Item: Cohesity
Rating: 10
Author: Joshua Van Camp

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

Cohesity DataProtect allowed my organization to modernize our backup system away from tapes and into a modern data management system. No longer have to deal with ordering and configuring new media, swapping tapes in and out to libraries, and or data safe. All of our VMware workloads along with our unstructured data are now backed up via Cohesity. We were also able to retire multiple legacy NAS devices and move the data all into one Cohesity cluster.

Pros and Cons

Easy to setup and begin backing up all data types
Provision new file storage
Active directory backups
Allow for seamless upgrades to the software
Unified reporting experience

The 3rd party apps could see more development
Some of the view sorts default to 100 results vs all
EOS/EOL on hardware hasn't always been the clearest
Sizing process during acquisition could be streamlined

Most Important Features

It just works. Don't have to troubleshoot backup issues and no longer have to deal with tape.
Ease of updating to new software and or patching the system.
Cohesity's drive to add new features and functionality
Unified reporting console on storage and consumption

Return on Investment

Several hours a week of admin time no longer needed to deal with tapes.
Many hours a year saved in that the admin no longer has to deal with LTO drives, LTO drive firmware, tape libraries, tape library firmware, a physical server connected to tape library, etc. Retired old legacy NAS devices that in some instances no longer had firmware updates. One system to administer and maintain.
Piece of mind. We replicate from our onsite cluster to an offsite cluster in the event of a DR event at HQ.

Alternatives Considered

Rubrik and StorageCraft OneXafe

At the time of purchase, we had looked at Rubrik and StorageCraft (prior to Arcserve acquisition). Rubrik at the time seemed relatively comparable in terms of backup features but did not have the ability to provide unstructured data shares. Rubrik was also substantially more money. StorageCraft felt like a strong value play but didn't feel like it had the depth or breadth of Cohesity.

Key Insights

Do you think Cohesity delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Cohesity's feature set?

Yes

Did Cohesity live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Cohesity go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Cohesity again?

Yes

Other Software Used

Progress WhatsUp Gold, Zimbra Email & Collaboration, VMware ESXi

Likelihood to Recommend

Cohesity has solutions that scale across a wide variety of organizations and a strong ability to scale, but some smaller organizations might not be able to absorb Cohesity at its lowest entry-level price points. For an organization with one or two servers and a handful of users, this product would probably be overkill.

Usability

Product was a one afternoon initial setup.

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Like to use Relatively simple Easy to use Well integrated Consistent Quick to learn Convenient Feel confident using Familiar	Requires technical support

Easy Tasks

Creating backup policies
Provisioning storage
Reporting on backup jobs

Difficult Tasks

Some of the update patches require putty access
Predicting future consumption could be better
Trimming existing storage

Mobile Interface Availability and Impressions

Yes - The Helios tool gives you visibility into your environment remotely.

Cohesity DataProtect Offers Piece of Mind!

Overall Satisfaction with Cohesity DataProtect