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reviewer2507004 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager at a comms service provider with 10,001+ employees
Real User
Top 20
Jul 14, 2024
Good migration capabilities, fast and reliable
Pros and Cons
  • "The migration capabilities are very good."

    What is our primary use case?

    We plan to use Zerto for migrating our external customers from their private data centers to our data center and Zerto's application services or other cloud services.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Zerto has improved our migration capabilities. Before Zerto, we used other applications, but they had some limitations in terms of platform compatibility. With Zerto, we have platform freedom and can migrate any customer to our data center.

    What is most valuable?

    The migration capabilities are very good. The platform flexibility allows us to migrate customer resources and virtual machines from any platform, like Hyper-V or VMware, and it's fast and reliable.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We're in the process of a proof of concept. It's been about three or four months.

    Buyer's Guide
    HPE Zerto Software
    January 2026
    Learn what your peers think about HPE Zerto Software. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
    881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The stability is strong and reliable. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    It's scalable.

    How are customer service and support?

    We will provide support with the help of HPE or Arlanje. We are just preparing that model.

    The customer service and support are very helpful. Whenever we ask something, they respond very fast and quick. Their technical knowledge is really good.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

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

    Zerto is faster and more reliable. In the POC process, we compared it with other technologies and brands, and Zerto is very nice.

    We compared it to Veeam. 

    We still use our previous solution. In fact, we are not replacing that solution. We are just enriching our replication products with Zerto.

    Zerto is more user-friendly.

    How was the initial setup?

    It was easy and fast. The point is, it's really easy.

    What about the implementation team?

    We used a consultant. The experience was very nice. They were very helpful.

    What was our ROI?

    It's very new for us, so we don't have that information yet.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    We evaluated Acronis, Veeam, and Commvault. We chose Zerto for two reasons. 

    • First, our customers want it. They always ask if we do replications with Zerto. 
    • Second, we compared it with other products. 

    Zerto is user-friendly, fast, and reliable. We wanted to improve our replication cycle. 

    It's also platform-free. I can migrate resources from my customers' on-premises data centers, public clouds, and other cloud service providers' data centers to my data center. That's the biggest advantage for us.

    What other advice do I have?

    Up to now, I would give it an eight out of ten. It's platform-free, which is the most important thing for us. 

    It's also easy to use, fast, reliable, and the replication process is really nice.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Hybrid Cloud
    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Justin Ritchey - PeerSpot reviewer
    Senior Systems Management Analyst at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
    Real User
    Top 20
    Jul 14, 2024
    Used to move servers and VMs between data centers
    Pros and Cons
    • "We use the solution to move servers and VMs between data centers."
    • "You can back up VMs but can't back up individual objects, like email objects, which could be improved."

    What is our primary use case?

    We're using Zerto to move services between our on-premises data centers and Azure environment.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Zerto has really helped us streamline migrations to new hardware or other data centers.

    What is most valuable?

    We use the solution to move servers and VMs between data centers. Thankfully, we don't have to use it a lot for DR. 

    I love Zerto's near-synchronous replication. It's better than other applications that we tried. This near-synchronous replication is super important to our organization because we don't want to lose any data.

    We're now trying to do disaster recovery (DR) in the cloud with Zerto. We haven't had any real use cases, but we're piloting it. It's pretty important to our organization to have DR in the cloud because we're in a very rural area where we don't have a lot of redundancy. So, it's important to have the scalability of Azure where we don't have it.

    We use Zerto to help protect VMs in our environment, which is our primary use case. Our RPOs are pretty short. We can roll over a data center in 30 to 60 minutes if we have to. It's pretty quick, and we could turn everything around.

    We looked at VMware's SRM but decided not to go with it.

    We chose to use Zerto because the RTOs and RPOs were a lot faster with it.

    Compared to other solutions, Zerto is really easy to use, and its interface is really nice. It's really easy to set up the replication groups in Zerto.

    What needs improvement?

    We're struggling a little bit now with the appliance migration with version ten.

    Zerto could make some small improvements with some of the newer features. You can back up VMs but can't back up individual objects, like email objects, which could be improved.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Zerto for about seven years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    The solution's stability is very good. We haven't had any stability issues with Zerto.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Zerto can go bigger than our environment, so I think it has good enough scalability.

    How are customer service and support?

