Vendor
Very flexible with options to select files to ignore as well as incremental and differential backups
Pros and Cons
  • "I can encrypt the data, I can make it send me an email if it fails. It lets me choose which files I want to ignore during backup."
  • "If I could create a protected image backup on a computer partition that just would be just for the image backup; and only the program could access it to prevent viruses from getting into it. That would be very, very good."

How has it helped my organization?

Up to now, it was fantastic. Whenever we had a problem, we just restored the image. Every first of the month I'm doing a full image backup, and every day of the month a differential backup.

The improvement is that if something happens, I can go back very quickly. I keep all my data in different locations. The partition where I'm using the image, it's actually like an engine. So, if something happens, I just put the engine back and get back to work very, very quickly.

What is most valuable?

I use the backup recovery for work station, for server, and disk director.

I also like the fact they provide real support. I have human support, which is very important, and they've really improved.

The software is very, very flexible, there are a lot of options. I can encrypt the data, I can make it send me an email if it fails. It lets me choose which files I want to ignore during backup. I can do incremental or differential. And there is the Universal Restore, which is less and less important today, but it's still there.

What needs improvement?

Recently there was an event where I thought everything was working OK but, in part, the image wasn't good. It didn't give me a message telling me that the image didn't work properly. But that's very rare. Usually the backup works fine.

I would prefer that they not change the interface every time there is a new release. The best one was actually the one from 2009. It was very easy to use. But I just bought the server, 12.5, a couple of weeks ago. I had to call one of the technicians to help set it up. It was so complicated. And I still don't know how to use it. It's very, very complicated.

And you know, at the end of the day, we want things to work seamlessly, to work really quickly and easy. It's a shame they're making all these changes. We don't need them. They should improve the program without changing all these things, just add things.

If I could create a protected image backup on a computer partition that just would be just for the image backup; and only the program could access it to prevent viruses from getting into it. That would be very, very good.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I can't really say, as I'm just using it for myself.

Buyer's Guide
Acronis Cyber Protect
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Acronis Cyber Protect. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,479 professionals have used our research since 2012.

How are customer service and support?

Recently, fantastic. I'm very happy with them. I actually complained to the head office a few times two years ago because it was a disaster. There were people who barely knew what they were talking about. Recently, I've had a very good technician, very proactive, and I'm very happy with them.

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

Previously I used Ghost from Symantec. I also tried other products at the same time just to make sure I was making the right decision. No question that the Acronis is better than everyone else.

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
it_user692289 - PeerSpot reviewer
Works with 51-200 employees
Vendor
The most valuable features are backup and recovery.

What is most valuable?

Backup and recovery are the main things for us. We backup using the incremental feature every two weeks. We use the full backup feature for external hard drives. They usually fill about 5 Terabytes. We then switch them out for storage offsite and it works really well for us.

How has it helped my organization?

It is fast and everything is consolidated in one place. It's easier to use than Symantec, our previous solution. It's just easier and everything is all in one place.

If we get more servers, there are options, moving forward, to upgrade to "Advanced" where everything is on one dashboard. This is something we have been looking at as we grow.

What needs improvement?

I can't really think of anything right now, sorry. I feel like I'm missing something.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this since the end of 2015.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We haven't had any issues with stability so far.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

In terms of scalability, there have been no issues so far. I do like that we have options going forward with "Advanced", where will be have everything on one dashboard.

How are customer service and technical support?

In terms of technical support, I believe we used it once. I would have to give them a 10. They were great and they answered all the questions that we had. It was near the beginning of the process, so I don't remember exactly what the issue was, but I do remember that it was good.

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

We were using Symantec Backup Exec. We switched when we had someone come in and manage all of this for us. It was a solution that they had chosen when we had enough people here that we could cover it on our own.

We found that we just didn't like the previous solution. With this solution, it's easy to switch out the backups. We are using the hard drives. With Symantec, you had to go through and figure out how to switch things. You had to bring in old hard drives with the old backup files on them. It didn't always read the old backup files, so we would have a heart attack. It just wasn't worth using.

