No more typing reviews! Try our Samantha, our new voice AI agent.
reviewer1094850 - PeerSpot reviewer
CISO at a manufacturing company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Mar 11, 2024
Covers everything, protects our data, and gives immediate results
Pros and Cons
  • "The expanse of the decoys that they have is valuable. They cover everything on the corporate side that you would think of, such as Windows, Linux, and even applications like SAP. They also go into the OT environment and emulate OT devices as well."
  • "If I were to ask them to work on something, it would be the fidelity of the alerts that occur. They should tell me if it is a real event or not. It is easy for it to identify that something hit it but give me more information. They can build AI into the engine so that I get better output from an alert to tell me if I should really be interested in that or not."

What is our primary use case?

We use the deception piece of Commvault, not the backup solution.

We use deception decoys across our corporate networks and across our OT networks to emulate vulnerable systems so that if a threat actor were to get inside and start scanning the network, the hope is they would bump into one of these, and we would get the alert, and we would be able to react and know some of these inside. Most of what we deploy in terms of decoys have some level of vulnerabilities that threat actors would be interested in, such as an old version of an operating system.

How has it helped my organization?

Building and deploying a decoy is fairly straightforward. If there is any work involved, it is just tuning the noise in terms of what happens inside your network. Most people probably do not realize how many times they are scanning their own network internally, and that decoy is going to feel like it is getting scanned, but that scan is being done by a dedicated device that you want to scan. You then build your exception rules in to not trigger on that and trigger on other devices when it is scanning. We have built the alerts back into our automation platform, so if we get alerts, our automation platform will do some runbook evaluation that is automated and then hand it off to an analyst if they think it is a real event.

They do a good job of building the decoys and deploying them, and then giving you good insights. When something happens, you can look at how the decoy was connected or attached to a scan and figure out if that is a real threat or not.

I like the coverage. We have 250 locations across the US, and we deploy decoys across every one of those networks.

We saw its benefits immediately. The first time we got it and deployed it into one of our operating plant environments, the plant engineer noticed right away that there was a foreign device on his network that he did not really realize was out there. It was a support vendor coming in, and that vendor was scanning parts of his network that he did not realize. They were not necessarily doing it maliciously, but it gave him great insight, so he was sold on the product right away as we were. Shortly after implementation, we did our regular PAN and Red Team testing. I can say with 100% confidence that every time we do one of those, those teams come in and they tip over one of the decoys, and we see them fairly quickly.

The decoy side protects my data because I get early insight into if there is a threat actor in my environment and it is moving laterally because they typically will hit one of these decoys, so it gives me quick access. If a ransomware threat actor was in my environment, they would be moving laterally trying to get to a vulnerable system, so before they ever get to the point of deploying the ransomware payload, they are going to hit a decoy. I am going to get early insight, and hopefully, I can get them out of there.

In terms of its effect on the total cost of ownership (TCO), as with almost any security product, we are mitigating risk and protecting revenue. The total cost of ownership is an overhead when it comes to security. You want to spend as much as you think is necessary to mitigate high-risk areas. Otherwise, it is just money out the door. You are protecting revenue, but I would not put a TCO on it.

It has helped our organization reduce or avoid downtime a great deal. It has avoided a potential downtime because the decoy typically gets the threat actor. My threat actors are PAN Test and Red Team people. They are identified before they can get too far and cause a scenario where I have downtime because of whatever they are doing in the environment.

What is most valuable?

The expanse of the decoys that they have is valuable. They cover everything on the corporate side that you would think of, such as Windows, Linux, and even applications like SAP. They also go into the OT environment and emulate OT devices as well.

What needs improvement?

If I were to ask them to work on something, it would be the fidelity of the alerts that occur. They should tell me if it is a real event or not. It is easy for it to identify that something hit it but give me more information. They can build AI into the engine so that I get better output from an alert to tell me if I should really be interested in that or not.

Buyer's Guide
Commvault Cloud
October 2026
Learn what your peers think about Commvault Cloud. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2026.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

We bought TrapX before Commvault acquired them, so we have been a customer of the deception technology, and a specific one, for over seven years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is very stable. We do not have a problem with availability or uptime on the product.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very scalable. We started with hundreds, and now, we have got thousands of decoys. The only thing that you have to be careful about is the more decoys, the more alerts. Can you handle them, tune them, and get them cleaned up so that you are effectively looking at real alerts when they come in?

How are customer service and support?

I am the CISO here. I do not contact them, but my team certainly has used their support organization before.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We have not used any other solution. We have been a TrapX customer from early on when they were just coming out.

How was the initial setup?

It was originally on-premises. They have since come out with the cloud version, and we are migrating to it right now. It should be done by the fifteenth of March, which will make it a lot easier because before, I had to buy hardware and deploy assets across my environment. Having a cloud solution is a much better model for me.

The deployment for the cloud one has been good so far. It has been going fairly well. We are on-prem, and we are moving to the cloud. I do not know if it would be different if I was deploying the cloud only and I had never deployed it before. I would imagine it would be easier than what I did in the past with on-premise equipment. I was building servers and VMs and allocating those types of resources to run this environment.

What about the implementation team?

When we started, we did get help. We had professional services included. They were early to the market, so it kind of made sense. For this deployment in the cloud, we are just doing it ourselves.