    The solution's technical support is pretty good. Since we haven't had a lot of issues with the tool, we don't really use the support much. The cases we've opened have been resolved quickly by the support team. The support team seems knowledgeable and quick.

    I rate the solution's technical support an eight or nine out of ten.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

    What about the implementation team?

    We have Zerto deployed in our on-premises data centers and for Azure VMware and Azure native so that we can switch between them. The solution's deployment is really easy. You just deploy the main tool and then tie it into your virtual environments.

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

    Zerto's pricing was not that bad. I think it's gone up since we went live and added the cloud options now that we are an enterprise. The solution is expensive, but it's worth the price.

    What other advice do I have?

    We use both public and private clouds to deploy the solution.

    Overall, I rate the solution an eight or nine out of ten.

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

    Microsoft Azure
    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Buyer's Guide
    HPE Zerto Software
    January 2026
    Learn what your peers think about HPE Zerto Software. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: January 2026.
    881,114 professionals have used our research since 2012.
    Data Analyst at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees
    Real User
    Top 20
    Jul 8, 2024
    Fast disaster recovery, seamless integration, and good protection
    Pros and Cons
    • "I love the seamless data integration between on-premises and cloud environments. Fast disaster recovery is also valuable."
    • "Their support can be faster."

    What is our primary use case?

    I use Zerto for ransomware resilience and data recovery.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Zerto has improved my organization by allowing us to replicate individual VMs or groups of VMs. It allows flexible protection and recovery of data. It is also easy to integrate with other solutions.

    It has had a positive effect on our recovery time. It is very fast.

    Zerto is easy to use. As long as you have the technical know-how, it is easy to use.

    The near-synchronous replication is good. It ensures data availability and fast data recovery. I love that. We use Zerto to replicate the VMs from one site to another, ensuring data availability, protection, and disaster recovery.

    Zerto has had a good effect on our RPOs. There is continuous protection and availability of data because it is all automated.

    It is very fast. It has had an effect on our RTOs. It has reduced our downtime by 20%.

    Zerto offers a comprehensive solution for data recovery and protection. It has saved us a lot. It has saved about 30% of the time.

    Zerto has a user-friendly interface and intelligent dashboard. It is easy to manage. It has saved about 40% of the time.

    We have had a positive impact on our IT resiliency strategy. Continued data protection and automated DR have been very helpful.

    Zerto has simplified our compliance with industry regulations.

    What is most valuable?

    I love the seamless data integration between on-premises and cloud environments. Fast disaster recovery is also valuable.

    I also love that it provides real-time and historical analytics.

    It simplified my work. It has a user-friendly interface. It is easy for me to create my views in the dashboard. It makes work easy for me.

    What needs improvement?

    I am enjoying it so far, and I am happy with its capabilities, but it is expensive.

    Their support can be faster.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Zerto for three years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    It is stable. I have been using Zerto for three years, and my company had been using it before I joined. It is stable. I would rate it a nine out of ten for stability.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Its scalability is good. Zerto can meet the needs of any business.

    We use it in multiple departments and at multiple sites. There are ten people who use Zerto. They are strictly admins.

    How are customer service and support?

    My experience has been positive. They are always trying to help.

    I would rate their support an eight out of ten because we sometimes do not get a fast response.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

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

    I have used the Microsoft Azure solution, but I could not get the fastness, scalability, and ease of management that I wanted. I was looking for these capabilities, and that is why I went for Zerto.

    Zerto is a better solution, but it is expensive. Zerto is a bit faster than other solutions. Other ones have automated disaster recovery, but Zerto is faster.

    How was the initial setup?

    It is deployed on the cloud. Its deployment was straightforward. It took about three hours. Three people were involved in its deployment.

    Like every other software, it does require some maintenance from time to time, but it is not much.

    What was our ROI?

    We have seen an ROI. Whatever we do, we are getting a fast result. It is always an advantage for the business. Zerto has had a positive effect. I do not have the metrics, but it has saved us a substantial amount.

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

    It is expensive.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would recommend Zerto to anyone who wants fast disaster recovery and protection. It has most of the features that people are looking for. 

