Veeam Data Platform Reviews

My focus is on the business continuity and disaster recovery planning aspects.

So, I am working on the consultation part. My customers used Veeam for backup and sometimes for replication.

Veeam Data Platform has simplified data management and protection strategies. Compared to other vendors, Veeam stands out for its simplicity, ease of use, and deployment. 

So that's the main distinction of Veeam because nowadays, nobody hires a dedicated backup administrator. Not many companies do that. So, usually, there is one guy managing everything or a couple of guys managing everything all together. So Veeam made it a lot simpler. 

Usually, with the other vendors, they are much more capable, but they require expertise, okay, such as dedicated expertise, not shared resources. 

So, most companies, especially small and medium-sized companies, don't have the privilege to have a dedicated backup administrator. So they will have a general IT administrator administering their systems, etc. And then Veeam for these kinds of guys is just the jackpot because it just gets going. It does the compliance, and it does the backup, etcetera, and it's easy to use.

The recovery point objective relies on how Veeam offers different transport modes. However, there are integrations with various storage providers that can help reduce the RPO drastically. They also released their new continuous data protection feature, which can reduce the RPO to seconds, if not minutes. 

For the RTO, since back in the day, Veeam has been famous for their instant Veeam recovery and their Veeam Explorers, which can help conduct the VM restore in minutes or conduct the application granular restore, etc. So, almost all the time, Veeam reduces the RTO drastically.

The most valuable feature is the immutable Linux repository. Before that, customers needed expensive storage appliances to protect their backups. Now, they can use a regular server with Linux for secure storage, maintaining immutability against accidental deletion or ransomware.

Moreover, Veeam Data Platform manages and protects data across multiple cloud environments amazingly. From the console, Veaam has an appliance integration with Microsoft Azure. They have integration with AWS. They have integration with Google Cloud, and I can back up workloads on-premise and restore them to the cloud. I can back up workloads on the cloud and restore them to the other clouds, etc. It's amazing.

Veeam has been rolling out a lot of integrations lately. But compared to the other backup vendors, they are a little bit behind on the application support. 

Veeam does image-based backups, whether it be of virtual machines or physical workloads, and they are able to back up general applications like Active Directory, SQL, Exchange, or SharePoint. Sometimes, even Oracle and SAP. 

But still, there are many customers using other types of databases that Veeam does not natively support. For example, in the Linux area, MySQL and PostgreSQL are supported, but with many limitations. Like, if a customer is running a Postgres cluster, Veeam does not support that. 

If a customer is running a MySQL cluster, Veeam does not support that. But they support customers who have standalone instances of such workloads. So, I'd really like to see Veeam start to focus on supporting as many applications and scenarios as possible because that is the major difference between them and the other backup vendors.

So, supporting more applications and cluster scenarios is key. Especially cluster scenarios. 

I've been working with the Veeam Data Platform since 2018, so about six years now.

Veeam Data Platform is stable if you're using the latest release what I mean by the latest minor release, not the major release. But whenever there is a new version of the software, just like any other software, it comes with its baggage of bugs. 

So, with the latest minor release of Veeam, it's pretty stable.  

I would rate the stability an eight out of ten. 

Scalability depends. It depends on the environment. For example, in VMware environment, then Veeam is extremely scalable. However, for Nutanix environments, it's not as scalable.

For Nutanix, there's a component called the backup proxy that enhances backup performance. In VMware, I can deploy as many backup proxies as needed, bare node or bare cluster. 

However, on Nutanix, I'm limited to one proxy per cluster. The architecture there is scalable within the cluster by adding CPU and RAM to the proxy, but there's no way to add multiple proxies in Nutanix.  

I only deal with enterprise-level customers. But I have also worked with small and medium-sized businesses in the past. 

The customer service and support are very good. It's one of Veeam's key distinguishing points.

So long as you communicate the issues properly and you follow up with them, then you will have an amazing support experience. Even if you have a bad support experience, they have an option for you to talk to a manager so that you can escalate things.  

I would rate my experience with the initial setup a ten out of ten, with ten being easy. It's a very easy to deploy. 

Anybody can download Veeam Data Platform and install it on the same day. Then, integrating it with the environment will depend on the environment. 

Some environments are hard. Some environments are easy. Some environments are well-designed, so that's a different story. But in general, compared Veeam to other backup solutions, Veeam is the easiest to deploy.

