N-able Backup Overview

N-able Backup is the #12 ranked solution in our list of top Cloud Backup tools. It is most often compared to Veeam Backup & Replication: N-able Backup vs Veeam Backup & Replication

What is N-able Backup?

N-able Backup is a cloud-first data protection service designed to help managed IT service providers and in-house IT pros back up and recover physical and virtual servers, workstations, business documents, and Microsoft 365 data. Cloud storage is included, with 30 data centers around the world, and archiving is included at no extra cost. N-able Backup's efficient architecture allows for more frequent backups and longer retention using the network bandwidth and storage capacity you already have. The unified multi-tenant console helps save time on routine backup administration, and the optional LocalSpeedVault provides for fast local recovery.

N-able Backup is also known as SolarWinds Backup, SolarWinds MSP Backup & Recovery, SolarWinds MSP Backup.

N-able Backup Buyer's Guide

Download the N-able Backup Buyer's Guide including reviews and more. Updated: March 2021

N-able Backup Customers

Computer Depot, Leading Edge Computers, IT Logic Australia

N-able Backup Video

Pricing Advice

What users are saying about N-able Backup pricing:

"When you have a device/appliance on the site quite a lot of the other enterprise class backup people insist that you have their appliance, which is frankly offensively expensive. Because when you pry the top off, it's just a standard 19-inch tin box with a standard Intel I5 in it, some RAM, and a hard drive. Then, you go, "Why have they just charged me 5,500 quid for a box, which I could have probably build for under 500." Whereas, with the SolarWinds product, they don't have that. The backup appliances that we have onsite are just plain cooking PCs. We can build our own machines, which is reflected in the price that we can offer a customer."
"The pricing of SolarWinds seems to be fair compared to the rest of the industry."

N-able Backup Reviews

Joe Carney

Service Manager at Computer Guild

Jul 30, 2020

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Drastically reduces the time spent on backup administration; we can manage every computer from one easy console

What is our primary use case?

We use MSP Backup & Recovery for just about any backup system, as long as it is running Windows or Windows Server. We also have a couple of clients that have databases to back up. It does a very good job of automatically picking up an SQL or a MySQL database. If we need to restore just the database to another machine, although we don't have too many use cases for that, we have been able to do it when we tested it. We use it for virtual machine backup and recovery as well. It does a great job of that. So even if a client has a host system and, say, one VM running on it for a special purpose… more »

Pros and Cons

"The most valuable feature by far is the Virtual Disaster Recovery. On top of that is the bare-metal recovery. The recovery options that we have are great. We have tested the Virtual Disaster Recovery and the bare-metal recovery in just about any scenario you can think of. We have even restored bare metal, a full server, to a laptop, and had full functionality. It's just insane how well it works and how simple it is. It does most of the work for you."

"A better default view on my dashboard would be great. There is a lot of useless information there that it pulls up. They could present the dashboard slightly better, in terms of the extra information after the first five columns. The first five columns are awesome. After that, I don't care about the rest, and there are another seven things after that."

What other advice do I have?

The biggest lesson I've learned from using MSP Backup & Recovery is that there are options out there that I can be confident in, and I don't feel like I have to break a customer's bank to offer them. It's a really big deal for us to be able to do that. Having tested it and used it at this level, it's changed so much how we view what can be done, for keeping even our small customers' data safe. Before, it felt like I had to do a lot of extra things for the smaller places, because they couldn't afford the solutions that were better. Now I have something that I can trust to just do that for them…

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MarkPattison

Director at BACK OFFICE IT LTD

Nov 19, 2020

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Provides feature flexibility and modularity for our customers

What is our primary use case?

It is backing up customers' servers. On the machine that they wish to protect, they deploy an agent on it. It is essential for all businesses to back up their IT systems. In our view, it has to be automatic, offsite, and require no user intervention at the client level. The SolarWinds product provides all of those things. The solution supports full-system, bare-metal, file, and folder. One of the reasons that we like the system is that it maintains up-to-date standby virtual machines, which can be booted at short notice if the customer's primary device fails. So, the predominant recovery… more »

Pros and Cons

"The solution has reduced backup times by an immeasurable amount. Its backups are incremental, so you are only backing up data changes based on the last 24 hours or so. If you are also maintaining the stored images, the restores are also only incremental, happening in minutes. Whereas, with a lot of the other solutions that we have looked at, each time it goes to refresh the restore, then it has to build a completely new image. That takes forever. This solution also improves recovery time."

"We don't use the solution’s automated recovery testing because SolarWinds made me cross. When they released it, I went, "Oh, well, that's quite good." Because if you use the system, then it supposedly spins up, and on the portal, it gives you a screenshot of the booted device. So, I phoned up, and I said, "Oh, that's really quite cool. How much is that?" They said, "No, no, no. It's all included in your license." I went, "Okay then," and went and deployed it on about half the fleet. One of the options that our customers have is they can pay us a small amount every month for us to test the recovery just to prove that it's viable, and I thought, "Well, this will do that for us. Nice." Then, in the next invoice, we got a charge for it. While It was not a huge amount, I took offense at the fact that we were told that it would be a no extra cost option that was part of our license, but it turns out that it's chargeable. Therefore, we haven't used it since."

What other advice do I have?

It is a very good system. We have very few problems with it. Just do it. If you get stuck, find the guys in support and they'll talk you through it because it's very quick and easy. They are quite happy to come onto a Remote Desktop Session, and go, "No, you've got that wrong." It's a good product that is sensibly priced. Anyone who has a modicum of IT skills can make it work. I would rate the solution as a 10 out of 10.