How was the initial setup?

The setup was pretty straightforward. We didn't have any problems at all with it.

What other advice do I have?

I don't have anything crazy and specific to say about it. If you go through testing bookmarks for your version, you wouldn't really have to contact support much unless you had something that's extremely detailed. Our setup here, for example, is pretty simple and we try to keep it that way. We have one for each server and it just does everything on its own.

Any questions that we have can just be answered by looking on the web. The answers are all right there for you to find in general.

Compared to what we had before, we now have ease of use. I can't say enough for that. It’s one of those things where you do your server checks and I always check it just to make sure everything's running. This has never really been the problem that we had. That's what we wanted. We wanted something that's reliable, going to do its job, and we won't have to worry.

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
Acronis Cyber Protect
April 2024
Learn what your peers think about Acronis Cyber Protect. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: April 2024.
769,479 professionals have used our research since 2012.
it_user454233 - PeerSpot reviewer
Network Administrator at a educational organization
Real User
We use it for backing up our VMware environment. Can configure a single backup for all the VM servers.

What is our primary use case?

Server backups, including all of our VMWare servers and a few physical Windows Servers. 

How has it helped my organization?

I don't worry that the backups aren't running or panic when a storm is coming through; it just reassures us because we've  seen what it's doing, what it can do, and that it's doing what we're asking it to do. For example, if somebody deletes a file out of their Home folder or a shared folder, then knowing that I've got it and that I can get it back fairly quickly is important. Also, if a VM server were to go down we would be able to recover.  It's just that sense of security and peace of mind.

What is most valuable?

My favorite feature is that we use it for backing up our VMware environment and then, we just have a few physical servers. I like that I can configure a single backup so as to backup all the VM servers. I also like that it gives you a place for backing up to multiple locations of all the backup jobs/plans.

Other features such as setting up the vaults, email notifications, restoring a full VM, restoring just down to files and folders (once you know exactly how to do it, it's very easy and quick to do) are also valuable. So, there are a lot of things that I really like about it.

Special for IT Central Station Visitors: Free 30-Day Trial of Acronis Backup 12.5

What needs improvement?

We have been using this solution for almost a year now.  I'm not sure about the improvements aspect because it has been a learning experience for me. However, I know that any time I've come across an issue with it, I open a case with support by calling  or starting a chat session and they help me figure it out.

A lot of the times, it was just something that I was doing wrong. Setting everything up has been fairly easy. In terms of monitoring it, most of the issues that I've had were on the user's side, for example for the restoring part, I was doing it the wrong way. However, once they walked through with me and showed me exactly how I needed to do it, then it worked perfectly. 

For how long have I used the solution?

Less than one year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not experienced any stability issues. I had to add some more RAM to my Management Server, and then I had some issues with my Synology NAS, but other than that, no other issues were experienced.

Special for IT Central Station Visitors: Free 30-Day Trial of Acronis Backup 12.5

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It seems like I haven't had any issues since I added the RAM to the Management Server, but it does seem to start being sluggish because I have it running on a Windows 7 machine. So, I'm considering trying to move it over to a true server (either a 2008 or 2012 Server) and then, to update that. However, it hasn't been an issue since I added the RAM. We added three physical machines that we're backing up now. It was super easy. Once we had the lessons, added that in and got those backed up really quick. That was really nice. We know, at any point, if we have a VM or a physical server that we need to add to make sure it's getting backed up, we know exactly what we need to do and that it's very capable of handling it.

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
it_user3396 - PeerSpot reviewer
it_user3396Team Lead at Tata Consultancy Services
Top 5Real User

Backup VMware is difficult.

it_user158874 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Technical Lead with 51-200 employees
Real User
vmProtect is pretty good, hardly ever hits problems, but does not do “what it says on the tin” at all.

What is most valuable?

vmProtect is pretty good, hardly ever hits problems.

How has it helped my organization?

It allows us to backup our remote sites to a local NAS device, and allows for easy retrieval of data.

