Veritas NetBackup Reviews

I primarily use the solution to back up my customer's CMs or servers inside all of their data centers.

The VM portal and the CloudCatalyst are two of the solution's most valuable features.

The interaction of NetBackup with the cloud is not an easy process. You can't choose, for example, data optimization with the cloud. We would like to use CloudCatalyst with AWS and we can't. I don't know how to explain it, but the data file optimization is not usable everywhere. It's not a seamless solution in all instances. We'd like it to be multi-cloud and it's not there yet.

It would be helpful, in future releases, if the solution could add WORM (Write Once Read Many) support right within the product.  

The solution would benefit from the addition of disaster recovery.

I've been using the solution for five years now.

The stability is quite good. We haven't had issues with the product crashing. There aren't bugs or glitches that affect our work. It's reliable.

We're quite a sizable company. We've got maybe a 1000 operations and maybe 200 people working on projects. The solution is extensively used on a daily basis by our teams.

The solution is very scalable. We've scaled it ourselves within our organization and didn't have any issues. Other companies should feel confident that they can scale as well if they need to.

I personally have never contacted technical support, however, our operations teams have. I haven't heard anyone in our organization complain about their service which leads me to believe they've quite good. I would say overall our teams are satisfied with their level of service provided.

We previously used Dell EMC's Avamar solution. We decided to switch to Veritas after running into problems on Dell's platform and dealing with large overhead costs to have the solution.

The initial setup is not straightforward. it's quite complex. The process required a lot of engineering and had lots of components that needed to be addressed.

I don't recall the amount of time it took to deploy the solution.

The solution does require maintenance, however, I don't know too much about the process. We're a quite large company. I don't know how many people are working on this solution in total. 

The implementation was handled by us. We are a service provider for our clients. We didn't need an outside consultant or integrator to assist us. We have our own in-house team of engineers that can handle everything.

Compared to other solutions, such as Dell EMC's Avamar, the solution is reasonably priced. 

We've got a simple payment scheme set up where most of the features and the product itself are included in one single cost. It's quite straight forward in terms of pricing.

Since we are a service provider, we have a close relationship with Veritas. We offer services based on their technology and on their product.

I'd advise others considering implementing the solution to first evaluate against use cases. Depending on the use cases, the cost can change quite a lot. Overall, I'd recommend the solution, however. It's quite good and very reliable.

I'd rate the solution seven out of ten.

We are taking the whole NetBackup, including VMs, SQL databases, files, and storage backup.

We have purchased the appliance, so the backup speed is extremely high. NetBackup is simple to operate when configured correctly, ensuring smooth operation without constant monitoring. We replicate backups from the primary site to the disaster recovery site for restoration when needed.

The backup speed is extremely high and the simplicity of NetBackup is commendable. If configured correctly, it runs without problems. It is also notable for ensuring data availability and smooth replication to a disaster recovery site.

The web interface is not modern. However, we have been informed that in the new version, they will redesign the web version from the beginning.

We started with NetBackup Exec in 2005 or 2006, so it has been almost 20 years.

The stability of the solution is rated ten out of ten.

Scalability is rated nine out of ten.

When I open a case, someone from support connects to my system in less than two hours, and within the day, we solve everything if something appears.

I'd rate the solution nine out of ten.

Positive

You need help from someone who knows NetBackup very well. It is not a simple process with next, next, finish.

Implementation assistance was provided by an integrator.

Pricing depends. If you negotiate well with a company, you will have stable prices for many years. We have not noticed any unexpected price increases.

I haven't looked at anything else. We are very happy, and we are not looking for something else.

We have multi-environment support for SAP, Linux, VMware, and physical computers. I would recommend this to other users.

We use the solution for backup and recovery purposes. It serves as enterprise software and helps with virtualization environments, databases, and backups. It addresses our requirements for backups. 

Disaster recovery primarily involves backup usage. We employ it for both backup and recovery purposes. The backup and recovery processes have been executed multiple times, even restoring data from backups created three to four years ago.

