Item: Unitrends
Rating: 8
Author: James Warthen

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

At the time we were using EMC Networker 7.6 and 8.x, [and] doing backup to tape. Even with two drives, it can be time consuming. With the Dell/EMC Merger, the renewal skyrocketed. Thus, [I] looked at other replacements that would meet additional [needs]; Unitrends [Data Center Backup & Recovery] was one of the few that filled all the needs. [For example:] B2D External Backup for off Site (B2D RXDA removable HDD), Backup to Tape, and Backup to remote Appliance [fulfilled our needs]. [The] [backup was] not only [a] physical Host and Netapp, but also VM's & Databases.

Pros and Cons

Backup to Disk, DLT Tapes are time consuming.
Offered as an appliance (unlimited) or Virtual Appliance (Lic is per CPU).
Very Versatile, has a wide scope of client support.
[Can] restore physical host back to bare metal and some to VM.

[We] have the virtual appliance with plenty of CPU/RAM/HDD [space], but the web interface can [create] slow reports; [the] recovery take time to process [takes] minutes.
[I would] like an "ignore option" for VM's. [ The work] around is [to] have [the] DR server outside [the] Unitrends scope aka separate vcenter Datacenter, put colones and test VM's, [so] they don't show on the backup report. Unitrends [Data Center Backup and Recovery] does a scan if any VM's [are] not in a recent job; [the VM's] shows up in the report as Failed backup.
[I would] like an ignore option for NDMP volumes, once again it does scan for new volumes. [It] should ignore NetApp root volume since this a volume that can't be restored. Volumes that don't need to be backed up because they scratch data or mirror of another storage device.
[Currently,] only [one] supports [out of the] two NDMP backup modes; [I] would like it to support both modes fully.

Return on Investment

[Backups] are quick once you have [your] first [one], since they are all synthetic incremental/fulls going forward.
[Recovery] can be slow and the database access to select the host is very slow.
[Since] we have a virtual appliance running on 48 SATA HDD, [it] can backup a [lot,] but the interface is sluggish for Database Queries, Reports, and Backup Recovery.
[I] [would] assume the appliance is optimized with hybrid SSD/SAS or SATA HDD giving [it a] better performance.

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

Alternatives Considered

My biggest issue [is that I] wanted to get off Tapes and [I] looked [at] B2D Appliances Unitrends; [it] was one of the few that checked all the boxes.

[Other appliances] did not have many options for off site backup ([there was] no way to backup the [backups].

[With] Unitrends, if you need to meet [or use] [three] levels of backup, you can: use "on premise to Appliance", "secondary off site Appliance", and Off Site Backup to Vault," using Tape Library or RXDA (Removable HDD).

Other Software Used

Veeam Backup & Replication, Dell EMC Networker

Likelihood to Recommend

It's very appropriate in a mixed environment were you have multiple client types. [Whereas] other backup software [are] more focused on [mostly] Virtual Machines.

[Unitrends Data Center Backup and Recovery is] inappropriate, if you have most of [your] VM's on [a] high core count and few CPU's Virtual [Appliance's] can be cheaper and can be [upgraded], since you can add storage shelves. [The] VS [option] [of] the Appliance, [is] you have an unlimited lic, but [the] limited disk capacity [depends] on the size of [the appliance [that] you get.

Unitrends Data Center Backup and Recovery: A multiplatform backup appliance

Modules Used

Overall Satisfaction with Unitrends Data Center Backup and Recovery