in VMware backup environments, where I integrate it with IDPA, Avamar , and Veeam by installing proxies inside the VMware environment and performing all backup restoration tests and processes as needed. Although I have only performed replication once, in some cases I have installed agents inside Windows servers or customer PCs to perform agent backup or file backups.

Regarding my main use case with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, I have not encountered any issues, though I would perform a replication scenario if the opportunity arose. Unfortunately, our customers in LatAm are not large enough for such projects, as their architectures typically involve active-passive or active-active setups for servers and storage, but not for backup solutions, which presents a challenge in educating customers on the need for proper disaster recovery or business continuity architectures.

What I value most about Dell PowerProtect Data Domain are its deduplication features, as the amount of information that can be stored is quite impressive. I also appreciate the DD Boost  protocol for its enhancements and integration with other platforms, and I recall a provider using that protocol to improve the transportation layer, along with the data-at-rest encryption that protects all information inside Dell PowerProtect Data Domain. Primarily, the standout feature is the DD Boost  protocol.

The DD Boost protocol improves my workflow with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain by using a native communication protocol, which allows for faster information transfer without protocol translations. Its integration with Dell's other products like Avamar is beneficial, and the openness of DD Boost enables compatibility with other vendors, making it important for customers with large information volumes to store efficiently and perform both backups and restorations with ease.

The impact of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain on my organization has been significant, particularly because its integration with Avamar and Veeam allows for instant recovery where the disk of VMs runs on Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, facilitating an easier restoration or recovery process since I can simply perform a vMotion to recover the VM.

I cannot quantify the exact time saved, but I have two scenarios with customers needing to restore large VMs. The ability to restore these in a few minutes is a remarkable improvement compared to the hours typically required for the whole restore process.

The significance of having fast backup and recovery solutions with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain for my organization revolves around business continuity, focusing on how quickly I can help customers get back on track.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is currently well-developed, and at this moment, I cannot think of any improvements needed.

I have been using Dell PowerProtect Data Domain for approximately eight years, implementing backup solutions and installing it as a repository for backups, including integrations with Veeam.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is stable; however, stability does depend on the customer's infrastructure and network setup. In terms of support, implementation, and maintenance, it is very predictable and easy to maintain in a positive sense.

The scalability of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is impressive, as you can add expansion shelves that significantly increase capacity.

The customer support experience I have had with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is quite good, characterized by fast service and a support team that resolves issues in a short time.

In my ten years of experience, I have not used a different solution. We explored alternatives but remained with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain.

I perceive a return on investment from Dell PowerProtect Data Domain in terms of the valuable time saved for every customer, emphasizing that time is indeed valuable.

Pricing, setup cost, and licensing are not my areas of expertise, as I mainly focus on implementation engineering.

Before choosing Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, we did not evaluate other options, as we consistently opt for Dell PowerProtect Data Domain.

I advise those considering Dell PowerProtect Data Domain to try it out, as there are various products on the market, but Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is easy to use, easy to install, and integrates well with the customer's environment, boasting spectacular backup and restore capabilities. I recommend conducting a proof of concept of the product. I have rated this product a ten.

My role in using or managing Dell PowerProtect Data Domain  involves overseeing its implementation and operation. The significance of having fast backup and recovery solutions for my organization when using Dell PowerProtect Data Domain  is that when you actually need it, it works efficiently. We have the ability to live restore, so we do not have to wait until the restore is fully finished.

The features of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain that I value the most include the simplicity of deployment, which is one key feature, and the data reduction we achieve on our appliances compared to other solutions.

The impact that Dell PowerProtect Data Domain has had on my organization's security is significant as the appliance comes with built-in security features, allowing us to limit access to the appliance, whereas with other solutions, we have to do that ourselves. With the Cyber Recovery Vault, we get an air-gapped solution.

The impact that Dell PowerProtect Data Domain has had on my organization's data backup efficiency is notable, as the data reduction is a major benefit.