I have one person doing the migration, and that one person does other things too. The lab time is going to be about 15 days, but he is not working a hundred percent on that. He has got other responsibilities. It is not difficult.

All the time, we have only had one engineer dedicated to this platform. Our SOC uses the output, but the person who manages it day to day takes upgrades, performs the upgrades, and does those types of things. There is just one person, and that is a part-time person, not a full-time person.

The maintenance is largely around what decoys you have deployed and the tuning of those decoys. Some of the maintenance is just internal processes, such as when the decoy gets tipped over, what exactly did that? Did somebody start up a new engine or a new scan internally that we did not know about? We have to manage that change process to make sure that we put an exception on the decoy so that it does not get alerted when it is not necessary.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Originally, it was really attractive when we were deployed on-prem. They have since built and moved it to the cloud, which I am a big fan of. I have all my security tools in the cloud, but it came with a significant increase in pricing. We ended up negotiating a better price because we have been a long-term customer, and I have also spoken on their behalf quite a few times, but if I have to buy it at its current rate, I am not sure if I would be a customer. It is expensive.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did look at a couple, but I cannot say what they were because it was a while ago.

What other advice do I have?

To those evaluating this solution, I would advise looking at the maturity of their security organization. Do they have a SOC and are they going to be able to address the alerts that they are going to get on the decoys? If it is just more noise on top of the noise they are already dealing with, they probably should not put this type of technology in until they clean up their environment and have a good handle on the alerts they are getting. That is because you cannot put it in and ignore it. It is a decoy. Something is hitting it, and that something might be real, and you need to take action on it.

I would recommend Commvault to others. They have been an easy organization to work with. They have good technical support, and I still like their technology.

Overall, I would rate it an eight out of ten.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Achindra Kamburapolage - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager - Database Administration at Nations Trust Banks Plc
User
Mar 4, 2024
Robust backup and recovery capabilities with great features
Pros and Cons
  • "Security measures, including encryption and threat detection, contribute significantly to data protection, safeguarding against unauthorized access and cyber threats."
  • "Improved documentation and user training resources could contribute to a smoother onboarding process and more effective utilization of the platform's capabilities."

What is our primary use case?

Commvault's primary use case centers around comprehensive data management and protection, particularly in cloud environments. Organizations leverage Commvault for its robust capabilities in backup and recovery, safeguarding data across both on-premises and cloud-based infrastructures. 

The solution excels in facilitating the efficient management of data in hybrid and multi-cloud setups, enabling seamless movement, copying, and overall control of information stored on platforms like AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud. Commvault plays a pivotal role in disaster recovery planning, ensuring swift data retrieval and business continuity in the face of unexpected events. 

Additionally, the platform often extends its functionality to include archiving solutions, aiding organizations in meeting compliance requirements and optimizing long-term data storage. With a focus on security and compliance, Commvault provides features to protect data and align with regulatory standards. 

Moreover, it may contribute to cloud cost optimization by offering insights into data usage and implementing strategies for cost-effective storage. It's essential to consult the latest documentation or contact Commvault directly for the most current information on their cloud solutions as of 2024.

How has it helped my organization?

Commvault Cloud has proven instrumental in enhancing organizational operations through its robust data management and protection features. By providing efficient backup and recovery solutions, it ensures the safeguarding of critical data, reducing the risk of data loss due to various unforeseen events. 

The platform's adept handling of hybrid and multi-cloud environments enables organizations to streamline data management across diverse infrastructures, optimizing resources and harnessing the benefits of various cloud platforms seamlessly. 

Commvault Cloud's disaster recovery capabilities contribute significantly to minimizing downtime, facilitating quick system and data restoration in the face of disruptions. Moreover, the solution aids in implementing effective data archiving strategies, ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements and reducing the likelihood of compliance-related issues. 

The integration of enhanced security measures further fortifies data protection, mitigating risks associated with unauthorized access or breaches. Commvault Cloud's potential to optimize cloud costs by providing insights into data usage and recommending cost-effective storage strategies contributes to overall operational efficiency. 

While the success of implementation hinges on factors such as planning and training, ongoing assessments and communication with Commvault support are crucial for addressing any challenges and ensuring continued alignment with organizational needs.

What is most valuable?

Commvault Cloud offers a suite of features, each contributing distinct value to organizations based on their unique needs. 

The backbone of its utility lies in robust backup and recovery capabilities, ensuring data resilience and swift recovery in the face of unforeseen events. The ability to seamlessly manage data across hybrid and multi-cloud environments stands out as a pivotal feature, allowing for flexibility, resource optimization, and scalability as organizations navigate diverse cloud infrastructures. 

Disaster Recovery features further enhance business continuity by minimizing downtime and facilitating rapid system and data restoration. The effectiveness of Commvault Cloud extends to archiving and compliance functionalities, crucial for industries with stringent regulatory requirements, mitigating the risk of compliance-related issues. 

Security measures, including encryption and threat detection, contribute significantly to data protection, safeguarding against unauthorized access and cyber threats. Additionally, the platform's Cloud Cost Optimization features provide insights into data usage, aiding in the implementation of cost-effective storage strategies and contributing to overall operational efficiency. 

The value of these features ultimately depends on an organization's specific goals, industry context, and IT infrastructure, emphasizing the need for regular assessments to ensure ongoing alignment with evolving business requirements.

What needs improvement?

