Arctera Backup Exec vs. Microsoft System Center

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
Arctera Backup Exec
Score 6.8 out of 10
N/A
Arctera Backup Exec is a backup and disaster recovery solution. It works in virtual, physical, and multi-cloud environments and integrates with several third-party software releases and applications.N/A
Microsoft System Center
Score 9.0 out of 10
N/A
Microsoft System Center Suite is a family of IT management software for network monitoring, updating and patching, endpoint protection with anti-malware, data protection and backup, ITIL- structured IT service management, remote administration and more. It is available in two editions: standard and datacenter. Datacenter provides unlimited virtualization for high density private clouds, while standard is for lightly or non-virtualized private cloud workloads.
$1,323
Pricing
Arctera Backup ExecMicrosoft System Center
Editions & Modules
Veritas Backup Exec
Contact sales team
Standard Edition
$1323
Datacenter Edition
$3607
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
Arctera Backup ExecMicrosoft System Center
Free Trial
YesNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
Arctera Backup ExecMicrosoft System Center
Features
Arctera Backup ExecMicrosoft System Center
Data Center Backup
Comparison of Data Center Backup features of Product A and Product B
Arctera Backup Exec
8.6
Ratings
1% above category average
Microsoft System Center
-
Ratings
Universal recovery10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Instant recovery7.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Recovery verification7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Business application protection10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Multiple backup destinations6.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Incremental backup identification7.90 Ratings00 Ratings
Backup to the cloud10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Deduplication and file compression7.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Snapshots8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Flexible deployment9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Management dashboard9.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Platform support8.50 Ratings00 Ratings
Retention options8.40 Ratings00 Ratings
Encryption10.00 Ratings00 Ratings
Best Alternatives
Arctera Backup ExecMicrosoft System Center
Small Businesses
Cove Data Protection
Cove Data Protection
Score 9.9 out of 10

