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Dell NetWorker vs OpenText Data Protector comparison

 

Comparison Buyer's Guide

Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 11, 2024

Review summaries and opinions

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

Categories and Ranking

Dell NetWorker
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
10th
Average Rating
7.8
Reviews Sentiment
6.6
Number of Reviews
86
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
OpenText Data Protector
Ranking in Backup and Recovery
22nd
Average Rating
7.6
Reviews Sentiment
5.8
Number of Reviews
102
Ranking in other categories
No ranking in other categories
 

Mindshare comparison

As of June 2026, in the Backup and Recovery category, the mindshare of Dell NetWorker is 1.2%, down from 3.0% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of OpenText Data Protector is 1.0%, up from 0.7% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.
Backup and Recovery Mindshare Distribution
ProductMindshare (%)
Dell NetWorker1.2%
OpenText Data Protector1.0%
Other97.8%
Backup and Recovery
 

Featured Reviews

RaedHassan - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Specialist Backup/Storage at National Bank of Kuwait
Has supported flexible multi-platform backups and improved over time
Regarding the effectiveness of Dell NetWorker in terms of role-based access controls, I have experience with it, but I find it somewhat lacking in flexibility as it offers limited features, and I would rate it around seven out of ten. It is not that there is something wrong with the role-based access controls in Dell NetWorker, but it lacks many permissions or roles to assign, providing options only for administrator or user. To improve Dell NetWorker for the next release, I recommend enhancing flexibility in the policy, allowing selection of multiple options within the same policy, and addressing issues like the DNS lookup dependency to make it more controllable from Dell NetWorker itself rather than relying on other applications. Looking forward, I would like to see improved policy features and a more enhanced GUI, as it is still slow.
Ahmad-Hassan - PeerSpot reviewer
Project Manager And Technical Consultant at EEMC
Provides effective backup for physical servers and needs improvements for cloud compatibility
We use OpenText Data Protector for Oracle database backup and some applications that run for database security OpenText Data Protector is good for physical backup, specifically for physical servers. It is effective for direct backups to EMC library or storage without using a repository. However,…

Quotes from Members

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

Pros

"Once the scheduler is configured, backups proceed without any interruption."
"The solution is scalable, and approximately 1,000 users utilize the solution in our organization."
"Simple, stable and straightforward."
"The initial setup is simple."
"The feature that offers the greatest benefits in ensuring data integrity is its backup capability."
"The initial setup is very easy. It's incredibly fast."
"The tool's most valuable feature is its ability to recover the data."
"The updated graphical interface is better than it used to be."
"Data Protector's GUI is the most useful feature."
"This solution is awesome; it is leaps ahead of Backup Exec, leaps ahead."
"The best and biggest improvement for us is that we can rely on the backups it provides."
"It's very easy to use."
"The solution is very stable, it was very helpful."
"Overall, when compared with other restore solutions, I can say most of the good features are packed inside a software that has a small footprint."
"Data Protector's granular recovery features make it easy for us to create and restore backups in an understandable and user-friendly manner. With granular recovery, any database or even just a database table can be restored at will."
"Data Protector allows us to improve our SLA in successful backups and the reporting tools integrated with our management console make possible 99% backup success in our clients."
 

Cons

"I believe that the area of support could be improved. They don't appear to have an adequate number of staff members to assist us if we have any problems."
"They have many different products but they don't integrate all of the features into one product."
"Users need to have specific knowledge of the product before they jump in and use it."
"It has not improved functionality for us. At least the unsupported version we are on is difficult to administer."
"It is not easy to understand and deploy. It is complex in nature. Simplicity is not there. When we deploy it, the customer always needs some training from us. To make it user friendly, there should be one agent that can be used to back up every product. Dell EMC NetWorker uses so many user agents. In PowerProtect Data Manager, you can just install its VM, import that VM into vCenter, and you can start to do backups directly from vCenter. However, in Dell EMC NetWorker, you always need one server, and from that server, you need to initiate all backups. You must know the interface and the CLI. It is not user friendly. It would be a great feature if we can deploy Dell EMC NetWorker on a virtual machine, like Avamar. The additional features that are required in Dell EMC NetWorker are already available in PowerProtect Data Manager and Avamar. Therefore, there is no need to enhance Dell EMC NetWorker. It would be better if they can just rename it to PowerProtect Data Manager or Avamar."
"There are too many reboots and the software requires constant updating - just like Windows. I don't like that so I feel that it isn't very stable."
"There could be a possibility of constructing full backups from incremental data intelligently."
"The installation process should be improved as it is complicated. To connect to a server, it's necessary to install a client on the server, which is challenging."
"In SAP restoration, we faced issues with changing the SIDs and changing the path for every backup object. It is quite a lengthy process to do that."
"I'd say that our ROI is bad."
"What we wanted was disk-to-disk replication. After we got that nailed down, we then wanted to replicate from disk to tape. We were told that we can't do that, and then we were told it doesn't let you do it unless you buy it with a license."
"The major issue we are facing in this product is Sybase database integration."
"Be ready for an exercise in frustration, but once all the problems are resolved, then you’re OK."
"There are lots of bugs around; inability to downgrade version, issues with version upgrades, etc."
"I think the GUI needs a vast overhaul."
"Many of our users complain about the GUI. You still need to rely on the command line interface."
 

