We performed a comparison between Dell EMC PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) and Rubrik based on our users’ reviews in five categories. After reading all of the collected data, you can find our conclusion below.
Comparison Results: Rubrik’s users report that, in addition to being a powerful solution, it is simple to deploy and work with and therefore it comes out on top in this comparison. According to reviewers, PowerProtect’s deployment process can be difficult.
"The solution's most valuable feature is the integrated deduplication function."
"I find the data to be most valuable."
"The most valuable feature is the inline data deduplication."
"Data Domain is an excellent repository that's compatible with a lot of different solutions. Even Veeam Backup recommends sending backup to Data Domain. Space optimization is great. Currently, it guarantees 50-to-1 compression of the application in the same device. In all these years, I never had a client who was unsatisfied with Data Domain. It is a solid appliance with VMware integration, instant access to restore and search, and analytics."
"We have found the product to be scalable."
"It's very easy to use the domain once it's been set up. The interface is also user-friendly."
"Dell PowerProtect DD’s most valuable feature is data deduplication."
"The hardware can operate in high temperatures, in case of any disaster."
"In the event of any issues or questions, the support is top-notch. We rarely need to use support, but when they are needed, they are always quick to respond and very knowledgeable."
"CloudOn allows for backed up virtual machines stored offsite in Azure to be instantiated as an Azure virtual machine and spun up."
"Rubrik has brought all of our backups under a single pane of glass and made recovery extremely simple."
"The management and ease of installation are the most valuable features."
"The fact that the API is so available to us with the playground — there's an internal and public playground — is also valuable. We can write API calls — and although I'm sure there's a way we could hurt the data — we write those calls with a lot of certainty that we won't be destroying anything. We write these API calls using really easy mechanisms and generate automation a lot faster."
"CloudOut, because only blocks are pushed after compression and deduplication, not raw sizing."
"It has a good interface which is simple to navigate and utilize."
"Instant recovery because it takes about 10 seconds to restore the VM from backup to production"
"When you use Data Domain, you have to have at least 20% free space so it can work properly. Sometimes we struggle with that, because we wanted to use all the free space, but then Data Domain becomes really slow. I understand that 20% is needed to process all the data, and doing the duplication and compression and all that, but it would be a big improvement if they did not require that 20%, because it is just too much to have available."
"Data Domain lacks compatibility with fiber channels and tapes. We can't use it with a tape library. That's an issue in Latin America sometimes because a lot of clients still use tapes for budget reasons. Maybe they have a lot of archives. In North America and Europe, they do a lot of archiving, but they use the cloud more than we do. Sometimes we have to put together a Frankenstein where we connect another server to the tape library and send all the data there."
"The size and scale of the product are limited and could be improved."
"The software from Dell that can be used to operate Data Domain needs to have enhancements made to the user interface. It is too complex."
"It can probably have integration with other OEMs. It should also have more features for ransomware protection."
"Dell PowerProtect DD could improve by having better integration with other backup solutions."
"The pricing could be lower."
"They should reduce the CPC cost to customers. The product is becoming very expensive."
"I would like to see more information on encryption with the next release."
"There is room for improvement in pricing. After the licensing, the price tends to go up as time goes by."
"Improving PowerShell integration would greatly simplify Rubrik management."
"The product’s user interface needs improvement."
"Its cost is high."
"It needs to keep innovating to stay relevant in the data management field."
"I would like to see Rubrik better integrate with Microsoft Active Directory. Instead of just backing up a full domain controller, I would like the solution to have Active Directory object knowledge so we can restore specific objects in Active Directory versus restoring the whole domain controller."
"Rubrik's disaster recovery capabilities could be improved."
More Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) Pricing and Cost Advice →
Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is ranked 1st in Deduplication Software with 63 reviews while Rubrik is ranked 4th in Backup and Recovery with 83 reviews. Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is rated 8.6, while Rubrik is rated 9.2. The top reviewer of Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) writes "Supports business continuity process but needs improvement in pricing". On the other hand, the top reviewer of Rubrik writes "Easy to use with minimal training required, innovative, good support". Dell PowerProtect DD (Data Domain) is most compared with HPE StoreOnce, Dell PowerProtect Data Manager, ExaGrid EX Series, Veeam Backup & Replication and Veritas NetBackup Appliance, whereas Rubrik is most compared with Veeam Backup & Replication, Cohesity DataProtect, Commvault Cloud, Zerto and Azure Backup.
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The biggest difference is Rubrik has native software and hardware on one platform. Data Domain is only a disk target and a very good one but you still need backup software such as Networker, Veritas, Commvault, etc. That software requires both a master and media server which drives a lot of complexity. Rubrik is hyperconverged data management, there is not software licensing, end of year true-ups or additional infrastructure. Policy-based backup and restore functions with cloud archiving integration. It’s also really fast! Finally, if you’re running Nutanix and its native hypervisor AHV then Rubrik can protect that hypervisor and VMware.
I agree with the other answers - With Data Domain, you still require a software solution to go with the back-end storage. I.e., Avamar, Networker, etc.
Rubrik is a Software Defined Solution or can be deployed with its own set of hardware\storage.