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IT Integrator review of NAKIVO Backup & Replication
January 05, 2022

IT Integrator review of NAKIVO Backup & Replication

Clyde Wynter | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Reseller

Overall Satisfaction with NAKIVO Backup & Replication

We use NAKIVO Backup & Replication internally and install/manage the product for clients. The requirements are to backup VM's, Physical machines and provide ransomware protection. Mission-critical systems are able to use an hourly schedule to create current backups to NAS storage with time-locked and immutable options. The business problems that Nakivo addresses are secure guaranteed backups that can be restored with minimal effort, the backup frequency for data currency, negligible impact of system performance, and no downtime when installing and upgrading Nakivo. The ability to run a VM from the backup is valuable as it reduces the downtime where a full restore time may be too long for a client. The primary scope is Hyper-V and physical backups with support for NAS storage of all types.
  • Frequent backups do not affect the server load especially when the store is based on a high-performance NAS. We use OMV and average a GB per Minute per backup.
  • Offsite backups to a hosted store on AWS or Wsabi is simple.
  • VM replication is simple to set up.
  • Backup compression and encryption is excellent.
  • Add an option set preferred default Job settings to speed up creating jobs.
  • Ensuring that any system can be restored in the event of an incident is invaluable. This is a huge positive.
  • High speed restores and Flash boot of VM's has reduced negative productivity impacts.
Very responsive support on all queries and issues.

Do you think NAKIVO Backup & Replication delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with NAKIVO Backup & Replication's feature set?

Yes

Did NAKIVO Backup & Replication live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of NAKIVO Backup & Replication go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy NAKIVO Backup & Replication again?

Yes

The interface is logical and clean, especially on Version 10.5. It is very simple to get a grasp of the Nakivo design concepts and to implement them. Installing a Transporter on target systems and centrally managing the backups reduces staff requirements through a centralised management console. It simply does the job.
The pricing for VM backups is good value for money as it does not limit how many VM's per socket. This works well for smaller sites with simple backup requirements. Physical machine backup pricing would more attractive with a sliding scale based on the number of physical machines.
Any size organisation from small shops to large enterprises. One dashboard can manage many sites. It pays to get experienced support to assist with the installation and management of backups.

NAKIVO Backup & Replication Feature Ratings

Enterprise Backup ()
Not Rated
Data Center Backup
9.6
Universal recovery
9
Instant recovery
10
Recovery verification
10
Business application protection
8
Multiple backup destinations
10
Incremental backup identification
10
Backup to the cloud
10
Deduplication and file compression
10
Snapshots
10
Flexible deployment
10
Management dashboard
10
Platform support
8
Retention options
10
Encryption
10

Using NAKIVO Backup & Replication

2 - IT Support and admin.
2 - General IT skills suitable for SME environments. Experience with Windows and Linux servers and data preservation protocols. An understanding of backup best practices for VM's, databases and general data is essential.
  • Multiple backup locations supported - at least 3 locations on different platforms is recommended.
  • Immutable backup support - We use the Linux destination to protect against ransomware.
  • VM booting while restore in progress.
  • Used in normal backup and restore situations.
  • Replicating a VM from Dev to Production.
After using Nakivo for 2 years it has proven to be reliable and simple.

Evaluating NAKIVO Backup & Replication and Competitors

Yes - Altaro Backup was replaced. We replaced Altaro with Nakivo due to pricing and VM backup issues. The pricing and license terms of being able to backup unlimited VM's was a huge incentive. This allowed for simplicity for our clients. The Altaro issue we encountered was the limit of two VM's on the Altaro free edition for small clients with one server and a few VM's. Upgrading for $579 per annum to the Paid Edition was too big a step. $99 for Nakivo was better valued. The Altaro error issue was with failing backups with VM snapshots hanging and not clearing, and the "baseboard" error requiring a reboot to fix. With Nakivo, no issues on the same server and the same VM's. The fact that Nakivo can be installed, uninstalled, upgraded without requiring a server reboot is a huge advantage for support staff.
  • Price
  • Product Features
  • Product Usability
Price in our weak ZAR/$ context in South Africa is a very important factor. Multiplying each $ by a factor of 18 puts most $ based solutions out of reach. It is unfortunate that we have to deal with a weak currency at the expense of data safety but it is a reality.
Unlikely to change the evaluation and selection process.
Pricing and reliability put Nakivo ahead of the others. The simplicity of installation and ease of use was also very attractive in deciding on Nakivo. Products with massive installation and configuration requirements are not suited to the SME market.

NAKIVO Backup & Replication Implementation

Configuring a dedicated Nakivo backup server with local storage and additional Linux NAS storage units for immutability is key. Backed-up data is only useful if it can be restored.
  • Implemented in-house
  • Third-party professional services
Camargue Solutions CC
Change management was minimal - Just install configure and run.
  • Understanding the Transporter role correctly

NAKIVO Backup & Replication Support

ProsCons
Quick Resolution
Good followup
Knowledgeable team
Problems get solved
Kept well informed
No escalation required
Immediate help available
Support understands my problem
Support cares about my success
Quick Initial Response
None
Not yet as the sites are not complex enough to require it.
Normal support and issue resolution.

Using NAKIVO Backup & Replication

ProsCons
Like to use
Easy to use
Well integrated
Consistent
Quick to learn
Lots to learn
  • Backup configuration
  • Job and Status reporting is clear
  • VM restores are easy and offer various options to suit most requirements
  • The installation and upgrade procedure is simple
  • Old interface was a little cumbersome in some aspects. The new 10.4+ interface has resolved those concerns