We use the deduplication feature in Veritas NetBackup. This feature helps us to compress the information, especially when utilizing appliances, helping with our storage usage. It has been very beneficial for us. The feature has resulted in significant space savings, especially when performing daily full backups for various applications.

The product itself includes all the necessary database and data security features. Initially associated with Symantec, even after being separated, it retains all its security capabilities independently.

We are facing a challenge regarding the support for Docker and Kubernetes features. We hope for the possibility of directly backing up Kubernetes and Docker images without the necessity of taking full virtual machine backups.

I have been working with the product for ten years. 

The solution is stable and we haven't encountered any instability. 

The product is scalable, and despite experiencing data growth of around 20 to 25 percent, we have been able to handle backups without encountering any issues. Currently, we have two resources working with Veritas NetBackup. However, they are not exclusively dedicated to NetBackup; they also manage different applications. We have about 400 endpoint servers. 

When needed, we open cases within our backup team. An engineer then troubleshoots the issues and responds to any required adjustments or additional information needed for the backup system.

Positive

The initial setup process was not complex. We have gone through it multiple times and performed updates on several occasions, making the process straightforward. The deployment process for Veritas NetBackup is straightforward. It involves setting up a master server and a media server.

You can assign both roles to a single server or keep them separate. Additionally, clients, representing the machines for which backups are needed, require the installation of a client component. Ensuring open communication ports is crucial for successful backup operations. If the implementation engineer is skilled, they can handle the deployment process independently.

It's not difficult to maintain Veritas NetBackup. Maintenance mainly involves upgrades; as long as there are no issues, it runs smoothly day and night. Regular upgrades are the only maintenance requirement for the system.

At times when data is needed and not available, it becomes a significant challenge in organizations. However, with Veritas NetBackup, we haven't faced such issues. Despite being relatively expensive, it is not as complex as some other solutions, providing value for money.

The solution is expensive compared to other products. 

I would recommend Veritas NetBackup as it is relatively easy to manage and can serve as a single-vendor solution. If deployed correctly, it proves to be a good solution with integrated security and scalability. I rate it a nine out of ten. 

We use the product to backup and restore servers and applications.

The tool's most valuable feature is backups. 

The product needs to improve its GUI. It needs to make use of a web interface. 

I have been working with the product for nine years. 

We rarely have issues with the product. The last major issue happened when our infrastructure went down. I rate its stability an eight out of ten. 

The product is scalable. It is a straightforward process, and you don't need any training. I rate it an eight out of ten. 

I have worked with SolarWinds before. It focuses on server uptime. 

The tool's deployment is straightforward and gets completed in months. 

A vendor helped us with the deployment. 

After uploading servers and applications to the Veritas NetBackup application, we schedule backups to run when our applications are least active, ensuring that resources are available for the backup process. Additionally, we perform quarterly restores to validate the integrity of our backups, ensuring that all data backed up in each month of the quarter can be successfully restored.

We have backups in three different environments. We have a retention policy for our backups, typically set to three months. We also have a policy to archive the backups to our library. Even after the three-month retention on the media server, we keep a copy in our ADAP environment, which retains data for longer.

Recently, we encountered an issue where most of our DR environment went offline, resulting in the loss of several servers. Fortunately, we had the catalog from Veritas NetBackup, which allowed us to restore our environment quickly. Instead of reinstalling everything from scratch, we could pick up where we left off by restoring the backups in different environments.

New users can search for the product online, read what they want to do, and do it on their own. I rate it a nine out of ten. 

We are currently phasing it out, and we've gone to Rubrik. At one point, we were backing up everything with it, which included physical and virtual NAS. We moved the virtual first and then we started packing the physicals to move them.

I used to have a lot of respect for Veritas NetBackup, but over the years, they've lost their focus, and they're just not doing much to improve the product.

It has been around for so long, and it is very in-depth. It has a solution for everything that you can cover.

It was very complicated, and it required a lot of work in terms of management. We have moved to Rubrik. One of the reasons for getting rid of Veritas NetBackup was the fact that at one point, we had the support staff with 12 to 15 people to manage Veritas NetBackup, whereas, with Rubrik, I'm the only one managing Rubrik. There is one more person who works with me mostly due to the fact that in case I'm not around, someone else knows what to do, but I'm the only one who is a full-time manager of Rubrik. The complexity of Veritas required a large staff to manage it.

We had daily issues that had to be looked into and resolved. A lot of these issues revolved around Veritas' handling of VMware, which is why first we moved VMware off Veritas. After we did that, we were also able to reduce our staff count.

Their licensing is a disaster. It is extremely complicated. In most cases, Veritas themselves can't understand their own licensing.

I have personally used Veritas NetBackup for 15 to 20 years. In my current organization, it has been ingrained for quite some time. They have been using it for quite some time, but I have been here for only three years.

Dependability was lacking quite often because we were not getting the support for the support cases. 

It has scalability.

We were not getting proper support for the support cases that we were opening. Some of that came down to the fact that they knew we were leaving. It was more like, "Yeah, you're already on your way out the door. So, we'll look at that when we look at it." It wasn't like, "You're a happy customer, and you're going to be staying around. We need to make sure we keep you happy." Typically, you need to escalate before you get to anyone helpful.

It had been installed long before I joined.

At some point, it did provide ROI, but over the years, Veritas has not continued to put enough effort into research and development. As a company, they're focusing on other products and really not managing the backup software very well.

It was on a yearly basis. During the annual review, when we asked them about our licensing, they couldn't explain it. For example, we had reduced by a factor of 40%, but our license only dropped by 5%. We would then ask Veritas people if we've reduced this much and shut down these servers, why has our license changed so less? They were never able to give us a straight answer. They weren't able to say, "Well, you're using this, and this is more expensive." In many cases, as we reduced our capacity and what we were using with Veritas NetBackup, our licensing actually went up, and they were often unable to explain why. 

We also looked at Cohesity and decided to go with Rubrik. Rubrik was just simpler and easier to manage. As a result, we went from 12 to 15 members staff to 1 member.

I honestly don't feel that Veritas NetBackup is forward-thinking. There are a lot better options to implement at this point. I would not suggest Veritas NetBackup to anyone at this point. It is not being managed properly.

Veritas needs to come out with a completely new product and break away from the old. They've basically been continuing to update the same product since the eighties. It is time for them to more or less move to a more forward-thinking. They need to be more in-line with how the environments work today. It has outlived its usefulness in all honesty. They would honestly be better off by re-inventing Veritas NetBackup than trying to fix what's broken.

I would rate Veritas NetBackup a three out of ten.

We use it for the backup solution. It is a backup solution. We have a file server and our data file server, everything. We use it for VM server backup, too.

Normally, Veritas NetBackup is a shared service. We are a part of one of the companies in our group. So, it is a shared service. We are now looking for that. We are creating our own data center.

It is a test solution. So, we are using that with the encrypted format.

The solution offers encryption for the backup, so we prefer that. 

We faced so many backup configuration issues. And from the Veritas side, they couldn't fix that issue. So we started from scratch, purchased everything, and then we configured everything. Therefore, the support could be better. 

We purchased the latest storage and the temporary library, and now we are configuring everything ourselves. 

In future releases, we are looking for an AI feature. Integrating AI would be beneficial because we are purchasing a separate solution for AI.

I have been using this solution for more than five years. 

It is a stable solution. All the fixes and updates have been applied, so it's running smoothly.

Scalability is okay.

Customer service and support are good. We faced backup issues, and unfortunately, they couldn't resolve that issue. So, we had to seek support elsewhere. Then we decided to go for the same product again, which we purchased, and we are now configuring everything from scratch. This issue is related to the SQL side or server side, and some issues were not handled properly. So, the support is currently not satisfactory.

The backup kept failing, and the issue was not resolved. We sought support from the data side, but the issue persisted.

Neutral

My previous company was using the HPE. Now, we are using Veritas here.

Moreover, Veritas meets our requirements cost-wise and technology-wise, so we prefer that.

We used an integrator's help. They are also from our group, not from outside. They are from our group only, from our company.  They are coming, but they are doing the configuration part. So, there are two people involved in the deployment.

However, the deployment is still going on. We are supporting the integrator.  And it's almost 90% completed. So, the backups are running, and we need to install the agent on some remaining servers and integrate them.

The implementation strategy is good now. We need zero percent tolerance for the backup solutions. That's why we are doing it this way.

We handle maintenance from our side.

We compare Veritas with Zerto and HPE. It is a bit cheaper. So, we purchased Veritas for storage and the temporary library, and now we are configuring everything from scratch. 

Veritas is a cost-effective solution, and it meets our requirements. So it's not bad.

Despite some disadvantages in terms of support, I would rate the solution a ten out of ten.

Almost all customers use the product for backing up file systems, VMs, and Oracle or SQL databases. Our customers use the solution for data protection and managing the backups.

The solution offers the hardware and the software at the same time. It is the main advantage.

I do not like the way we currently schedule backups. The solution must provide a different way to schedule backups.

I have been working with the product since 2010.

The tool is stable. I rate the stability an eight out of ten.

I rate the tool’s scalability an eight out of ten.

I have also worked with Metallic. I was a solution architect for the customer who migrated from Veritas NetBackup to Metallic. I also have experience with TSM and Data Protector. We manage the backups and data. The solution providers manage the backup infrastructure. All the solutions are great.

If we do the deployment once, the second time will be easier. The number of people required for deployment depends on the environment and its size. One person is enough to deploy the solution if there is no hardware to deploy. Our customers use the solution in multiple locations. Our latest customer has two main data centers and branch offices worldwide. The tool requires maintenance. If there are some bugs or errors that the administrator cannot resolve, we contact support.

I have experience as a backup administrator and solution architect. I do not know whether the solution has a SaaS version. Currently, the trend is to move to a SaaS-based backup solution. I would recommend the product to others. It is used by several customers. It is a good solution. Overall, I rate the product an eight out of ten.

The use cases for customers are across the board, but they're all for data backup. Veritas is a legacy system. To be perfectly honest, a lot of people are moving away from the legacy systems and moving more towards the cloud-oriented backup solutions. A lot of my customers look at Veritas NetBackup as an antiquated solution.

The most valuable features of the solution are basic backup and recovery. It's a very solid product. Standard backup recovery, that's pretty much it. Other than that, they do some good database stuff, but otherwise, it's somewhat antiquated.

One area for improvement with the product would be better messaging and better solutions around cloud, both on-prem and off. And along with that, which is actually mission critical to every company today, would be ransomware prevention. 

The biggest additional features needed are more cloud capabilities and security from ransomware.

I've worked with the solution for the last fifteen years. I'm a solutions architect. I work with customers to help them design their solutions or improve their current situation.

Veritas NetBackup is very stable.

The solution actually scales out very well.

I'd give the technical support team a B to a B+. They've always been good.

Most companies that have moved to NetBackup were probably on a even older architecture, something that might have been from IBM, NetView. NetView was even an older architecture, it was very difficult to use, and a lot of people moved away from IBM NetView over to Veritas.

Veritas is a pretty straightforward initial setup. It's not difficult to install.

The deployment times vary depending upon how widely it's going to be used, how many backup instances are going to be, how many policies you have to create for recovery time objectives, recovery point objectives. It's all relative to how many policies the customers have, for retention cycles, for backup recovery, as well as archive and disaster recovery. Some can be deployed in a day, others take weeks.

Most people have felt this solution was somewhat expensive. It's licensed for 12 months, 24 months, 36 months, all the way up to 72 months. As long as you're current on maintenance, everything is included and there are no additional costs.

Sometimes we would look at other options before going with Veritas NetBackup. For example, Backup Exec, which is like a sister product of NBU, and they were really for smaller size companies. Commvault was another one that we were looking at.

My advice to others looking at this solution would be make sure it meets all of your requirements. Do you have an on-prem, off-prem, cloud requirement? Do your homework to make sure that whatever product you're looking at meets all the requirements that you need.

I would rate the solution a seven out of ten. It's a very rock solid product, but I wouldn't give it a 10, because it doesn't have some of the newer features of the newer products. But it is a solid product.