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Manager - Backup & DR Global Infrastructure at TMF Group
Real User
Easily restore data with this package designed for simple environments
Pros and Cons
  • "The product makes it easy to restore data."
  • "It could be improved in the area of reporting and ease-of-use."

What is our primary use case?

Our primary use is that we are using it for backup mostly with Hyper-V service.  

How has it helped my organization?

It allowed us to step up to a better backup routine from the previous product we were using.  

What is most valuable?

The most valuable features for me are the ease of restoring the data and the backup window.  

What needs improvement?

I think that the one place the product could improve the most is in user-friendliness. If you compare it with Veritas' NetBackup, for example, that difference is pretty clear. They could take a lesson from their own products.  

Capability-wise the Backup Exec product is very good, but the lack of user-friendliness means people struggle to find and use some of the interesting features that would otherwise benefit from. They will miss utilizing those capabilities.  

Reporting capabilities are not up to the standard of other products. If you compare the reports which we get from NetBackup, those contain a lot of information that we need and do not get with Backup Exec. By comparison, the Backup Exec reports are pretty simple.  

Better reporting capability and a more user-friendly design would greatly improve usability.  

Buyer's Guide
Veritas Backup Exec
May 2025
Learn what your peers think about Veritas Backup Exec. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using Veritas for backup for close to five years now.  

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We have not seen any glitches in the product's function. It has always been stable and reliable.  

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is easy to scale the solution. There is a limitation to the size or complexity of the environment that it will be optimal for, but it is scalable.  

How are customer service and support?

The technical support is pretty good. We have reached out for Backup Exec and we have gotten the support that we needed.  

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

We were using Data Protection Manager prior to Backup Exec. We switched to Veritas because we saw by comparison that it was a better product for our situation with more capabilities.  

How was the initial setup?

The setup was simple. I do not really remember exactly how much time it took to set up because it has been quite some time now, but I know that we did not have issues getting it up and running.  

What about the implementation team?

The setup was done by a small team from within our company without the help of a vendor or integrator. The team was mostly made up of engineers within the company. The product has remained in place for about five years.  

It requires maintenance from our side. Usually, it is mostly the admins managing it, so that is about four people in our case.  

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

The cost of Veritas is really mid-range for this class of product, I would say. Everything is included in one license and there are no additional, hidden costs.  

What other advice do I have?

My advice to anyone considering this product would be to know how many servers have to be covered and the complexity of the environment as well as the capabilities of Backup Exec. Veritas cannot handle a complex environment very well. It is really only designed for a simple environment.  

On a scale from one to ten where one is the worst and ten is the best, I can rate Veritas Backup Exec as somewhere around eight. It has some very good capabilities but limitations with system complexity, user-friendliness, and depth of reporting.  

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
PeerSpot user
Senior Network Administrator at MapnaBE
Real User
Fully compatible with different tape libraries and has easy user and file recovery
Pros and Cons
  • "Veritas Backup Exec is fully compatible with different tape libraries."
  • "A web console would be great because nowadays a lot of products are web-based and you can access the console from various environments. So I would recommend bringing this feature in the next solution."

What is our primary use case?

I use it in many uses, for example for Microsoft Exchange and for databases, for active directory and file servers. I use Backup Exec because it has agents for different software and is based on your infrastructure.

How has it helped my organization?

I remember in the 2010 version you needed to have two jobs per data source; one job for full backup and another job for a differential. But now you can merge both of them into a single record and have different schedules for them. The results and the interface are better now, and there is no extra knowledge needed for using this. It is very simple.

What is most valuable?

I prefer to use a tape library and Veritas Backup Exec is fully compatible with different tape libraries. So I prefer this software.

Of course, all of the solutions are agent-based, but granular recovery, GTR, works well in Backup Exec. It was Symantec in the past. I can easily recover a user or a file. It mainly works directly to the original location, which is why I prefer to use it.

What needs improvement?

In the past, it was not user-friendly. But nowadays it's very user friendly. But it could be better if it had a web-based interface. 

A web console would be great because nowadays a lot of products are web-based and you can access the console from various environments. So I would recommend bringing this feature in the next solution.

I want to have a user-friendly interface for virtualization. Now virtualization doesn't have an extra interface. A great interface would be good. And maybe it would be better if they launched a virtual appliance.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using Veritas Backup Exec for at least six or seven years.

I am still working with it on daily projects.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is stable. It's like other Windows based services. You turn down the tape library and want to restart services. I think it would be better to be more intelligent about these changes. For example, when I want to turn off the tape library and turn it back on, it would be better if there was no need to restart the services. Sometimes I need to restart services or even sometimes I need to restart the server in order to bring up the tape library or ABS.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I don't know how compatible it is with a cloud environment, but for scalability for SMB companies it's good because you could have one central management and deploy different servers in different areas and manage it in a single, central point. I think it is good for SMB's.

Generally, I use this solution for servers and not for clients.

It is good for small and medium clients. Although I think that it would not be popular with enterprise companies. I don't have experience in a closed environment. But I think if you don't have this environment, it would be good and suitable for them too.

How was the initial setup?