The time taken for deployment depends on the customer's environment. For example, if all the prerequisites are intact and the customer environment is fit enough, one week is enough to deploy Veeam anywhere.

So, it depends on customers. They are PIA when it comes to their environment, their details, etcetera. Maybe an implementation can take one year. But for others, it could get done in a couple of days. It depends. But from Veeam's point of view, it's easy. It's easy to configure. It's easy to work with, etc.

From a distributor background, I've seen Veeam raise prices three times a year. With each new edition, they increase the price, making it hard to justify to customers. 

Their licensing model is simple and per-machine based, which is better than that of other vendors. However, they recently added a capacity-based backup for five shares. 

In general, my experience is that with every new feature or addition, there's a new price increase. In fact, last year, before I left the distributor, we increased prices a couple of times within the same quarter.

We have to justify it by mentioning added features and enhancements. Some customers accept it, while others complain about the rising price every year.

So, while Veeam's pricing isn't terrible even after the spikes, it's not stable.

It keeps increasing. Compared to other vendors, Veeam's pricing is good. But compared to the past five years, it's constantly increasing.

From my experience, all backup vendors should use capacity licenses, which control costs better. Veeam went for per-machine licensing to gain market share, and they succeeded. But that means they need to increase costs as they expand and add features. So, they have no choice but to keep raising prices.

Thoroughly check compatibility. Veeam is amazing, but it has limitations. Even if someone says it works with your environment, double-check everything. Verify application versions and cluster support. This is the biggest challenge customers face. They buy Veeam and then discover unsupported cluster scenarios later because they didn't ask about specific versions or configurations. 

For example, a customer would buy Veeam, and then later on, the customer would discover that "I have a Postgres SQL database, but it is a cluster. Then, Veeam will not support its cluster." 

But during the initial phase,  the customer didn't check that point. 

I recommend all potential customers to carefully check compatibility with their existing systems, with all the details.

Based on my experience, it's been very solid. Moreover, Veeam is making many changes and improvements. I'd give rate it a nine out of ten.

We use Veeam ONE for our VMware backups and our VMs in VMware.

Veeam ONE is a straightforward solution and compatible with almost all hardware.

Veeam ONE should make available notifications through SMS.

I have been using Veeam ONE for five years.

I never had any issues with the solution's stability. One of our servers had a ransomware issue. We isolated it to the system, restored it from Veeam ONE, and protected it.

I rate Veeam ONE an eight out of ten for stability.

Veeam ONE is a scalable solution. Around 400 users were using Veeam ONE in our organization.

The solution’s technical support is good.

The solution’s initial setup is easy.

We have seen a return on investment with Veeam ONE. Veeam ONE was the best option in the market at the time. It's very economical and quite suitable for our infrastructure.

Veeam ONE is moderately priced, where it is neither expensive nor cheap.

Overall, I rate Veeam ONE an eight out of ten.

For our clients, the optimal use case depends on their specific requirements. It excels in safeguarding commercial machines, physical servers, and diverse workloads, including those hosted on AWS EC2 instances. It proves highly effective in managing databases, catering to various platforms such as Cisco and Oracle, and addressing the unique needs of different clients.

The most valuable aspects are the latest features in version 12.1, which introduced enhanced security features.

Margins should not be distinct; instead, they should seamlessly integrate with the Veeam Backup and Replication tools, requiring minimal separation.

I have been working with it for more than five years.

I would rate it stability capabilities eight out of ten.

It offers excellent scalability. Our clientele typically consists of small, medium, and enterprise businesses. I would rate it nine out of ten.

I would rate its technical support services ten out of ten.

Positive

The initial setup was straightforward. I would rate it ten out of ten.

The deployment process typically takes two to three hours.

It is highly cost-effective when compared to other solutions. With only one license needed, all features can be enjoyed, eliminating the need for separate licensing for individual components.

We recommend using it because of its simplicity. Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

Our common use case is to offer backup solutions and disaster recovery services to customers.

A key benefit is the constant security of data. It enables us to assure customers that their data is consistently accessible, even in the face of server issues or potential disruptions.

The most valuable aspect is its reliability in recovering any replaceable data in the event of server issues in a production environment. It proves to be a dependable solution for ensuring business continuity in case of a disaster occurring at the current production site.

