Arcserve UDP vs. IBM Storage Protect

If I were speaking to a fellow Managed Service Provider, I would likely NOT recommend this product. There are simply too many other tools out there that are better hitting this particular market. And the pain points that we do have with them are especially difficult because of our business model. However in speaking to pretty much anyone else in IT/Disaster Recovery this is an enterprise tool built to handle anything you throw at it. UNC paths and linking backup servers to one another, the flexibility of the tool allows for maximum cost savings if you build it right.

Incentivized

Tivoli does well running file-level backups, but Exchange is clunky and restores are really hard. With no SharePoint agent, if you use SharePoint you will need another product like AvePoint DocAve. The web-based GUI console is MUCH improved over earlier versions, but you will still need to be a command-line guru to make Tivoli do everything, and local (node) config files still rule. This product was originally ported from Unix and retains may of its 'nix roots.

Incentivized

• It is reliable and once it is up and running you do not need to worry about it.
• It is flexible; you can use it to backup on-prem or in the cloud.
• Backup and DR

Incentivized

• Tight integration with Db2. As an IBM product, it works seamlessly with Db2. You can query what is stored in TSM via Db2 itself. You can also use DB scripts to maintain the items being stored there.
• Like most of its competitors, Tivoli handles deduplication well.
• Provides a GUI for browsing and maintaining items stored there. I rarely use this feature, due to the next item I will post:
• Command-line interface directly from my Db2 database servers.
• Both client and server-side deduplication, compression and encryption are available.
• If the requirements are zLinux and DB2 support then it's the most solid solution.
• Can be complex to implement, but once up and running, it is rock-solid and immensely scalable.
• Scalability is huge. Can be added onto easily.

Incentivized

• Notifications - on the odd occasion something doesn't work, I get way too many email notifications!
• Explanation of issues - sometimes when there is a problem, the explanation is a bit lacking in the logs as to why
• Flagging of errors - sometimes minor errors just get a warning flag, and it doesn't really notify you that they are there.

Incentivized

• Deployment and configuration is not easy for an unexperienced IBM Spectrum Protect administrator
• Operations center uses a lot of data and needs a lot of storage for larger environments
• Have not seen a redbook about it in the past 10 years

Not required, company closed. TSM is not used in my current role at my current job.

Incentivized

It works great in our infrastructure, we have reduced the risk of losing information at a lower TCO compared to other solutions. The implementation process was precise and fast and upgrades have always been smooth. It delivers what it promises.

Incentivized

In the present, a backup solution is a must-have, but then companies start using a solution for virtual machines, another solution for bare-metal servers, and another solution for their ERP. By using Spectrum Protect you can have all of that in a single pane of glass. This way you can have a simple recovery plan for all your information assets.

Incentivized

Pretty good--I haven't actually had to call them much so it's hard to say. The box works well enough and most of my issues have been related to the rest of my network, rather than the appliance itself.

Incentivized

The few times we've called for support we eventually got an answer, but it's IBM and a very big company and getting to a support agent is hard.

Incentivized

Arcserve [UDP] has stood the test of time due to its low cost-to-feature value proposition for our company. We have ultimately decided to move to a more MSP-friendly product in N-Able Backup, but Arcserve [UDP] kept us around for years with their reliable and inexpensive product that delivered above and beyond technologically of their competitors throughout all that time.

Incentivized

IBM Spectrum Protect is related to the other IBM Spectrum products listed because it is part of the suite and is also the main backup product for backup and restoration of information. With Veeam it is related as they present competence in different lines of technology, often the integration of both tools can be the best solution for clients looking for a successful backup strategy.

Incentivized

Not at the moment, but it can leverage the billing outcomes as per the scales.

Incentivized

• We have been able to keep our clients' costs low and add advanced features with no additional overhead for us in licensing.
• It does however cost us a significant amount of additional technician time to review backups each day compared to other products aimed in our vertical.

Incentivized

• Simple, care free backups, especially if you do not use tapes and do not have to manage those.
• Very fast restores as the libraries have everything available online.
• Ease of locating the necessary data to restore

Incentivized