NAKIVO Backup & Replication Reviews

We are a German reseller and have sold Veeam for a very long time. We never were very happy with that solution and searched for an alternative to Veeam 2 to 3 years ago. With Nakivo, we found a partner who is very cooperative, has a very interesting price point and is even more than an alternative!

Now, we likely use Nakivo for customers with virtual servers and who don't want to spend thousands of Euros for a backup solution. Nakivo is perfect for them. We never have heard of a customer who is not happy with it.

With Nakivo, we can increase our portfolio and have a partner with short response times. Nakivo takes the time to hear every customer's issues and needs.

They are always friendly and help the reseller and customer with a good support team.

With Nakivo, we can grant a backup solution for a lower price - which is perfect for smaller customers. 

The pre-configured virtual machine helps the IT team save time and is very easy to use. 

Email notifications make the ongoing monitoring of the system simplicity itself.

They offer a built-in link in the web console to request support. They also automatically include a support bundle with all the relevant configuration data for your system which makes requesting support easy, however, you really don't need it very often.

The transporter is one thing that we often use when we have installed a new server for our system. 

The ability to use a variety of cloud providers rather than being tied into one is a huge bonus.

For me, as a reseller, not only the product is important - it's also the people behind it and how they behave. This I can only praise. They have a great team.

The feature that has a backup repository, like QNAP + ext. HDD's could be improved. We sometimes have trouble with that and it would be nice if they had a solution on the way.

Updating VM Tools on a replicated VM could be better.

Support for the backup and replication of virtual machines is excellent, however, improved support for physical machine backups would be very welcome (I believe this is already on the way).

A mobile app for administration would be appreciated.

The user interface could use a bit of refreshing, however, on the other hand, it runs very smoothly, so if that would change how it runs I'd rather live with the user interface looking a bit dated.

I've been using the solution for two years.

We have never heard of any system fails.

The scalability is good.

They are always very fast and ready to help.

We used mainly Veeam previously and searched for a solution for smaller customers, where the price level was lower.

It's very easy to set up, thanks to the ready-to-install VM's.

We are the vendor.

The price level is low, however, you have to watch out if you want to backup workstations.

I don't remember evaluating other options.

We are using Nakivo Backup & Replication to backup 40 Virtual machines from our HyperV cluster.

We also use it to backup one physical server.

All of these backups are stored on a Synology NAS in our building.

Nakivo Backup & Replication have replaced another backup solution we used before which lacked many features.

We plan to set up an offsite backup for all the important virtual machines via a 300MB VPN connection to an external office.

We are currently using the Enterprise Essentials license.

We first used NAKIVO Backup & Replication for our own HyperV Cluster. Then, we added a physical server.

Having used it for some time, we discovered all of its functionalities and have seen the power of the product.

The web interface is clear and simple to use and learning to use it is very quick.

The email reports are clear.

The support is quick and efficient.

NAKIVO Backup & Replication has become an important part of our disaster and recovery strategy.

Our company, being a VAR, has decided to become a reseller of this product to help more and more customers to discover it.

The first good thing about Nakivo Backup & Replication is the installation and configuration process.

The web interface is intuitive to use. The dashboard is simple to read and very clear. The navigation between pages using links is very useful too.

The built-in feature to send requests to support is very useful. The support team is very efficient.

The upgrade process is manual but very simple to do.

Other features like search and calendar are good.

The last new added features, including the Immutable Repository and 2FA, are important ways to help us increase our backup protection.

There are not many features we are missing at this moment with Nakivo Backup & Replication.

If it would be perhaps possible to add some more details and information in the activities tab or links from graphics to logs, that would be useful.

For HyperV, we need to extract VMDK from OVA files and convert them to VHDX. It would be easier to have a direct download of VHDX files.

It would be a good thing to have some use case and architecture examples online to understand integration in complex infrastructure.

Visio stencils are missing. They would help us build schemas.

We've been using Nakivo Backup & Replication since 2018.

We never had any crashes. No need to reboot the NAKIVO VMs.

The solution is very stable.

We had no problem upgrading our infrastructure and adding many virtual machines.

