VM Backup Reviews

Pros

We use a layered approach to both Security and Data. Using a Hyper-v environment we have all our assets immediately available through an emergency Hyper-V replica server. Both the main and replica get backed up regularly using Altaro Backup. That is THREE extra levels of protection! Now the LATEST BEST edition
they can give a FIFTH layer of another Replica Hyper-V/Altero Backup Server!

Cons

Licensing is a little bit of a pain point, no the cost, just how to maintain licenses.

Pros

As we are an SMB, this software has simplified the process of backing up our two Hyper-V Virtual Machines. It has also allowed us to copy the local backups to a private offsite server nightly for Disaster Recovery purposes.

Cons

Initially the Offsite Copy option would frequently fail due to communications problems between our main and remote backup servers. Since version 8.0 of this product we are no longer having this problem.

Pros

Easy to setup and the interface was well laid out and intuitive

Cons

We had unpredictable backups and strange issues especially around log truncation with our MS Exchange backups that Altaro support claimed they had a sev 1 case open with Microsoft for months. Might still be open but they never got it resolved for the 6 months it took from when I opened the support case with Altaro until we moved to a different backup solution. Restores were unreliable as well, we could get files back with decent reliability but the machine recoveries were seldom successful

Pros

- Easy to deploy as an MSP
- Support is more than excellent. Direct response and highly skilled technicians.
- Easy of use

Cons

- More detailed error messaging
- Endpoint backup to the VM Backup location. (This was promised in the early days of Altaro)

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing VM Backup

Switched From

Reasons for Switching to VM Backup

Pros

What I like about this software is that once it is installed and configured, no human intervention is required.

Cons

THre CMC Dashboard for monitoring backup of all my customer is the best!

Pros

The software is easy to use and fully automated. The continuous protection and replication features to an offsite server are included and fantastic. We are able to have complete system image backups to another location, all within Altaro.

Cons

Sometimes the error messages are not very helpful, but the support from altaro is great, and they are always on hand to assist if needed right from within the product.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing VM Backup

Reasons for Switching to VM Backup

Pros

I like that it is simple to use and can be installed on the Hypervisor host and did not need a dedicated backup server.

Cons

I really cant think of anything that I would want to change. It really is a set it and forget it. I get daily emails with success/failure status.

Pros

- File granular restore
- Restore from mounted VM
- Offsite copies external device
- Offsite copies in the cloud
- Replication

Cons

Sometimes the UI speed is somewhat slow. When restoring on file level, the selection of the disks goes somewhat slow.

Pros

Great simple to use interface and the ability to link up to many clod providers including our own space at datacentre. Also the Tech Support are great!

Cons

Granular file recovery a bit painful but fine of restoring a few files / folders

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to VM Backup

Pros

Easy to use, easy to setup
Regular updates
Ability to replicate entire servers to Hyper-V host in hot site
Very space efficient
Exchange mailbox item level restore
Competent support
Priced competitively

Cons

Doesn't do physical machines: if it did physical machines to tape libraries as well as disk I'd use nothing else for backup
Support doesn't cover all time zones: there's sometimes a delay in getting assistance

Pros

The majority of the time it works without any human intervention at all. It has lots of management tools for storage.

Cons

Sometimes it has minor issues with backups failing and no error messages.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to VM Backup

Pros

Quick and easy to install and configure.

Cons

Not much, but being unable to shrink backup-set files after removing data is becoming a problem.

