Disaster recovery (DR) software compared: granular control vs. timesaving presets
If your business relies on digital technology, you need a disaster recovery system. 90% of businesses without a disaster recovery system in place fail after a major outage or loss of data.
To avoid becoming part of those statistics, you need a DR solution that works. One that will allow you to prevent downtime and data loss. Central to this outcome is a software control system that makes the management and provisioning of resources simple and automates your backup protocols.
For businesses of all sizes, Veeam and Commvault are two of the established vendors in the market. Both deliver a track record of success. But, each excels in its own niche — Commvault catering to customers who want a solution that just works and Veeam delivering control to businesses that need tailored outcomes.
Here, we are going to go through the pros and cons, providing you the context needed to start building a DR solution optimised for your business, protecting you from failure and ensuring your ability to thrive in a digital landscape.
Resources:
Veeam: A Business Favorite with Granular Control
Veeam is a data protection and availability service with three main products on offer, Veeam Availability Suite, Veeam Backup and Replication and Veeam ONE. They provide availability solutions that will fit your operational budget and needs, whether you’re operating a small business or large enterprise. Veeam solutions deliver data loss avoidance, automated disaster recovery, scale-out backup repositories, instant file level recovery, reporting, monitoring, standalone consoles, and capacity planning and forecasting. Veeam provides customisable and guaranteed recovery time objectives (RTO) as well as recovery point objectives (RPO). With over 200,000 clients across the globe, Veeam has made quick progress and grown in popularity. Their system is simple to use and deploy, making it the first choice for businesses around the world. Veeam solutions can scale. Particularly when used in conjunction with Veeam cloud solutions, no amount of data is too much. Data is backed-up at regular intervals, and availability is always guaranteed. Veeam excels when it comes to high storage capabilities and requirements.
Commvault: Streamlined Functionality
Commvault is a well-established backup vendor, with a large, wide-ranging base of clients. With an abundance of impressive features, it certainly ticks many boxes for businesses looking to protect their data. Commvault offers a unique and streamlined approach which aims to save business owners and managers time. Troubleshooting is automated or outsourced. As much as possible, Commvault seeks to remove workloads from their customers. Your unique requirements will always be taken into consideration so that your efficiency improves. But, instead of spending hours saving files, Commvault aims to do all of the hard work for you. This product is ideal for businesses in complex environments and businesses that simply cannot expend the internal resources required to manage the IT side of their DR policy. Some of the most important offerings within a Commvault package include complete backup and recovery on all files and apps, file and VM archiving, endpoint data and mailbox protection, hardware snapshot management, replication and VM live sync and backup operational reporting.
Veeam vs. Commvault: Customisation vs. Automation
Both systems deliver automatic backup. At the very least, with either system installed, you will be ensured against data loss without the need for additional, manual work. Veeam, however, requires more manual inputs when it comes to other aspects of how your DR solution will function. But, that also means you can get an outcome that fits your exact requirements on a highly granular level. This extra customisability, however, will cost you more. Although the exact specifics will be heavily impacted by your use needs, you should expect to pay slightly more for any given use case when opting for a Veeam driven solution. But, with Veeam, you not only get customisability, you don’t have to worry about file size. They can handle any amount of protection. On the other hand, Commvault caps their storage to a point and it has been noted that indexing and deduplication space requirements can become quite extensive. This means that if a large amount of storage is needed, it might not easily be available. The streamlined nature of Commvault makes it very consistent and easy to grasp, which helps companies to feel more confident that their data is completely secure and accessible, even without significant internal IT resources. But, Commvault users also note frustration on the complexity of the system if any deviation from the standard set up is pursued. In addition to limited customisability (particularly compared to Veeam), the fluid simplicity of the Commvault system disappears when it comes to making alterations. Veeam will require more training to use out of the box. But, it is arguably a simpler system to understand in-depth and offers more options once mastered.You Need Disaster Recovery! The Choice Centres on The Customisability and Scalability of That Outcome
Only 30% of businesses report having an adequate disaster recovery plan in place. Overlooking this vital aspect of business and brand protection can cause widespread problems. Your business is only going to survive if you build a DR plan that works for you. Both Veeam and Commvault are good places to start. Your specifics will dictate where you will get a better return on investment. Veeam is ideal if you are looking for a product that can handle files of any size and delivers granular control. Commvault should be your first choice if you want an efficient and time-saving solution that will work straight out of the box, and you have little intention of tinkering with it after the fact. When looking to make a DR investment, you also need to think beyond IT. Although getting your IT choices right is critical, real business continuity requires process planning and staff training. Your teams need a plan to continue operations while your system is being restored and the right RTO, RPO, failover and failback protocols meet to match your business requirements. Building out these capabilities needs to be done right. An incomplete solution is barely more effective than no solution at all. For businesses lacking internal IT experience, seeking professional advice, at least during procurement, is an investment worth making. This can help you align the best hardware and software solutions with processes that match your business requirements and build a plan to maintain the good health of your system. For any business, Veeam or Commvault can do the job. The better choice will likely hinge on your desire to customise and control your ecosystem. But, building a DR plan that will work requires recognising that your investments go beyond IT. That process of planning starts by recognising the limits of your internal IT capabilities and investing appropriately. Specialists can help, your data deserves the best.
- Veeam
- 7 Reasons Not to Renew Commvault
- Commvault
- Review: 5 Years with Commvault
- Comparing Commvault, Veeam: Gartner Peer Insights
- Commvault vs. Veeam Backup & replication: IT Central Station