Support via the web console is very straightforward and the response time is quick. They are knowledgeable.

We have never needed any phone support.

We used another product in the past. It lacked some important features and we decided to switch. After having tested some other products, we choose Nakivo Backup & Replication.

The initial setup was straightforward.

We implemented the solution through an in-house team.

The ROI is very good. 

Globally, Nakivo Backup & Replication has a lower price than other backup solutions while still providing the same or more functionalities.

When we decided to change the backup solution, we evaluated Veeam and Nakivo, and we choose Nakivo.

I'd advise new users to try it then you will likely adopt it.

In our SMB we started using NAKIVO as our main backup solution for backing up mainly Hyper-V VMs. It's installed directly on our QNAP NAS. Only one system administrator uses it. We use features like scheduled backups, deduplication, retention, and app-aware mode for some VMs. 

Our environment has only one Hyper-V server with five Windows Servers plus one Linux VM, which runs a license server, authentification server, active directory, application servers, communication+git server, and the database server with server application for production process management.

The Nakivo solution provided us with the ability to do automatic scheduled app-aware backups with great deduplication and compression, so they don't overload our local area network and don't require a lot of storage space. 

Having reliable backups is a must for us, and Nakivo provided us with an easy-to-use solution, that offers fast implementation, initialization, and configuration. The restore function works great. Thanks to Nakivo we can do our business 24/7/365. 

The Nakivo solution was very economical, so my CEO is happy with it.

The most valuable feature for us is Nakivo's flexibility in the server platform. We use it directly on our QNAP network-attached storage, so it can run regardless of the Hyper-V server. We also like its very good deduplication and compression, so it doesn't overload our network. 

The scheduling is also very well done in Nakivo. Automatic backups are a must for us because we don't have enough time to perform manual backups. 

The updates are problem-free, so we can keep Nakivo up to date on the server and NAS too.

The only thing we have encountered that we would like to see improved in the future are error messages. They could be more detailed and helpful, without the need to send logs to support. Failing that, the part of the log related to the error could be displayed alongside the error message, so I can investigate the error without looking through all of those logs that I'm able to download. In the future, I'll be glad for implementing AI that could automatically assume what backup plan and retention do we need.

We've used the solution for one year and few days.

We looked at Veeam. However, Nakivo was more flexible and cost-effective.

We are using Nakivo Backup & Replication to back up ten virtual machines from our Nutanix cluster with some 80 virtual machines. Our goal is to replace the existing backup solution completely with Nakivo Backup and Replication and to have an offsite backup of all important servers to one of our branch offices with a Synology NAS with Nakivo Transporter installed. Offices are connected with a 500 MB VPN; the Nakivo appliance is running on our Nutanix cluster. Currently, we are using an Enterprise Essentials license.

Veeam Backup and Replication is the main backup solution at our customer's site, but it stopped working while backing up our now 5TB file server - and after some weeks of investigating the whole issue with Veeam support, I had to decide to search for an alternative solution. Nakivo offered a free trial which was very easy to set up and immediately worked. To be totally honest, it has an affordable price. 

The bandwidth-optimized deduplicated offsite backup to a Synology NAS was another must-have, which would have been possible with Veeam, too, but we would have had to build a Windows-based server for that.

The first really good thing about Nakivo Backup and Replication was the fact that I could install and configure the trial version in maybe half an hour and had a successful backup of our file server on the same night. I used different repositories to test - a Synology NAS with Nakivo Transporter and a CIFS share on a Windows bases server. Both worked without any problems. Then there was another point, that was really important to me: having an offsite backup to a Synology NAS at an office branch. I had to take a look at some options to optimize data flow, but the backup copy job works like a charm.

At the moment, there are actually not many features I am missing. It would be good if I could have a remote upgrade of our Synology Transporters, but the manual upgrade is easy and no problem at all. 

Some SNMP features to configure our monitor software would be great since emails sent to me sometimes could be lost in all those other mails. 

Some customers from Germany might have a problem when contacting English speaking sales and support team, but that has never been a problem to me, although my English hasn't been used much in the last couple of years.

I've been using Nakivo Backup & Replication for Nutanix since 2020.