What needs improvement?

Acronis Support!

For how long have I used the solution?

Nearly 4 years.

What was my experience with deployment of the solution?

Some yes – mostly based on the fact that the install nearly 4 years ago was very messy. Different components were needed, multiple additional tasks needed to be done. The current version is easier to deploy for sure.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Yes definitely – back in the early days it was almost impossible to get a week’s worth of backup data without having to start all over again. And by that I mean uninstall, reinstall the whole product. It suffers from these issues less now but that is because we have learned which way to deal with the software and how best to make it work in our environment. It does not do “what it says on the tin” at all. You have to work it out yourself.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

No.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

Not great to be honest. We had an issue with licences and purchasing problems and the standard response was very poor. Once you get through to the right person though – which we eventually did – they were great. But finding the right person who could help out was terrible

Technical Support:

Terrible to be honest. You almost never get through to someone who can understand you, nor who you can understand. To be fair once the technical issue is discovered the skill level of the technicians is actually very good. But the default support responses seem to revolve around restarting the services, restarting the server, uninstalling it, copying the backup job again, etc, etc.

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

We did yes. We switched because Acronis was recommended as a good backup system for use with NAS devices. We had tapes previously.

How was the initial setup?

What we wanted to achieve was actually very straightforward in itself but the final install ended up being very complicated because half of the things the software was SUPPOSED to do – it didn’t!

What about the implementation team?

We did it all in-house.

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

This was a staged solution rollout to each remote site – in all we’ve probably spent over £20,000 on the product. In terms of day to day cost we pay for annual support now only.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did yes. We looked at Symantec and Microsoft. Symantec seemed very clunky and not too up-to-date backing up to digital medium.

What other advice do I have?

Look around for others – choice was limited when we went with Acronis. I think the choice is better now.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Senior System Engineer at avian Technologies (pvt) ltd
Real User
Easy to use and intuitive with helpful technical support
Pros and Cons
  • "The backup timing and restoring process is great compared to other options."
  • "There are some limitations to the backup."

What is our primary use case?

Some customers are using Acronis as a backup and for their server and VMware environment as well as their client-server backup requirements.

What is most valuable?

The solution is very user-friendly in terms of the interface - especially if you compare it to other solutions such as Veeam or Veritas. Even introducing it to a customer only requires a brief technical presentation as it's so easy to use.

The way they schedule backups is very intuitive. 

Users are able to get into the technical aspects very easy as everything is quite straightforward. 

The backup timing and restoring process is great compared to other options. 

There's good assistance close by in Singapore and Malaysia and from the support side, we tend to get a good response. 

What needs improvement?

We had few issues previously, however, when we raise a ticket with Acronis, we have a local partner. 

There are some limitations to the backup. When the client does backups, we found some limitations when introducing computers to their backup - even just their site interface-level backups. 

We had some incidents with Hyper-V environments. When we scheduled a backup, they had to open up Check Point before they're taking a backup. Yet, due to some issues, even though there were no any Check Points solutions at the server-side, it was still giving an error from the Acronis side saying there's a Check Point issue. The client, for some reason, cannot take a backup because of Check Point. I'm not sure if this issue has been addressed in the newer software or not. However, even just yesterday we updated to a new system and the client still has issues sometimes. 

We had an incident when configuring reporting with Office 365. If the customer is using Office 365 through a cloud conveyor service, it gets a little difficult to configure the reporting part to get notifications to the customer.

In the next release, they need endpoint-level security. They say they're trying to build their system and product into something that will allow customers to not have to restore their backup. With more ransomware and other malicious attack protection, they could alert you to vulnerabilities. This is in the pipeline, or about to be released. I have yet to see any alerts as we just added the newest version yesterday. 

For how long have I used the solution?

We are a solution-providing company. We probably have a couple of customers who are using the solution for three years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The stability is really good. We had a server that crashed with a ransomware issue, however, we still had the protection of the backup software, and the ransomware did not interact with the backup. We were able to back up everything and remove the backup from the affected server. From that experience, I would say the solution is good and stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is scalable. Of course, we need to buy the license. That said, it is not the same cost that you need to pay as you would if you were buying a new one. If you already are running an Acronis Backup version, getting an expansion is less than when you're buying a new license. 

