Item: Unitrends
Rating: 9
Author: Dan Reynolds

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

I am using Unitrends [Data Center Backup and Recovery] for my VDI infrastructure. I back up servers and all the desktops. It is an ideal solution for backing up VM's, and it has also allowed me to use some older storage I had lying around. It performs well, reports its doing well, [and] I like how easy it is to upgrade. I also like that it comes as an appliance - that was a major selling factor for me. The interface is not bad, but it's not intuitive either. Some concepts are hard to understand and implement.

Pros and Cons

It backs up VM's pretty quickly.
I like that it is appliance-based as it is much easier and cheaper to deploy that way.
It is very simple to upgrade.
It runs well with older storage hardware. I was able to put some older NAS devices to use.

Some of the concepts, like replication, are very confusing.
What I think are simple setup things can end up being a tech call.

Return on Investment

Unitrends Data Center Backup and Recovery is not overly expensive. Again, my reasoning was to restore a lot of VMs at one time.
Comparing the recovery time to lost work time to cost is a no-brainer.
The ability to reuse old storage was a real benefit.

Alternatives Considered

Veeam Backup & Replication

I know many, many people use Veeam. And for years, there were free versions and such. For some reason, Veeam and I didn't get along well. I didn't like all the extra parts and pieces to make it work. Unitrends [Data Center Backup and Recovery] is one simple appliance. As I've said, I was able to reuse some old storage. It does what I need to do and all I need it to do. That's why I use it and continue to use it.

Key Insights

Do you think Unitrends delivers good value for the price?

Yes

Are you happy with Unitrends's feature set?

Yes

Did Unitrends live up to sales and marketing promises?

Yes

Did implementation of Unitrends go as expected?

Yes

Would you buy Unitrends again?

Yes

Likelihood to Recommend

I am using two different backup solutions. I use Unitrends [Data Center Backup and Recovery] to back up my virtual machines and the other products to backup data. I have my reasons. What I like about Unitrends [Data Center Backup and Recovery] for backing up VM's is the ease of backing them up. No agents, no nothing. Just a simple connection to the vcenter server. It works great. I also like that Unitrends isn't really picky about storage. I'm using a couple of old Netgear NAS units for backup. I don't try to keep everything; I only keep a couple of copies of the backups. I don't really want the image to be too old. My main purpose with VM backups is when I lose a lot of VM's all at once (done that), this is a good, cheap insurance.

Usability

It is pretty easy to use, pretty easy to set up, and, more importantly, pretty easy to live with. Reporting is adequate. It makes good use of the available storage methods and has been ultra-reliable; I'm very pleased. Compared to other solutions, it was the least complicated and most affordable solution, so I would recommend it.

Usability Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Like to use Easy to use Consistent Quick to learn Feel confident using Familiar	None

Easy Tasks

Setting up the backup targets
Scheduling the backups
Setting the length [of time] the backups are kept

Difficult Tasks

Setup is not hard, but you might have to ask support for help.
Recovery is hard to understand at first.

Unitrends Data Center Backup and Recovery for VMware Backups - The Right Tool for the Right Job.

Modules Used

Overall Satisfaction with Unitrends Data Center Backup and Recovery