    I would rate Zerto a nine 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
    Ethan Johnson - PeerSpot reviewer
    It engineering manager at a healthcare company with 1,001-5,000 employees
    Real User
    Top 20
    Jul 8, 2024
    Phenomenal recovery time, good scalability, and fantastic support
    Pros and Cons
    • "The ease of adding additional servers is valuable. We have a portal that we can go into to add those new servers, and then outside of that, the overall time that it took for disaster recovery simulation is also good."
    • "They are doing a lot of great things, but I have heard that Zerto is expensive."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use Zerto for disaster recovery. That is our main use for it.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Everybody at the top wants to be able to hear about our disaster recovery timelines. The ability to restore our Practice Management systems several states away in a matter of 45 minutes is phenomenal.

    I love the near-synchronous replication of Zerto. We are based out of Alabama but we have our off-site disaster recovery in Colorado. Being able to have data very quickly over in Colorado is phenomenal.

    Zerto has enabled us to do disaster recovery in the cloud, rather than in a physical data center. Having DR in the cloud is super important for our organization. That is where our business intelligence center lives. Without that data, we do not make money.

    We have used Zerto to help protect VMs in our environment. It has been a huge contributor and has made a world of difference in terms of timelines. It helps spin up our Practice Management systems in a very quick time frame.

    What is most valuable?

    The ease of adding additional servers is valuable. We have a portal that we can go into to add those new servers, and then outside of that, the overall time that it took for disaster recovery simulation is also good.

    What needs improvement?

    They are doing a lot of great things, but I have heard that Zerto is expensive.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Zerto for two years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    I would rate it nine out of ten for stability because we had one virtual machine that was not backing up properly, but we did work with support. We got phenomenal support. They helped us fix it.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    I like the scalability. Because we are in the acquisition space, we wanted adaptability. As new engineers are coming in and adding more to our data center, they can go through and they can just add it to Zerto. That is a part of their process. 

    How are customer service and support?

    They are fantastic. I would rate them a ten out of ten.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

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

    We had a different platform previously, and we swapped it with Zerto about two years ago. 

    We had Commvault. We were not getting consistent backups. We were not getting consistent disaster recovery. Each of our simulations did not match up, and nothing made sense.

    I would rate Zerto a ten out of ten in terms of speed of recovery versus other solutions. 

    How was the initial setup?

    It was super easy. We did partner with Verinext to come in and help implement it, so the swapover was instantaneous. It was super quick.

    Our experience with Verinext was fantastic.

    What was our ROI?

    We have seen an ROI. We had an outage in our data center, and we were able to use Zerto to spin up in Colorado to be able to continue to operate, which is multi-million dollars at 450 animal hospitals.

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

    I have heard that it is expensive, but that is not my world.

    Which other solutions did I evaluate?

    N-able was a solution we looked at, but it did not fit our needs. We had previously been using Commvault, and then we found Zerto. Our solutions partners were the ones that recommended it to us. After we saw what it was able to do, we made the swap.

    What other advice do I have?

    If someone is considering Zerto, I would advise them to go ahead and swap to Zerto. I would share my entire experience with it with them and how it has been phenomenal for us.

    I would rate Zerto a ten out of ten because of the recovery time.

    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    Trilok Khanna - PeerSpot reviewer
    Lead Consultant at a tech consulting company with 10,001+ employees
    Consultant
    Top 10
    Mar 6, 2024
    A user-friendly UI, helps reduce recovery time, and DR testing
    Pros and Cons
    • "The user interface is very user-friendly."
    • "It would be beneficial if Zerto also offered integration with other cloud management platforms, such as VMware Aria Automation."

    What is our primary use case?

    Our environment primarily integrates Zerto with VMware. This includes offering Zerto's self-service portal, which integrates seamlessly with Cloud Director. Additionally, we have Zerto integration at the vCenter level in situations where we don't use Zerto Cloud Manager and its self-service portal. This variety reflects the different use cases within our current processes. Since Zerto is our primary offering for disaster recovery solutions, we tailor the implementation based on customer needs.

    We implemented Zerto to safeguard our private cloud infrastructure workloads. While disaster recovery is its primary function, we also leverage Zerto for data migration.

    How has it helped my organization?

    Our RPO with Zerto is under five minutes. The RPO time is dependent on the bandwidth. 

    We have asynchronous replication with Zerto.

