Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) Reviews

Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is used centrally for backup purposes, as we use it for backup purposes only with our critical applications.

The biggest advantage of the product is that it is basically a single appliance which comes with a bundle of backup software and the appliance, as we have a single console to manage it.

It also provides other features such as data encryption at rest, along with data deduplication and compression in backup which is very useful.

From the centralized dashboard, we can manage the backup job and determine if the backup job is happening appropriately or not. If any backup job fails, we can find out the root cause for the failures.

Because it is a hardware-based appliance, we can restore the data immediately, and it provides genuine restore capabilities.

In terms of data availability compliance, we are looking for data availability and data security in terms of encryption, data deduplication and compression. It provides data availability as each appliance comes with RAID. If one or two disks fail, then our data appliance is still available for backup. It also provides encryption, so our data is also ransomware protected.

Each and every Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) appliance comes with a fixed size, which means if our data has grown, we have to upgrade to another appliance. Some appliances provide in-place data upgradation, allowing us to add more hard disks into a particular appliance, but at the entry level, we definitely have to change the product. That is the only disadvantage; otherwise, there is absolutely no disadvantage.

We started using it almost more than five years ago.

It is basically 99% stable; from a hardware perspective, there are absolutely no issues.

In some entry-level models, they are not scalable, but certain mid-enterprise or enterprise appliances are easily scalable.

In terms of hardware appliances, Dell's support is absolutely fine, but for backup software, we face certain challenges in getting proper support.

The challenge is in getting it configured. Once we have configured the environment and it is working absolutely fine, if we find bugs, it takes a longer time to fix that from the Dell side.

For appliance support, I can give 8 or 9, but for software support, I would give 6.5 or maybe 7.

In general, the average would be around 8 points.

It is basically not easy or not complicated; it is a typical installation.

When deploying any backup appliance, you have to make sure to configure your backup jobs properly and manage your backup windows to achieve smooth operations for backing up the data.

Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is worth buying and there is a return on investment.

From a time perspective, we can say there is almost 30 to 40% time saving, but in terms of cost, because of deduplication and compression, we can almost say there is a savings of 20% to 30%.

It is competitive; it is not expensive, but it is competitive with the other similarly available solutions.

We have worked with StoreOnce from HP, which is not a pure IDPA but basically a backup appliance like Dell DD and Data Domain. For similar appliances, we can say Veritas NetBackup appliance and nowadays the Cohesity appliance.

We are currently also working with Cohesity as well as the Commvault appliance.

The difference in pros and cons that we see depends upon the customer environment and requirements. All the products are very good, and based on customer requirements and expectations, we select the appropriate solutions.

We are using servers from Dell, and earlier, we used to work with their data protection and backup solutions, which we are still using.

The complete name of the backup appliance is Data Domain, and the backup software is NetWorker.

We are using PowerEdge for servers.

We are basically used to using the rack server, but currently, Dell has maybe stopped selling the blade server. We are selling the rack server, specifically the Dell rack server.

We are not working with the XR or XE series; we are basically working with the normal PowerEdge servers like R717, R617, R570, and R470.

We just started using the AI server in terms of the XE series, which has multiple GPUs in the solutions.

Earlier, we were selling this for backup, but nowadays, we are not. That was a couple of years ago.

We have a Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) appliance in our office only.

We are working with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) today as a customer internally, because at the end of the day, PowerProtect is nothing but a DD appliance, a Data Domain appliance.

It is very easy in terms of IT operations and daily management.

AI may not be very useful because in backup, I am not sure how AI is going to help us out.

Our review rating for Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is 8 out of 10.

Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is versatile because I can use it for any type of use case, as it's like an all-in-one box. I especially utilize Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) for virtual machines or databases, as those are the primary applications we are using it for. Nowadays, it enhances functionalities with some QLC drives and high-end file systems.

The fast-moving boxes I use are Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) 500T, which is a fast-moving model, and Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) 1200T, which is the other model we use for our space, particularly for the channel business and channel partners. In the SMB and mid-enterprise sector, these two models—Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) 500T and 1200T—are primarily what customers buy.

The clustering capability of 1200T has seen one customer implement clustering, but I am not using clustering solutions much because the advantage I gain comes from data reduction ratios. That is the reason I am not providing many clustering solutions.