Commvault Cloud, while offering a robust suite of features, could potentially benefit from improvements in certain areas. One area for consideration is user interface and user experience enhancements, aiming to streamline navigation and make the platform more intuitive for users with varying levels of technical expertise. 

Improved documentation and user training resources could also contribute to a smoother onboarding process and more effective utilization of the platform's capabilities. Additionally, ongoing efforts to optimize resource utilization and minimize any potential impact on system performance would be valuable. As for potential features in the next release, integration with emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence for more intelligent data management and analytics could provide valuable insights for organizations. 

Enhanced automation capabilities, including more sophisticated policy-driven automation for data workflows, could further streamline processes and reduce manual intervention. Integration with additional cloud services and platforms, keeping pace with the evolving cloud landscape, would broaden the platform's compatibility and usefulness. 

Lastly, advanced security features, including continuous monitoring, threat intelligence integration, and proactive threat response capabilities, would fortify the product's defense against evolving cyber threats. 

Regular feedback mechanisms from users and staying attuned to industry trends would help guide the development of features that align closely with the evolving needs of organizations in the dynamic landscape of data management and cloud services.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using this solution for two years. 

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Commvault Cloud
October 2026
Learn what your peers think about Commvault Cloud. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: October 2026.
920,769 professionals have used our research since 2012.
reviewer2297667 - PeerSpot reviewer
Infrastructure Manager at a construction company with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Oct 27, 2023
We can do hourly backups on more systems than ever before, and our RPOs have decreased significantly
Pros and Cons
  • "It's easy to configure multiple jobs and media agent locations for each server. We do offsite backups for all of our servers, but we also do onsite hourly backups of them. That has benefited us several times when we had an incident and didn't want to roll back a server an entire day."
  • "Additional SaaS application support would be good... we have SaaS applications that may not be big enough for Commvault to support yet. Box.com is one we've asked about for years, and it's just not on the radar, as far as I know."

What is our primary use case?

Backup and recovery is our primary use case, but we use it to back up all our laptops and help with our computer switch-out process. When somebody receives a new computer, we use Commvault to migrate their data from their old computer to their new one which has eliminated one of the most time-consuming pieces of that process.

We also use Commvault Activate for e-discovery and to help with lawsuits and claims at the end of our projects. It helps provide our outside counsel with the data they need.

How has it helped my organization?

We are able to sleep at night knowing that all of our data is protected and we can recover it very quickly. Instead of trying to do a recovery and hoping things are going to work, I'm fairly confident that within just a couple of minutes, we can have any of our machines restored wherever we need it.

We used to have daily RPOs on almost everything, but Commvault has given us the flexibility to create RPOs daily, every four hours, hourly, etc. For the most part, any request a data owner may have for their system, we can accommodate without difficult changes to our overall data protection strategy.

As for RTO, doing recoveries with Commvault for our virtual machines means we can have them running in under five minutes in most cases. Previously, that would have taken hours.

What is most valuable?

Having everything in one place is one of the biggest advantages, rather than having to go to individual products or different pieces to complete tasks. 

We do offsite backups for all of our servers, but we also do onsite hourly backups for any location with important data. That has benefited us several times when we had a need to recover files but did not want to roll back to the previous day's offsite backup. We were able to just roll back certain data for an hour or two to resolve the issue.

When it comes to monitoring and managing our data environment, it's easy for our admins to use Commvault. Most of the time, through their documentation, our primary admin can find everything he needs. We utilize a value-added reseller to handle our first-line support and when we have to escalate something to them, they're usually able to resolve it without having to involve Commvault.

The fact that Commvault offers recovery across cloud, on-prem, and SaaS workloads is growing in importance for our company. We use it to protect some SaaS data today and it has set us up for when we are ready for that jump to the cloud. We know data protection is not going to be an issue and Commvault will actually help facilitate that move for us when the time comes.

What needs improvement?

As a long-time Commvault customer, we still use the Java console heavily because it is how we learned to do everything. The web-based Command Center is coming along and has most of what we need, but it is a learning process to change our knowledge to the new way of doing things.

As Commvault continues to grow SaaS data protection options, there are some that are on my wish list that have not yet made their roadmap. Knowing what is being worked on for future support would be great we can keep that in mind as we are looking at future technologies to adopt.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been using Commvault Backup & Recovery since 2006. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Commvault is very stable and I cannot think of any major downtime we have had in the last decade.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's scalable, absolutely. I imagine we are small in the world of Commvault. I can't imagine any point that we would get to that Commvault couldn't handle and manage well. But even for significantly larger companies than us, Commvault is going to be one of the best partners to grow with you.

How are customer service and support?

Whenever we do have to talk to Commvault directly, they engage the resources we need pretty quickly. That may be, in part, because we escalate through our VAR and they know that we've attempted all of the basic solutions first.

When we've had issues with some portion of the product, they will bring product managers, developers, or whomever we need on the phone pretty quickly to work with us until it's resolved. Sometimes that means a custom patch because we've discovered something new that somebody hadn't run into yet. But they're good at working with us through that, rolling it into a future update, and keeping us up and running.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We were using Veritas Backup Exec. It was very inconsistent in completing backups and made our servers very unstable. We used to restart servers on a weekly basis when we were running Backup Exec. Once we centralized those backups off the file servers, we had servers that could run for nearly a year if we wanted them to. Typically, we'd have to reboot them for updates, but they ran rock-solid after we took the backup software off.