    Zerto integrates well with Asynchronous Continuous Delivery tools. However, unlike SRM, Zerto offers protection during workflow rollbacks. This rollback functionality, along with its centralized reporting and UI management, makes Zerto an attractive solution.

    Zerto offers a cloud-based disaster recovery solution, eliminating the need for physical data centers. In this instance, we leveraged Zerto to protect a private cloud workload running VMware and ensure its seamless recovery in Microsoft Azure. Disaster recovery in the cloud is crucial. As part of the private and hybrid cloud infrastructure team, I'm involved with a service in our catalog that runs workloads in a private cloud but configures disaster recovery primarily for the public cloud, Azure in our case. This is important for both the customer and the organization that provides the service.

    Zerto offers significantly faster recovery times compared to SRM. SRM's recovery process involves multiple steps, requiring a detailed checklist to ensure the correct sequence is followed within protection groups and recovery plans. This complexity is a common issue with other data recovery products. Ideally, any product, not just from a design perspective but also from implementation and operation, should be user-friendly. It should be intuitive and easy to operate to achieve its intended purpose. This is a key reason we chose Zerto over other data recovery solutions.

    Migrating data with Zerto is incredibly easy. It performs a continuous replication of our data in the background, even while our primary server is running. This live replication ensures all changes are captured before the server is shut down. In other words, it includes everything, resulting in a seamless migration process. Triggering the migration is also straightforward. We simply need to choose whether it's a move operation or a scale-over operation.

    It helps reduce downtime during migrations. While there might be a brief interruption when workloads are shut down, there's no data loss. However, downtime for disaster recovery depends on the specific application's RPO. RPO isn't a fixed value; it varies based on how much data loss an application can tolerate.

    It helps to reduce our overall DR testing. The solution is designed so that we can trigger the app or a move operation within three steps. Making it easier and quicker for the administrator or customer that is working on it.

    Zerto's user-friendly interface simplifies operation and management, allowing us to minimize the number of people involved in overall backup and DR management.

    What is most valuable?

    The user interface is very user-friendly. Additionally, the journaling feature allows users to restore their progress to any point in time. This is a valuable feature, especially since similar products, like SRM and SCX, don't offer this functionality. In my opinion, this journaling capability makes Zerto unique.

    What needs improvement?

    Zerto integrates with vCloud Director to protect workloads deployed there. However, it would be beneficial if Zerto also offered integration with other cloud management platforms, such as VMware Aria Automation. For example, Site Recovery Manager recently introduced integration with VMware Aria Automation, allowing the protection of workloads deployed through Aria Automation. This functionality, including site recovery management, is currently not available in Zerto. Zerto's strength seems to lie specifically in its VMware capabilities, which could be an area for improvement.

    Another point to consider is the potential for Zerto drivers to cause issues in ESXi environments. In some cases, users have reported problems and discovered that the Zerto drivers are not verified by VMware. While HPE is a technical alliance partner for Zerto, improved collaboration between VMware and Zerto regarding driver validation would be valuable. This information seems to be missing at the moment. We are currently in touch with our technical account manager to clarify this.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I have been using Zerto for over five years.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Most Zerto issues we experience are at the ESXi level, likely due to the Zerto drivers. However, these issues are not currently impacting our work.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Zerto is scalable.

    How are customer service and support?

    The technical support is quick.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

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

    I also use SRM but I believe Zerto is better because it's easier to integrate with other systems. While SRM also offers integration for workload protection through VMware Aria Automation and a SIM connection application similar to replication, it may have some limitations. For instance, Zerto might require an agent to communicate with the source system, which could be a disadvantage. This suggests that there might be features offered by other vendors that Zerto could incorporate to improve its functionality.

    How was the initial setup?

    The initial deployment is straightforward. Zerto has introduced an appliance, making deployment even easier by removing the need for patching and object installation.

    One member of our deployment team is needed for the deployment.

    What about the implementation team?

    As a Zerto partner, we do all the deployments for our customers and provide comprehensive training.

    What other advice do I have?

    I would rate Zerto nine out of ten.