Regarding Dell AIOps, it is very essential for our customers or partners because it continuously monitors and provides predictive analysis. It also assists in identifying potential failures and issues. In AIOps, Dell injects some KB articles to help me understand the rectification of particular incidents. This enhancement in AIOps is vital for our customers and partners, especially with support cases and predictive analysis.

Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is versatile because I can use it for any type of use case, as it is an all-in-one box. I especially utilize Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) for virtual machines or databases, as those are the primary applications I am using it for. Nowadays, it enhances functionalities with some QLC drives and high-end file systems.

From an improvement perspective, I do not see many negative points for Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA). However, budget constraints can be a challenge when pitching to customers due to the prominent pricing associated with NVMe storage. That is the only major concern I have regarding selling Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA), but aside from that, I do not face many challenges with either customers or partners.

There are indeed new capabilities continually added to Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA). For example, they have introduced cyber detection and integration with data domain features. The enhancements including AIOps and future-proof programs are significant improvements. While I cannot pinpoint exact new capabilities right now, the regular updates since 2020 have been numerous, and I believe if they could offer options for higher capacity with QLC drives, it would greatly benefit customer pricing and performance needs.

Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) started in 2020, and Dell released it in that year. After that, I engaged in several projects, and we had some demo boxes in 2021. I gradually engaged with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) after I joined the UAE market around 2023.

I do not experience any stability issues with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA), and I do not see any challenges regarding glitches, downtime, or latency.

Regarding scalability, it is easy to expand with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) as it supports both scale-up and scale-out options, which adds to its overall importance.

I would rate Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) support a nine out of ten because Dell focuses significantly on Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA). They provide a high level of attention to support cases for Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) compared to their other products.

The deployment process for Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is straightforward and not complex. Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) implementation is easy, provided a certified engineer manages it. If someone is knowledgeable about the project and product, installation is not difficult from my perspective.

Observing return on investment with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is quite feasible. The data reduction allows customers to maintain their capacity without needing to purchase new hardware, which is beneficial. For instance, if a customer initially wants 50TB of usable capacity, they might actually only need 20TB or 15TB due to these reduction ratios. Thus, they gain around 20% to 30% ROI without the necessity for upgrades.

Regarding capital expenditures, Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) indeed helps in reducing them. The main advantage lies in its data reduction capabilities and DRE features, as I can utilize a single drive, eliminating the traditional dependency on a fully configured RAID setup. Customers can use just one drive for their storage requirements, providing significant savings.

In terms of quantifiable CapEx reduction, I can estimate a decrease of about 20% to 30% thanks to the efficient deployment and DRE options available in Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA).

The deployment model is entirely on-premises.

The ability to add capacity in single drive increments through DRE features is incredibly important. Traditionally, storage required creating disk groups and having online spares for drives when failures occurred. With DRE features, the rebuild time is significantly reduced, and customers can expand storage easily using single drives. This flexibility caters to customer requirements effectively.

I would rate this review a nine out of ten.

Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is used to back up Dell VX Rails, as we have six Dell VX Rail nodes or clusters in our current company, and to have an off-site backup. We have two Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) appliances, one hosted in the cloud and the other on-prem, and the reasoning behind this setup is to be able to back up all of our virtual infrastructure.

What I appreciate most about Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is the ability to adjust your type of bandwidth, because some of our nodes sit in remote areas in the mining industry, so we have wireless links running, and especially with wireless, we sometimes have intermittent connectivity. The fact that you can set your bandwidth environment is excellent for us, and it is one of the best features.

The biggest difference I notice when comparing Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) with what we had with Acronis is that Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is comprehensive; it is full on, and everything is included. The way that it works is extremely well structured, and for example, our NAS infrastructure had nodes sitting on each and every single plant, split via six plants, which elevated the workload regarding maintenance and checking that all backups are going through. I had to log into six different nodes, while Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is one complete appliance, accessible from everywhere, making it centralized.

I find it difficult to identify faults with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA). The only initial issues we had were with bare-metal restores, but their support was absolutely excellent, and we worked through the problem and eventually sorted it out. After that, there were no more issues with regards to that, so it is very stable, and the restores are brilliant.