I believe Dell PowerProtect Data Domain can be improved, but I do not have specific examples I would want to see in the next release.

I have been using Dell PowerProtect Data Domain for approximately four to five years.

I rate customer service and technical support at a nine out of ten, as there is always room for improvement, but at this moment, I do not have any major complaints about the support services. They are always able to help us when needed, and the responsiveness of the support team is excellent.

Prior to adopting Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, we were using a build-your-own solution, which was a backup to disk solution where we repurposed a server with disks and used it as a repository for our backup solution.

My experience with pricing, setup costs, and licensing is that at first, it obviously costs more than a simple setup where you bring your own resources. However, after a while, I see the return on investment regarding maintenance and lifecycle management and operating in a day two scenario, which is where the real savings work.

I also rate Dell PowerProtect Data Domain a nine out of ten. My advice for someone considering trying it is to be open to a new solution, give it a try, and see what it actually does. I would rate this solution a nine overall.

I use Dell PowerProtect Data Domain  for direct backups with PPDM, PowerProtect  Data Manager, but the core of my work involves direct API backups from databases.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain  is one of my favorite products from Dell, so it's difficult for me to answer with just one particular feature. However, the ease of use and ease of management stand out. DDMC makes life easy, and the setup process is straightforward. The ability to monitor live performance as it streams allows me to know exactly if something is wrong with my machine and what commands to run. The graphical user interface is just as good as the CLI. As an old-school CLI user, I love the CLI with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, and those are my favorite things.

That is an important consideration. We are developing our cyber response by taking best practices from Dell and applying those to Dell PowerProtect Data Domain to ensure they are hardened as much as possible. To be honest, we rely on our resilience and our speed to recover. That is a big key for us, and Dell PowerProtect Data Domain has always held that end of the bargain up for us.

Reporting  is difficult from a graphical user standpoint. Additionally, the REST API capabilities, although they continue to improve, could be enhanced. Developing a better reporting tool specifically for Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is what I would prioritize.

I have been using Dell PowerProtect Data Domain for about 20 years out of my 25-year career. With my current company, I have had Dell PowerProtect Data Domain in place for the 13 years that I have been present there.

The ability to respond to an outage immediately is critical. I want to get the system back up and running, and I know what our performance numbers are with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain. Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is a very consistent product.

The all-flash option is intriguing. I am still somewhat hesitant about the price points on those systems, but given the current state of the industry, it is difficult to consider that at the moment. Data reduction is key when I am evaluating products for backup because I need that efficiency for the number of backups I want to maintain to reduce costs for the company. This is a very big deciding factor for us.

With Dell, I would give a rating of 10. I am part of the DSE program, Designated Support Engineers. I believe that every company should offer a program like that. It is an extension of your team itself, and I have been more than pleased with the support I have received from them.

From a database standpoint, Dell PowerProtect Data Domain has always been my tool of choice. I have explored other options, including Cohesity , Rubrik , VAST , NetApp, and Commvault. I am always evaluating because that is part of my job function. However, I always put those options through a study and consider return on investment at the end of the day.

Cost is always a factor for companies in my position. During an open review of different products, my support team and sales team at Dell were able to work with me to understand what I was looking for and the cost reductions I needed. I believe that everyone won out from this arrangement because Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is now my platform for the next five years. I just refreshed the whole fleet, so I am in good standing. I worked everything out with the sales team, and I am very happy with the outcome.

Management, speed—not only the speed of backup but the speed of recovery, more importantly—security, and automation are all critical factors. There are many more considerations, but those are some of the top five that I really consider.

I would recommend making a list from an evaluation standpoint of what you consider to be your needs and evaluating it thoroughly. From a numbers standpoint, I can tell you that Dell PowerProtect Data Domain will stand out. Let the technology do the talking. When you get started, it is challenging because the sales team will pitch information to you. I suggest testing it yourself, and the numbers will speak for themselves.

The reason I stay with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is because of these factors, which is why I give this review a rating of 10.

