What backup solution would replace Backup Exec for air-gapped networks and tape offsite copies?

If you want alternatives at different price points, Barracuda appliances can handle local backups with offsite replication, and Amanda has both open-source and commercial versions with disk, cloud, and tape targets. Amanda takes more setup and operational effort, especially at larger scale, so I’d only choose it if you have staff comfortable managing a more hands-on platform.

Before ruling out Veeam, I’d get the exact compliance finding in writing and test it against the current release. It supports tape jobs, air-gapped deployments, immutable storage options, and offline update repositories. It also has documented FIPS-related configuration, so an old assessment may no longer apply. If it passes your requirements, it would be the most direct fit for this environment.

Rubrik is technically excellent and has worked well for us, although it’s generally more expensive than Veeam. Its usual offsite approach is an immutable cloud target, such as the vendor’s cloud vault or object storage. Direct tape support is limited; you may need a QStar tape library as an additional component, which adds another system to maintain. Make sure its management and connectivity model works with your air-gapped networks.

Commvault is worth evaluating for a larger enterprise environment. It has broad policy, retention, compliance, and tape capabilities, though the product can be complex and the administration experience isn’t everyone’s favorite. I’d compare it with Rubrik and Veeam using a proof of concept based on your actual air-gapped and tape workflows rather than relying on marketing claims.