How was the initial setup?

Implementation could be complex if you don't use some professional services to help. It's a big tool with a lot of features, and without some additional assistance with the installation, I'm not sure you'll get the full benefits out of it. Still, it's not an overwhelming engagement to undertake.

We brought in our value-added reseller, and their engineering team brought one person onsite for two to three weeks. He sat with us to teach us about the system. It was a much more complex protection method than we were used to, so they had to teach us about the Commvault methodology a little bit first. Then we had to pull large amounts of data—this was years ago, so the internet wasn't nearly as fast as it is today—and we were sending out hard drives, pulling back large amounts of data, and then doing incremental backups to catch up on the differences. It was interesting to tackle different locations with different approaches to get the data into the system, and then catch up after the fact. Our VAR helped with that significantly by planning it all out. We were fully off our old system in two to three months, so it was not a long ramp-up time.

Two people from our side were involved directly, my manager and me. My manager was mostly there to give business-related advice and do business decision-making. I was the admin, and we had one engineer from our VAR.

I was the day-to-day admin for about eight years, but I have now handed that over to one of my admins. He does most of the work under the guidance of our value-added reseller. If we're adding new features or functionality from Commvault, the reseller will guide us through it, but we do the work. That way, we make sure we're well-trained on it.

Our Commvault is a combination where we're primarily on-prem, but there is one service in the cloud that we use that will not allow on-prem data protection partners. We use Commvault Metallic for that one SaaS application.

Our environment for the backups is mostly centralized in one data center, and it's backing up about 40 locations. Our admin who works on Commvault spends about 10 percent of his time on it protecting about 1,200 laptops and 150 servers.

It's not difficult to maintain Commvault. When our admin needs to do an update, he might dedicate a half day to do so, because it's fairly easy to roll out updates to everything and monitor how that's going. It's very easy to maintain once everything is set the way you want it.

What about the implementation team?

The reseller we are working with is Eagle Technologies and it is worth a call to them if you're considering a partnership with Commvault.

What was our ROI?

We have never run the numbers, but I know intuitively that what we spend is well offset by the time we save on restores and admin time. It's money well spent.

It's valuable to us because we are confident that we can get the data back when we need it. There are definitely business savings from not having to struggle to return services to normal. Whenever somebody comes to us and needs data, we always have it for them.

Commvault has greatly reduced our downtime. If we have a server that has an issue, we're not opposed to rolling back to a previous backup point after a couple of minutes of discussion about our options. Usually, the decision is to just restore that virtual machine, and we'll have you back up and running in five to 10 minutes.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The pricing is fairly in line with the other products we've compared it with recently. We do spend more on it than we did in our Backup Exec days, but it's competitive with the other best-in-class data protection platforms. There are other systems that are less expensive that just do basic backup, but when you're talking about full data management, Commvault is hard to beat. Remember that low price doesn't mean low cost, a cheaper product may end up costing you valuable person hours or slower recovery times.

The licensing model changes can sometimes be confusing. Our value-added reseller does a great job of explaining the changes to us and preparing us for what's good and bad and what we need to be aware of during those changes. If we were dealing directly with Commvault, it might be a little more confusing than it needed to be.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We looked into several other solutions (Avamar, Backup Exec, Syncsort) back when originally choosing Commvault and they were a clear leader in the market, especially given some of the unique data protection needs we had. As we have kept an eye on the new up-and-comers in the space, Commvault always feels like they're steps ahead of the competition.

What other advice do I have?

Commvault has helped us reduce our threat detection time to some degree, although we have other tools more specifically focused on security. We have been alerted at times when something has been acting strangely on a file server and we were able to start investigating quickly. Instead of an employee having to tell us that something doesn't look right, our hourly backups have triggered and said, "Hey, something is different here. You need to take a look at it."

My advice is: don't let how big it is scare you off. Commvault is definitely one of the biggest players out there, but you can get in and get started in a small way. Even if you don't bite off everything to begin with, you can get started and have a much better solution than you may have today.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Sanjiv Dogra - PeerSpot reviewer
Sr. Manager mtechnogies at Deloitte
Real User
Oct 22, 2024
Efficient data backups with room for enhanced monitoring and support
Pros and Cons
  • "The functionality and features of Commvault were much better compared to other solutions."
  • "Commvault could improve in the area of monitoring and notification services."

What is our primary use case?

We have used the Commvault solution to take mobile backups from our client locations. We had multiple data sites where data was not scattered in a distributed mode, and we utilized the Commvault client with all the users. 

We started collecting data from their machines to the centralized server. We especially used Commvault to back up Outlook and flat files, as well as databases like MS SQL and SQL using native services. For other databases, we used Commvault.

How has it helped my organization?

The solution saved us a lot of time, effort, and manpower. It helped us back up remote locations where it is difficult to reach. 

It also enabled us to take backups from all clients efficiently. The implementation of Commvault is very easy, especially if it's deployed on machines within the same network.

What is most valuable?

The feedback from users was phenomenal as they did not encounter any problems with backups, whether from Outlook or other data such as flat files and databases. 

The functionality and features of Commvault were much better compared to other solutions.

What needs improvement?

