What is our primary use case?
With the NetBackup solution, we have a Flex Appliance in the central data center, which we use to backup remote sites. We will first do a local copy to a virtual appliance, and then to do a copy of the one network to the central appliances.
What is most valuable?
The most valuable technical feature for us is the deduplication ratio. This is a very important aspect in order to have a remote site backup. The advantage of the solution is that they provide agents for all types of databases and applications that are included in the solution.
The initial setup wasn't overly complex.
Technical support has been helpful over the years.
The initial setup gets easier the more you do it.
What needs improvement?
If you compare the solution to, for example, Dell Data Domain, it looks that the deduplication ratio is even higher than what we have on NetBackup. If they want to improve, then they should look at the deduplication ratio in future versions.
The configuration can sometimes be tricky during implementation.
If the features could be complete in that they can work on all systems, all operating systems, that would be ideal. We have a lot of diversity and integrations to the cloud. This means, for example, if your Flex Appliances are not sufficient, you, for example, can offload to Azure Cloud. I know in some devices it's already possible. However, it's not universally the case.
Today, if we have to implement it as software, if we are talking about virtual appliances, we need to implement it as software. However, it could also be developed as a package, so that you just have to mount it and to have the service. That would also be an advantage.
For how long have I used the solution?
We are a big company, and we have been using this solution already for multiple years. It's my understanding that we've used it for maybe five to six years.
What do I think about the scalability of the solution?
The appliances that we are using with NetBackup are on our virtual private cloud. For a lot of other customers, they are using it as well for the remote site backup. Of course, we have plans to sell it more to customers and to also increase our usage amount - including the number of devices, the amount of software, and so on, that is needed.
How are customer service and support?
The technical support is not bad. We have a partner contact channel, where we can log cases and communicate with them. We're quite satisfied with the level of support we get and the amount of access we have.
Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?
How was the initial setup?
The initial setup wasn't complex. It was pretty straightforward.
First of all, we have done it already a couple of times. That helps. You get used to it. Also, in one of our latest projects, we received assistance as well, from Veritas NetBackup. They were on hand to configure it correctly.
What about the implementation team?
We have had Veritas help us with implementations. They assist in the configuration aspect of the process.
However, for the most part, we are a consultancy and service company ourselves, and therefore we have the needed resources in-house to handle most implementations ourselves.
What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?
We have a contract, a global contract, and we are providing services using that contract to different customers. However, I cannot say how much that costs us on a monthly or yearly basis.
What other advice do I have?
We are an integrator and consultant.
While we tend to start by using the latest version of the solution, we may use various versions. I'm not sure which versions we are using right now.
We have a combination of different deployment types.
My advice to others is that you should have a solution that can cover a lot of things. Especially if you look for the deduplication functionality. It's very important that you check that it's valid for complete virtual environments or VMware environments or Hyper-V environments. You can use it as a complete solution, meaning that you can have the full chain where you want to have deduplicated data streams and data storage locations. Users need to make sure that it is fitting on everything. Whatever a company chooses, they need to make sure before they start they aren't missing anything that they absolutely need.
With Veritas, you have the deduplication software and you have the Flex Appliances, and so on. I have learned also that there is some interesting functionality in the physical appliance as well, and that's not always known by teams of people. It could be useful as a DR solution, for example.
Overall, I would rate the solution at a seven out of ten. It does fill the requirements. The basic things are there. However, I have learned that other solutions have a higher deduplication ratio. If Veritas NetBackup would also come with a better deduplication ratio in the future I would rank it higher.
*Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
