Commvault Cloud Reviews

We used Commvault HyperScale X to increase the security of datasets, to be sure that all data and all backups that we have are secure, and that we have them in another place, such as disaster recovery. The idea is to always have a third copy somewhere else. The initial idea was to have a third copy of that backup sets to be in the state government data center. However, before they finish, I left Ministry, and they have not finished that job.

Generally, the idea is to have a possibility, for all backup data, after some time, to be saved in another place. For now, everything is still inside the Ministry. 

Commvault HyperScale X has increased the way our organization functions by adding more security to the backup sets. In case the primary location is disabled, or there is some problem with the primary location, the second one will continue to work. The idea is to always have a working backup.

The most valuable feature of Commvault HyperScale X is the automatic nature of its operation. We don't need to worry about sets of documents. It worked automatically, we don't need to think about it. When you set the solution up in a good way, you don't need to worry.

The price of Commvault HyperScale X could improve.

I have been using Commvault HyperScale X for approximately one year.

Commvault HyperScale X is highly stable.

The scalability of Commvault HyperScale X is good. It is simple to add more systems or server storage.

We have approximately 400 endpoint users and 40 terabytes of data being used. 

We had to use the support and they were responsive and quick. They fixed the problem, not immediately, but the timeframe was dependent on the ticket type. They were always there to help. They did regular call checks until everything was resolved. 

We used many different solutions previously. When we had some large issues in 2015, I decided to buy a professional corporate solution for all the systems. We did test some other solutions, but with Commvault HyperScale X, we received what we needed and much more. Additionally, Commvault HyperScale X was easy to maintain and use.

The solution was easy for us to implement because we have been working with Commvault for many years, and we know what to do. The initial setup alone will that approximately two weeks. The longer portion is buying the hardware and setting it up.

I rate the initial setup of Commvault HyperScale X a three out of five.

We did the implementation of Commvault HyperScale X with a local partner. They installed it and did the setup. For us, it was easy to add new features to the Commvault HyperScale X backup.

The company that has the solution is managing the solution.

We have seen a large return on investment by using Commvault HyperScale X.

The price of Commvault HyperScale X is a lot higher than competitors. As a government institution, we have annual costs. We made a budget for one year in advance. It was difficult to calculate the other solution's costs because each solution has another way of licensing. The solution is expensive but it is very good and we know the good quality we will be receiving.

There were not any additional costs. The new storage, software, and support were inside the price.

We did evaluate other solutions before choosing Commvault HyperScale X.

The solution has changed since I have used it but what I know is the solution offers companies the possibility to have their own backup storage.

I rate Commvault HyperScale X a ten out of ten.

We now have the capability to recover a virtual machine without relying on the NFS system, but instead are able to use certain features provided by Commvault. This is why we've opted for Commvault over other technologies.

They could work on the implementation of the features.

We will be using Commvault Backup & Recovery for the next 3 years.

Every three years, we require server updates to either embrace new technologies or enhance our existing technology stack. Therefore, our approach involves reevaluating and refreshing our infrastructure every three years, so we can’t comment on this solution as we have started fresh.

We usually interact with integrators, however if the issue is complex, we refer to technicians for further support and guidance

We are consistently exploring new solutions for our systems, and each solution must align with our server requirements and other objectives. Our timing is also a key consideration, as we operate on a three-year cycle. We have worked with SAP, Oracle, and Cisco.

The installation is complex.

I can’t fully endorse it, because it depends on the final use of the customer. I would conservatively, rate it an eight out of ten. 

The solution is used as a backup for Office 365 workloads.

Pricing and functionality can be improved. The way to configure is not as simple as the configuration itself, nor is adding users within the backup scope.

I have been using Metallic for more than three years. I am an end user. I am using the solution's latest version of the solution in my organization.

The solution's stability is excellent.

The solution is scalable. 

Also, it is used by 380 users.

I rate the solution's scalability a nine out of ten.

The customer support is not good. There should be fast responsiveness and more proficiency when solving the issues or when helping solve any issues. I rate customer support a six out of ten.

Neutral

Some configurations could have been simpler, and the recommendations could have been more precise in allowing only certain users to be included in the backup scope. We could use group membership. Based on the user's group membership, they would be included in the backup scope. It's pretty simple, so if a user belongs to Group A, they will be included in the backup scope, and if not, then they won't be.

The deployment took two days, and one engineer was required for it. If you refer to maintenance as the procedures to test the restore and the options or directions, there's something else.

The solution is expensive. The subscription is based on a monthly basis. There are additional costs that vary depending on the size of the backup.

What we had before was that each user needs to be licensed. We purchase the required number of licenses and are priced accordingly per license. This pricing is independent of the backup data. Now, Metallic has changed, and the pricing is either per user or per license, in addition to the amount of backed-up data.