Commvault could improve in the area of monitoring and notification services. Upon backup completion, the user is not getting notifications. This might be a feature I'm missing within the system. If it’s not there, Commvault should enhance this functionality. 

Additionally, customer support should be improved for quicker real-time assistance, considering the time zone challenges.

How are customer service and support?

In the past, support has been phenomenal, and the people at Commvault have been very supportive. 

However, recently, due to time zone differences, it has taken a lot of time to connect in real time with support staff. There is an issue in finding customer support services within India.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Commvault is slightly more expensive than similar solutions. We observed a pricing range of 15% to 17% more.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We have evaluated other solutions in the market, but due to the functionalities and features offered by Commvault, we opted to use it despite the higher price.

What other advice do I have?

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Other
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Chethana Kahandugoda - PeerSpot reviewer
CIO / Senior Deputy General Manager at Lb
Real User
Oct 16, 2024
Enhancing data management with deduplication, and helps reduce the cost of hardware
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable features of Commvault Cloud include deduplication and compression."
  • "Competitive products have emerged with less cost, making the pricing a challenging factor."

What is our primary use case?

We are using Commvault Cloud to back up a VM. We mainly use VM backup. We have kept our storage backups so that in case of a disaster or test environment, we should be able to recover within fifteen to twenty minutes. This is our benchmark.

How has it helped my organization?

Commvault Cloud has helped in reducing the cost for hardware as we are just using standard storage to store the backup instead of requiring special hardware equipment. It allows for server-level hardware backup, which helps in managing storage backups efficiently.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features of Commvault Cloud include deduplication and compression. Deduplication and compression are critical for us because they provide good compression, which is essential in data management. The time to recover from the disk is a critical requirement. The ransomware protection feature was one of the key considerations for choosing Commvault Cloud.

What needs improvement?

In terms of improvement, the cost factor is a significant area for enhancement, especially during the annual renewal. Competitive products have emerged with less cost, making the pricing a challenging factor. The implementation of field-level restore where you can restore a particular table or field without having to restore the entire backup is something I would like to have.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Commvault Cloud for almost three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

So far, we are all right with the stability of Commvault Cloud.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

We have some questions regarding scalability with the current storage setup, particularly with the Synology basic storage we are using, which causes continuous issues. We are evaluating backup storage solutions due to underlying hardware issues.

How are customer service and support?

I do not have any negative feedback regarding Commvault's technical support. They have been clear and helpful in addressing our concerns.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

We previously used Aksel backup, but we faced challenges with VM level backups and required protection against ransomware, which Commvault Cloud provided. The ArcServe backup software did not have these features, and as a result, we switched to Commvault Cloud.

How was the initial setup?

I was not involved technically in the initial setup. I was involved in the evaluation process, and subsequently, my team handled the implementation and deployment with our partners. The setup took approximately three to four months and involved minor implementation challenges.

What about the implementation team?

The deployment involved our team and partners. From our side, we had two people handling it, and from the partner's side, one or two guys were involved, making it a team of around four to five people.

What was our ROI?

The major ROI was using simple storage instead of expensive high-end storage for backup. It is more compliance-related, and we utilize cloud backups for redundancy and compliance purposes. We have not seen significant ROI from the backup solution as a whole.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

Pricing is a significant factor for our company as the annual renewal is challenging. There are competitive products in the market that have lower costs, which adds to the challenge of the pricing factor.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated Veeam backup as an alternative. Commvault Cloud provided better pricing at the time, along with ransomware protection and deduplication. Additionally, at our time of evaluation, Veeam did not support mixed backups, which was a consideration for us.

What other advice do I have?

I'd rate the solution eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1707861 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Data Production Engineer at a wellness & fitness company with 5,001-10,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
Dec 6, 2021
Supports all kinds of environments and reduces storage costs and workload
Pros and Cons
  • "IntelliSnap for snapshot collection is one of the most efficient and easiest ways to back up large amounts of data."
  • "Commvault can support any workload that you have in your environment."
  • "We do not use Command Center, but we are using CommCell Console. We're navigating and manipulating the entire environment by using CommCell Console, and we are comfortable with it. We didn't find Command Center user-friendly. We found it a bit difficult to use. It decreases the efficiency of the tasks to be performed. It was probably implemented as a centralized application to manage all environments, but it was probably not a good idea. I and my colleagues across the globe are comfortable with using CommCell Console rather than Command Center."
  • "It is quite expensive when compared to other applications in the market."

What is our primary use case?

We are a part of a global team for data protection. We have multiple regions around the globe that we are supporting 24/7. This is our presence with respect to the data protection environment.

We are backing up around eight petabytes of data in our organization. We have multiple platforms that are being backed up. We have OS servers, and we are also backing up multiple applications such as Exchange. We are using different databases such as Oracle and SQL Server. We also have NAS shares originating from NAS devices.

We have a hybrid environment, and we also have on-prem. We are backing up on-prem, and we also have a cloud for which we are using Azure Backup. Currently, I'm using version 11 and service pack 22. I started with version 7, and I have worked on versions 8, 9, and 10.

How has it helped my organization?

We have a global presence, and we are backing up a lot of remote sites. We have integrated a couple of cloud services by using Commvault. For the cloud environment, for a few regions, we have not directly backed up. We have implemented the Commvault solution inside the cloud. So, we are using it as a normal backup application rather than using the native backup solutions in the cloud, but for on-prem, we are completely using Commvault. 