There have been no crashes and no unfixable errors (there is a good knowledge base, and self-explaining error messages).

Since I'm using Nakivo to backup only ten virtual machines at the moment, I will have to wait until I backup my whole Nutanix cluster to find out about the scalability.

The sales representatives are nice; we didn't need technical support.

I'm still using Veeam Backup and Replication, but since this solution had huge problems backing up our file server (5 TB), I switched to Nakivo for some servers and will be completely replacing replacing Veeam by the end of its maintenance.

Yes, if you just follow the steps outlined in the setup assistant, you get it going in less than half an hour.

I implemented the solution by myself.

After weeks of working with Veeam support without any success, I can say it was worth every Euro spent since I have a working solution and can sleep better.

Nakivo has way lower licensing costs than Veeam - at least in our environment, with Nutanix as the protected cluster. Talk to your sales representative; they sold me the right license.

I am using Veeam and tested only Nakivo as a possible replacement.

I do not have any other comments at this time. 

This is a standout backup, replication, and rapid recovery solution for any small to medium-sized business which has a virtualized server environment - particularly for VMware vSphere and Microsoft Windows Server Hyper-V.

Probably the best recommendation is the fact that we choose to use this ourselves. As a value added reseller/consultant, we have access to many products. We recommend it to smaller vSphere sites where it provides an excellent alternative to the likes of Veeam and the expensive HA options from VMware.

The architecture is excellent and real-life practical, not only for backups to local backup repositories but also for remote backup repositories and/or cloud storage. The virtual machine replication with multiple snapshots between physical hosts provides a cost-effective alternative to those who cannot afford/can't justify a full high availability solution.

It has massively simplified the backup process and management of backups when compared to the previous solution. Backup times are much quicker.

The pre-configured virtual machine means installation onto a vSphere host takes minutes, requiring little more than the allocating of an IP address for the web console and a few credentials. We quite literally install the virtual machine, create a backup repository, link Nakivo to our vSphere environment, and have the first backup running in under twenty minutes.

Email notifications make the ongoing monitoring of the system simplicity itself.

Many of these have been mention already.

The direct support from Nakivo has been excellent when we have had issues. The built-in link in the web console to request support and automatically include a support bundle with all the relevant configuration data for your system makes requesting support easy - not that we have had to do it very often.

They also seem to be listening to the customer base. It is one of the few products where you feel you are getting value for the ongoing support costs. There is a continuous stream of useful updates and new features.

The speed of the backups and replications is fantastic and, for the most part, the simplicity of use has been wonderful.

The interface can be a little clunky at times. I guess this is partly the nature of the beast, being as it is a browser-based console. The benefits of the browser-based console, for the most part, far outweigh the occasional clunkiness of the interface.

Support for the backup and replication of virtual machines is excellent, but improved support for physical machine backups would be very welcome (I believe this is already on the way). 

With the current pricing model, the per workstation costs can soon rack up, so as to make it prohibitive to have a blanket backup policy for all workstations.

I've been using this solution for 5 years.

In the time we have used it and recommended it, it has been incredibly stable. We have managed to corrupt a backup repository by physically pulling the plug mid-job, but that is about it.

It will scale easily to match the recourses available.

Support via the web console has been very straightforward and the response has been prompt and knowledgeable.

We have not had any phone support.

I did previously use Acronis.

Nakivo, overall, provided a more complete, simpler, and cost-effective solution - particularly in the virtual environment.

The solution is very simple to deploy, as already mentioned.

In a smaller environment (less than three physical hosts) the Enterprise Plus is an excellent solution, particularly with the perpetual pricing available. 

I'd advise new users to take note of the ongoing support costs which currently are well worth having. 

Nakivo seems to be focused on developing and improving the product.

I did evaluate many options before choosing this.

Nakivo software is available on a white-label basis. The DimenXional Cloud product with our enhancements is called WatchDog-BaaS for Backup as a Service. DimenXional Cloud has also developed WatchDog-DRaaS, which is Disaster Recovery as a Service. The white-label solution provides the API capabilities that DimenXional Cloud not get from other suppliers of this type of software. The finished solutions are bundled with the tasks for our market. The DimenXional Cloud (Very Small Business) market doesn't care what name is on it. They care about if it works or not and if it is reliable. Above all, our markets want to know that the software is easy to use and it has the right price.