    I recommend that new users take advantage of any training videos and documentation offered by Zerto to familiarize themselves with all the features and how to use them.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    Hybrid Cloud

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

    Microsoft Azure
    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. The reviewer's company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
    PeerSpot user
    reviewer2098281 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Sr Storage Adminstrator at a manufacturing company with 10,001+ employees
    Real User
    Feb 17, 2023
    Reduced downtime and time to deploy new servers in an easy-to-use solution
    Pros and Cons
    • "The solution's most valuable aspect is allowing a failover from our remote sites to our data center. Our remote sites have failed several times, and on each occasion, we were able to bring a plant back online within 30 minutes, even though the hardware repair took many days."
    • "I want to have an OVF or some local deployment where I can deploy the ZVRA rather than having to push it from the console. Some of our smaller remote sites have relatively poor bandwidth, and they can't keep up with the constant deployment stream from our center console, meaning we have to find some creative hours to get around the bandwidth bottlenecks. If I could push out a small install file, install it locally, and then reach back to the console, that would be excellent."

    What is our primary use case?

    We have critical servers at remote sites that failover or are replicated to our main data center in case of an emergency. If a remote site has a failure, we can spin up that virtual machine from our data center.

    We operate a hub and spoke design with a centralized data center hosting our main instance, reaching out to roughly 78 remote locations. We handle the VPGs through the centralized management console at our data center.

    We also use the Zerto to replicate from a primary host to a secondary host in case the primary goes down; we have a kind of cold box to which the solution replicates.

    Our final use case is if we are updating a plant's entire server rack, and we use Zerto to replicate the old servers onto the new ones, which results in less downtime.  

    How has it helped my organization?

    The product significantly decreased the time it takes to deploy new servers; we can work on them, build them, and then failover the old VMs to the new server with minimal business impact. What previously took hours to migrate the VMs with vMotion typically takes 30 minutes with Zerto, which is a phenomenal time saving for us. Our plants also have the reassurance that when we replicate their main servers back to a data center, we can keep their business running even if they have a total loss of a server rack or power.

    The solution has helped to reduce downtime; we had a situation where a plant had its server fail, and we could failover their server to our data center and had them back up and running within 30 minutes. The required parts for a fix took three days to arrive, but thanks to Zerto, they did not have three days of downtime. Additionally, we just updated our hardware at our plants from HP servers to Dell, and we had to move 10 to 15 VMs per location from the old servers to the new ones. We completed this relatively significant move- roughly eight TB worth of data- in 30 to 45 minutes versus multiple hours, a remarkable reduction of potential downtime. Depending on the plant, downtime can cost $100/minute and potentially much higher if they are into online sales.   

    The product helped to reduce our organization's DR testing; we previously used a Hitachi failover or manual VM move, but now we have Zerto VPGs at all sites. We can click the failover button, and it's done about 30 minutes later. It's good not to have to failover manually. Regarding time saved, we can get testing for a plant done in 30-45 minutes, resulting in between two and six hours' worth of savings.

    What is most valuable?

    The solution's most valuable aspect is allowing a failover from our remote sites to our data center. Our remote sites have failed several times, and on each occasion, we were able to bring a plant back online within 30 minutes, even though the hardware repair took many days.

    The solution is very straightforward, especially after using it a few times. We had users who were daunted by it, but once we walked them through how easy it is to failover, they felt pretty comfortable. Zerto is easy to use and doesn't take long to learn, which is nice.  

    We like the near-synchronous replication feature, and it's essential as we want to reduce the amount of data lost during a failover. The RPO and RTO are excellent, thanks to Zerto, and we have some sites with poor bandwidth, so we understand the limitations we're working with. Near-synchronous replication allows us to roll back to a specific hour or minute in case of a failure, which is a great feature.  

    One of our primary uses for the solution is to protect VMs in our environment, which has an excellent effect on our RPOs. We had a data breach several years ago, and Zerto helped us quickly get back up. We like it a lot because we can failover within minutes once we detect an issue.  

    What needs improvement?

    I want to have an OVF or some local deployment where I can deploy the ZVRA rather than having to push it from the console. Some of our smaller remote sites have relatively poor bandwidth, and they can't keep up with the constant deployment stream from our center console, meaning we have to find some creative hours to get around the bandwidth bottlenecks. If I could push out a small install file, install it locally, and then reach back to the console, that would be excellent.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We've been using the solution for over five years. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Zerto is very stable; we only have problems with sites with poor bandwidth, and there's little we can do to get around that. Sometimes VPGs get outdated because those sites can't copy the data fast enough, but the application is very stable.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    The solution scales exceptionally well; we add more licenses when required and keep running. We currently have over 400 licenses.