Generally, Web Backup is more complex, but Backup Exec is easy to use. 

The initial setup is not very complex. I've deployed in different projects, but installation was the easiest part for me. Having a good plan for the backup solution is more complex than installation, I think. You have to consider the concurrent back-up jobs and the speed and data growth. 

It is good that you don't need to install an extra database.

What other advice do I have?

On a scale of one to ten, I would rate Veritas Backup Exec an eight.

I would advise that it's not important which product you use because I think most of the products are good quality and nowadays have at least a standard because of technological enhancements, but it's more important to understand the concept of back-up and recovery. For example, how many jobs are needed, what is your infrastructure, what storage do you need, things like that. Having knowledge of data and back-up recovery is more important than the actual solution.

It's not important which tools you use, because nowadays all the solutions, for example, Veeam, are good. It's better to know what you want and to have good knowledge of back-up and recovery concepts, for example, storage, data, data growth, SQL, etc.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Veritas Backup Exec
May 2025
Learn what your peers think about Veritas Backup Exec. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: May 2025.
856,873 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Operations Manager at Cybernaptics
Reseller
Predictable, easy to se up, and has a lot of configuration capabilities
Pros and Cons
  • "The initial setup is easy."
  • "We need to have duplication and better compression."

What is our primary use case?

We have two use case types. We do onsite and offsite. Onsite, we need some conversion and backups. Offsite, for example, similar to Symantec, it is based on the volume, and we sell this solution to clients. 

What is most valuable?

We've used the solution for ten years, and everything has worked very well.

There are many settings, and after working on it for so long, we have a good understanding of the configurations that make sense. 

It's easy for us. It's like a legacy of predictability. We've used it for a long time.

The initial setup is easy.

It's stable.

The scalability is good. 

What needs improvement?

We need to have duplication and better compression. We don't really get that with Veritas. There's customer demand for it. 

We'd like to see some better synchronization between the office and other sites. There's room for improvement in off-site syncs. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used the solution for ten to 11 years. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. I haven't noted any issues. It doesn't have bugs or glitches. It doesn't crash or freeze. It's reliable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a scalable product.

How are customer service and support?

Maybe in the early years, we used to seek support, however, now, since we are quite versatile with it, we deal with any issues ourselves. We normally don't seek any support now. When we used them, maybe ten years ago, they were quite helpful.

How was the initial setup?

We find the solution to be straightforward to set up. It's not overly complex or difficult. I'd rate it a ten out of ten in terms of ease of implementation. 

We always keep three people (engineers) on the solution. During the implementation, we have three people there, and they can handle maintenance once it is up. If, for a backup, somebody's not available for a particular reason, we'll be covered as we don't rely on one person.

What other advice do I have?

We are resellers.

We use the latest versions to ensure we get support as older versions often lose support.

I'd advise potential new users to read the manual well and don't just go next, next, finish, et cetera. Read everything well to understand the options they are providing. I've seen many people fail to understand what options are offered or what the customer needs. If you don't do the right configuration, it becomes faulty. It slows down the process if it's not configured right. 

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Reseller
PeerSpot user
Pawel Augustyn - PeerSpot reviewer
System Advisor at CRIF SpA
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
A good interface that makes file restoration easy
Pros and Cons
  • "The interface for this solution is excellent, and it is easy to restore files compared to other solutions."
  • "I would like to be able to create a restore task that can be scheduled so that the same restore action will be performed automatically."

What is our primary use case?

This is our backup and recovery solution.

We are using the on-premise deployment model to backup virtual machines, NAS resources and MS  SQL databases on always ON.

How has it helped my organization?

We have felt better when we know that our we have had backup copies.
We have been making restore test of all backup resources.

Possibility to archive direct to tape

Our copies are encrypted and save.

They can be stored over long time

What is most valuable?

The interface for this solution is excellent, and it is easy to restore files compared to other solutions.

Encryption of data backup on tapes

What needs improvement?

I have found the duplication to be very poor.

It is not clear how to automate processes using the command line interface.

I would like to be able to create a restore task that can be scheduled so that the same restore action will be performed automatically. As it is now, if I want to restore the same resource or the same system for testing then I have to create a job task from scratch. Having an automatic restore would save me time.

The problems I have had seem to be related to integrating the solution.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using this solution for four years.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

enough stability, but need to clear logs manually.

In 21 version definitely better

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Yes, It is flexible in this area

How are customer service and support?

Enough  ok, 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

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

other company = other solution

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of this solution is complex.

What about the implementation team?

I performed the deployment myself.

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

One of the cheapest backup solution.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Veeam Backup

What other advice do I have?

Choosing a backup and recovery system is something that depends on the size of the resources in your environment.

Rating this product is tough because I have had problems with the integration. In this context, I would rate this solution a six out of ten. However, the solution is good and if I were using a new installation, I would rate it an eight out of ten.

Overall, I would rate this solution an eight out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1520205 - PeerSpot reviewer
IT Cloud Architect
Real User
Overall, good suite of products but could use simpler UI
Pros and Cons
  • "It is a good overall suite of products."
  • "I would like to improve their ability to back up the cloud environment. Additionally, it would be nice to have simpler UI."

