Item: PowerProtect DD Series
Rating: 9
Author: Verified User

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We use PowerProtect DDs as the targets for all our enterprises backups. With replication between the separate data centers PowerProtect DDs we have reliable offsite backups as well. With our environment size we need a very dense data storage medium for our backups to remain entirely on disk. With the incredible compression factor PowerProtect provides we are able to store 10PiB of data on 210TiB of physical disks.

Pros and Cons

Extreme data density with compression.
Reliable and efficient replication.
At rest encryption.
Fast write speeds.

Slow read speeds.

Return on Investment

We have been able to rapidly recover data to minimize outages for business.
Extremely Dense Data Storage has enabled flexibility We are currently storing 9.75Pib on 210TiB of physical disk with 56TiB free.
Audit Reporting is easy and can be automated.

Alternatives Considered

I didn't pick the PowerProtect systems here, and until about 2 years ago was planning on moving away from them, leaning towards Veeam. Dell EMC changed my mind with software updates. The original interfaces were cludgy at best, not intuitive, and slow. The modern interface has made this an entirely new product and addressed all my issues on usability and function. The new model we picked addressed my only remaining issue of read speed (AKA restore speed).
Veeam does a great job and if you have an appropriate storage target already would serve you well; however there is something to be said for having it all in one integrated system, one throat to choke when issues occur can make support much easier.
Cohesity is a good product, it seems to do everything in its repertoire well but not necessarily great. I also take exception to the notion of keeping production data and backups on the same system, which if I am honest is the real deal breaker here for me.

Support Rating

Customer support has had some ups and downs here. We've had several issues with EMC support before and during the acquisition by Dell, but in the last 18 months support has been top notch. Quick and knowledgeable help is but a chat away, or they will call you back so you don't have to wait on hold. The team supporting us is responsive and is quick to assist with any request or issue.

Key Insights

Do you think PowerProtect DD Series delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with PowerProtect DD Series's feature set?

Yes

Did PowerProtect DD Series live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of PowerProtect DD Series go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy PowerProtect DD Series again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Kemp LoadMaster, HPE OneView, Forcepoint Web Security

Likelihood to Recommend

When used as a backup target PowerProtect DD models offer incredible density and can efficiently replicate to another cloud-based or offsite unit. Most complaints about these have been addressed in software over the years and they are now a intuitive and easily managed backup system. You are not buying a Swiss army knife, you are getting a machine designed for a purpose, use it for that and you will not be disappointed. While they have the ability to serve as a CIFS server, they are not a filer and lack many of the features inherent to filers and are a poor substitute.

The Power to Protect... Back me up...

Overall Satisfaction with PowerProtect DD (formerly Dell EMC Data Domain)