Regarding room for improvement on Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA), we have not really tested all the aspects of the appliance itself. We were actually surprised that we could conduct Hyper-V backups as well, so I am assuming any sort of virtual infrastructure would be backable through Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA). However, I would say the bare-metal restores need improvement because if you have a failure on a certain piece of hardware, you have to replace it with the same hardware, which is the only thing I can mention.

I have been using Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) overall for about a year.

Regarding stability, I have not really seen any lagging, crashing, or downtime on Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) itself. It is fairly new, so we would have noticed if there was anything like that. The only issues we did have were with backups failing due to unstable links to three of our sites. There is not much you can do to mitigate your links, but other than that, everything is stable and running very well; we did not really experience any sort of big issues.

As for scalability with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA), we could add storage nodes; I am not sure what the entire procedure is, but I think it is just a case of putting another node in and slotting it in, adding it to the storage, which is exactly what you would expect from enterprise equipment. You would not want to order another node and then have to redeploy everything from scratch.

I have contacted technical support for Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) regarding the bare-metal restore issue we had.

The quality of support for Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) was excellent; timing was a little difficult because South Africa is in a different time zone, but as far as them going out of their way to allocate resources to us to get the problem sorted, the service was absolutely brilliant.

Before Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA), we had NAS infrastructure with Acronis nodes doing the backups.

From my point of view, the initial deployment of Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is easy; we had Dell assist our on-site techs with the initial deployment, and I actually installed the appliance myself into the data center. It was very easy, with all instructions provided with the appliance. There was routing involved as well, but the ease of initial deployment was absolutely amazing compared to other products, where you have an agent that you install on each bare-metal machine you want to back up. On vCenter, you can tag any virtual machines you would prefer to back up, making the ease of use and initial setup fairly quick.

The pricing for Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is quite expensive, but I would say, compared to the work that has been put into the appliance itself, we all know Dell is the most expensive product on the market. However, if you look at the support they offer and the pricing, it almost matches.

I would be able to provide additional advice after reflecting further on our experience with the product. My overall review rating for Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is 9 out of 10.

My use cases for Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) are mainly for backup and then recovery because that is what we propose to most of our high-end customers so that at the end of the day, they can integrate it with their VCRS.

As a partner, we have almost four or five customers making use of Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) at the moment.

The impact of it on my operations is that it is not my organization using it directly, but our customers make use of it, and all of them are giving a very good testimony about it.

In terms of operations, both the operation and daily management have been fantastic with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA). There has not been any issue or complaint from the end-user.

If there had been any issue or complaint from the end-user, that would have raised a ticket concerning that, but no issue or no complaint has occurred.

The biggest advantages of Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) that really stand out for me are that it is very easy to interact with, easy to implement, and then easy to manage.

The management aspect of it is one of the key reasons why most of the customers fell in love with it because it is very easy to manage and also to interact with.

When I speak about management, I mean the centralized management dashboard.

The only disadvantage I can see with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is the cost. In terms of the usage and also the management aspect of it, it has been great and fantastic.

The solution is quite expensive in this regard. That is what most of the customers say.

The solution is quite expensive, but when it comes to manageability or interaction with the solution, it is great.

If tomorrow brings the next release of Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA), I would like to see some additional features included and some new functionalities. At the moment, the solution is great, so I do not know if there will be any additional functionality for the solution, but I would not mind. For now, it is acceptable.

Apart from price, I would say there are no other issues or areas for improvement other than cost. Only price could be slightly less.

I can confirm that I have worked with IDPA for three to four years.

Regarding downtime, none of the customers has experienced any downtime. None of them has ever complained about downtime when it comes to Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA).

The stability of the solution is very good, and it is also very scalable. Scalability is great here, and it achieves this without downtime.

Regarding reliability, I can say that it is very reliable and stable because we have done some kind of upgrade on the data domain before, and there are no issues, nothing in both production and general environments.

The stability of the solution is very good, and it is also very scalable. Scalability is great here, and it achieves this without downtime.

Regarding customer support from Dell, it has been fantastic and great from our end-user or from our customer. Anytime there is a concern or maybe there is an upgrade or patch or software upgrade, they have all been supportive. So it is great.

If I were to rate customer service from zero to ten points, I would give it ten out of ten.

Before Dell or currently, I am not dealing with any similar products to Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA).

Implementation is easy, and the deployment process is straightforward.

