Veeam Backup for Azure vs. Veeam Data Platform

When migrating from on Prim to AWS then to AZure the process was a little challenging because of some of the way we configured up front but once we went from AWS to Azure it was no looking back. We didn't have the extra storage to move things around like most companies to but it worked out great and we were also able to store more cold backups on Azure due to the low cost of cold storage.

Incentivized

Veeam Data Platform is best suited in environments that fall under its compatible applications, which it backs up. Any sized business could benefit. The ease of use and metrics are a breeze and the learning curve is low. However, if you're using hypervisors, products that have no support by Veeam Data Platform, then clearly wouldn't be a great fit. Their workaround for this by using OS level backups for baremetal deployments but increases the risk of failure when doing restores.

Incentivized

• Reduce storage costs and minimizing the impact on network consuption.
• Veaam Backup for Azure provides application-aware backups for Microsoft SQL Server, ensuring that our data is backed up and available for recovery correctly.
• Replication: Veeam Backup for Azure helps us to replicate our workloads to another Azure region or on-premises environment for disaster recovery purposes and compliance needs.

Incentivized

• Veeam stands out among backup solutions because of its ability to work with almost any storage type. For example, only a small portion of backup solutions will support catalyst stores, Veeam does.
• Veeam is extremely flexible when it comes to setting it up. I had a network recently that limited ethernet connectivity between the Veeam VM and the backup repository and Veeam handled it easily.
• Day-to-day use of Veeam is very simple. It is easy to train our technicians to use it proficiently in a very short amount of time.
• Our Veeam VMs don't have issues very often, but the one or two times I have called for support, they answered right away, and the technicians assisting us were knowledgeable about their products.

Incentivized

• Documentation around service account permissions was a little sparse when we implemented it
• It's sometimes hard to get the reason behind a (rare) job failure without going into logs
• The UI around snapshots and backups could do with some clarity around the restore points that will be available

Incentivized

• It should recommend the most secure method of backup methods to ensure immutability.
• It should maximize SnapMirror technology when using a NetApp as a backup target to replicate backups to CVO targets.
• It should provide a centralized dashboard for backing up all PaaS services in Azure.

Incentivized

Plainly, the product just works. I don't have to babysit it.

Incentivized

The platform has consistently delivered strong performance, reliability, and innovative features that align well with our data protection needs. Its robust capabilities in backup, recovery, and cloud integration have significantly improved our operational efficiency and disaster recovery planning. The only reason for not giving a full 10 would be our ongoing evaluation of emerging technologies and solutions to ensure we are maximizing our IT investments. Overall, Veeam Data Platform has proven to be an invaluable asset to our organization.

Incentivized

Still clunky compared to the on-prem version but getting better with every release. It does what it needs to do, and does it well. They are stuck with some limitations in the way Azure works so I don't know how much better they can make it but they've just added 365 backup management all from the same pane so it seems they're not done yet.

Incentivized

If you are familiar with most Windows software UIs, there should be no issue learning Veeam. Even better if you're already familiar with backup strategies, &c., since all of that is integrated and possible. I doubt my grandmother could use it, but she's not the target audience. If you've been in IT for a bit, this is very usable.

Incentivized

The Veeam Backup & Replication solution is up and running every time you need it as it was planned. In more than 3 years that we have been using the product every night, it might have failed or presented an error once or twice, so the availability percentage is almost at 100%.

Incentivized

Veeam does a good job with backing up our servers in a timely manner. We are still at the beginning of our Veeam use and are pleased with the speed at which we can access the system as well as the backups and restore points. Veeam is definitely superior to our previous backup system in terms of speed and accessibility

Incentivized

Great support team!

Incentivized

The support team has never asked me to jump through silly hoops or waste time on pointless exercises. They seem to truly have a handle on what may be wrong. In fact, when we were having trouble getting our license renewal setup (because of yet another license migration at Veeam) a support incident got us connected to the right people to get our renewal done in time.

Incentivized

I rated the in-person training an 8 because it was generally effective and provided a solid foundation for understanding the Veeam Data Platform. The instructors were knowledgeable and engaged, making the sessions interactive. However, I felt that some topics could have been covered in more depth, and additional hands-on exercises would have further reinforced the learning experience. Overall, it was a positive training session that adequately prepared attendees for using the product, but there's room for improvement.

Incentivized

I gave it a rating of 7 because, although the online training offered valuable content and covered the essential aspects of the Veeam Data Platform, it lacked interactivity and opportunities for direct engagement with instructors. This made it challenging to ask questions or delve deeper into specific topics. Additionally, some sections felt a bit rushed, which could hinder a comprehensive understanding of more complex features. Overall, while the training was useful, improvements in interactivity and pacing could elevate the experience significantly.

Incentivized

When deploying Veeam, be sure you have your environment right-sized. While it is not a big deal to increase capacity later, it will make a difference if you are trying to run Veeam on instances/VMs that are not appropriately sized on CPU and Memory requirements.

Incentivized

Backup Exec was a very clunky application and took forever to backup to and restore from. We would backup to SSD external hard drives from a flash array, but the process still took forever to finish. Sending our data to the Azure blob storage via Veeam is a faster and more secure process than saving to the external hard drives with Backup Exec.

Incentivized

Commvault is a standard backup platform for Enterprise backups, but we have no need for its extensive client abilities or the staff for the vast infrastructure that is required to use it. Cohesity is a truly fantastic system, but it is too far for larger companies than the one that I work for. Its cost also makes it prohibitive for SME's like us. Norton Backup was so long ago, I don't know if it even exists. It was difficult to use, had very slow recovery times, and I don't miss it at all.

Incentivized

In terms of scalability for our company, Veeam was able to cover our backup needs with ease. They have options for even more individualized backup if we were to need them; i.e. if a specific workstation needs its own independent backup. We have not used these resources yet, but I am confident they will be beneficial to our company in the near future.

Incentivized

• We have had fast recovery of documents when needed; sub 10 minutes from start of restore to complete and in the users hands
• Easily a value add for backing up files outside of the given Microsoft retention period; piece of mind
• Easy tool to use with minimal training required to use it and set up backups
• When you do change your cloud licensing it does require manual intervention to update backup data requirements. if the business makes changes then your backup person may not know to make these changes

Incentivized

• When Veeam is running well, I don't need to babysit it at all; I just read the email reports and am done.
• When it doesn't work, Veeam consumes entire days getting everything working again.
• Veeam has significantly improved how we test new software by enabling easy duplication of existing resources to different platforms.

Incentivized