Pricing and Cost Advice

"They are not cheap."
"It is a relatively inexpensive product compared to one of its competitors."
"It is not very expensive and not very cheap."
"Licensing is based on the number of terabytes, so you need to purchase packages."
"The price of the license could be cheaper and it would be a benefit if they came up with a new pricing model. The competitors here in Oman sell universal licensing where a number of virtual machines are hosted at the customer place which can be licensed, or you can license the CPU sockets in those servers. However, NetWorker offers only CPU sockets or overall storage capacity to backup, but there is no universal licensing where you can provide a number of VMs. They should offer more options to stay competitive with other solutions, such as Veeam."
"There is a licensing fee."
"It is inexpensive compared to new products."
"The pricing is okay."
"The pricing is around $3,000 to $5,000. The charge additionally for support and to scale."
"Pricing/licensing is Data Protector's single best offering. In its most basic environment, the only license required is for whatever target device is required."
"It is more affordable compared to other vendors."
"The licensing structure provides cost savings to business."
"There is a perpetual license involved in addition to support which needs to be renewed annually."
"Our licensing is on a capacity basis."
"Pricing for Micro Focus Data Protector is reasonable."
"The licensing cost is too high."
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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews
Financial Services Firm
14%
Comms Service Provider
11%
Manufacturing Company
8%
Construction Company
6%
Financial Services Firm
22%
Construction Company
9%
Marketing Services Firm
8%
Outsourcing Company
7%
 

Company Size

By reviewers
Large Enterprise
Midsize Enterprise
Small Business
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business24
Midsize Enterprise33
Large Enterprise38
By reviewers
Company SizeCount
Small Business28
Midsize Enterprise22
Large Enterprise61
 

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 is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Dell NetWorker?
Regarding the pricing of Dell NetWorker, it depends on the deal or negotiation we have with the vendor, making it reasonable, although I cannot make a definitive decision without knowing the specif...
What needs improvement with Dell NetWorker?
Regarding the effectiveness of Dell NetWorker in terms of role-based access controls, I have experience with it, but I find it somewhat lacking in flexibility as it offers limited features, and I w...
What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Micro Focus Data Protector?
The solution is expensive as it requires purchasing all features without the option to negotiate based on client numbers, unlike Veeam which offers flexibility in pricing.
What needs improvement with Micro Focus Data Protector?
OpenText Data Protector is not user-friendly, especially for cloud backup. It lacks functions and facilities compared to Veeam, which offers more user-friendliness for virtual machine backups. Ther...
What is your primary use case for Micro Focus Data Protector?
We use OpenText Data Protector ( /products/opentext-data-protector-reviews ) for Oracle database backup and some applications that run for database security.
 

Also Known As

NetWorker
Micro Focus Data Protector, Data Protector, OmniBack, HPE Data Protector
 

Overview

 

Sample Customers

Republic Bank, Westgate Resorts, Macquire Cloud Services, Shriners, Panatonni, Qatar Islamic Bank, Eurosport
GSK Vaccines, Repsol, Vodafone Group, Siemens AG, Medium Enterprise Transportation Services Company
Find out what your peers are saying about Dell NetWorker vs. OpenText Data Protector and other solutions. Updated: June 2026.
900,747 professionals have used our research since 2012.