To briefly describe the deployment process, starting from the hardware, if there is an external shelf that needed to be attached, we rack it and attach it to the controller, and then connect the power. After connecting the power, you power up the system.

We use the console to first connect before you go to the dashboard. After the dashboard, you now do the necessary configuration like slicing of the drives, how the customer wants the drives to be sliced, or how they want the storage to be provisioned based on their backup policy. From there, you can start managing the solution. If there is any patching to be done, we do the patches before the handover to the customer.

In terms of operations, both the operation and daily management have been fantastic with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA).

Regarding return on investment with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA), I observe that the solution is stable.

I see it as both time-saving and money-saving.

The customer can assert that it is money-saving and time-saving, but they should be in the best position to give me an answer about the specific amount they have been able to save.

The only disadvantage I can see with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is the cost. In terms of the usage and also the management aspect of it, it has been great and fantastic.

When comparing Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) to other similar tools on the market, I would say Dell is the one leading.

If tomorrow brings the next release of Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA), I would like to see some additional features included and some new functionalities. At the moment, the solution is great, so I do not know if there will be any additional functionality for the solution, but I would not mind. For now, it is acceptable.

I have given this review an overall rating of ten.

Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is mainly the protection applied. It is all about backup and Azure data protection for the workload, push machines, database, and accept. The only use case is all the other protection backup solution.

The most important feature of Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) that I have most used is an integrated feature that is completely integrated, validated, being engineered, and configurable. It comes with the software on the hardware side in a single appliance, almost three implemented. You are going to launch it and perform the initial configuration, and your own backup system is up and running, ready for production. It is easy in terms of limitation, easy to go rapid the process to go to production.

Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) service protection appliance is based on three enormous areas of access and storage. Basically, the protection solution, when it comes to BMC, is not the modern provider. They do not provide all data as their own modern data software. Onboard integrated data science comes with the legacy project and the legacy application, which has a lot of stability removed from Sotal, not improving with the part. In fact, replacing it is old that any more innovation in it is going to be two bugs, not to be innovative.

There is only an issue in the network with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA), which is as I told you, it failed on Avamar. Square and Avamar does not support it out, and most of the customers, as there are policies and there is a government's full, but Avamar does not support it.

I would rate stability for Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) a nine, and why nine? Because it is already stable enough. And the five did the integrated solution between the backup software and backup hardware. Why not ten? Because, as I told you, it is based on all the coding, all the coding programming, which in case of bugs or needing any types of innovation, it will be very hard to innovate on all the coding rather than start fresh from new coding language as they will provide in PowerProtect Data Manager, the new modern backup software provided from them.

The last time I have been using Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) was most six months.

I would rate scalability for Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) an eight. Because it is all based on the controller, which has a limited number of expansions. After that, you need to replace it, not upgrade it, despite the impact of storage, and as of right now, the modern architecture all comes with scale-out architecture. These two different types of scale are scale up or scale out.

Anytime I have contacted technical work in case of Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA). Most of the times, it is most about replacing the hardware or missing a functionality rather than getting their consultancy, and they are advised and supported regarding performing a specific process or specific project.

In fact, deploying Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) for the first time is very simple and straightforward. As I told you, it is just a hundredly engineer, then we have integrated the EROS PowerOn, perform as any sources of implementation, which is an implementation such as make it give it ID, give it passwords, and username, and you have your own data protection up or running.

In fact, as I know, even give details inside Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) and how much it costs every single component in it, I am going to say it is somehow a bit expensive, why? Let me tell you. Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is done in the following: a rack-mounted server, a traditional rack-mounted server, a web license, which is the main virtual edition, then Avamar virtual version.

Veeam is a good comparison to Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA). First of all, we use modern technology when it comes for language of Ukrainian user interface. Veeam comes with a very interactive interface, which effectively uses modern technology programming, so you are going to have room for lots of innovations, and lots of Fortinet, lots of Versace, and it is only based on software.

Mainly moving from Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) to what they are offering right now, which is called PowerProtect Data Manager appliance is really not an improved old movement.

It is the name function to August.

They are supported and friendly to help.

But still, in today, you are going to see it is cost-effective. But if you decide on your own extension, it will be contacted by your own from our modern technology from them, such as by a server or utilize add-on virtualization environment you are rating.