It supports SharePoint Online, OneDrive, and other services.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

The primary use case is as a backup and recovery solution. We have two data centers and we have a Commvault server for replication in both. We back up all our infrastructure with this solution, from Active Directory to SQL, web servers, file servers, databases, et cetera.

Commvault helps to ensure broad coverage with the discovery of unprotected workloads. The Discovery feature lists all the resources that we have, all the virtual servers and all the physical servers. You can also automatically deploy agents or set up schedules. At first, we did some manual tuning to customize it before deployment. Now, the virtual infrastructure administrator just has to add the VM tag on the virtual machine and that machine will automatically be backed up in the next schedule. It's a good automation feature.

It also helps by minimizing the time our admins spend on backup tasks so that they can spend time on other projects. Before Commvault, we had two backup administrators who were using a backup and restore application to restore every test that we had to do. It was a full-time job just monitoring the backups and doing the restores. With our new solution from Commvault, we have successfully implemented web-based backup and restore management for our different teams, including our file server, database, and Exchange teams. We split operations among those teams and each one has access to the backup Web Console. This console from Commvault is very useful for segmenting the restore options. That way, the database backup administrator only has access to the database servers and can only do backups and restores of databases and does not have access to Active Directory or file servers. The web-based backup and restore is a really great option.

Whereas before, we had one full-time engineer doing backups and restores, now that engineer is only working on it for two to four hours per week. Across our four teams, it's saving us about 10 to 12 hours a week.

The solution has helped to reduce storage costs as well. Commvault has an option to move data from primary storage. When you do a backup, it scans all the files from the file server and you can set a policy to remove all files that are more than, say, three years old from the primary storage. And on the primary storage, there is only a link that connects to the backup source. When a user needs a file on secondary storage, there is no problem because it only reads the file. When the user opens that old file, it's automatically restored and the user can access it. For our IT team, it has saved us between 5 and 10 percent of storage. It depends on how widely you implement the solution and the policies you set. You could save 50 percent if you have a broader policy.

We have also saved on infrastructure costs because Commvault takes less time to do the backup jobs, due to the deduplication. Also, the background tasks that are used to copy the backup jobs to tape are deduplicated. The full backup of our infrastructure can now be done in a couple of hours during the night. Before, some backup tasks would take more than a day, on the weekend. There has been a reduction of 80 or 90 percent in the backup window.

Commvault's most valuable features are its 

• deduplication
• encryption
• support for many OSs
• support for different infrastructures. 

We have VMware, Hyper-V, Oracle, and Microsoft SQL. We have a lot of different systems, and all of them are supported under one licensing agreement. That's one of the benefits.

We use two user interfaces on a regular basis. One is the Web Console, which is simple and has all the necessary functionality. You can add servers, back up servers, and restore. We also have a replication solution implemented and we use the Web Console for that as well. But for the initial configuration and for some deeper configurations, we also use the Commvault application. It's big and has all the fine-tuning options.

The solution's Command Center is very straightforward. It has an intuitive user interface with graphs, tables, alerts, as well as many options for alerting and messaging. Of course, you have to get used to the environment, but it's easy to use.

It is also important that Commvault provides a single platform to move, manage, and recover data across on-premises locations. That's because we have different storage and virtualization platforms. We have no problem if the file resides, say, on NetApp storage and we have to restore data to a workstation or some kind of Windows Server. Also, when we did some migrations from our old Hyper-V cluster to the new VMware cluster, those integrations between different infrastructures were successfully accomplished with the Commvault solution. We have no issues with different types of resources we need to back up.

In addition, the recovery options are pretty straightforward. For example, if you choose a virtual machine, you can restore the full virtual machine, you can restore the virtual machine on a different platform, you can restore just a virtual disk, or you can restore just a file within the virtual machine. You have all the options. In the web-based user interface, you can also restore using download options. You can browse through the files or virtual machines and download the file from the backup. They have a great range of restore options.

We had some small issues with the reporting, but that was just a matter of fine-tuning the kinds of messages we receive by email. It was a little overwhelming in the initial configuration. So we reviewed our configuration with our partner and customized the reports so that we only get the important reports. I haven't seen any big issues or things that the solution is missing.

We implemented Commvault at the start of 2021, so we have been using it for almost a year now.

We had one issue. The Commvault server is an Active-Passive cluster and the Active node had some hiccups. It wasn't something serious, but the Commvault server was unable to connect to one of the agents. I believe our partner discovered it because they also receive messages from our Commvault solution. They just informed us that the Commvault server had to be restarted. We did so during working hours because backups are done at night, and there were no issues. It was a standard procedure and we have had no other big issues.