There are some clients that have embedded licenses for 100 users or so.

How are customer service and technical support?

Technical support is helpful. We like that the support is available in the region and it is great working with them.

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

I have some experience with Altaro, Veeam, and Veritas.

With Acronis, when comparing Veritas and Acronis, even a small or medium-sized customer can access through Acronis. With Veritas, the solution is much more geared towards larger-scale companies. 

What about the implementation team?

We are systems integrators and can implement the product for our clients. 

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

The pricing of the solution is reasonable. In Sri Lanka, there aren't too many large businesses that use it, however, there are many mid-range clients that we have that are on it.

What other advice do I have?

We're a systems integrator.

I'd rate the solution at an eight out of ten.

I would recommend the solution, however, whether it's suitable or not would be based on each individual company's requirements. 

A simple customer likely just needs their user backups to be stored in a server or a remote location. Price-wise, Acronis is best suited for that. However, if a customer needs more features that may include more than just the backups or sync, there are other options. That said, Acronis does have lots of features.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Vendor
Provides ease of setting up the backups for different machines. Alerts you if something is going on.

What is most valuable?

Central management is the most valuable feature because it's easy to use.

How has it helped my organization?

It provides ease of setting up the backups for different machines, and then it alerts you basically if something is going on. You don't have to actually connect to the computer, you just go to the management to see what's going on.

What needs improvement?

Nothing as of now that needs to be improved. I'm sure that there is scope for improvement, but I just haven't had enough use of it.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for just under a year.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It doesn't crash. I got a couple of backup errors and it didn't really give too much detail, but the program was still running on the computer that gave the errors.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

As long as you're paying, I guess there's no limit. It's pretty scalable based on the user.

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

Previously, I was just using a Windows Backup built-in with the OS. I wanted something that was not tied to the OS directly, so that is why we switched over to Acronis. The Windows Backup was free and I switched to this which I'm now paying for; so cost didn't really matter, in the sense that it was more of a comfort level and non-proprietary tied to Windows Backup being done.

How was the initial setup?

The setup was straightforward. You install the little client on the computer, then you go to the central management and set up when you want it to backup; it was very easy.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We did look at other solutions. I had used Acronis before this version, i.e., just a single standalone setup that had the whole user interface. So, I was familiar with Acronis and I leaned towards it versus trying a lot of the other ones. I was using the Windows one prior to it. I didn't really evaluate too many options. The price was right, so I just went with it.

What other advice do I have?

Ease of deployment is something that was important, and that's what this solution did offer.

If you're looking for a backup solution, you want to be sure that the deployment is easy to do, i.e., if you're working with hundreds of computers or so.

There's always room for improvement, but it's working well.

It's easy to use and deploy. It's just in the background, you kind of forget about it until you get messages that the backups were all successful.

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
PeerSpot user
Senior System Administrator at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Leaderboard
We have saved massive drive space and shortened data transfer time to offsite due to the 8:1 ratio of the de-duplication and changed block tracking, but MS Exchange and SQL backups are a little slow.

How has it helped my organization?

We can backup all hosts and clusters. We have saved massive drive space and shortened data transfer time to offsite due to the 8:1 ratio of the de-duplication and changed block tracking. Recovery is easy and can be done by any of the help desk techs with very little training.

What is most valuable?

  • Centralized Management
  • De-Duplication
  • The ability to write to a 2nd backup location, including tape drive
  • The ability to mount SQL databases
  • The ability to stand up a VM from TIB file
  • Converting physical to Virtual and vise-versa
  • Boot and backup any volume regardless of OZ
  • Image or file recovery and database recovery including mailbox
  • Universal restore

There are many more features, but those for the money are outstanding.

Learn More: Get Free Trial of Acronis Backup

What needs improvement?

