Datto SIRIS vs. TBMR

Datto works well for smaller shops that just need something that will work without needing a great deal of day to day work on it. I only login to the device periodically to see where we stand on space and occasionally when we need to restore something. The offsite datacenter backup which is hosted by Datto works well for us particularly as we do not have our own offsite tech to use. In larger departments other solutions will possibly win out based on required features and setups but for the 1-10 man IT departments the Datto solutions fit in well.

Incentivized

During the Sandy storm, I was told to get over 200 servers ready in case we declare a disaster. I was able to spin over 190 servers in five days. I recovered servers using TBMR recovery. I restored each server using TBMR. After the server was restored at Sungard, I powered on the server without NIC to prevent a production issue with duplicate a name or IP. I validated each server after restore to make sure OS is working correctly and all data had been restored. I did not restore images due to the size of storage. Overall, it worked out and we were ready before Sandy struck. We did not go into disaster mode, but my management was impressed that this product worked as described.

• Backups: Datto does what it's supposed to do, backing up data from servers (and workstations, if need be), and then syncing that data to the cloud.
• Initial setup: Initial setup is pretty straightforward, in most cases the agent installs remotely from the device.
• UI: The UI is fairly straightforward and intuitive, at least for IT professionals. It is not difficult to find things or figure out what settings do what.

Incentivized

• It works 99.9% all the time if you setup correctly. In some instance there was issue was disk was not able to read partition. I called support and upload the log file. They told me during recovery point to new modify file instead of reading from backup configuration. It work and able to recover quickly
• The support is really great. They are always ready to help in any situation.
• During Sandy storm, we mentioned our challenges. They told us there will two support engineer will be stand by for support any time. Just let them know when you need support.
• Support is staff is very knowledgeable. They willing to go extra mile all the time

• VMware integration for backups is only at the host level, not vCenter, so you can't see all VMs from one place to select them for backup. You've gotta add each host individually and then pick from the list that populates from each individually.
• The system is appliance-based, so when you run out of local space on the appliance, there's no expansion without buying a larger appliance. You either cut back on your backups to use less space, or you open your wallet.

Incentivized

• There have been so bugs in the software. They provided me the next day with a temporary fix. In the next release, they will fix the bug permanenly.
• As far as we use it, I do not see too much on functionality.
• Setup is unique in every organization. It has been working well so far.

I trust the product and service and am satisfied with the direction of the company

Incentivized

Usability is great. The web interface is simple and easy to use. While various options are available for client backups, it is very easy to re-use settings of the existing client, so adding new clients is a very fast process. Configuration of the agent on the client-side cannot be easier as well. Datto dashboard provides an overview of the client status, and email notifications can be configured for various events.

Incentivized

My specific example or reason for this rating goes back to a need for support after a client on this platform has a fire. In a nutshell, Datto had no idea how to BMR the image back to the server correctly, and as a result, the RAID on the server was lost, due to the Datto BDR environment not being able to see the RAID card, and the support technician knowing how to inject drivers.

Incentivized

Support is great. They go beyond the normal service. I called a few times in the middle of the night for support. I was not able to recover some machines. They called back with half an hour and worked through it with me. They wanted to make sure I was able to recover the server. They are always willing to help.

Datto is not as feature-rich as Veeam, but it still offers the main features in a great backups solution that will help in a recovery situation. It is mainly meant for smaller businesses, so it's not a Veeam replacement. From that perspective, Datto fills a great void in options for these clients. It doesn't have the features of Unitrends either, but I have not had great experiences with Unitrends, so I would not recommend that option. Veeam is great for larger environments, and Datto is a fantastic option for the next tier down in size.

Incentivized

When I started TSM/Spectrum Protect over 13 years ago, disaster recovery was not funded to much. Once all regulatory requirements and auditing became more visible, management decided to start disaster recovery. I looked into one other BMR product. It required lots of manual processes to build WinPE iso images. I needed to build ISO images for each version of the TSM Client. At that time, we had over 350 Windows and Linux servers. There were over 10 different TSM Clients running. It was difficult to maintain all the different ISOs. I am only one admin doing the backup job and other duties. It was not possible to keep. I started to shop around for a different BMR solution for TSM. I came across Cristie. We did POC testing for 1 month. We covered HP physical servers to IBM hardware and vice versa. It worked without any issue. We also tried to recover HP physical servers from DL360 to DL380 and others. It works every time. At that time my management got assurance that this is a good product for investment. We started with 300 licenses. Now we have over 200 Physical and 600 virtual license

• In most cases, Datto will provide the appliance free of charge with a 3-5 year contract which results in a modest monthly fee instead of a large initial outlay and monthly fees.
• The contract's warranty is top-notch. Failed drives or issues with the appliances are replaced/corrected with free replacements and shipping.

Incentivized

• As of today, we are recovering servers without any issue. There is no 100% success. Some servers backup corrupted data and are restored the same way. It is called Garbage in Garbage out. So far management wants to continue the use of this product.
• My management wants to use TBMR or any other backup.
• Every year we are buying more licenses.