At the start of the Commvault project, we put together a list of all the resources that we have. They counted our resources and gave us the exact number of clients we needed to buy to cover all of our infrastructure and we had no issue there. Of course, we also have some plans for the growth of our infrastructure. If we have any big upgrades, we will also upgrade the Commvault infrastructure.

We have a lot of Commvault's features implemented. We're also in the process of testing the backup of endpoints, such as laptops and devices from end-users. There are just a few features from Commvault that we don't use.

We use technical support through our partner because our partner has a lot of inside knowledge. For the majority of issues our partner gives us the solution, but they have had to report some small issues to Commvault support. They spoke directly with Commvault support and the solution was available in a few days. It was a very good troubleshooting experience.

Positive

We used NetWorker and Veeam. The NetWorker solution was the older solution and, in some very old clusters, we also used TSM (Tivoli Storage Manager) from IBM. The TSM solution was no longer supported and the Dell EMC NetWorker solution, which we used for our physical servers, was difficult to maintain. Veeam was a good solution for our VMware infrastructure, but we needed a solution with support for a wider variety of infrastructure types. One of our major goals was to eliminate our multiple backup solutions by going with Commvault.

If we had to do the initial setup ourselves, it would be complex, of course, because we have a big infrastructure with different types of targets. But our partners helped and they managed to cover all the tests that we implemented at the start of the project. So, overall, the setup went really well. It took just a few days, maybe a week, to add our agents. After the initial configuration, it was really easy to roll out the solution to our entire infrastructure.

Our partners, called Our Space Appliances, are system integrators in backup and storage solutions. They know our infrastructure.

We had a process for choosing a vendor. We called a number of vendors and had proposals from the Veeam, NetWorker, Cohesity, and Commvault.

The big pro for Commvault was that it was a single solution for our entire infrastructure. The licensing model was also an advantage and the experience of the partner was also a big plus. Some of the other solutions we evaluated did not make it to the second round because they did not support all the infrastructure we have in our environment. In the last round, the battle came down to pricing, as well as some small features, and Commvault was the best in all the criteria.

Commvault is a pretty comprehensive but, maybe, complex solution when you first start with it. But that's why it is a perfect match for complex infrastructure, as it supports all types of infrastructure. Commvault is not appropriate for small businesses with just one type of virtual environment. There are different vendors that may be better for that use case. But when looking at enterprise backup and recovery options, Commvault is the easiest to use, and it has the widest range of features.

We are currently moving to Exchange Online. We have between 1,500 and 2,000 users. We have already deployed Teams on the cloud, and now we are migrating user mailboxes to cloud. Our next step, in the following month, will be a backup of Microsoft cloud solutions through Commvault.

In terms of the coverage of Commvault, we have a big Oracle Database and the Oracle administrators are a separate team. They do their own backups using RMAN. They then move the backup to the separate Sun ZFS  storage. We also tried that backup with Commvault, using the Commvault agent to run RMAN. The test went well, the backup was good, but the database team was used to their old solution. So we agreed to implement a backup of the ZFS file server.

Ours is an all-on-prem solution so we don't have any other networks being backed up. We do have a DMZ with different VLANs and so there were some problems. We had to install an agent on the DMZ zone, an agent that has access to resources in the demilitarized network. But it's a no-brainer. We just have to open a specific port so that the backup agent can communicate with the CommCell server, and the resources are backed up successfully.

In addition, to protect against ransomware we use Commvault's alert options because Commvault can predict big changes in the network with its AI solution. This is the first line of defense. The second line of defense is that we are now in the process of implementing secondary, offline storage to ensure an air gap between the primary backup, the replicated backup, and the offline backup storage. In case of a ransomware attack we will have off-site backup storage.

Our company uses the solution to implement cobots for customers. 

The global application provides a lot of storage for customers.

There are good security features for Google, videos, irregular encryption, and backups. 

The solution includes the best compatibility metrics for integration and they are managed by Google support. 

The Google reporting is very, very good. It lets us know our data or any losses so we don't need tickets to check our data. 

There is a lack of marketing in our region so there needs to be a focus on improving the solution's reputation. We believe in the solution but competitors like VIN have an edge in the market. 

The network and service need to cover more regions than just the Middle East. 

The solution should provide virtual updates on Linux OS via a host address or in utilities instead of via a secret database. 

I have been using the solution for seven years. 

The solution is very stable so stability is rated a nine out of ten. 

The solution is scalable so scalability is rated an eight out of ten. 

Technical support is helpful but it can take one or two weeks to sort out issues. 

I rate technical support a seven out of ten. 

Neutral

The initial configuration file can be a bit complex. A professional technician who is provided by the vendor should assist with setup. It would boost the solution's reputation to provide configuration, expansion, and upgrade services to customers. 