MS Exchange and SQL backups are a little slow and odd to setup. But once setup they do work, including transaction logs.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

None. Very Stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

None.

How are customer service and technical support?

Customer Service:

Scale of 1-10, a solid 9!

Technical Support:

7

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

Symantec Backup Exec. Throughput issues and support issues. No real VMware support that's helpful.

Learn More: Get Free Trial of Acronis Backup

How was the initial setup?

Very easy to setup.

What about the implementation team?

In-house.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
Presales (Enterprise Solutions Architect) at a tech services company with 201-500 employees
Real User
Good training and support, and it allows for bare-metal restore to dissimilar hardware
Pros and Cons
  • "The most valuable feature is that you can do a bare-metal restore even with dissimilar hardware."
  • "In the span of six months, maintenance is done at least twice and you are told that it is coming up, with apologies for the inconvenience. It's a distraction, and it interferes with the backup schedule."

What is our primary use case?

The primary use case of this solution is for backup.

What is most valuable?

The most valuable feature is that you can do a bare-metal restore even with dissimilar hardware. I can restore my image on a Dell server that I got from an HP server, as long as the specs are in tandem if they are sufficiently processed. 

I cannot do physical to physical, it must not be like hypervisor disk without virtualization.

The built-in encryption makes this product suitable for the financial industry. Data in the manufacturing sector is different from that of financial services.

What needs improvement?

They do a lot of maintenance. In the span of six months, maintenance is done at least twice and you are told that it is coming up, with apologies for the inconvenience. It's a distraction, and it interferes with the backup schedule. Also, it can happen at a time where some critical systems are required to recover.

I would like documentation or a video demonstration on how to restore active databases. At this point, it can restore pictures and common files, but we want to be able to support all kinds of customers so backing up and restoring active databases are important.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with Acronis Backup for three years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

This solution is stable, we haven't experienced any issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It's a scalable solution.

How are customer service and technical support?

You can reach support easily, either through chat or by phone.

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

I have used Veritas in the past, but I had a very bad experience and it has traumatized me so I don't speak about that product.

I have used Commvault and that solution is quite similar to Veeam, although I would say that it is more mature than Veeam.

Actifio is better than these other solutions, but because of the price, I rate it behind Acronis. Nobody who is not a well-established enterprise will be comfortable paying for Actifio.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup was straightforward. It was actually easy.

The first client was in a different city and it was just one visit to review the environment to size it accordingly.

Our technical team installed a few agents on the PCs. 

The maintenance is done remotely, with remote support and no onsite requirement. This is for a cloud-based setup.

What about the implementation team?

Because the provisionings are for a Cloud product, the product is given an item and you give them credentials.

It was an easy installation because of the training and the person that was on standby when we completed the deployment.

We didn't find ourselves calling for assistance because the training was thorough. They take a lot of time to train before deployment.

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

The icing on the cake is the price, as it is quite affordable. The pricing is comparable to the newest solution available on the market, Altaro. They are in the same price range.

We don't have hybrid because with that kind of licensing required you will incur twice the expenses.

They are very supportive of the price, even when your subscription is due and you have not paid they give you a grace period, they are quite understanding and give you that personal touch.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

I evaluated Mozy at the time I was evaluating Acronis Backup. Acronis could do what Mozy could not. I realized that they had a local distributor for us, who offered us a lot of help.

What other advice do I have?

It's best to go full cloud or even purchase the storage from Acronis rather than having an on-premises install where you have to purchase advanced licenses, only to go to the cloud. That is the challenge that I had with Actifio.

They provide you with regular training for partners. 

The very first person that I interacted with was the local distributor. They were knowledgeable it was obvious that they had continuous training.

You are free to install this software on any hardware that you have, the challenge is the hardware itself, such as the media server with Commonvault. There is one called Quorum, which uses the OnQ operating system. They dictate the type of hardware you install in your backup, just like the DPS in Dell EMC. That way you don't run into issues with support.

I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

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: partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Acronis Cyber Protect Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: April 2024
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Acronis Cyber Protect Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.