Without it, you still do not have the full solution. But the protection applies I have some sort of user interface links, but it is a full solution. You just plug it and go through a setup wizard, and you are going to production data protection solution.

Why it, as I told you before, it needs to have much better user interface. It needs to have some sort of additional capability as well as the price. It is not that cheaper, but it is cost-effective against the competitor, and that is all. My overall review rating for Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is eight out of ten.

We implemented Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) for one of our biggest enterprise customers across their 30 sites. The customer had hyperconverged infrastructure and was looking for a completely isolated solution with everything contained in one bunch of servers. Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) was introduced with one server that comes with Avamar, Data Domain, and many other solutions installed on ESXi and vCenter, managed through that infrastructure. Data Protection Advisor was also included. The solution comes with all parts of the platform integrated together.

However, the limitation is that it is completely a Dell product, so the backup software, backup storage, and management must all be Dell EMC products, and these are virtual appliances. The server usually comes with ESXi installed, and multiple VMs are typically present on it, tightly integrated with the infrastructure.

The customer was looking for something with customization and isolated backup traffic. Although we were able to design it in such a way, it required extensive approval from Dell EMC.

The first valuable feature is that it is tightly coupled, with backup storage and backup server everything in the same server, which provides good performance.

It is easy for rebooting and upgrading since everything is managed from a single pane through DPA, where you can upgrade everything including your backup solution and backup storage in a one-touch interface.

The automation that was placed in the system makes it easy to maintain as well.

You cannot integrate with any other third-party solution or your Data Domain since it is very tightly coupled and has limited licenses with respect to capacity that are integrated directly with Avamar.

Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) solutions are usually costly. When it is virtualized or comes with additional licenses and additional hardware, the cost increases.

The pricing is defined by what kind of performance you are looking for, so based on that, you have to decide what type of disk you need.

Scalability is based on how much capacity you have or what slots are available. After that, you have to include the DAEs and capacities. Again, you have to purchase an additional license for Data Domain if you are increasing the capacity.

Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) support from Dell EMC is consistent, and I would rate it eight out of ten.

Positive

The deployment was easy and straightforward. When the deployment was complete, logical configuration had to be done based on customer requirements, but it was manageable and not particularly difficult.

Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) integrated with Data Domain Cloud Boost transferred all archival data to the S3 bucket. The customer purchased from our partner rather than directly due to country restrictions where they do not sell directly to customers.

I would rate this solution an eight overall. If someone is looking for a very tightly-coupled solution for backup storage and does not want to deal with complicated upgrade processes, and desires easy reporting and a homogeneous solution rather than heterogeneous backup solutions where backup software and storage are different, I believe Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is one of the best options for such customers.

I have worked on Unity, PowerMax, PowerStore, and their switches, VxRail, and all such platforms as well. My overall review rating for this solution is eight out of ten.

The most common use case for Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is to safeguard data, which is why we chose that. We need to protect it and recover from any loss or recover the environment.

The features I appreciate the most about Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) are that it's self-service, simple to use, and has some immutability to protect the data from any tampering. When combined with other solutions, it provides some ransomware protection.

Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) has a scalable architecture, offering flexibility, so you can always scale the capacity to meet any increased demands.

One area of Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) that can be improved is probably more integrations with third-party software, particularly third-party backup software.

I have worked with Dell Unity solutions for five years or more.

Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is a stable solution because it's a mature product. It started off as Data Domain, then it became PowerProtect, and it's been in the market for a while, making it a mature, stable solution.

We haven't had to deal much with Dell technical support for this issue because most of the issues are resolved at the partner level. On the one or two occasions where we needed to engage with Dell support, they've been most helpful, so I would rate them a nine out of 10.

Positive

My experience working with other tools includes mostly Dell solutions.

The deployment of Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) wasn't difficult because it's a mature product. The operation is self-service, so it's simple to not only deploy but also to manage.

The pricing of Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is competitive compared to its peers in the market, and while it can always come down, I still think it's a fair price.

I deal with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA).

We're a Dell partner, not just a customer or an end-user of Dell solutions.

We haven't dealt with other Dell solutions because we only deal with compute and storage and some data protection solutions.

I would rate Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) overall as a good solution, giving it an eight out of 10.

Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) was positioned as an appliance concept for clients, providing faster go-to-market strategies by having everything pre-integrated, which gives customers advantages so that within two to three hours, I am ready to deploy my policy.