Pros

It is relatively easy to restore my Hyper-V servers, granular recovery takes some time but overall, I am pretty happy with this suite at my org

Cons

Altaro has a replication model that doesn't work well for DR. If you have subnet a and subnet b both segmented and seperated by WAN VPN, do not expect this to be a viable DR solution. YES, it does allow you to restore from VM (boot from VM) in the second backed-up subnet, but if that subnet is different to the VMs original subnet, those machines will not talk. Networking 101.
There needs to be a mechanism to restore VMs in a DR site predictably and immediately without this limitation. I think I read that Altaro is introducing a functionality change for DR in the coming release that addresses this and I have enquired as to specs.
Right now, my option is to backup to my local NAS, commit a second backup to segment 2 NAS for resiliency and incase of fire or disaster and recover. Slow venture but at least there is copies offsite and available.
Customer service experience has ranged from friendly to cocky responses - and they like to throw KB articles at you instead of taking the time to explain what and why's (like every novice user must know the product as good as they know it)

Pros

We are a medium-size organization with Altaro installed on 6 hyper-v hosts. Experience has been great with Altaro when it comes to backups of all our VMs and restoring data/files. Very easy setup and administration even a nontechie can get this set up in less than 15 minutes. GUI is very intuitive and gives you all the information required. Cloud management console makes it easier to manage and receive alerts from anywhere. Support is great and always very helpful in resolving issues promptly. 5 stars!!

Cons

Little sensitive to storage device errors. However, nothing to concern about as it usually gives you plenty of information to troubleshoot the issue. Support is great from Altaro in resolving them quickly and efficiently.

Pros

What I like most about Altaro is the new ability to backup direct to Azure Cloud Storage accounts. This has been a game changer for us in our DR plan. It allows us to feel comfortable that we have local and cloud versions of our backups. That is a killer feature at the Altaro Price point.

Cons

The only con I have is that we have had some occasional issues when using large USB devices for local backup. They seem to produce alot more errors with Altaro that with previously used products. Usually a reformat of the drive and the system seems to function well with it again. Just something we keep an eye on.

Pros

After years of server versions, the cloud version is by far better

Cons

Restore times are slower than I though they would be. Even with a 1 GB circuit.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Choosing VM Backup

Switched From

Pros

Reliable, Easy to set up, and Efficient. We also love how it dedups data and how it can alert you when a backup fails.

Cons

I did not like how the upgrade required us to create all the backups all over again requiring us double the storage space. That requires some juggling. But after a few successful upgrades, we cleaned house and had it back to normal.

Pros

This software is one you can set and forget and it does its thing without fail.

Cons

Its not let me down yet. It took me a bit to get the interface, but it wasn't terrible. I am bad about not following directions though.

Alternatives Considered

Reasons for Switching to VM Backup

Pros

We needed a backup solution that would work for remote locations and did not need all of the "extras" that some products have that end up pushing costs up. This fit the bill fairly well and was pretty easy to use. It was overall flexible enough to allow us to backup direct to our NAS's and restore files fairly easy.

Cons

We purchased approximately 25 copies and used them at all of our remotes and at the initial purchase they had no way to manage them all via a central console. This has since changed but last I checked it adds a nice bit to the cost if you want it as an addon. Some of their scheduling screens cab be a bit weird to figure out.

Pros

Straight forward step-by-step design.
In-app software chat support.
Frequent QoL improvements.
Quick and easy implementation.
Hassle-free, worry free backup.

Cons

The software is so good for VM's that we wish it had hardware functionality.
It'd easily compete with major vendors like Symantec for physical backup.

Pros

The speed of backups and compression/de-duping are phenomenal and the features available are fantastic. I love being able to send my backups to an offsite location and not having to worry about data volume, and I love being able to pull files at will, and spin up backed up clones to test for or locate issues. I've also come accustom to great new features being developed for nearly every new release.

Cons

-having to start the backup chain over again between version upgrades
-having to rely on Microsoft's shadow copy, which fails every now and then

Pros

Easy of use and transparency on the backup process is a huge benefit of this solution.

Cons

We would like a version which can backup Windows 10/11 endpoints

Pros

1-ease of use
2-stability
3-support performance and respond

Cons

integration with other apps
support of one drive as backup destination

Pros

Stability and high amount of good features.

Cons

Hard to diagnose errors as an end user. However, the support is easy to reach via chat at most office hours.

Pros

I like how easy it is to navigate around the GUI and how quick and easy it was to deploy.

Cons

I feel like the remote backup tool needs some work. I can think of a few features that could be added to would make it more useful.