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Dell Avamar vs Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Nov 5, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:
 

ROI

Sentiment score
7.0
Dell Avamar offers efficient data reduction, cost savings, enhanced IT operations, and strong data security against ransomware threats.
Sentiment score
7.4
Dell PowerProtect DD offers significant financial benefits, enhancing backup efficiency and ROI through rapid restoration and data reduction.
 

Customer Service

Sentiment score
6.6
Dell Avamar's customer service is mixed; praised for expertise but criticized for reliability and communication issues post-acquisition.
Sentiment score
7.4
Dell PowerProtect DD support is praised for responsiveness and expertise, despite regional inconsistencies in Bangladesh and Pakistan.
When their technical person is online, the quality of service and technical knowledge are very good.
They respond within 24 hours of case submission, which is crucial for maintaining the solution.
I have encountered an issue before with other brands that would not have occurred with Dell.
I have dedicated support from Dell for Vietnam, and they are responsive.
 

Scalability Issues

Sentiment score
6.9
Dell Avamar offers scalability for medium to large enterprises but requires costly node additions and has infrastructure limitations.
Sentiment score
6.9
Dell PowerProtect DD offers excellent scalability for enterprises, with easy expansion and effective cloud options for large data volumes.
Dell Avamar offers very good scalability.
The scalability depends on the IT department's strategy.
By keeping the increasing data in mind, we decided to go for Data Domain.
The solution is scalable to higher models, both vertically and horizontally.
 

Stability Issues

Sentiment score
8.6
Dell Avamar is praised for its stability, reliability, and effective performance in virtual and physical infrastructure backup and restore.
Sentiment score
8.3
Dell PowerProtect DD is highly reliable, with minimal downtime and robust performance, consistently rated nine or ten for stability.
Dell is especially more stable in the enterprise product.
Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is stable in terms of software performance.
 

Room For Improvement

Dell Avamar needs UI, backup speed, cloud integration, and scalability improvements, with concerns over pricing and technical support.
Dell PowerProtect DD requires improved processing, security, ease of use, integration, and competitive pricing to meet user demands.
There are instances where backups fail on certain applications, which is an area that could be improved.
While Dell Avamar is a good product, the pricing is very high.
Medium-level and SME-level businesses can easily utilize this feature, but Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is a relatively expensive solution to propose to customers.
Integration with cybersecurity measures can be enhanced, particularly with ransomware protection.
It is suitable for more customers since it is small, cost-effective, and a good start for any customer to know about Data Domain and DBS solutions.
 

Setup Cost

Dell Avamar offers varying pricing experiences, with praised setup ease, but cost-effectiveness compared to competitors like Veeam is debated.
Dell PowerProtect DD is costly but valued for deduplication and support, despite competition from Veritas and Commvault.
I don't currently have detailed knowledge about the pricing, however, it is geared towards enterprise businesses and might be on the higher side.
The backup solution cost is higher than the actual solution.
The price for PowerProtect DD is not suitable for my customers. It is very high.
The pricing has become higher since July, and the license costs are more expensive compared to the past.
 

Valuable Features

Dell Avamar provides efficient data protection, scalability, and seamless integration, offering user-friendly features and strong deduplication with minimal resource use.
Dell PowerProtect DD offers deduplication, compression, and seamless integration, praised for scalability, security, reliability, and cost-effectiveness in data management.
The most valuable feature is the instant recovery capability.
The most valuable feature for me is the backup functionality.
The most valuable feature of Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is its deduplication capability.
Retention for data, deduplication, and replication between sites are valuable features.
The backup window is also reduced, and recovery is definitely faster.
 

Categories and Ranking

Dell Avamar
Ranking in Deduplication Software
5th
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
6.9
Number of Reviews
89
Ranking in other categories
Backup and Recovery (7th)
Dell PowerProtect DD (Data ...
Ranking in Deduplication Software
1st
Average Rating
8.6
Reviews Sentiment
7.0
Number of Reviews
75
Ranking in other categories
Disk Based Backup Systems (1st)
 

Mindshare comparison

As of July 2025, in the Deduplication Software category, the mindshare of Dell Avamar is 9.6%, up from 8.9% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is 28.2%, down from 29.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Deduplication Software
 

Q&A Highlights

it_user113067 - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 11, 2016
 

Featured Reviews

Ayodeji  Oyewole - PeerSpot reviewer
Reliable with good backups but has occasional failures
I use Dell Avamar primarily for backup and recovery The most valuable feature for me is the backup functionality. It gives large enterprises the comfort of knowing their workloads are being backed up. There are instances where backups fail on certain applications, which is an area that could be…
Faisal_Zia - PeerSpot reviewer
Offers efficient data management with robust features and reliable performance
Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) can be improved in terms of price. While Dell is providing a proper device, other solutions, such as Symantec, can replicate their data through any NAS storage. Although their deduplication and compression might not be as effective, they can still accomplish the task. Medium-level and SME-level businesses can easily utilize this feature, but Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is a relatively expensive solution to propose to customers.
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Answers from the Community

it_user113067 - PeerSpot reviewer
Feb 11, 2016
Feb 11, 2016
Avamar supports Extended Retention Media Access nodes -- A Media Access node exports backup data from an Avamar server to a tape library (physical or virtual) for long-term retention purposes. It has an HBA port that allows a tape device to be connected directly to the node via fiber-optic cable. It is not part of an ADS Gen4S server (not connected to the Avamar system’s internal network).
2 out of 4 answers
RI
May 18, 2014
TSM? Druva?
it_user8967 - PeerSpot reviewer
May 19, 2014
http://www.hds.com/products/storage-software/hitachi-data-instance-manager.html
 

Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
13%
Computer Software Company
11%
Government
11%
Manufacturing Company
11%
Computer Software Company
15%
Financial Services Firm
11%
Manufacturing Company
9%
Government
8%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
 

Questions from the Community

What's the difference between Dell EMC Avamar and Dell EMC NetWorker?
From the very beginning, Dell EMC NetWorker considers users and those who might potentially become users. In terms of both pricing and setup, this product offers an experience that is significantly...
What do you like most about Dell Avamar?
Easy to configure and highly reliable for backup.
What is your primary use case for Dell EMC PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?
My use case for this solution is for protecting or backing up data to safeguard against hacking or for disaster recovery. I utilize it in more projects on the governmental side, the non-governmenta...
What do you like most about Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?
The product, a disk backup solution, improves our data application tasks. We used tape libraries with Dev drives in legacy architectures, resulting in slow backups compared to modern drives like NV...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain)?
The price is also a disadvantage. Price is a disadvantage with the PowerProtect as it needs to be cheaper. The cheaper device costs around $70,000, which is a big sum to pay for a device like this.
 

Also Known As

Avamar
DataDomain, Dell EMC Data Domain, PowerProtect Data Domain
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Dodge County, St Laurence's College, FieldCore (a GE Company), Comanche County Memorial Hospital, Getronics, Lewisville Independent School District, EnvisionRxOptions, Cincinnati Bell Technology Solutions
The US Army, City of Houston, Lloyds TSB, TiVo, Teck, Ingram Entertainment, The New York Mets
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell Avamar vs. Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) and other solutions. Updated: June 2025.
860,168 professionals have used our research since 2012.