Dell NetWorker Reviews

I use the solution since we have thousands of stores where the business needs servers as a backup for everything, and so we use Dell NetWorker and Dell Data Domain Systems.

Dell Networker helps with the backup of critical data.

There are a couple of time-tested products, like Dell NetWorker and Veritas NetBackup. Both are among the oldest backup solutions or software products and work properly.

Dell NetWorker's features revolve around its many shell utilities that help gather reports. It is like any other backup software since you can schedule a backup, and it works.

The software itself works, but it mostly depends on the environment. If you store the tool in a remote location and you don't have good connectivity, then there won't be issues. The software does what it is supposed to do, which is take care of the backup. The one thing Dell needs to improve on is the area of NVP vProxy. Even for Veritas NetBackup, NVP vProxy is a part of the backup software, so we don't have to deploy it separately. In Dell NetWorker, you have to deploy NVP vProxy for backup using vCenter to backup VMs in VMware, which is one area I noticed is a little bit of a pain because we have to deploy, like, 10, 15 or 20 vProxy servers, which connects vCenter to Dell NetWorker and then you can add the VMs from the VMware to back them up. I know that vProxy has to be deployed. Otherwise, you cannot use vCenter as a backup for the VMs via VMware. I know that vProxy is the only thing I noticed is not a part of the software. You have to deploy a separate server, but integrating is not a problem. You can use it as a backup tool for anything you want, ranging from databases to file systems.

I have been using Dell NetWorker for fifteen to twenty years. My company is a very big Dell customer. I use the solution's latest version.

When it comes to the stability of the product, some of the stores that have bad connectivity have some challenges backing them up because they operate remotely, the connection is slow, and it takes longer to manage the backup stuff. That is where the deduplication in the tool helps because once you get the data to the storage device, only the deduplication part looks into the changes in the data going to Dell NetWorker.

The tool can be easily scaled up. Depending on your environment, you can increase the resources on the backup servers and the CPU memory. You can also increase the storage where the backup data is saved on the fly. It is really easy.

At the company, there are six to seven backup admins.

There are no plans to increase the use of the product in our company.

The solution's technical support is pretty good and helpful. The tool's support team usually responds right away to high-priority issues, and if it is something that is of medium priority, then it takes a day. If something is not important or if it is an area that can wait, then we can just arrange or schedule a meeting with Dell at a fixed time. Everything is based on the priority or the severity of the ticket. The tool's support team is pretty responsive. I rate the technical support an eight out of ten.

Positive

The product's installation phase is straightforward. You could install the software on UNIX or Windows systems, and we just run the software and then configure it based on each environment.

There is no need to have a specific strategy for setting up the solution, as it is a pretty straightforward procedure. You just install it, add clients, and back them up.

The solution can be deployed in a scattered environment, meaning some of it is on-prem and some on the cloud.

Dell NetWorker is an expensive solution. None of the backup products are cheap. The licensing model offered is usually a five-year one. The need to pay any additional charges apart from the licensing is something that depends on what kind of support agreement you have with Dell NetWorker. If it is a TLA-based agreement, then such licenses are transformational licenses with which I can send as many NetWorkers as I want to my servers. You pay according to what kind of agreements you have with Dell. You can go for a non-TLA agreement, which is like a one-to-one agreement where, after the tool is deployed, it is covered for the duration of the support. You have to pay for the hardware and buy it. Support is offered under five-year contracts. If you are for a TLA-based license, you can use any of their products within the suite without paying extra.

My company uses Dell Data Domain Systems for deduplication. Dell Data Domain Systems is a storage device from Dell, and it works really well with Dell NetWorker. Dell Data Domain Systems can also be used with Veritas NetBackup or any other backup software because it is just a storage destination, so only the deduplicated data gets packed up every day.

The maintenance of the product is not complex. Sometimes, the services die, and you just start up the processes.

I recommend the product to others who plan to use it.

I rate the product a seven out of ten.

In our company, we rely on Dell NetWorker for many important tasks. It is our go-to for keeping documents safe and making sure our virtual environment, especially VMware, stays secure with reliable backup and recovery. We also use it for protecting user data and meeting file recording needs. Additionally, it plays a crucial role in keeping our email system, Microsoft Exchange, backed up.

The standout feature of Dell NetWorker is its expertise in handling our VMware environment. It makes the whole backup process for virtual servers, especially in large VMware setups like ours, a breeze. The proxy setup in the VMware part is super handy. Another great feature is Client Direct, which lets our clients send backup data directly to Data Domain or backup storage. This is a big win as it skips the network traffic, making backups smoother and more efficient.

In terms of improvements for the next release of Dell NetWorker, a key area would be enhancing the user interface, especially the NetWorker Management Console. The stability of the NMC could use some attention, as it tends to be a bit shaky during jobs and other operations. While the browser functions well for general tasks, the NMC encounters various problems, impacting its overall reliability. Addressing these issues would greatly improve the user experience and streamline day-to-day operations. In addition to addressing the UI and stability issues, another aspect that could be improved in Dell NetWorker is the optimization of job management. It would be beneficial to enhance the efficiency and reliability of job execution processes.

