Dell Avamar vs. Cove Data Protection

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Dell Avamar
Score 6.9 out of 10
N/A
Dell Avamar is a hardware and software data backup and deduplication product. It provides protection and recovery through a complete software and hardware solution when paired with Dell Data Domain for virtual environments, remote offices, enterprise apps, NAS servers, and desktops/laptops.N/A
Cove Data Protection
Score 9.9 out of 10
N/A
Cove Data Protection (formerly N-Able Backup) is designed to cover servers, datacenters, applications, and workstations, and is provided to ensure business continuity and at-a-glance assessment and fast issue resolution via customizable dashboard.N/A
Pricing
Dell AvamarCove Data Protection
Editions & Modules
No answers on this topic
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Dell AvamarCove Data Protection
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeOptionalNo setup fee
Additional DetailsCove offers one flat rate per server or workstation and one flat per-user price for Microsoft 365, with cloud storage included. Each license carries a defined amount of included storage that is pooled across an MSPs customers, so smaller devices that use less can offset larger ones.
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Dell AvamarCove Data Protection
Considered Both Products
Dell Avamar
Chose Dell Avamar
Avamar has a light and simple management interface. Backup operations can be configured easliy. Job tracking is detailed and descriptive. Platform-independent working flexibility is a big advantage.
Chose Dell Avamar
I would say that Dell EMC Avamar is really nice for an on-premise proposal, so it's hard to compare against another tool.
Chose Dell Avamar
We had an agreement with Dell so we got a good deal on the IDPA appliance. Unfortunately we didn't review other solutions, which was a horrible mistake.
Chose Dell Avamar
The upside to Avamar versus Veeam is that Avamar has a machine tied to the software. Veeam is good software but it is only as good as the back-end storage.
Chose Dell Avamar
EMC Avamar is always incremental and deduplication rate is higher for variable block-level deduplication, restoration is faster as compared to other tools, backups cannot be accidentally deleted as there is an option for retiring the backups, retention is straightforward. EMC …
Chose Dell Avamar
Avamar has simplied the back up approach in their VE edition and is much easier to use than Data Protector. Backing up multiple VMs takes minutes instead of hours now. Creating policies, retentions, and schedules, is vastly improved and much easier.
Chose Dell Avamar
EMC Avamar offers backup and recovery for desktops and laptops, allowing users to extend the power of Avamar "deduplication" backup software with the aim of eliminating the risk of data loss. Backup processes are performed automatically and in the background to ensure …
Chose Dell Avamar
Each one of these products did one thing well. Avamar was able to backup all of the different OS types and different types of data. Also, the reliability and support of Avamar are so much better.
Chose Dell Avamar
I personally would put Dell EMC Avamar at the top of the list for backup/restore data protection. Given the size of the deployment and the technical expertise of the engineers the implementation was flawless and timely. We vetted other companies backup solutions against Dell …
Chose Dell Avamar
Unfortunately, Avamar has stayed behind solutions like Solarwinds Backup and Datto in many different things, like the management of the applications being only desktop, the old fashion interfaces and configurations and specially the fact that it doesn't work as a business …
Chose Dell Avamar
I have evaluated ComVault, Cohiesity, and Rubrik. All three were better choices based on:
  • VMWare support: Live mounts, instant recovery, and file-based recovery from VM snapshots
Chose Dell Avamar
Avamar was already implemented in the organization when I started so I am unfamiliar what other solutions were evaluated.
Chose Dell Avamar
Reliability. Avamar is hands down more reliable than any other backup solution I have used.
Chose Dell Avamar
Avamar was selected for me to use by our corporate office. The user interface of Backup Exec was easier to use, but as far as reliability, Avamar was much better. I always had failures with Backup Exec backups and restores. That is one thing I never had to worry about with …
Chose Dell Avamar
BackupExec and NetBackup both would choke on data that was being replicated by
DFSR. I needed a product that could handle that data, as well as do client side deduplication and compression.
Chose Dell Avamar
Avamar is just overall easier to use and seems to be more versatile. And user-friendly is key when training new team members here at the organization.
Chose Dell Avamar
Originally, we evaluated CommVault with Avamar and due to some differences at the time we decided to go with Avamar. Some of those reasons against CommVault no longer exist, but we have been satisfied with Avamar. Other more current products have been reviewed such as Rubrik …
Chose Dell Avamar
We were considering going with the newer version of the tape backup method we have been using for years. However tapes deteriorate and off site storage adds up. Backups are slow, recovery from incremental backups is slow and unreliable.

FireEye backup to the cloud was cost …
Chose Dell Avamar
We had different backup system before. We used 2 different ones the last 2 years but we ended up with Avamar. Since then we never really change our backup system because we got the result we wanted from Avamar.