It would be beneficial if it could expand its coverage to support Frostbox and provide greater flexibility for service providers to recommend backup solutions based on customer preferences in prospective environments.

I have been working with it for more than one year.

It provides good stability.

It offers high scalability capabilities.

So far, the support team has proven valuable in providing effective solutions and useful guidance.

Positive

The initial setup was straightforward.

In the initial stages of deployment, it's essential to understand the customer's backup infrastructure needs. This involves determining the specific requirements of the customer and assessing whether our existing environment is equipped to meet those needs. Maintenance is relatively straightforward for me.

Customers are experiencing a significant positive return on investment.

The pricing is reasonable. It provides good value for the money. Licensing costs can occasionally present a significant financial challenge.

It's particularly useful for those looking to offer backup services, complemented by optional additional recovery and replacement services with Veeam. Overall, I would rate it eight out of ten.

Our customers use it to monitor their backup infrastructure as well as the hypervisor. 

Most of the customers like the features that monitor the VMware infrastructure.

Moreover, the product proactively identifies potential issues and provides suggestions on how to address them.

In future releases, I would like to see more automation capabilities. It could integrate with automation services to automatically resolve identified issues rather than simply providing instructions to the user.

Moreover, I would like to see customization on the dashboard and the reporting level.

Another area of improvement is the support. 

I have been using this solution for around eight years. I'm working with Veeam ONE and Veeam Data Platform.

We work with the latest version, v12. 

I would rate the stability an eight out of ten. It needs some improvement, especially on database connectivity, when the database grows. So, these issues are there for some of our customers. 

I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten. It needs some improvements.

We have around 15 customers using this solution. Some are enterprises, some are government entities, and some are SMBs. 

Generally, what we have noticed with Veeam support is that it's getting worse. We have to resolve this by ourselves, and it happened recently also with two to three cases. Our engineering team was able to resolve this instead of waiting from their side. 

Neutral

I would rate my experience with the initial setup a nine out of ten, where one is difficult, and ten is easy. 

It was straightforward. No complexity here.

The installation is pretty straightforward, and some configurations need to be done. The entire process can be done within a day; we can complete it. 

For the deployment process, we need to identify where to place the solution and the required ports for Veeam ONE. We identify the network requirements, all the ports, and firewall ports needed to connect to the VMware and backup infrastructures. 

It's placed on a dedicated machine, and we configure a skilled server instead of SQL Xpress due to limitations. Then, we deploy it, add the backup and VMware infrastructures, set up the license, and configure rules and alerts.

It is reasonably very cheap. I would rate the licensing model a one out of ten, where one is very affordable and ten is extremely expensive. 

There are no additional costs. Most of our customers take it as a bundle with Data Cloud. From advanced, they take the bundle. So it comes with Veeam ONE. So, it's very affordable. 

If it's purely a VMware environment, then I definitely recommend it. If it's a heterogeneous environment, they may not be able to monitor on-premise servers or the cloud. So, if it's purely VMware, then I would recommend it.

Overall, I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. 

We are using it as a data platform, with a specific focus on backup, recovery, and reporting requirements.

It offers a user-friendly approach and simplicity in operating, especially in comparison to other backup software options. A very notable feature is its ability to perform Instant VM Recovery, providing quick restoration of virtual machines. Its interface is designed to be intuitive and it also offers seamless integration with VMware storage, additionally enhancing its ease of use.

Enhancing the level of automation in IT processes would be beneficial.

I have been using it for four years.

It is a stable solution.

It offers good scalability capabilities. I would rate it eight out of ten.

Their technical support is good. After the request is raised through the portal, the technical support team will investigate the issue and provide assistance through either a call, email, or a Webex link for further help.

Positive

We had experience with EMC NetWorker, but we switched to Veeam Data Platform due to its cost-effective functionality and balancing capabilities.

The initial setup was seamless and fast. I would rate it nine out of ten.

The deployment process was done in one day.

It is an affordable solution.

It is a specific software in terms of its ease of implementation, as it provides a user-friendly interface and supports various forms of backup without the need for additional agents. It doesn't require any extra servers, licenses, or specialized configurations for applications such as SQL or Accelerator backups. I would rate it eight out of ten.

We have used the solution for combining cloud and on-premise storage, like a hybrid repository for storing our data and offloading. We have also created backups for Exchange and SQL. We also use the solution for endpoint protection like laptops and bare metal restore.