Commvault has a concept of workflows. It has a lot of default workflows, and it also allows you to customize your workflows, which minimizes the manual intervention of the admins. If these workflows were not in place, the admins would spend a lot of time in manual intervention. On average, we save 25% to 30% of workload with the automation of tasks.

Commvault is helpful in reducing storage costs. There is a concept called deduplication, and Commvault has extensive technology and a lot of features when it comes to deduplication. It is one of the backbone features of Commvault that helps in reducing the space consumed on storage devices, which reduces the storage cost. On average, we can reduce up to 80% of the storage costs by implementing the deduplication technology by Commvault. 

What is most valuable?

IntelliSnap for snapshot collection is one of the most efficient and easiest ways to back up large amounts of data.

It is user-friendly. Commvault offers all kinds of solutions to integrate with multi-cloud, and it is very easy to deploy and integrate.

Commvault’s coverage for applications, databases, and virtual workloads is very good. I've been working with Commvault for the last 12 years. Commvault can support any workload that you have in your environment. They are also evolving with new technologies. They are being able to adapt to the upcoming and emerging new technologies. You can back up anything by using Commvault. When MongoDB was quite new in the market, Commvault was already supporting backup for MongoDB. Commvault is evolving at a very good pace.

Commvault offers a lot of solutions for disaster recovery. Previously, they had only native or legacy disaster recovery for standalone backup services. Then, they came up with something SQL Log Shipping where you can have two servers, primary and secondary, and you can do SQL Log Shipping between the two. So. when a primary server goes down, it can bring up to the secondary server by restarting the SQL instances. Commvault also offers high availability. It offers global DNS, and there wouldn't be any manual intervention when one of the backup services goes down. So, it supports the cluster mode. These are the three options right now that Commvault is offering with respect to disaster recovery. They are also offering some cloud-based solutions for disaster recovery.

Commvault can adapt to multiple storage platforms. There is a vast list of storage arrays that are supported by Commvault. The software drivers are provided with Commvault. It has the IntelliSnap feature, and Commvault is doing well to support multiple storage arrays from different storage platforms.

What needs improvement?

We do not use Command Center, but we are using CommCell Console. We're navigating and manipulating the entire environment by using CommCell Console, and we are comfortable with it. We didn't find Command Center user-friendly. We found it a bit difficult to use. It decreases the efficiency of the tasks to be performed. It was probably implemented as a centralized application to manage all environments, but it was probably not a good idea. I and my colleagues across the globe are comfortable with using CommCell Console rather than Command Center.

Commvault is doing releases very often. The services packs and maintenance releases come quite often. They should slow down a little bit because quite often, when we implement a feature release or a bug-fix release, it causes some issues, and some of the options do not work.

It is more expensive than other solutions.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've been working with Commvault for the last 12 years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The frequent releases from Commvault impact the stability. When we implement a feature release or a bug-fix release, quite often, it causes some issues, and some of the options do not work. This is one of the cons that we have related to the stability of the Commvault application.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is very flexible. We did not find any issues with regard to scalability. We are backing up eight petabytes of data. 

In terms of users, we are a team of six people providing 24/7 support. We are a part of the Global Data Protection team in our organization. In our team, we have Data Protection Engineer 1, Data Protection Engineer 2, and Data Protection Engineer 3. Apart from that, we have Architect 1 and Architect 2. These are the standard roles in any team across the organization.

We have very well-versed and capable engineers in our team. Our team is capable of planning, designing architecture, and managing operations. We have distributed these roles across the team. There is no dedicated person. Recently, we implemented Metallic in our environment, and as a senior member of the team, my role in that project involved planning, designing, and coordinating with the vendor. I also had to coordinate with different internal teams. We have something called Architecture Review Board. We plan and come up with a solution, and then we propose it to the management and get all the approvals. I have been a part of that. In addition to this, I do the regular normal BAU activities. I spend around 40 hours a week working with Commvault because I am from the core backup and the core data protection team. 

Commvault is the only enterprise application that we have for this purpose. It is being used in our organization for protecting data, and we plan to continue with Commvault. We don't have any plans to switch.

How are customer service and support?

To my knowledge, over the last five years, we have used their professional services only once, and that was to upgrade our Commvault environment from version 9 to version 10. We don't use their technical support much. We haven't had any major issues for which we had to contact them, but we are quite satisfied with their technical support. I would rate them an eight out of 10.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I have worked on Veritas NetBackup and Dell Networker. Commvault was offering more options and solutions. We also found it to be very user-friendly and easy to deploy. 

How was the initial setup?

Its initial setup was straightforward. It didn't take much time.

After the planning is done, if all approvals are there for the budget and other things, the implementation takes at least two to three months. When the hardware is in place, the deployment of Commvault is not that difficult. Within a day, you can complete all Commvault configurations. It is quite easy to deploy. Only the hardware part consumes a lot of time in terms of approvals, budget, etc.

What about the implementation team?

Until now, we haven't reached out to the vendor or Commvault professional services. Commvault has an implementation team that offers services to deploy the solutions in our environment, but we haven't opted for these services. However, a couple of years ago, when we were upgrading our environment from version 9 to version 10, we did opt for their professional services. We required only one staff member from our end and one staff member from their end.

What was our ROI?

