What is most valuable?
Retrospect Backup has a single console that can be used to manage and backup servers and desktops. The solution supports tape and cloud since certain customers are still on tape. The solution provides a dissimilar hardware restore feature. If you have a complete machine burnout, you can restore it on new dissimilar hardware. Retrospect Backup is used to protect file data and SQL databases.
Streamlining data backup processes with Retrospect Backup is automated and does not need any human intervention. The solution doesn't take up much time and does the backups automatically. Policy creation is very easy with Retrospect Backup. Once it's done, you don't have to bother about it because it keeps working on its own.
A disaster recovery (DR) solution has been built into Retrospect Backup. You can restore the whole machine on a fresh setup with ISO images.
Retrospect Backup is very easy to use and not very complicated. Creating policies and adding clients is very easy in the solution. The solution doesn't take up much LAN bandwidth except for the first full backup. The solution is efficient and does the backups really fast. It takes backups in batches of 14 machines at a time.
What needs improvement?
Retrospect Backup needs to have an Oracle agent for its on-premises model. The solution has it in the virtual version, but it needs Oracle support for the Oracle database for the on-premise model. Retrospect Backup should be made available on the cloud as a SaaS solution. Retrospect Backup should also support SAP.
For how long have I used the solution?
I have been using Retrospect Backup for ten years.
What do I think about the stability of the solution?
I rate the solution an eight out of ten for stability.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
Retrospect Backup cannot be scaled if the customer buys an Oracle database or Oracle application. Otherwise, it is quite easy to scale the solution. Our clients for Retrospect Backup are small to medium-sized businesses.
I rate the solution six out of ten for scalability.
How was the initial setup?
On a scale from one to ten, where one is difficult and ten is easy, I rate the solution’s initial setup an eight out of ten.
What about the implementation team?
The solution's deployment time depends on the kind of data and network you have. Since SQL databases have very small files, it doesn't take much time. It can take longer if the file data is heavy, like video files. The first full backup will take a couple of days if the data is very heavy. If the total data is around two to three terabytes, it might take two to three days. In that case, the backup has to be scheduled for nighttime when production is down and other users use no bandwidth.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
Retrospect Backup is more cost-effective compared to other products. Since it is sold as a perpetual license, users don't have to pay yearly. The solution's cost per client is much less.
On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a five out of ten.
What other advice do I have?
Users should meticulously create policies and keep a check on how the network is performing because most of the problems are because of the network. There's nothing wrong with the software. When the network is not okay, then backups get hindered. You should check the backups every time for notifications.
If the backup has not happened, you must see whether the machine is on the network because some critical backup might get skipped. You have to keep your network in good condition. Your machine should also be patched so that no malware enters the machine and damages your data.
Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.
Which deployment model are you using for this solution?
On-premises