No answers on this topic

Medium-sized Companies
Bacula Enterprise
Bacula Enterprise
Score 9.2 out of 10

No answers on this topic

Enterprises
Bacula Enterprise
Bacula Enterprise
Score 9.2 out of 10

No answers on this topic

All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
Arctera Backup ExecMicrosoft System Center
Likelihood to Recommend
8.3
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
1.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
1.0
(0 ratings)
9.0
(0 ratings)
Availability
4.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Performance
8.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
5.0
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Implementation Rating
3.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Product Scalability
7.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
Arctera Backup ExecMicrosoft System Center
Likelihood to Recommend
One of the differentials is that of all the backup tools I used, Veritas Backup Exec has the best management and control interface. It is very easy to use and configure the rules. There are several options that we can optimize our work for our specific needs, from scheduling a backup, restoring data, directories, alerts system, error reports, backups, inconsistencies and other very interesting things. It has integration with SQL, vmware, hyper v. Backup and restore speeds are fast and secure.
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We used a product before that was designed to prevent users making changes and saving files to the desktop computer. This required a renewal of the license. By using SCCM in our environment we were able to discontinue using that product because SCCM allows us to completely restore a machine back to the original configuration. We have taught our users to save their individual work on either a network drive or a cloud drive. By doing this, if we do a re-image of their machine they have lost no data, and it makes for a faster resolution. In some instances having a computer in our SCCM environment it can become cumbersome when creating new users for very specific purposes. It can be done by creating new organizational units and applying new policies but when in a pinch it can be frustrating. For the most part we have tried to make "new" purpose images and groups to at least accommodate a quick install.
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Pros
  • The license/agent deployment feature in Backup Exec facilitates effective and speedy population within your data center.
  • Veritas Backup Exec's feature rich job creation is intuitive and simplifies backup strategies.
  • Customizable views in the Administrator console allow you to view your backup environment to maximize visibility.
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  • Provides our users the ability to deploy and manage our own datacenter based on defined software with understandable solutions for storage, compute, networking and security.
  • We are able to update at once all the computers from all departments without having to install the OS on every computer.
  • It allows us to have everything in one place for database management and datacenter inspection as well.
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Cons
  • The user interface can sometimes be sluggish and hang between options.The minimum spec is 2Gb but if running on a dedicated server I think 4Gb is recommended
  • As more companies seem to be entering the backup software market, Acronis is very aggressive on pricing and even offer discounts if you are replacing other backup solutions, the Backup Exec pricing plans have become a more expensive
  • Our version is an older 2014 version and has inadequate support for VM backs
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  • Needs web based storefront for requesting new software
  • Needs ability to manage the packaging work flow better
  • Sometimes is slow to download and there is no indication the entire catalog is being loaded, resulting in confused users not being able to find common software in the available list.
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Likelihood to Renew
This software is a mess in my brutally honest opinion. I've spent more time babysitting this software while backing up 20 servers than I did with Veeam backing up 600+. I've had multiple jobs run fine for weeks at a time that just randomly fail out of the blue for seemingly no reason whatsoever. There's no intuitive way to chain jobs, so automation becomes somewhat more problematic if certain jobs depend on other jobs. The forever incremental feature feels tacked on since the merge operation merges all your incremental jobs into the most recent backup and doesn't have the option set a limit on how long to keep your point in time restores.
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No answers on this topic
Usability
It can do a lot of things on paper and sounds terrific, but in practice it doesn't do any of them well. It can easily be sold to non-technical minds and C-levels, but of all the backup solutions I've used in the last 15 years of my career, Backup Exec is easily the least fault tolerant. Unless this software is a sunk cost and you're on a shoestring budget, I recommend almost anything else. Jobs fail often with obscure error codes and the KB articles in the Veritas support portal are a mess. Within 30 days of a fresh deployment I've logged more tickets with their support than I did in 3 years with Veeam.
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No matter our issues with the software, its ability to centrally manage systems, patch, image, and remote help users has far exceeded our timeliness to help staff. Its ability to keep current, enable us to keep the network secure, and standardize our end-user experience has saved us many hours, dollars, and time every day.
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Reliability and Availability
The weekly error on save needs a manual reload from me. The SDR can't restore the virtual machine of hyperV during a test.
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No answers on this topic
Performance
No problem for this point it is in the average.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
In the few instances of having to contact support, our overall outcome was always good. They would have received a better score if the wait time was less, but I attribute this to the timing of support calls - it was during the previous owner's time. We have not had to open a support ticket since Veritas Backup Exec took the product back over.
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If I had to dislike something about the system it would be how much it changes once you upgrade. This could be more of a problem of mine since I get used to one way and don't like it when it changes so much. I am enjoying the newest update, but it is a mess when you are actually going through the upgrades.
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Implementation Rating
It was pretty straightforward.
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No answers on this topic
Alternatives Considered
Veritas Backup Exec is very comparable to Unitrends and in some areas is easier to use. The license side of Veritas Backup Exec is much more difficult to manage compared to Unitrends. Unitrends seems to be a much smoother solutions to protect virtual environments. Restoring data with Veritas Backup Exec is logical and easier to achieve, Unitrends is a bit less logical or intuitive.
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None. We are a Microsoft business, and this is THE tool for imaging, packaging, remote support, and antivirus management. Microsoft's tool is the best for managing its software, systems, and antivirus clients. I will say that Microsoft Intune, the cloud platform, can be used for those with heavy 365 usage, but for us, that does not meet our current company needs.
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Scalability
We only use it on the on-premise version on a single site.
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No answers on this topic
Return on Investment
  • As the person tasked with the job of protecting the company's data, I am glad that Backup Exec performs that job well. I am able to often set-it-and-forget-it and go about the rest of my duties. I have never had a situation where Backup Exec was called upon to restore data and it was unable to do so. This reflects well on both me and my department and provides a sense of security to the rest of the company.
  • I am not making full use of the product and have not licensed a number of its features, but even the base feature set is impressive. To be clear, Backup Exec is no longer the only product we reply upon for data protection, but it is still a large part of that program. If an SMB can find the budget to afford to license the set of features meet its particular demands, Backup Exec will do what you need.
  • As an industry leader, Backup Exec is well positioned to stay at the head of the pack (as they have done for many years) and provide their customers with a comprehensive set of capabilities that will always remain in the forefront of technology.
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  • We have been able to automate our patch management, firmware and other security concerns.
  • We have a standardized "image" ensuring our setup is consistent across the enterprise. This alone has saved us in time to support and time to understand how to use our desktops.
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ScreenShots