Item: Unitrends
Rating: 10
Author: Ian Fuchs

Use Cases and Deployment Scope

We deployed the Unitrends Recovery appliance to back up our entire server infrastructure. This includes many virtual Windows servers sitting in a Microsoft Hyper-V environment. We protect SQL Servers, Exchange servers, file shares, and domain controllers. We utilize the archive feature to maintain a weekly offsite copy of the backups, and replicate all backups to the Unitrends Forever Cloud. This set up ensures business continuity, and disaster recovery.

Pros and Cons

Cloud replication is easy to configure, and once set up it works reliably all of the time. We have been doing this for 11 months with 100% replication. This can easily be incorporated into a business's disaster response and business continuity plan.
Data compression and deduplication is efficient beyond our wildest expectations. Our average dedupe ratio is 7:1 and the average data reduction is 5:1 overall.
Adding new Windows based systems is simple and quick. The Recovery appliance can push out the recovery application onto new equipment directly from the web interface, simplifying the addition of new systems.

The web interface can be slow at times, with report generation and screen switching taking several seconds (up to 30 some times).
Navigating the system tree can be a bit tedious if you have many protected systems. A search feature would be nice.
Retention alerts don't always seem to clear themselves.

Return on Investment

We have used the Unitrends Recovery appliance to mitigate 2 ransomware attacks with 100% effectiveness. This saved DAYS of downtime and untold amounts of labour.
When performing a financial year end process, the database supporting the application became corrupt. The recovery appliance had the entire DB restored to a point in time earlier in the day within 10 minutes. This saved our bacon!

Alternatives Considered

We compared the Unitrends Recovery Appliance to the Dell Rapid Recovery product. We found that the Unitrends offering had a simpler interface, comparable features and a price point that was significantly lower than the Dell Rapid Recovery devices. It was an easy decision to make, and looking back at it in hindsight, we would still choose the Unitrends Recovery appliance.

Likelihood to Recommend

The Unitrends Recovery appliance is very well suited to SMB applications that are looking for a turnkey data protection device. It is full featured, with the ability to do bare metal restoration, virtual standby, and back up replication.

With a slightly clunky tree navigation, using the device in an environment where you have more than 100+ systems being protected can be a bit onerous. It still works fine, it just becomes a chore finding the particular server you need.

Support Rating

Initial deployment services were terrific, and the couple of times I required support I received timely support from very knowledgeable support staff. These people are some of the best support staff I have encountered in my 20 year IT career.

Unitrends Customer Support Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
Quick Resolution Good followup Knowledgeable team Problems get solved Kept well informed Immediate help available Support understands my problem Quick Initial Response	None

Bug Resolution

Exceptional Examples of Unitrends Support

I was having trouble installing the client app on a Linux server. The support tech talked me through the procedure, ensuring both that the install worked correctly, but also making sure that I understood the procedure itself, enabling me to efficiently do this over and over as required in the future. They turned a simple support request into a training opportunity and it was amazing!

Unitrends Recovery Appliance? Yes, you need one.

Overall Satisfaction with Unitrends Recovery Series Backup Appliance