    How are customer service and support?

    I recently contacted technical support, and I rate them seven out of ten.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Neutral

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

    We previously used Veeam, Commvault, and a Hitachi solution. We switched because Zerto has a better RTO and RP, and it's much easier to use than Veeam. The Hitachi solution was very cumbersome as it was CLI only, and we had to unmount and remount storage.

    Comparing the ease of use with other solutions, Zerto is excellent; once we have the VPG, there's a large failover button which allows our entire team to carry out the function. It's elementary. After showing a team member once or twice, they can operate the tool independently. The graphics and GUI show us the failover progression, so we don't have to wonder if it has taken place or how long is left. The tool keeps good stats and informs us of the step it's on. 

    How was the initial setup?

    I wasn't involved in the initial deployment, but we operate the solution with one team, our server team. Regarding maintenance, a minimal amount is required to keep up to date with patches etc. We occasionally run into an issue that necessitates upgrading to a newer version; for example, we were trying to move some vast data stores, and Zerto support said we needed to increase the timeout count. We keep fully up to date with security patches, and two staff members are responsible for maintenance. 

    What was our ROI?

    We have seen an ROI with Zerto, though it's hard to quantify precisely how much. It saved us a significant amount of downtime, and plants lose money when they're down, so it's a hidden ROI in that respect.

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

    As far as I know, the pricing is around $1,000 per VM, but Zerto is changing the pricing model to more of an enterprise-class license. I don't know if there are any additional costs or fees.

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate the solution nine out of ten. 

    Zerto did not reduce the number of staff involved in data recovery, overall backup, and DR management because we already run a very lean staff; there are eight of us on the server team, and we manage over 3000 servers across the company. On the other hand, Zerto enables multiple staff to do the failovers rather than one of two specialized employees. 

    None of the time saved in DR testing has been allocated to value-add tasks because the time saved occurs outside our regular business hours.

    Comparing the solution's speed of recovery with other disaster recovery tools, Zerto is excellent and rapid; we can restore everything in the VPG simultaneously. A tool like Commvault is single-threaded, so we would have to restore VM by VM, which is very limiting. VPGs are excellent because we can restore everything within them and get on with life.  

    We have not used the tool for immutable data copies; we use our pure storage.

    When we had a ransomware attack, the solution didn't initially save us time as they attacked our Zerto environment and took it down. Once we had it back online, we could speed up the recovery, and we've since hardened the product with additional security.

    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
    Steve McFate - PeerSpot reviewer
    Systems Analyst III at a healthcare company with 10,001+ employees
    Real User
    Top 20
    Dec 28, 2024
    Helped us streamline our DR testing and notably reduce associated downtime
    Pros and Cons
    • "The replication works really well. We perform multiple tests a month and annual tests for our tier-one and many of our tier-two apps... Migrating systems as a failover rollback or a system move are two of the functions that I like the most."
    • "When building out a VPG and doing the machine types within Azure, they were not coming across correctly. It would say it had a CPU and memory of a specific type, but it was not accurate... It was a bug and they were working on it."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use Zerto as our disaster recovery solution for our servers in the multiple data centers we have. It allows us to replicate our servers from one data center to another and perform disaster recovery testing to ensure compliance with our organization's DR requirements.

    Our organization wanted a solution for replication, whether for VMs or Azure sites, and the ability to migrate servers or VPGs in case of a disaster or for testing purposes. And we wanted something reliable.

    How has it helped my organization?

    We're migrating out of one of our older data centers currently, and sending them to either Azure or one of our two VM data centers. We've been working on getting all the servers out of the old data center for a year. Being able to migrate those servers, with the help of the service teams, is one of the best features. Instead of having to do them one at a time, we can build a VPG. That is especially helpful with some of these really large VPGs. We did one a couple of months ago that was 36 terabytes. We were able to migrate that entire VPG at one time, watch it replicate once it was there, and then do the reverse replication. That process has been amazing.

    We use Zerto to protect VMs and our RPOs are very solid. The RPO is a little slower for Azure, but that was expected and it was covered in the documentation that Zerto provided. But the RPOs from one VM center to another are solid. The same is true for our RTOs. We have no complaints in that regard at all.

