Avamar Review

PROS: I like the options available to me here in EMC. I can simply choose to restore VMs in full or just some parts of it. If I want, I can also copy versions of files into another platform.

CONS: Setting up this program was quite difficult. It does not give users much flexibility.

PROS: I've never had any problems when it comes to backing up my data in the system. Plus the assistance that it gives me for BMR and other needs is second to none.

CONS: When my data storage system gets corrupted, I can no longer dictate the backup percentage the next time I run it. I'd have no choice but to completely back it up. I've also noticed that not all my files get restored sometimes.

PROS: I really like the new environment update--it looks much simple and most of the features are now within reach. This tool lets me create supplementary copies for different devices, regardless of the OS that they run in. Everything just comes easy here.

CONS: There seems to be a designated version of EMC for each version of Java. This means that if I want to update one or the other, I'd have to do this with both. The uninstallment and reinstallment can be a hassle.

PROS: Back up run faster, dedu biggest problem for this product is Dell IPDA customer serivese and people who sales this project. Once they sale you this product you will never hear from them. You send 1o email and you will get no respond. Horrible customer services..

CONS: The program is not user friendly. Requires a lot of time to learn.

PROS: This is probably one of the best backup and restoration software available in the market. Its capacity is impressive and buildable--just what we need in our company. Setting this up is quite easy as well. With just a few tweaks in the settings, one can start saving and backing up their files in no time. It can clean up your files too and warn you of any duplicates that may be present. If you want to increase the size of your storage, you can easily do so too. The best part? You can have an inordinate amount of data in your system and the performance can still be the same.

CONS: You're pretty much stuck with the physical device that you bought. There's a high chance that your device will go obsolete in just a matter of years. So, if you want to enjoy EMC's newer features, you'd have to invest in its newer devices too. This can potentially waste a lot of your money, especially if you're a big company with high volumes of data saved in your system regularly. However, if you're a medium-sized corporation, this might just serve your best interests.

PROS: I like the VMWare backup with GLR for tracking. I have to say that the CIFS backup process is quick especially if you use NDMP accelerator node for huge amount of data. De-duplication is great when you pair it with data domain for storage as backup target. The process of replication is simple and robust.

CONS: In my opinion, this is not easy solution to work with. It requires lot of configuration pieces and plugins in order to make various backup types. When using SWL cluster you will face with some bugs and this requires some work. Also, the exchange and Sharepoint need some additional licensing and add on software so you can do the GLR. The reporting tools are not sufficient. In order to track and report backup trends it requires some addition Data Protection Advisor. In addition, the program is pricy.

PROS: With EMC, I'm confident that our files are always backed up correctly.

CONS: Some files do get misplaced. Other times, the backing up process is not as smooth-sailing as I would like them to be.

PROS: I love everything about this software. Starting form de-dupe rates, the reduction and the speed. I also like its plugins. I’m very satisfied from VMWare integration. Its support team is one of the best. It works great on Linux and this is very helpful for us.

CONS: It requires full SA on SQL in order to do the backups. The reporting can be sparse and you have to be familiar with SQL command so you can backup. I don’t like that it lack automated SQL.

PROS: Amavar is great product for large companies that have multiple virtual servers, lot of remote offices and hundreds of desk top systems. This tool optimizes bandwidth, it maximizes the storage usage and it makes backup and recovery to all the systems efficiently.

CONS: Avamar has some issues with huge databases and with some apps like SQL and Exchange. I believe that there is no backup product that can be effective at backing up every type of data. I often use some basic tools to back up the systems and to store the data on the Data Domain storage.

PROS: We have made a transition from Arc Serve to Avamar and we managed to reduce the backup times from dates to week and often to hours. The restoring VM’s process is easy. I like the integration with VMWare. Thanks to its Data Domain storage this tool can handle huge amount of data in less time.

CONS: I don’t like that we have to restore files on a monthly basis. If you have few files then the restoring process is easy but if you have tons of files then it would be better to restore the VM and to copy the files off. We have to restore our Exchange DB’s to a file manually because it won’t be restored automatically unless there is an exchange server for this reason.

PROS: Avamar offers lot of options for backing up and for specific operating system and software. I’m able to choose various profile for virtual machines, exchange, Linux, SQL and other. I can easily restore anything starting form 1 file to enormous snapshot. I like that there is ability to restore mailbox objects.

CONS: Changing DNS can be challenging but this is required for some basic tasks. Also, we received some error messages about batteries and we are told to ignore these messages.

PROS: I like that there is possibility for image backups and restoring files that are missing. The backup process is smooth and quick thanks to the de-duplication. The interface is great, it can be easily used in comparison to other products. This is great software to work with and you are able to backup everything you need.

CONS: I don’t like that this tool can be used only by enterprise businesses. The process of de-duplication slows down when backing up because of the constant changes of log files.

PROS: There are lot of things I like about Avamar, such as: Source de-duplication and de-duplication rates. I like the VM level Snapshot Backups and WAN Backups. It has great server footprint and RTO & RPO.

CONS: It lacks Granular level recovery. There are some issues with identifying backend sizes. It doesn’t support old OS’s. They have to work on this one because lot of companies work with windows 2000, XP and other. Many backup tools like Netbackup, networker are still compatible.