Backup Exec - Market Leader Lost its Way?
May 04, 2018
Backup Exec - Market Leader Lost its Way?
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Overall Satisfaction with Veritas Backup Exec
We use Backup Exec as one of our backup solutions. The server that the Backup Exec software is installed on has an attached tape library unit which allows tape backups. This in turn allows the backups to be taken off site. We also do off-site backup replications but network restrictions currently prevent all servers / backups to be replicated off-site. Thus, some locally based physical servers utilise the Symantec Backup Exec system.
- Symantec is probably the best known and most widely use backup software - the benefit to this is that most IT staff of a certain level usually have had some exposure to one version of the software or another.
- Product Maturity - It is very intuitive, and because of the product's maturity the menus and options are laid out particularly well.
- Robust & reliable - the system is a proven solution with excellent support in place also.
- The user interface can sometimes be sluggish and hang between options.The minimum spec is 2Gb but if running on a dedicated server I think 4Gb is recommended
- As more companies seem to be entering the backup software market, Acronis is very aggressive on pricing and even offer discounts if you are replacing other backup solutions, the Backup Exec pricing plans have become a more expensive
- Our version is an older 2014 version and has inadequate support for VM backs
- Backups by their very nature are difficult to quantify when it comes to ROI. Any monies spent should be seen more as insurance . If you never have to claim on it then that is the best outcome. Backup Exec gives you comfort that you can meet any downtime recovery targets set by your business and this is how to benchmark your solution.
- Conduct regular DR tests and your this will be your ROI.
Our version of Backup Exec lacked the appropriate VM support, although I believe that such support is better in 15 and 16 versions. We currently use a combination of Backup Exec and Acronis - our parent company uses Veeam.