I have been using Dell NetWorker for two years.

Dell NetWorker is not extremely stable. I would give it a six out of ten for stability.

I would rate the scalability of the solution as a seven out of ten. We have two administrators using it at our company.

I would rate Dell NetWorker's support as a five out of ten. The experience varies; the support in the US and Egypt is okay, but the support from India is not great. The first-line support isn't always super technical, so they often ask for unnecessary stuff. It takes a while to get someone with the right know-how to help, making problem-solving a bit of a waiting game. There is room for improvement overall.

Neutral

Before choosing Dell NetWorker we worked with IBM Spectrum Protect. We picked Dell NetWorker because of Dell's global presence, but we found that it is an older product with fewer features compared to others. So, we decided to switch to a newer software that better met our needs.

The deployment process for NetWorker is relatively straightforward and doesn't take an extensive amount of time. Downloading the package, uploading it to the server, and installing it are typically the basic steps in the deployment process.

Dell NetWorker is not overly expensive. I would rate it as a four out of ten in terms of costliness.

My advice to new users is that if most of your setup is virtualized, around 80-90% in VMware, Dell NetWorker is a good choice. It excels in virtual environments. But if you are mostly dealing with physical servers, you might want to consider other options like Backup Exec or Veeam, which could be a better fit. Overall, I would rate the product as a seven out of ten.

On-premises

The main benefits of Dell NetWorker include its efficient incremental backup windows and the comprehensive training available for protecting various environments using NetWorker and Data Domain.

It offers seamless integration and can handle many VMs without adding workload or requiring additional backup time.

It provides a more convenient solution because it can integrate with multiple applications.

To integrate with the library and Oracle, we must make multiple changes to the OS and the database. However, with another solution, we only need to install the backup software, configure it, and run the backup without any changes to the OS. 

I encountered an issue with Insight, but by using the VR backup, I rebuilt the indexes and successfully brought the server up on the VR side.

It is stable.

It is scalable. 2000 servers are using this solution.

I've handled around 2,200 backups, and the high compression rates are impressive, achieving up to 99% deduplication and compression. This greatly increases capacity, reduces costs, and improves efficiency. From my experience, using the Avakapindi tool is the best approach. However, when it comes to Dell NetWorker, some challenges exist, particularly with integrating applications like SaaS and EVR. While integration with more straightforward databases like MySQL is manageable, advanced databases and applications like MongoDB, SAP, DB2, and Postgres are challenging to install and understand, especially from a DBA perspective.

Another issue is that with NetWorker, everything must be managed directly on the server. You can't install the agent or manage backups and restores from the front end; you must log in to the server. This is inconvenient for cloud providers, where accessing the server directly isn't always an option. Ideally, all backup and restore activities should be possible without server access, but with NetWorker, server-side limitations require logging in for updates, agent installation, and other tasks.

Most of the customers who are using NetWorker have a data domain.

Ultimate verification software is very useful for installing the networker in our environment. Deploying this solution takes two to three hours and three people.

It was easy to bring up and monitor the server, making it feasible in our environment. For example, it can be done despite encountering a couple of issues.

Pricing is considerable. We often need to purchase Data Domain to obtain the necessary licenses for NetWorker. Typically, they purchase Data Domain and then get the licenses for NetWorker and Avamar as part of the package.

Data Domain is a powerful solution, especially when integrated with Zenfone. It delivers the best backup performance and superior data aggregation and compression ratios unmatched by other backup solutions. One more thing to add is that achieving high performance during the backup window and optimizing deduplication and compression can greatly enhance the overall process. However, this can also impact the speed and efficiency of data restores.

I recommend the solution.

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

On-premises

We have a centralized data domain system with a 100% virtualized environment. The product helps us with VM Backup, NAS system backup, and file system backup.

The product is a good backup solution and has helped our organization in most data storage scenarios.

Dell NetWorker's valuable feature is its ability to configure the network for immutability, specifically for backups. It is the most essential feature nowadays. We can take immediate backups. It has a good compression ratio as well.

The NDMP backups, especially NAS, could be optimal. We receive complaints from various vendors related to its slow performance. Additionally, it required full backups and configuration every week or two. There could be a possibility of constructing full backups from incremental data intelligently, similar to TSM. Further, they could adopt a progressive backup methodology.

We have been using Dell NetWorker for six years.

I rate the product's stability a seven out of ten.

I rate the platform's stability a seven out of ten.

The technical support services are good, especially when we have connected with the right individuals or specialists.

The decision to move from TSM to Dell NetWorker was primarily driven by Dell/EMC infrastructure use. We wanted to maintain a unified vendor approach across the entire converged infrastructure.

The initial setup is straightforward. However, PPDM is a lot easier to deploy than NetWorker.

We never encountered any challenges for data backup and restore. It is a big advantage considering the return on investment.

It is inexpensive compared to new products like Rubrik or Cohesity. They offer discounts to government organizations.

We have to keep Dell NetWorker updated as many security fixes need to be done. With everything shifting to the cloud, the organization beginning with the transition should consider hybrid solutions. This approach will help them back up both the cloud and on-premise versions in a hybrid environment.