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Dirk Wittkowski

President at Tech Help Group, Inc.

Oct 18, 2020

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Single pane of glass dashboard allows me to create and tweak filters and know that everything's working, at a glance

What is our primary use case?

We use it to do complete server backups, including system state, for disaster recovery. We also have a few workstations that we back up as well. We are trying to promote everything being backed up on the platform: Out of sight, out of mind, just back up everything. We've created a new pricing model to help that along and hopefully clients will see the value in having that.

Pros and Cons

"We use a neat feature called VDR status, Virtual Disaster Recovery status. It only works on servers... It's automated. Once or twice a month it will virtually mount the backup and provide a screenshot and advise whether or not there have been any errors."
"The most valuable feature is that it's hands-off. I log in every morning and there are pre-canned filters that I've created to make my life easier. I have something called server status color bars, and that gives me all the servers and, in a nutshell, I can see: if any errors are being reported; when the last backup was; if one is not working, should there be one, and it literally jumps off the page."

"An area for improvement that would really work out well would be if there were a little bit more of an elegant handshake relationship between SolarWinds RMM and the PCs that are being backed up, to advise regarding "up" status... Since RMM is an agent that feeds back that a machine is alive and on, I don't see any reason why they can't either tap into that one feature or build the same exact polling within the backup agent, to update right away and say the system is online or offline."

What other advice do I have?

If you want to go through the motions of testing it, I get it. You have to do your own due diligence. But I've done the homework and it works. And if you have a RAID drive and you need a RAID controller driver, you can actually insert the RAID controller driver into the boot media so that it saves the volume. And it will just work. We use a neat feature called Virtual Disaster Recovery (VDR) status. It only works on servers. I believe it's $5 a month to do recovery testing and it's certainly worthwhile. We even bill out for that, and having that feature built-in is making us money. It's…

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Jim Christopher

Sr. Network/System Administrator Support at S&L Computer Services

Oct 13, 2020

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As long as something has been backed up, I know that I can get it back and I know I have nothing to worry about

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for offsite backup of our client's and our data. We use it to backup files & folders, Exchange, and SQL databases. If you need to do a disaster recovery, it has the option to restore your system to a VHD. If a customer has an issue that they just need some files or folders restored, or their SQL database, or a single email restore, you have the flexibility to restore whatever you need to. We can go down to item level if we need to.

Pros and Cons

"I know I won't have an issue if the data is there. The reliability and the confidence that we have is amazing. It doesn't matter. We've had customers have ransomware. We've had customers that have had corruption. We've had customers that have had employees destroy their data. As long as it's been backed up, I know that I can get it back and I know I have nothing to worry about. Our confidence level is very high."

"The one thing they don't are Linux servers, it's Windows only. I understand that directive. I have another product that I use for our Linux servers and stuff, but it would be nice if they had that flexibility on the Linux side. I understand the development and the world is geared towards Windows in 365, I know that's where the clienteles are and the business and the money is."

What other advice do I have?

I know there are a lot of companies out there that it's hard to switch from what you're doing. I would be willing to sit in a room with people that have evaluated as much as I have in terms of backup products over the years and talk and round table with them. I feel that SolarWinds had some issues with their per device charge and how much you are allowed with their RMM product, but as far as their backup products, they are rock solid. We've had no issues. None. I realize the backup is just part of their RMM thing, but that is the one part that there's just no question about. Their product is…

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Chris Soutar

Vice President of Managed Services at Entré Computer Solutions

Oct 11, 2020

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Enables us to recover full systems correctly and properly the first time

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use case is for all of our backup needs for the companies that we support throughout our area. Anybody who's looking for some sort of a trusted offsite backup solution, this is what our lead product is. It supports all bare-metal, offsite, cloud replication, the whole deal.

Pros and Cons

"It provides a single dashboard for all types of data protection, we monitor everything through a single dashboard. It simplifies everything overall. It allows us to see everything, whether passing or failing any issues, any problems through a single pane of glass that we don't have to click through or adjust as we go forward."

"The reporting feature and functionality need improvement. We would like to see a little bit more detailed reporting that offers more CEO or C-level focused reporting options."

What other advice do I have?

If you're looking for something that's going to be easy to use, cost-effective, but also provides a great backup and more importantly, a recovery solution, this is definitely something that you should look at and keep in mind. It's a great product. It works very well and I don't have to worry about if a backup is working or not. Make sure that you don't undersize things. It's okay to oversize a local storage device. It's easier to come and oversell the opportunity or the option versus underselling it. I would rate SolarWinds MSP Backup & Recovery a nine out of 10. I'd give it a 10 if we had a…

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reviewer1296486

Director/Principal Consultant at a tech services company with 51-200 employees

Jun 4, 2020

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Good performance, automation, and monitoring capabilities

What is our primary use case?

We have an RDS farm and we use SolarWinds for backing up the central storage. We also use it to back up the profiles and other related data.

Pros and Cons

"The monitoring makes it very easy to check whether a backup has gone bad."

"Integration with a hybrid cloud is something that I found complicated."

What other advice do I have?

For us, this product works well. Our use case is fairly simple and it covers exactly what we need. I recommend using it, especially for an on-premises deployment. My advice for anybody who is implementing this solution is that it might be perfect as a cloud-based solution, but you may need some time to figure it out. I think that it should be just as easy on the cloud as it is on-premises. As a hybrid model, I think that it makes sense. I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

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