    And it will definitely help reduce downtime if we have to migrate from one data center to another due to a disaster (which we have not had to do so far). Downtime would cost us a lot, no doubt. We have not had any major disasters as of yet or problems with spyware or ransomware. But we have had instances where a server was corrupted in one data center and because it was backed up with Zerto, we were able to fail over to the secondary site and get the VPG back up very quickly. From the time that the decision was made that we needed to fail over, it took around 30 minutes. It was very quick, especially compared to trying to troubleshoot and rebuild. Our patients weren't affected.

    The platform has also helped us to streamline our DR testing. We're able to do our annual test as quickly as possible, whether it's a failover rollback or a system move. It has made that process much much quicker and a lot less painful.

    I've only been in this position for a year, but from what I've heard, DR testing was not a pleasant experience prior to moving to Zerto. They were always having failures and then would have to set up another downtime and test again. With a lot of our applications, those that are tier-ones, we're having to do the DR test at 1 AM or 2 AM. Nobody wants to have to do a four-hour downtime test multiple times.

    And not having long downtimes for DR has helped a lot. Our customers and service teams know that we have to do these tests once a year to stay compliant. We plan for a four-hour downtime every time we do a DR test. Very rarely do we need four hours. We block out that time just in case there are issues we didn't expect but we're usually done in under two hours, including failing over, doing the testing, rolling back, and testing again. I don't know if you can actually put a number on not having downtime, in terms of the impact on the service teams, nurses, or patients.

    Right now, our DR team is just me and my boss. At one point, there were three people on the team. It says a lot about Zerto when it can be used with a minimal staff for DR. Prior to moving to Zerto, the team had four members. So it was double what it is now.

    What is most valuable?

    The replication works really well. We perform multiple tests a month and annual tests for our tier-one and many of our tier-two apps. We need to make sure we can quickly and reliably migrate VPGs to the backup data center in a disaster scenario. Migrating systems as a failover rollback or a system move are two of the functions that I like the most.

    It's also very simple to use. For example, when we need to move data so that our users can keep collaborating with one another, using Zerto is very simple. Putting the servers into maintenance mode and either moving or testing them for our teams, has worked very well. We have found very few hiccups with any part of the solution, especially with the new version that they released recently.

    The near-synchronous replication-also works really well. When you move or have just built a VPG, watching it step through things is great. It's a well-made product. Near-synchronous replication is very important, making sure that it's done properly and that it's complete.

    We have Azure data centers. When migrating out of our older data center, if we find that Azure is the best place for those new servers, we have been migrating them there and doing the DR test at the same time. I haven't found any problems with migration to the cloud. For our applications that will work in Azure, Zerto's disaster recovery in the cloud has worked really well.

    What needs improvement?

    I turned in a ticket a while back when I found a glitch within Zerto. When building out a VPG and doing the machine types within Azure, they were not coming across correctly. It would say it had a CPU and memory of a specific type, but it was not accurate. When I sent that ticket in, the support manager said that it hadn't been found before, but that my report was accurate and that it was a bug, and that they were working on it. 

    But I've been very pleased with the updates that they put out and the service. I don't have a lot of negative things to say about Zerto.

    For how long have I used the solution?

    I've been in this position for a little over a year and have been using Zerto during that time.

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    I've never seen it go down. It has been stable and easy to use, which are some of the main reasons we're still with them. We haven't had any large bugs with it. The software seems to be well-tested before new updates go out.

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    We have it deployed across three on-prem data centers in two different states, plus the two different Azure sites that are also out of state.

    We've added a couple of new data centers since I've been in my position and adding them to our Zerto interface was not very difficult. The scalability is good.

    How are customer service and support?

    Whenever I have had any issues, I have contacted support and they have been knowledgeable. Getting a hold of Zerto's support has been easy. In general, compared to all the other applications that I've ever supported in my career, Zerto has been one of the easiest to contact and actually get help with. I've worked with some vendors that were really difficult to work with.

    Overall, Zerto's technical support has been fantastic. When I've had issues, submitting a ticket online is fast. In all but maybe one instance, I had a callback within just a couple of hours. Their support has been awesome.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

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

    Our organization migrated away from a couple of other solutions prior to my starting this position. But the disaster recovery manager that I work for has said multiple times that Zerto is the easiest solution and has the most robust features compared to whatever they were using prior.