The concept of pre-integrated solutions was very nice, allowing a customer to have a single dashboard to manage everything, which includes backups for desktops, laptops, enterprise applications, virtual and physical servers, along with comprehensive cloud-based backup capabilities.

I assess the impact on data protection strategy as very positive, and I do not see any flaws here.

The negative aspect I can mention regarding Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) is that when it was built on VMware, it had some flaws, and the system was not built properly, necessitating access to individual VMs for configuration and troubleshooting, which has been resolved in the DM version.

When comparing Dell products and its competitors, I see some flaws with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) as it has been replaced due to management complexity compared to trending backup software, but the centralized DP Central is effective from an operational perspective for managing policies.

I have been working with Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) since it was released until it was end-of-life.

Regarding the reliability of Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA), I mention that it is stable and backed by Dell support.

I find the scalability of the product to be good and scalable as a family with the need for proper engagement in the sizing stage based on customer requirements.

I find Dell support to be great, without any notable problems.

If I were to rate the support from zero to ten, I would give it a seven.

To improve support and reach a ten, I believe that the process may need to be enhanced, as it is essential for customers to understand their contracts and have clear expectations when opening cases for support.

The installation phase should be quite straightforward as it is marketed.

In terms of compliance requirements, Dell PowerProtect DP (IDPA) has the compliance of the Data Domain base and offers retention lock options, adhering to the compliance standards available in the market.

In terms of licensing, I find the product's pricing to be quite friendly and all-inclusive, which is a good aspect of it.

I save time and space through deduplication and compression since I manage significantly less data, which reduces costs associated with cooling and storage management, making it easier for me as an admin.

Positive

I deploy the solution for customers who use it for data protection and as a backup solution.

Earlier, if a customer wanted to implement a backup solution in their environment, they used to have backup software, a storage solution to store the data, and another solution for monitoring and reporting. Hence, we had different solutions or products doing their work. Instead of four or five tools, consisting of backup software, storage where the backup resides, and a separate system for reporting and central monitoring, they all now come in the virtual edition for IDP. IDP comes as an appliance, and once it is used and deployed internally, we get the virtual edition. Clubbing the solutions together in the virtual edition gives us a centralized scope of work.

Dell has a product called DP Central, DPC for short. It is a single point from where you can monitor multiple systems. For example, Avamar and Data Domain are storage solutions that can be added explicitly into DPC and monitor everything from one place. But we cannot add IDPA to DPC, and each IP has a DP Central, which cannot monitor other IDPAs. If a customer has, let's say, ten to 15 IDPAs, he will have about ten different centralized monitoring tabs.

I have been using the solution for more than four years now.

The product is stable. There have been no reports of reoccurring issues. If there are any bugs, they get patched.

There are three models. Each model comes at a different size, and the higher models have Data Domain, in which case we can have up to three enclosures, and each enclosure can go up to around 450 to 500 TB. I think it's pretty easy to scale, and considering deduplication is the main factor, it should survive customer needs.

I rate the solution's scalability an eight out of ten for huge data customers and a ten out of ten for lower-end customers.

The deployment takes five to six hours once the rack and stack is done. If everything goes well, if there are no clone configurations and no issues with the network or the infrastructure, it should be pretty easy.

Though IDPA, the appliance, is deployed on-prem, the products inside IDPA can be deployed on the cloud.

The product comes in three models. One is the IDPA 4400, IDP 5000 series, and the other is the 8900 series. The initial model comes as a basic appliance, and all these products come in the virtual edition. In 5900, the next version, you get physical storage while the remaining solutions are virtual.

The solution is a mixture of different products, so one should be aware of at least three solutions or software it provides. It comes with Avamar as a backup software and Data Domain as a storage solution, where they are known for deduplication. Avamar provides source-side deduplication, which means anything, once backed up, doesn't get sent to the storage to back it up again and thus utilizes less network bandwidth. On the other hand, Data Domain is target-side deduplication, and it is global-level deduplication, so there is one more deduplication happening on the target side as well. So I would choose this backup considering deduplication will be at a higher rate, in which case we can save a lot of storage.

It is a great product because it saves a lot on the storage side. Since the data domain is the backup target, the solution is best in class for data duplication. I rate the solution a nine out of ten.