I rate it a seven out of ten.

On-premises

Dell NetWorker is primarily used on customers' off-site premises to take backups from core servers. Although we are a solution provider and not the direct user, Dell NetWorker is effective in taking backups and is used in customer environments. It helps our clients by providing reliable backup solutions.

NetWorker is easy to install on clients and servers, and making backups from server to storage and backup devices is straightforward.

The challenge with Dell NetWorker lies in its deployment over virtualized environments. Ports are not visible to the network, which requires a dedicated physical server. Improving this feature could greatly enhance usability.

We have been using Dell NetWorker since 2022 or 2021, for the last three years.

NetWorker is stable and provides a means for seamless backups from various devices.

Initial setup can be completed in approximately three working days, depending on the server and backup devices involved.

We have a dedicated team for the implementation which is well-versed in virtualization, servers, and storage connectivity. The team includes more than sixty engineers in various specialized domains.

They should improve the visibility of network ports when Dell NetWorker is deployed over virtualized environments.

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

On-premises

Our primary use cases for the product include taking regular backups of critical systems and utilizing its archiving solution. We back up our enterprise systems to a disk-based backup system and subsequently transfer these backups to an archiving system. When necessary, we recover these backups for our users, such as application and database users.

The product's most valuable features are robust integration options with databases and email systems. It allows seamless integration with native tools like Oracle's, significantly accelerating the backup process by eliminating the need for manual configuration.

We encountered challenges during the solution's deployment, particularly integrating our database system and Microsoft Exchange. This area needs improvement. 

They could improve their licensing policy, particularly in terms of measuring customer systems for backups. For example, they could refine distinguishing between capacity-based backups and the number of system-based backups. 

I have been working with Dell NetWorker for about five years.

I rate the product stability an eight out of ten. 

I rate the product scalability a nine out of ten. 

Dell could improve its technical support by enhancing the response time, especially for the initial ticket raised. The first ticket could be addressed promptly and within the agreed-upon service level agreement (SLA).

Positive

The setup is straightforward for smaller deployments, but it becomes more complicated for larger deployments.

Excluding the integration with other systems, it typically takes one to two days. However, the process can take about one week if system integrations are included.

The solution's automation capabilities are efficient. Once the scheduler is configured, backups proceed without any interruption. This includes automatic transfers from disk-based to archiving systems, making the process highly effective.

I rate it an eight out of ten. 

On-premises

Dell NetWorker is mostly used for backup solutions, and it was quite good and easy to work with.

Dell NetWorker's user interface is quite simple and very interactive. The solution's user interface is easy to manipulate or maneuver around.

The solution could be graphically better.

I have been using Dell NetWorker for five years.

I rate Dell NetWorker ten out of ten for stability.

Our clients for Dell NetWorker are mostly enterprise businesses.

I rate the solution ten out of ten for scalability.

It took a while the last time I tried to get support, but once I got connected to the support, it was quite easy. I had a few challenges in the beginning, but it didn't take long once the communication was established.

Positive

On a scale from one to ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy, I rate the solution's initial setup an eight out of ten.

It takes a couple of minutes to install the server and the agents, but the solution's deployment doesn't take long.

On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing an eight out of ten.

Dell NetWorker has supported our client's daily backup operations in a good manner. It's quite easy to use Dell NetWorker for disaster recovery processes. It is straightforward and requires a couple of steps, unlike other solutions where you'd have to go through too many options. Dell NetWorker allows me to examine the endpoints for data protection needs.

Dell NetWorker's deduplication functionality is way better than what we get on Veeam. The implementation of Dell NetWorker has positively affected our overall IT infrastructure performance. I would recommend the solution to other users.

Overall, I rate Dell NetWorker ten out of ten.

On-premises

Dell NetWorker is a secure and backup service tool.

The solution offers time management, reduces operational cost and do multiple backups at a time.

The tool should integrate with other solutions, like, the tape library.

I have been using Dell NetWorker for one and a half years.

I rate the solution’s stability an eight out of ten.

300 users are using the solution in our company.

I rate the solution’s scalability an eight out of ten.

Dell support is better. Basically, in our region, no physical resources required to prevent such things. We need to go online supports, and time differences are too high.

Neutral

The initial setup can be difficult at times, especially when dealing with Data Domain port-based authentication. Managing where the Data Domain is located on the port side can be a particular difficulty. Deployment takes around two to three hours to complete whereas port installation take around two to three weeks. We have two users to do the implement and maintain.

We achieved 60% ROI in terms of money and time savings.

The solution’s pricing differ in some conditions. It offers perpetual licence.

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

The Dell Networker's maintenance complexity varies. It can be easy in some situations and challenging in others. Overall, its functionality is generally good. However, when monitoring the system from another location, we encounter difficulties in handling certain conditions. These difficulties arise especially during installation and client configuration. Maintaining client-level configurations also have difficulty, particularly when communication between clients and the server occurs through different ports while only one or two ports are allowed by default settings. This further complicate the process.

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