    I know our organization still uses Veeam, but they do so in tandem with Zerto.

    What was our ROI?

    There is an annual cost for Zerto, but that is something that our director level works through. Our organization, St. Luke's, goes through all vendor contracts looking for the best value. The fact that we have been using Zerto for a few years says that the value must be there compared to other vendors.

    Not having to take down our tier-one system for an extended period of time for DR testing is invaluable. You can't put a dollar value on the impact on a patient's life. We need our systems to stay up constantly because they are what keep people alive.

    What other advice do I have?

    In terms of maintenance of Zerto, we do our monthly reboots of the servers so that they stay up to date with the Microsoft patching. And anytime that Zerto has updates to their software, we make sure that we stay compliant with that. And once every year or 18 months, we update the cert on the servers.

    My advice is to look for a product that is easy to use and easy to learn and allows for scalability and DR testing that works well.

    Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

    On-premises

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

    Microsoft Azure
    Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
    PeerSpot user
    SatyendraSingh1 - PeerSpot reviewer
    Recruiter at a tech services company with 51-200 employees
    Real User
    Top 20
    Aug 6, 2024
    The non-destructive testing enables businesses to test their disaster recoveries without impacting production
    Pros and Cons
    • "It's good for reliability, timing, and simplification. For reliability, it's a logical construction that behaves productively. It's a critical system where timing and coordination are necessary. It also offers simplicity to design and analyze the system by clearly defining the relationship between events and conditions."
    • "Sometimes we require extra storage for Zerto."

    What is our primary use case?

    We use Zerto to recover cloud services hosted on Azure and AWS and on-prem servers. We also use it to protect VMs. Our company has a small data operation, so we can upload all the data to the server. 

    How has it helped my organization?

    Zerto helps recover documents and protect data. It has excellent security and is easy to set up. We can make multiple backups and replicate different public or private cloud sites. It gives you versatility and confidence. It's because it's easy to manage and configure. There are no challenges using this tool.

    We have near-zero data loss, and it has manual recovery checkpoints. We can create frequent recovery checkpoints in business for in-time backups. The second one is automated and non-destructive testing. 

    The recovery time is very fast. I don't think another tool can deliver a recovery team that fast. When we ran a DR test on Zerto, it migrated quickly and efficiently. It has drastically reduced the time we spend on DR testing. We're less dependent on Hypervisor for storage resources. Our recovery time has been reduced to 30 minutes on average. It depends on the data. Sometimes, it may take only 15 to 20 minutes, but if we're uploading all of the company's data, it will take 35 to 40 minutes.   

    What is most valuable?

    The HR recovery is valuable because I work with the HR manager to recover the HR system first. The data will synchronize with the cloud. I also like Zerto's non-destructive testing, which enables businesses to test their disaster recoveries without impacting production. 

    It has a user-friendly interface, so we can manage data protection and recovery tasks quickly. It's also cost-effective because it reduces the infrastructure cost. It's easy to integrate. Sometimes, I integrate it by myself when the manager isn't there. 

    The onboarding is simple because when we're backing up, we have a copy of production running on the secondary side. We have real-time DR, meaning we can automatically remove and replace the data on the server.

    It's good for reliability, timing, and simplification. For reliability, it's a logical construction that behaves productively. It's a critical system where timing and coordination are necessary. It also offers simplicity to design and analyze the system by clearly defining the relationship between events and conditions.

    What needs improvement?

    Sometimes we require extra storage for Zerto. 

    For how long have I used the solution?

    We have used Zerto for five to 10 months. 

    What do I think about the stability of the solution?

    Zerto is highly stable. We've never had any performance issues. 

    What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

    Zerto is scalable. 

    How are customer service and support?

    I rate Zerto 10 out of 10. Sometimes, we encounter errors, my manager talks with the support. They are helpful and always resolve our issues quickly.

    How would you rate customer service and support?

    Positive

    What other advice do I have?

    I rate Zerto nine out of 10. I would recommend Zerto. My sister company also plans to implement it. To those considering Zerto, I would suggest using the trial version. The UI seems complex the first few times you use it, but after you work with it a little, it's easy to understand. 

    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
    Buyer's Guide
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    Updated: January 2026
    Buyer's Guide
    Download our free HPE Zerto Software Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.