Chose Dell Avamar
I started with Avamar as a tape backup replacement. I had drives at each location and a tape robot at the central data center. Moving to disk backup with no tape switch out was incredible. With tech today, almost all backup is disk backup. Avamar's quality hardware and …
Cove Data Protection
Chose Cove Data Protection
Cove Data Protection compares well against Veeam, as it provides a cloud-first option to save data, reducing worries of ransomware locking out the backup target. Additionally, whereas Veeam is an image-based backup, Cove provides file-based backup which can make restoration of …
Chose Cove Data Protection
Cove is able to cover all aspects of backup in a single package. From the same dashboard I can check servers, workstations, and even Office 365. Cove is a much better solution in terms of overall management for a company such as ours. It also provides integration options with …
Chose Cove Data Protection
We had a huge partner that let us discover this great service provider.
The target is the same as the other vendors, but SolarWinds wins with the dashboard. with the dashboard n-able you can monitor everything starting from the state of the backups of an important server.. …
Chose Cove Data Protection
We prefer N-able as it seems more secure and also easier to recover the backups.
Chose Cove Data Protection
Provide storage infrastructure which Veeam didn't provide with their software. For us that is a major point.
Chose Cove Data Protection
Works well. Easy to use. If you use Ncentral, it's already tied in and even easier to deploy. Cloud storage is more expensive than competitors. There is no easy option to offload your backups to AWS, etc. It can create a local speed vault to have local backups as well. …
Chose Cove Data Protection
So the live recovery of VEEAM is awfully nice, and it's GUI is laid out and easy to use. Windows Server Backup is about a bare-bones as it gets. It's been my experience that Solarwinds Backup just wins at every turn. It's fast, easy to deploy (well, if using N-central), and …
Chose Cove Data Protection
We started with Vision Works many years ago then went to IASO/GFI. After working with them for a couple of years we got tired of un-kept promises and poor service so we moved to Solarwinds and have been very happy with them in all scenarios. The product goes in as it is …
Chose Cove Data Protection
I did not make the decision to purchase Solarwinds Backup.
Chose Cove Data Protection
Solarwinds Backup provides the most comprehensive backup system. After testing all other systems the weaknesses of Solarwinds Backup are much less severe or risky compared to others. As well the overall cost of Solarwinds Backup's value is the main reason for choosing …
Chose Cove Data Protection
Technically, Datto is a better option for business continuity and local backups. However, we considered using Solarwinds Backup for redundancy because it's a simple cloud backup solution that has good deduplication. Personally, I believe that the Datto offsite transfer process …
Chose Cove Data Protection
I have used in the past EVault, Datto, Veeam, Veritas etc. The lower cost compares to Veeam and EVault. Easier to manage than Datto. More reliable than Veritas.
Chose Cove Data Protection
Easy and Quick installation, Cloud-Always backup , very good and generous retention options, verification testing options, ...
Features
Dell AvamarCove Data Protection
Data Center Backup
Comparison of Data Center Backup features of Product A and Product B
Dell Avamar
7.8
Ratings
8% below category average
Cove Data Protection
9.5
Ratings
11% above category average
Universal recovery8.50 Ratings8.60 Ratings
Instant recovery8.60 Ratings9.50 Ratings
Recovery verification9.40 Ratings9.60 Ratings
Business application protection8.60 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Multiple backup destinations6.00 Ratings8.80 Ratings
Incremental backup identification9.40 Ratings9.80 Ratings
Backup to the cloud3.60 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Deduplication and file compression8.60 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Snapshots8.60 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Flexible deployment7.70 Ratings9.00 Ratings
Management dashboard8.40 Ratings9.60 Ratings
Platform support4.70 Ratings8.90 Ratings
Retention options8.60 Ratings10.00 Ratings
Encryption8.60 Ratings9.90 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Dell AvamarCove Data Protection
Small Businesses
Cove Data Protection
Cove Data Protection
Score 9.9 out of 10
Veeam Data Platform
Veeam Data Platform
Score 8.6 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
Bacula Enterprise
Bacula Enterprise
Score 9.2 out of 10
Bacula Enterprise
Bacula Enterprise
Score 9.2 out of 10
Enterprises
Bacula Enterprise
Bacula Enterprise
Score 9.2 out of 10
Bacula Enterprise
Bacula Enterprise
Score 9.2 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Dell AvamarCove Data Protection
Likelihood to Recommend
8.4
(0 ratings)
10.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
9.5
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
8.0
(0 ratings)
9.7
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
8.8
(0 ratings)
9.8
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Dell AvamarCove Data Protection
Likelihood to Recommend
It's well suited when you are looking for something to keep your on-premise environment safe and you don't want to spend a lot of time doing the setup. It's easy to scale and a very reliable solution. I think it is not a really nice solution in terms of pricing, so the challenge here is to check if the value [is] worth it.
