Backup Exec is being phased out, so I'm evaluating Veeam Backup & Replication, Commvault, and Arcserve UDP/Backup as replacements. We have about 8 TB of company data stored on local RAID volumes attached to a dedicated backup server. There are no tape libraries or removable backup drives. Our retention period is one year, with full backups running Fridays and incremental backups on the other four weekdays; the weekly full usually finishes by Sunday night. We don't need cloud backup built into the primary backup product because MSP360 already sends copies to Amazon S3. We also keep the local copy and take a rotating copy of the data off-site each month. I'm concerned that Commvault may be more complex than we need, while Veeam appears to have stronger phone support and Arcserve seems simpler. I've used Backup Exec since the Novell NetWare days, so I'm familiar with its quirks and would appreciate practical advice on which option would be the smoothest, most reliable replacement.
5 Answers
Commvault is a solid product and can work very well, even in smaller environments, but it has a much broader feature set and can take more effort to configure and manage. It makes more sense if you need advanced database protection, large-scale orchestration, or want a VAR or service provider handling the platform. For a single local backup server with around 8 TB, it may be more product than necessary.
Arcserve may look simpler, but it doesn’t have the same level of enthusiasm or long-term recommendations as Veeam in this discussion. I’d test restore workflows, job monitoring, licensing, and support response before choosing it. The backup software should also be evaluated as part of the overall protection strategy, since maintaining multiple independent copies is more important than simply replacing the current product.
The general consensus is Veeam. It is considered easier to operate independently than Commvault, while still supporting local repositories and multiple off-site copies. Keep your existing S3 workflow if it meets your recovery objectives, but verify that you can regularly perform test restores from both the local and off-site copies rather than relying only on successful job reports.
Veeam is the strongest fit out of those three. It’s generally straightforward to manage, has good support, and restores have been consistently reliable. Several administrators who have used it for years report very few support cases, mostly because failed jobs are usually easy to troubleshoot.
Veeam would be my recommendation for this environment. It gives you the flexibility to keep local backups, send another copy elsewhere, and continue using S3 for an additional copy. The newer software appliance deployment may be worth considering instead of installing the backup server on Windows, especially if you want a more isolated and hardened setup.
Be aware that the newest major release requires more resources than the previous version, so size the backup server accordingly.
Veeam has also changed a lot over the years, so it should feel considerably less frustrating than maintaining an older Backup Exec installation.