We implemented the solution in-house and the initial configuration took about four hours. 

The cost of an integrator license is moderate and its features cover most customers. Application features for government or compliance require a separate license. 

Our company proposes solutions to customers depending on their use cases. We have multiple applications and multiple technologies. 

For example, we propose a particular solution to customers in the banking or government sectors. We propose another solution for small or medium companies in the general business sector. 

For every security level, there is good stability and integrity. 

Support could improve and the initial configuration would be easier with assistance from a professional engineer. 

I rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

Complete Data Protection is a multi-platform solution that covers almost everything — Linux, Windows, SQL Server, Oracle, MYSQL Postgres — in a single platform. You can schedule backups and restore databases locally or remotely.

Complete Data Protection is convenient because you can manage various types of databases, and it's pretty easy to set it up.

When you deploy Complete Data Protection for past services, it's more complicated because you cannot directly back up from the previous service host. We have to build a proxy server, like a middleware, to directly access the past database server. It's complex and hard for beginners to figure out.

I have been using Complete Data Protection for about three years.

Complete Data Protection is pretty stable.

We have hundreds of database backups, and Commvault has handled that well. If anything fails, they will send an email notification to notify you of what has failed.

I rate Commvault support eight out of 10. Commvault support is typically good, but they're not all equal. Some of their technicians are more knowledgeable than others.

Positive

The initial setup is complex, and the step-by-step process isn't laid out in the documentation. It isn't very detailed. They don't show you how to set up a proxy server, so I spent a few weeks to figure it out. Once you set it up, it's easy to add another database and schedule a backup.

I think only large enterprises are willing to pay for it because they charge by data volume. And I think some other companies won't use this, maybe it costs more money.

I rate Commvault Complete Data Protection eight out of 10. It's easy to use once you set it up.

The rate of duplication is great because when you do the first full backup, it duplicates 20%, but when you do more increments, depending on the mode, the duplication is 99%. It is also great at detecting ransomware. It's not an antivirus, but when you copy files, the system can send you a message such as, "Mr. Albert, have you downloaded 10,000 files in two minutes? Why are you doing this?" Again, it's not an antivirus, but it notifies you if something is wrong with your system.

The interface could be improved because it has two different consoles. The first console is Java, and it is a little complex, but you can do 100% of the operation. But now, there is an alternative console of HTML 5. It is trendy and simple, but you can only do 70% of your operation. The HTML console is perfect for a client or a partner.

You have all the information centralized with the Java console, and I believe they plan to transition to the HTML console fully.

We have been using it for three months, deploying both on-premises and cloud. The choice of on-premises or cloud depends on what the client wants.

I rate the stability an 8.5 out of ten, and there is a small room for improvement.

It is easily scalable. We have about 300 users of Commvault Complete Data Protection in our company.

We have used technical support, and you can contact them by opening a ticker and in a few minutes, they will action it. For example, we opened a ticket last week, and the issue was solved in 30 minutes.

Veeam, Veritas and Rubrik are three software comparable to Commvault Complete Data Protection. Veeam is competitive in price and demand. Their solution is not very good, but many people use it because it is not expensive. Commvault Complete Data Protection, however, is the best out of all of them.

The initial setup is simple.

I rate the pricing an eight out of ten, with ten being a good price and one a high price. Depending on the client, they have different types of licensing.

I rate the solution a nine out of ten. We would like to see a single console for everything in the future.

We have the solution deployed on-premise and private cloud.

There are many valuable features of Commvault HyperScale X giving many possibilities to complete jobs, particularly with the backup and restore.

HyperScale X is not user-friendly. There are many settings that have to be done on your own. It would benefit from a better interface. 

Commvault has a command center that is easy to use, but it does not have the functionality you need, so you have to switch to the Java GUI.

I have been using Commvault HyperScale X for five years.

The product is stable if it is set up correctly. HyperScale X is sophisticated software that requires you to configure it on your own. This can be difficult to handle.

This solution is scalable. In our company, we have two users of the product.

The support offered by Commvault HyperScale X depends on the country you connect with. U.S. support is better than the support offered in India. With the language barrier, different lingo, and how quickly they speak, I often cannot understand what they are saying.

Prior to using Commvault HyperScale X, we were using Commvault with Windows Server. We switched due to the complexity and software updates with Windows. HyperScale provided a good offer that would improve our space requirements.

The initial setup of Commvault HyperScale X was not complex, however, it was not easy either. It took two days to set up the appliances, which we completed with the assistance of a consultant.

HyperScale X is expensive. 

Anyone considering to implement Commvault HyperScale X should do so based on their own needs. There are many tools you can use, but it is complex even if you are running the command center. VM is an easier tool, but it has reduced functionality. 

I would rate the product a seven out of 10 overall.