I do not have the exact number. Its return on investment is probably more than 50%.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

It is quite expensive when compared to other applications in the market.

Its license is completely based on workload capacity. If I buy a license for 100 terabytes, I can back up anything. I can back up any platform, technology, or application, which is an advantage. Previously, we had to buy an agent for a particular application, and the cost was different for each agent. Now, the cost is completely based on the storage capacity. The license for one terabyte can cost around $1,700 for backing up anything from your environment.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We evaluated EMC Avamar and TSM, but we stuck with Commvault.

What other advice do I have?

I have recommended this solution to a lot of people based on the experience I had. It is very easy to use and deploy, and it is not that complex. The only con is that it is a bit expensive as compared to other solutions.

I have been working with Commvault for the last 12 years. They are constantly evolving and coming out with a lot of innovative ideas, which is quite inspiring. The biggest lesson that I have learned by using this solution is that we have to adapt and evolve along with the changes.

Commvault provides multiple solutions, not only to back up on-prem but also to the cloud. Commvault has a cloud-based SaaS solution called Metallic. We have Office 365 in our environment, and for its backup, we have implemented Metallic. Commvault is playing a huge role in backing up different kinds of environments, such as on-prem, cloud, or hybrid.

Commvault HyperScale X helps to minimize not only the OpEx cost but also the CapEx cost. Commvault HyperScale X offers a lot of hardware solutions. It is easy to manage. It is just plug-and-play.

For storing the data on tapes, we have hardware encryptions in place. We have software and hardware encryption, but we do not use Commvault's encryption solution. Commvault does ensure that encryptions are in place for sending the data to the public domain or outside the environment, but we are using third-party encryption tools. Similarly, Commvault provides security solutions that have a lot of things, but we are not using any Commvault-based cybersecurity solution. We have our own solutions that are managed by our cybersecurity team. We have been using them for a couple of years, and we are good with them.

I would rate Commvault an eight out of 10.

Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
Nick Martin - PeerSpot reviewer
Works at a legal firm with 501-1,000 employees
Real User
Jun 23, 2024
Integrates well with other solutions in our IT infrastructure
Pros and Cons
  • "I like Commvault's immutable backups. It integrates with other solutions in our IT infrastructure very well."
  • "The user creation and management capabilities could be improved."

What is our primary use case?

We use Commvault to back up our directory, web, and application servers.

How has it helped my organization?

We haven't had to use Commvault in a real-life disaster recovery scenario, but it has been very good in testing.

What is most valuable?

I like Commvault's immutable backups. It integrates with other solutions in our IT infrastructure very well. 

What needs improvement?

The user creation and management capabilities could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have used Commvault Cloud for six months.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate Commvault 10 out of 10 for stability. We haven't had any problems, so we will see.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate Commvault Cloud 10 out of 10 for scalability.

How was the initial setup?

We had the vendor through the setup for us. S

What was our ROI?

I think the biggest advantage is time savings. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I rate Commvault Cloud five out of 10 for affordability.

What other advice do I have?

I rate Commvault Cloud eight out of 10. It's easy to use. We've used Commvault before, so we know they're good. We haven't had any problems with it or any issues with the setup

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Project Director at ANVOLE
Real User
Jun 18, 2024
Improves operations, cuts expenses, and is reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "Commvault Cloud stands out for its ease of use and reliable backups, along with its ability to handle large data volumes for VMs, servers, and applications."
  • "Commvault Cloud currently lacks support for backing up Proxmox environments, which limits its functionality."

What is our primary use case?

Our company integrates Commvault Cloud, a backup and recovery software solution, for customers. While Commvault Cloud itself resides in the cloud, each customer has the flexibility to choose their preferred cloud provider.

How has it helped my organization?

Commvault Cloud has been reliable for our customer's data backups – I haven't encountered any problems, and restorations have consistently been stable.

Commvault Cloud streamlines operations with its built-in scheduler, but we can also leverage external scheduling tools through its Bay REST API. This allows for comprehensive disaster recovery processes, including source and replication monitoring, for both backups to the cloud and failovers back from the cloud, ultimately optimizing our disaster recovery workflows.

Commvault Cloud cuts operational expenses by eliminating the need for on-premise software installations, and its integration with multiple cloud storage providers allows us to leverage the most cost-effective options for our backups.

Commvault Cloud's deduplication technology and compression capabilities solved our challenge of backing up massive data volumes by eliminating redundant data and significantly reducing storage requirements.

What is most valuable?

Commvault Cloud stands out for its ease of use and reliable backups, along with its ability to handle large data volumes for VMs, servers, and applications. It offers flexibility with disaster recovery features, efficient storage management, and strong compliance capabilities for governance.

What needs improvement?

Commvault Cloud currently lacks support for backing up Proxmox environments, which limits its functionality. This is an area where the software could be improved.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Commvault Cloud for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I would rate the stability of Commvault Cloud ten out of ten.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I would rate the scalability of Commvault Cloud nine out of ten.

How are customer service and support?

While technical support offers a quick response time in English, French-language assistance comes with a wait due to limited availability.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The initial deployment of Commvault Cloud is straightforward. The cloud version is much easier than the on-prem one because Commvault has reduced the product to the primary use for end users.

Commvault Cloud deployment time varies depending on what you're backing up. Simple setups, like backing up Microsoft Mailbox or SharePoint, can be done in one to two hours, while more complex on-premises installations for VMs or servers might take half a day up to one day.