The product has introduced cloud storage, which can be used directly for backing up the data. We need not have an on-premise storage location. It makes everything easy. The product’s configuration and settings are very easy.

The endpoint protection console is not centralized. It needs to be improved. The product must improve its reporting features so that it can be used for audit purposes.

I have been using the solution for at least eight years.

The initial setup is straightforward. If everything is in place, deploying the solution takes one to two hours.

One or two people from our team can handle the deployment process. They have admin-level access to the server. It is easy. No other intervention is required.

I rate the tool’s pricing a seven out of ten. The product is expensive for small businesses. However, it is not that expensive.

The product is suitable for a BDM organization that does not have the option to store data on-premise. It is really easy to manage. It can also be restored very easily. If we have a good network speed, it does a quicker restore. Overall, I rate the solution an eight and a half out of ten.

The solution is quite easy to configure. The interface is quite simple and easy to manage. The restoration is easy to manage.

SureBackup is sometimes a bit difficult to use.

I have been using the solution for a few years.

The solution is quite stable. I rate the stability an eight out of ten.

I rate the product’s scalability an eight out of ten. Three people from the MIS team in our organization use the solution.

Often, when we deal with support teams, they just send us the link to the KB for troubleshooting.

Neutral

Previously, we used NetBackup. It was really confusing. Veeam’s interface is quite easy to use and configure.

The initial setup is quite easy. The time taken for deployment depends on how many servers will be backed up. Generally, the deployment might take one day. We need one person to deploy the tool.

The product must improve its pricing. Socket license for new users is also challenging. I rate the pricing a seven out of ten.

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

It is convenient to create backups of virtual machines, and hard disks. It's also applicable for backing up various other services. When dealing with a heavy workload, the process of backup is designed to be straightforward. It involves transferring data from on-premise to the cloud or vice versa. This encompasses different usage scenarios.

Veeam's Instant Recovery feature allowed my organization to continue operations during file server failure by immediately restoring lost data.

Instant Recovery is an useful feature.

It is efficient but can improve security-wise. 

I have been using Veeam Backup & Replication for the last three years. 

I would rate the stability nine out of ten.

The support is good. 

Positive

It required 2-3 people to deploy. It is deployed in a hybrid manner. It took almost 2-3 hours for the process to complete.

The deployment procedure begins by accessing the Veeam Backup website to download the necessary software. Subsequently, the software is managed on the server where installation is intended. Before proceeding with installation, it's recommended to have a backup, ensuring functionality on the server. The installation process itself is distinct, not combined with the backup sector. Each step is downloadable, contributing to the installation information. The final step involves creating a backup job. Users can choose the backup type they prefer, whether it's full, implemented, or differential. Following this, the backup can be saved on desired media, such as servers.

It is not expensive and I would rate it five out of ten.

We considered other vendors but discovered that the Veeam Backup has establishment as a direct node-to-node connection and synchronization with other systems.

I can recommend that it serves as a good solution. The code constitutes a comprehensive answer. It effectively backs up all workloads. This applies to various scenarios – from email to physical and virtual machines, services, SAP DNS, and Azure DNS – allowing for comprehensive backup solutions. It extends to cloud-based backups as well. Essentially, it covers the entirety of our workload, whether on our infrastructure or network.

I would rate it an eight out of ten.

We use the solution for the backup of the servers on-premise. We also use it to back up our mailbox.

The solution is very user-friendly. I find the compression rate to be very good. It's very easy to go through the restoration process to locate an individual file.

It would be better if the solution presented the number of servers and the success rate on the dashboard. Currently, we have to click on user history or get it through emails.

I have been using the solution for one year.

The tool is very stable.

The solution is scalable and seamless. We have about 80 users in our organization.

The support is good. When I had an issue, the team was very receptive and provided the assistance required through remote sessions. It was very, very good.

Positive

We were using Backup Exec. We then switched to Veeam ONE because it is very practical and has different applications integrated with it.

The deployment took two days.

The service providers did the implementation. The solution is easy to maintain. The number of people required for maintenance depends on the size of the business. We need one person to maintain the product in our organization.

I find the pricing to be okay. We have to pay for the license yearly. There are no additional costs associated with the product.

Veeam ONE is a very good product. The usage depends on our organization, whether we're using Linux or Windows. It's compatible with all. The product is seamless. Overall, I rate the solution a ten out of ten.