I am a partner reseller. Three people work with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain  in my company. Clients are mostly banks and government institutions. In terms of size, since our country is not big, we have customers that can be in the range of medium or sometimes small. We do not have really big appliances, but the mid-range can be perfect.

The best features of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain  are the deduplication, which is one of the best products in this aspect. Another best feature is DD Boost , a protocol that you can integrate with backup applications, and the performance and integration with backup applications is really nice. It works perfectly, and with the new features that have been developed, such as immutable backups, these are really good, but in my opinion, the deduplication is the best feature.

The maintenance of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is quite easy, and the parts that most fail are disks, but usually clients keep some spares, or we as partners have some spares or have parts that are in stock, so we do not have to wait too much for the support to bring the parts. Also, the opening of the cases with support is quite easy, and the notifications when there are issues are really useful.

I think stability is also rated at nine. I rate the reliability of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain a perfect ten.

Maybe the price is an area for improvement in Dell PowerProtect Data Domain. In terms of technical parts, it is really good and it is really easy to implement and to integrate with backup products, but sometimes, for example, if the clients have a tight budget, it can be more expensive compared to some QNAP or NAS  backup solutions that are cheaper. However, if the client wants a really good and long-term solution, Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is really good.

I have been using Dell PowerProtect Data Domain for about ten or more years. Since this product has been called Data Domain, now it has been changed to PowerProtect , it has been approximately ten years.

There are no significant challenges with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain to mention; it is easy to implement and to maintain, and I have clients who are using this product for more than seven or up to ten years. The only parts that need to be replaced from time to time are disks, with no other parts.

I think vendor support is an eight point five, somewhere around there, but I would rate it a nine.

It is quite easy to deploy Dell PowerProtect Data Domain if, for example, a client knows what they want. For example, if they want to integrate only with Veeam or with Avamar , it is quite easy to integrate. However, if they want more advanced configurations, it can take more time, but startup and implementation of all the features that are needed to work around is quite easy.

I have different roles in using and managing Dell PowerProtect Data Domain for clients. Currently, my primary role is designing of the solution, so I do the sizing and I do the technical specifications or technical offers. I have colleagues in my team that do the implementations; however, when my role was only as an engineer, I did also the implementation part. I have been working with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain in different roles, from pre-sales up to the support phase, and I think in this category or in this type of primary backup appliances, this is the number one.

I usually compare Dell PowerProtect Data Domain with StoreOnce of HPE, so it is in that category. However, sometimes Dell wants also to sell Avamar  together with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, which is not really a good product. If you integrate with Veeam or with other backup solutions that are more user-friendly, it is also a good product. With Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, which integrates backup and software and hardware, we do not usually sell that product; we just sell the Dell PowerProtect Data Domain hardware, and usually clients have different backup software that they use. The product, Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, is mostly used to store the backups.

In terms of hardware, I think Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is one of the best products, but for backup software like Avamar or NetWorker , I think they are not really good compared to solutions like Veeam, Rubrik , or Cohesity . For example, Avamar is not very user-friendly to configure with Microsoft Hyper-V , but if we configure it with VMware, it is quite easy.

I think this is the best product in the market for data reduction because I have clients who buy, for example, one hundred terabytes of capacity, and the reduction ratio is great, allowing them to store much more backups. In terms of rating, this is the top. I would highly recommend Dell PowerProtect Data Domain, and if someone wants a long-term solution for backups and to have peace of mind regarding the backup part, this is the best product. You configure it and just monitor it without worrying about the hardware or any issues because it is a really good product. I rate this product a nine overall.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain  is used for connecting it to our backup system, which is Veeam in this case. It serves as the storage for the backup application, and it has many capabilities that enhance the storage and availability. A key feature is deduplication that saves space. Dell PowerProtect Data Domain  functions as a storage system.