1. Most valuable for DimenXional Cloud is the API provided by Nakivo which allows us to implement the software in all types of solutions.

2. It has all the features we need for our customer base.

3. The solution is very competitively priced.

While the solution provides mostly what we need, it would be ideal if there were some additional feature capabilities for the API.

I can't really specify which features are missing, as they've done everything that we've asked for so far. Our plate is full of getting what they've done into the marketplace. It's going to take us another two, three months to do that, including engineering work and testing and that type of stuff. I wouldn't be able to answer the question of if there are missing features for at least another three to six months.

We haven't been using the solution for too long.

DimenXional Cloud started our programs with Nakivo in the past year.

We used Veeam, and we still have legacy systems that use Veeam. We are switching because of the price advantage Nakivo provides.

If we're talking about Veeam, it costs us 30% more to do what we are doing. That 30% made us uncompetitive. Nakivo has allowed us to price the product about 10-15% below the competition, and that's significant when you are talking about small dollars. With COVID-19 and the current market conditions, it's important to be very competitive.

We're part of the RESA MSP program. It's basically a partnership with the solution.

Overall, I would rate the solution at a nine or a ten. They've been a very good product so far. It's basically everything we need.

I use it for my VM (Virtual Machine) backups. I logged into it, created myself an account, and then I created my backup jobs. Then I can run the jobs to do the backups when I want. I can schedule it to run when it is convenient — say at 10 o'clock at night — or I can say run it right now, or whatever. It is pretty intuitive in that sense. Pretty easy to set up and use.  

What I like most about it is their solution runs either on Windows or Linux or even on something like Synology. Nakivo is versatile and able to work with other systems.  

The lack of that capability is one of the big reasons that I do not like Veeam. Veeam is strictly a Windows solution. That is a big negative in my opinion. Plus Veeam is good — it is not that it is not good, it works great — but it is also expensive.  

I do not know that I see a lot that needs to be improved with Nakivo. It seems maybe that the interface could be a little bit better, but it is what it is. You can always improve on the interface on anything.  

For me, I just work with the product in a simple way. For instance, I have not even looked into whether you can hook it up with Active Directory which may be helpful if you are going to add different users and give them the capability to back up or do certain other tasks. You might be able to do that already now. I just have not had the need or opportunity to look into it. If it is not there it is the type of thing that might be added.  

I have been using Nakivo for a couple of years on-and-off.  

The stability and performance can depend on how many VMs you have and the volume of what you are backing up. I think I set it up for one customer in their lab and they had 50 or 60 VMs running and set it up to kickoff at say at 10 o'clock at night and do the backup. Nakivo just does its thing on schedule. Here when I back it up, when I back up my Atlassian tools, I will back up three of those VMs at one time. 

So it is pretty stable when it comes to carrying out what it is supposed to do. Again, it depends on how fast your network is, how many transporters you have, and where you are backing it up to. Although I do not do it myself, Nakivo has the capability to back up directly to Amazon S3 if you choose to do that. The flexibility for working in various environments is really valuable, and in my case it saves money.  

I think the scalability of the product is good. All you have to do is basically just install more transporters. If you only got one transporter installed and you are trying to back up 100 VMs at the same time, you are pushing everything through one little teeny pipe, but if you have more transporters, then it will actually use all of those and the backups and restores can happen faster.  

I have not really used technical support because I have not had any issues or problems with the product. It is very easy to set up and very straightforward to use. I can not vouch for that fact on Windows because I have never tried it on Windows. I choose not to do that. I run everything on Linux and I like that better.  

I have used other solutions and I wound up sticking with Nakivo because it is more versatile and it is able to work with systems other than Microsoft. You can get it running in many different ways. I am just running the previous build VM, but I also have a 12 terabytes Synology NAS unit here. I can actually install it directly on that and not even have to create a virtual machine. It runs great without any extra setup. So I am using Nakivo for versatility, mostly.  