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Solarwinds Backup is ideal for individuals looking to keep a consistent backup of devices in their environment. We used it primarily for networking equipment. It is easy to set up, as it is one of the steps available when adding a new device to solarwinds. It is probably not an ideal product to use for long-term (1 month+) backups.
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Pros
  • New and improved interface no longer requires separate program to run on a management server.
  • The avamar interacts with the data domain device to allow for cloud storage.
  • The Avamar AVE footprint is much easier to install and use, given the new GUI.
Read full review
  • Daily backups are easy to create and activate and run on schedule as desired by the client.
  • Easy SQL backups no matter your SQL favor, it's just a few clicks to back them up.
  • Very good system state backups that several of our older clients have used (out of necessity) to recover systems and data from dead machines.
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Cons
  • The technology is stagnant. It's had the same basic interface and feature set over all of the years we used it.
  • A clunky java based management GUI.
  • It only supports RedHat for the management console under Linux.
  • Meta-data continues to grow even when backup sets do not cause nodes to fill, requiring professional services to clean it up.
  • Fork-lift upgrades.
  • It requires a lot of care and feeding with a lot of time on the phone with support.
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  • To perform restores on a different location, there's a need to install a standalone application call the Recovery Console, which makes it too much trouble. Instead, this should have been performed over the same backup management portal, where you should have been able to select in which location you want to restore.
  • The business continuity features, available for the system state backups, like restoring a backup as a virtual machine or performing a bare-metal restore, also require to install different standalone applications for each. And in disaster scenarios, both tasks take too much time to get everything running.
  • The retention of the backups (the archiving feature) needs to be set up individually for each server at a time, when this is something that should be more easily managed by the service provider (not expecting to be set up by the customer in each device) as a general setting within the Backups Profiles or Product Management.
  • There should be a better reporting tool, that would allow to export backup and restore events, as well as user activities.
  • The configurations for Backup Profiles and Product Management could be redundant and confusing.
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Likelihood to Renew
I have been using the product for over five years. This has performed so well that with the current system reaching its End-of-Life with EMC next year, I have proposed replacing it with the latest version of the product. Now that it integrates with Data Domain, the cost has been greatly reduced. Instead of the need to purchase many nodes, one Data Domain can replace them creating a significant cost savings.
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No answers on this topic
Usability
The system overall is easy to monitor and see your backup/restore status. The user interface could use updating as it relies on Java and any updates to Java cause the interface to stop working need to be reinstalled
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Cove Data Protection is very usable as it's easy to tell that it is made to not only do backup very well, but it's also easy to deploy. The agent-based deployment allows for flexible deployment options while ensuring a minimal amount of manual work is needed on the dashboard end. Recovery is also very easy, especially as it relates to one-off file recovery
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Support Rating
Support is very convincing, always eager to solve issues from the root rather than workaround, don't hesitate to take webex, describe the issues to the core and recommend configuration to avoid further issues. We can ask few questions other than the main issue. They don't hesitate to answer.
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We have an Italian support partner, they are been very good b7y the first moment.
All the partners are followed with a lot of attention, even the little ones.
there is a site where you can learn everything, the single parts of the product are described perfectly.
Every it specialist should evaluate it.
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Alternatives Considered
Unfortunately, Avamar has stayed behind solutions like Solarwinds Backup and Datto in many different things, like the management of the applications being only desktop, the old fashion interfaces and configurations and specially the fact that it doesn't work as a business continuity tool, which makes it mostly and out-dated application when you compare it with how the market is evolving.
Read full review
Solarwinds Backup provides the most comprehensive backup system. After testing all other systems the weaknesses of Solarwinds Backup are much less severe or risky compared to others. As well the overall cost of Solarwinds Backup's value is the main reason for choosing Solarwinds Backup as the primary backup/DR provider.
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Return on Investment
  • Absolute Zero ROI
  • This appliance does not work in its current state and to update we need to wait 2-3 months
  • Can't wait to get rid of it and replace it with something else. (not even sure if we will be able to get it running before that)
  • [I think] this is one of the worst mistakes we made
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  • I can't speak to every dollar and cent involved, but I can tell you that the daily task of checking backup status has changed from at least an hour just to check VEEAM and Windows Backup statuses for multiple clients, to checking two pages and then digging into any problems. So as far as productivity goes, it's been wonderful!
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ScreenShots