Two to three people are required for the deployments. This includes one person from the customer's IT department and an end user of the application.

What about the implementation team?

We implement Commvault Cloud for our customers.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I would rate the price of Commvault Cloud seven out of ten with ten being the cheapest.

What other advice do I have?

I would rate Commvault Cloud nine out of ten. Commvault Cloud is one of the best backup products I have used. When I install Commvault Cloud in a customer's organization, I never worry about it not working. It helps me sleep at night. 

We handle Commvault Cloud maintenance for our customers, ensuring smooth operation. While issues are rare, we often assist customers with restoring data, as infrequent use can lead to forgetting the process. Additionally, we perform biannual agent upgrades to maintain optimal performance.

I recommend Commvault Cloud to others. 

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer2293788 - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Manager Information Security at a retailer with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Oct 18, 2023
A stable tool that alerts the security team about potential threats in the environment
Pros and Cons
  • "The product alerts the security team about threats."
  • "The solution must provide deception files across the network."

What is our primary use case?

The product is a little honeypot server or technology we can deploy in our network. If an attacker gains access to our network and looks around for things, they would find assets that look real but are honeypots. We have a couple hundred of those deployed in our environment, looking like various servers, other types of technology, and workstations spread out across our network.

How has it helped my organization?

The tool gives us a lot of heads up if there's a potential threat in our environment. We've seen it when we have had penetration testers running tests. They trip all over it, thinking they're finding vulnerable services to exploit, but they were just alerting the security about their presence.

What is most valuable?

The solution looks like workstations and servers. If somebody tries to poke at one of them, they would think they're interacting with a real live service. The product alerts the security team about threats.

What needs improvement?

The solution must provide deception files across the network.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using the solution for two years. My organization has been using it for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I haven't seen any performance issues with the solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Once you have an appliance deployed somewhere, it's very scalable. It's pretty easy to deploy more traps. We have 14 different locations. So, we needed 14 different appliances that had to be configured, shipped out, and installed on the network. Generally, the product is pretty scalable, considering it has a physical deployment component.

How are customer service and support?

The support’s excellent. The team is always willing to get on the phone and work through our issues. We can go straight to our account manager. It's very convenient.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

We have a cloud management component of the tool, but all the hardware is physically deployed in different locations. We have appliances deployed to each location that run all the different VMs, and it looks like they're on those particular networks. The deployment will be a little bit of a heavy lift if we have a big distributed environment. We've just been using the products since we migrated from the on-premise appliance to the cloud-hosted one. We don't have to do any support or maintenance.

What was our ROI?

For the price that we spend, the peace of mind that the tool gives us is an ROI.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I’m happy with the pricing of the product.

What other advice do I have?

It's a very good solution that meets most needs in the deceptions space. Overall, I rate the tool an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Hybrid Cloud
Disclosure: PeerSpot contacted the reviewer to collect the review and to validate authenticity. The reviewer was referred by the vendor, but the review is not subject to editing or approval by the vendor.
PeerSpot user
RagidKader - PeerSpot reviewer
Lead Solutions Architect at New York University
Real User
Aug 31, 2023
A leading backup provider with easy configuration, manageability, and faster recovery
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution has the fastest backup and better licensing."
  • "Compared to Rubrik, MongoDB Data Protector, and NetBackup, Commvault is better. The licensing team was quite tricky recently because they stopped the unlimited files for that license. Commvault made a bank of 500GB only, a node-based license can take it, which is disappointing. Reporting needs to be more granular. Also, there should be a showback of data being backed up, and the backup cost to share the cost internally with the department."

What is most valuable?

The solution has the fastest backup and better licensing.

What needs improvement?

Compared to Rubrik, MongoDB Data Protector, and NetBackup, Commvault is better. The licensing team was quite tricky recently because they stopped the unlimited files for that license. Commvault made a bank of 500GB only, a node-based license can take it, which is disappointing. Reporting needs to be more granular. Also, there should be a showback of data being backed up, and the backup cost to share the cost internally with the department.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Commvault HyperScale X as a customer. I have almost nine HyperScale nodes and expect four more nodes this year.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is scalable. To scale, we need to buy more agents. We’re using HP hardware for HyperScale. We’ve three backup administrators working with the solution.

How are customer service and support?

The customer support is interesting, but they need to work on their competency. My team is happy.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I work with a couple of other solutions, such as HP Store, Veeam, NetBackup, MongoDB Data Protector, and Rubrik. Commvault is the most competitive in the market because local support is easy and faster.

How was the initial setup?

The solution is easy to implement if you have a proper infrastructure and require two people to set up.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution is bundled with hardware licensing. If I want to increase the hardware, I have to buy exactly the same because it's based on the core hardware license. We cannot tell discount because we have an NDA signed with Commvault because of my academic license. The solution is more expensive than NetBackup and Veeam but cheaper than Rubrik.

What other advice do I have?

The solution is easy to use after four months of training. Before implementing, make sure you negotiate well and agree to the terms and conditions in advance. Once you implement it, you will use it for at least the next five to six years. So, you must negotiate and file a contract, the best way to know the cost of ownership in the beginning itself. Overall, I rate the solution an eight-point five out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Commvault Cloud Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: October 2026
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Commvault Cloud Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.