The initial setup and installation are very straightforward. It depends on how many transporters you want to install. You can install more than one transporter. If you are doing lots of backups, multiple transporters will make it go faster. In my case, I do not need that. I have actually tried using multiple transporters at customer sites and it is a functional solution.  

I just use the free version — if you will — it is kind of free. You can buy a one-time perpetual license, or you can do subscription-based leasing, or you can do it based on how many VMs you want to back up. If you want to only buy it for 50 VMs, then you only buy it for 50 VMs. You have a lot of different options when it comes to pricing and the pricing models are pretty flexible and affordable.  

I have tried Veeam and I have tried a few others. I forget their names. Nakivo just seems simpler to me. It is simple to use. I like the fact that I do not have to have a Windows license to run it like I would with other products like Veeam. That is just another something that I have to pay for and maintain on top of what I already have. Nakivo is a work-around for that situation.  

I like the product because it is doing exactly what I need it to do, and that is reliably backing up my VM. I have actually had to restore some VMs. Sometimes the power just goes off here and something will get corrupted and it works well for that. It has been reliable in restoring exactly what I needed to restore.  

Based on my experience, the advice I would give to people considering it is to go for it. I think it is a great product. But there is a problem with customers — especially government customers — resisting adopting anything new. They get hung up on one thing and they like to stick with it. They buy a license and they just have it set in their minds that they do not want to try anything else, even though the solution they have might be costing them a fortune. Getting them to adopt a change can be difficult.  

It is like when someone is committed to Cisco. I tell government customers not to buy Cisco under any circumstances. I tell them just to never get involved with it. Then they will complain and say that Cisco is all that they know. Arista beats the hell out of Cisco and it uses the same interface. Guys who know how to use Cisco already will not have to go to school at all to learn how to use Arista, and it ends up being half the price. My complaint about Cisco is not that it does not work. It depends on what you are doing. But in my opinion, Cisco solutions just do not have the necessary throughput for certain situations.  

I have tried to get a lot of clients to buy this and show them the advantages. Some of them just say they already have a license for something else and they want to stick with it. People need to be open to the advantages of considering other products and how that can make a change in their efficiency and their bottom line.  

On a scale from one to ten (where one is the worst and ten is the best), I would rate Nakivo as a nine-out-of-ten. I would never give anything a ten.  

We use the solution as a VM backup from local servers and remote data centers. Nakivo is installed on a NAS device at the office, and it doesn't need any external servers to run. That makes it really easy to deploy, and in case of disaster for servers, the NAS device is totally separate from them, and backups can be restored quickly to another environment where ever is enough resources to run them.

The remote data center can also be backed up to a small repository on that data center and then copied over an internet link to the office, where I have more space to store backups.

Backups are working smoothly with Nakivo Backup. Deduplication and compression of backup repositories save lots of disk space, and I can keep many more restore points compared to situations where deduplication is not used.

Having a couple of the latest restore points saved in the repository at a remote data center allows restoration of them quickly without the need first to transfer them over the internet from the office. It also is nice to be able to copy backups to the office, where I have plenty of more disk space to save them compared to a remote data center.

There is no need to install agents on VMs. It is easy to deploy new VMs and get them backed up instantly.

It can be fully run from a NAS device. There is no need to have separate backups servers and be able to run a full Linux environment without Windows servers.

Deduplication and compression of backup repositories are easy. It saves lots of disk space and enables you to keep many more recovery points compared to a situation where all recovery points are saved as is without deduplication.

It's a lightweight solution built over Linux. It can be run directly from NAS devices and doesn't need separate backups servers installed on the network.

We'd like to see more cooperation with Synology. It can be enhanced to get updates published faster to Synology's store.

I don't have any other complaints about Nakivo Backup, and I like it as it is. I have used many other backups solutions like Veeam, Actifio, and Acronis, and Nakivo has done things better than those other backup solution providers. 

Of course, there can be some cases where others might perform better; however, for my use case, Nakivo Backup does just what is needed, and it is done properly without problems.

I've used the solution for about three years.

I have previously used VMPro, Veeam, and Actifio.

The solution is cheaper than many competitors.

I have previously evaluated Veeam.