The significance of having fast backup and recovery solutions for our organization when using Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is that it helps with the restoration process of any machines that aim to be backed up or even for machines that are planned to be backed up to this storage solution. It performs well for backup. Our main goal is to use it as a storage system to connect with Veeam, which is backup software. Veeam is backup software and Dell PowerProtect Data Domain serves as both storage software and hardware.

I have been using Dell PowerProtect Data Domain for three years and a half, and it has delivered excellent reliability and deduplication efficiency and backup performance. The platform is stable, scalable, and integrates smoothly with our enterprise backup environment, which is Veeam. It has many replication and disaster recovery capabilities that are particularly valuable for maintaining business continuity. Deployment and licensing can be complex, but the overall experience has been highly positive.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is good for long-term backup retention. Banks tend to have long-term backup retention policies, some for three years and others for five years. The efficiency is fast, and it all comes down to whether the configuration is set up properly and tuned. It performs well for retention, recovery, restoration, and availability, along with its functionality and scalability.

The data reduction capabilities of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain all-flash solution are the main interesting feature. The deduplication technology differs from one system to another. For example, some systems may show 20x deduplication, while others show less or more, depending on the type of data stored, the complexity of the data, and the type of operating system that hosts it. The overall performance is perfect.

Each solution has its pros and cons regarding Dell PowerProtect Data Domain. Regarding the cons, it has high licensing and expansion costs. The initial setup and configuration can be complex. It requires experienced administrators for advanced management, and there is a significant area to improve in the UI and reporting. Hardware upgrades can be expensive, and maintenance contracts are costly. It can be oversized for small environments.

Anyone looking to purchase Dell PowerProtect Data Domain solution should be aware that it requires experienced administrators for advanced management. The UI and reporting are not user-friendly and could be more modern. It is essential for anyone making an initial setup or purchasing the solution to have staff certified by Dell.

I have been working with Dell PowerProtect Data Domain for three years and a half.

We have never had a faulty module in Dell PowerProtect Data Domain solution itself; it is smooth and fast. You can depend on it to store data, but when troubleshooting or configuring something new, it is not a one-click solution. You need to understand what is happening.

While we are expanding the capacity used on the product itself. When you purchase the product for the first time, it comes with a single module, which is hardware, and an expansion module filled with hard disks. However, you cannot use it without the appropriate licenses. To unlock more storage, you need to pay for the licenses for the storage you already own. For now, we are focusing on the software side and have to invest a lot of money for an extra 20 terabytes.

The customer service and technical support of Dell is great.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain has been installed in our data center since before I started with this bank. The fact that we have not considered replacing it with another solution in three years and a half proves it is performing well for our data center and backup needs.

The initial setup of Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is complex due to extensive cabling and extensive board configuration required to get it running. You have to navigate through a lot of documents for the initial setup.

When we purchase something, the deployment is done by a third-party company. We establish an SLA and a contract, and they manage the entire process of installation, configuration, and training. They partner with Dell and are responsible for delivering the solution, configuring it, and handling the first-line support tickets when issues arise. Sometimes we open a case with Dell for further assistance.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain is cost-effective for the enterprise, but it is not cheap; it is quite expensive, even for the enterprise. However, it is worth it.

The initial setup and configuration can be complex. It has high licensing and expansion costs. Licensing costs are significant for unlocking more storage.

Dell PowerProtect Data Domain meets the goal of purchasing this solution. It is an excellent deduplication technology and is reliable and stable for enterprise backup environments. It is fast, and the restore performance is also fast. The replication and disaster recovery features are more than enough for enterprise environments, and it scales well.

We have gone through three investments in Dell PowerProtect Data Domain. The first one was in 2020 when we purchased Dell PowerProtect Data Domain for the first time with the model being 6,300. One year ago, we replaced it with the 6,400, which is a newer hardware model. We also use Dell PowerProtect Data Domain in a solution called Dell Cyber Recovery, which is isolated and requires Dell PowerProtect Data Domain in an isolated environment. The third module is located in our DR site, which replicates the main site to Dell PowerProtect Data Domain in the DR site.

I would rate this product eight out of ten.