What is most valuable?

It is a good overall suite of products.

What needs improvement?

I would like to improve their ability to back up the cloud environment. Additionally, it would be nice to have a simpler UI.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The product is stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The product is scalable.

How are customer service and support?

I think that customer support is okay.

How was the initial setup?

I did not participate in the installation, but it's a bit cumbersome to use compared to other products.

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

For the price I've seen, it could be lower compared to other products.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Cohesity and Rubrik are both more modern and have a simpler user interface to use in case recovery is necessary.

Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
reviewer1451388 - PeerSpot reviewer
Manager at a government with 10,001+ employees
Real User
It integrates well with Microsoft solutions
Pros and Cons
  • "I like that Backup Exec integrates with Microsoft Exchange. We can retrieve backups from the email boxes."
  • "We've experienced some performance issues with Backup Exec. The backup jobs take too long to complete."

What is our primary use case?

We use Backup Exec to back up our virtual machines. 

What is most valuable?

I like that Backup Exec integrates with Microsoft Exchange. We can retrieve backups from the email boxes. 

What needs improvement?

We've experienced some performance issues with Backup Exec. The backup jobs take too long to complete. And in the future, I'd like to see the option to export backups to the cloud, so we have more room and protection. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Backup Exec is stable, but there are performance issues. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Backup Exec's scalability is good. We have 400 virtual machines supported by two instances of Backup Exec. 

How are customer service and support?

Veritas technical support is okay. 

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

We were using Commvault, but we switched because Backup Exec integrates with Microsoft solutions better. 

How was the initial setup?

Setting up Backup Exec was complex, but it only took one day. We had help from resellers and consultants. In total, we had five people on our deployment team. 

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

We pay for a yearly license. It's the standard fee plus paid support. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate Veritas Backup Exec nine out of 10. My only advice is to make sure you have enough hardware to install the platform.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

On-premises
Disclosure: My company does not have a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer.
PeerSpot user
Software Directeur BU at AITEK
Reseller
A good, reliable product that had the capability of expanding if needed
Pros and Cons
  • "The solution was stable and reliable."
  • "The solution lacked local support, which became an issue for us and our customers. They needed to have more presence on the ground."

What is our primary use case?

The solution was primarily meant to be used for securing data. 

What is most valuable?

Overall, it's a very good product.

The scalability was good.

The solution was stable and reliable. 

What needs improvement?

Ultimately, the product did not sell enough to keep the contract live. 

The solution lacked local support, which became an issue for us and our customers. They needed to have more presence on the ground.

The deployment process was very difficult.

The pricing was quite high. We tried to sell it as software as a service, however, clients preferred to have their own product.

For how long have I used the solution?

We used it up until October of this year, at which point the contract was terminated. However, we had been dealing with it since 2015.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We found the product to be stable. There were no bugs or glitches. It didn't crash or freeze. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution could scale if a company needed to. It wasn't a problem. 

How are customer service and support?

Local support was lacking. It was an issue in our region. Customers would not have been able to get the support they needed. 

How was the initial setup?

In the end, we did not use it as our technical teams were not able to deploy it. 

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

Ultimately, the clientele rejected the subscription model on offer. They found it to be too expensive. 

What other advice do I have?

We were a distributor, however, we did not sell enough and therefore the contract ended. 

Ultimately, the product had to have more presence on the ground. A good example of that would be Microsoft or, if you want, Kaspersky. They have the representatives here, and the representatives used to go to see the customer. 

They have many QBA with their distributor, and so they helped us promote the solution. It's very difficult to promote the solution. I was alone in the company trying to sell the solution, and I know that there were some representatives on the ground, yet they never spoke with us. Even if you asked them for a quote or something else, they never answered you or they answered very late. With so much time passing, it became more and more difficult for us to sell the solution. There was competition from, for example, Veam, which had people on the ground and able to help customers. We just never got the same level of local support for this product and it never worked out for us.

I'd rate it at an eight out of ten, as it is a good product in general, however, selling it effectively proved to be difficult. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
PeerSpot user
CarlosCastells - PeerSpot reviewer
CIO at SERVA SERVICIOS ESPECIALIZADOS INFORMATICOS SA
Real User
Top 20
Great stability but deployment could be more flexible
Pros and Cons
  • "We are happy with Veritas Backup Exec's stability."
  • "At the moment, we have a very complex environment. It would take some time to deploy an environment like ours from scratch."

What needs improvement?

I would like to see more flexible deployment with fewer devices. 

For how long have I used the solution?

My company has been providing Veritas Backup Exec to customers for about 10 years. At first it was deployed on-prem. However, in the last to years we have been transitioning to the cloud. We currently have 50 to 55 customers using Veritas Backup Exec. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

We are happy with Veritas Backup Exec's stability. 

How was the initial setup?

At the moment, we have a very complex environment. It would take some time to deploy an environment like ours from scratch. 

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

We are not paying for a license. 

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
PeerSpot user
Buyer's Guide
Download our free Veritas Backup Exec Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.
Updated: May 2025
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Buyer's Guide
Download our free Veritas Backup Exec Report and get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions.