At Silverstring, backup and recovery are in our DNA. It’s not just what we do, it’s who we are. This means that we’re frequently asked by clients, partners, and even vendors themselves about the best backup product on the market. But as any car enthusiast knows, asking for the “best” isn’t always a straightforward answer. Imagine asking Jeremy Clarkson about the best car. His answer would depend on who’s driving and where. If a Scottish Highlands farmer asked him for a recommendation, a Ferrari wouldn’t exactly be the top pick. Similarly, a young graduate in Central London wouldn’t get much value from a gas-guzzling V8-powered SUV. Just as with cars, the right backup product depends on your specific needs and environments.
So, based on our extensive experience and the insights of our customers, here are our top picks:
1. For Large On-Premise Environments with a Mix of Physical, Virtual, and AIX Systems
Recommendation: IBM Storage Protect
For robust, large-scale environments, IBM Storage Protect consistently delivers. It’s one of the most dependable options for handling vast data volumes, with industry-leading data deduplication and compression, top-notch encryption, and a scalable architecture. As data requirements grow, IBM Storage Protect keeps up without hassle, streamlining the management of expanding infrastructure. When paired with IBM FlashSystem and its Safeguarded Copy features, this solution brings an additional layer of resilience through immutability and class leading encryption detection via its FlashCore Module 4 technology. In our experience, IBM FlashSystem’s performance surpasses comparable storage systems by 10-20%, adding valuable reliability and efficiency.
Notable Mention: Commvault
Commvault is another strong contender, particularly for large organisations looking for flexibility in their on-premise setups. Its comprehensive features make it an excellent alternative, though we still see IBM as leading the charge.
2. For Predominantly Virtual Environments
Recommendation: Veeam
When it comes to predominantly virtualised environments, Veeam ticks all the boxes. It’s cost-effective, easily scalable from SMEs to the mid-market, and entirely hardware-agnostic. Veeam’s support for hypervisors is extensive (Which with the Broadcom takeover of VMWare feels more important than ever right now), and new security features are regularly introduced. Plus, Veeam boasts a marketplace of authorised partners, including Predatar, enabling enhanced services for recovery testing, malware scanning, and cyber resilience.
Notable Mention: Rubrik
While Rubrik’s functionality is strong, the cost often outweighs the benefits for purely virtual environments, especially when compared to Veeam’s commercial edge.
3. For Mixed On Premise Virtual, Kubernetes, and Cloud Environments
Recommendation: Rubrik
For businesses with diverse infrastructures spanning virtual, Kubernetes, and cloud workloads, Rubrik is our top recommendation. Its robust security features, including a ransomware recovery guarantee, make it a compelling choice. Rubrik’s ease of use and seamless integration across multiple platforms give it a clear advantage.
Runner-Up: Cohesity
Cohesity runs Rubrik very close, offering a similar feature set and quality. However we feel that Rubrik’s distinct security and ransomware protection features just tip the scales in its favour.
4. For Pure Cloud Environments
Many companies still rely solely on the 30-day snapshot retention provided by cloud providers, which may seem convenient but isn’t enough for true resilience. For organisations using AWS, Azure, or Google Cloud, their native backup tools offer strong, effective support designed to retain and manage backups efficiently within their respective ecosystems.
However, for those using cloud providers outside of AWS, Azure, or Google, we recommend:
- Druva for Small to Medium Enterprises: Druva delivers reliable, cost-effective support tailored for SMEs with solid workload coverage and simple scalability.
- Rubrik for Mid-Market and Upwards: Rubrik brings a more advanced approach for larger businesses, offering stronger security, enhanced recovery, and comprehensive backup for full peace of mind in non-AWS, Azure, or Google cloud environments.
In Conclusion
Selecting the “best” backup product isn’t about finding a one-size-fits-all solution. At Silverstring, we focus on matching the right tool to your unique needs. Whether it’s IBM Storage Protect’s scalability for enterprise-grade on-premise setups, Veeam’s cost-effectiveness for virtual environments, Rubrik’s security in hybrid clouds, or Druva’s affordability for cloud-first SMEs, the best backup solution is the one that aligns with your specific environment, requirements, and goals. Whatever your needs, we’re here to help guide you to the right choice.
