Backing up data is something that most enterprises should be doing, but it can be tricky when you’re working in an environment that uses lots of virtualized infrastructure like VMware virtual machines. However, there are many solutions on the market designed specifically to simplify the process of VMware backups. In this article, we’re going to look at the 10 best tools for VMware backups.
Here is a list of the 10 best tools for VMware backups:
- SolarWinds Virtualization Manager (FREE TRIAL) Virtualization monitoring tool with custom dashboards, performance recommendations, alerts, and more.
- Acronis Cyber Protect (FREE TRIAL) Backup software with support for VMware and vSphere virtual machines with instant restore, automated recovery, remote recovery, smart alerts, and more. Start a 30-day free trial.
- Iperius Backup Backup software that supports VMware ESXi, vCenter ESXi Free, and Microsoft Hyper-V with incremental and differential backups.
- Veeam Backup and Replication Backup software that supports VMware and Hyper-V machines with image-based backups, multiple VM recovery, and more.
- Altaro VM Backup Virtual machine backup solution for VMware and Hyper-V with WAN-optimized replication, 256-bit encryption, and two-factor authentication.
- Uranium Backup Pro Virtual Virtual machine backup software for VMware ESX/ESXi, vSphere, and Hyper-V with incremental backups and instant recovery.
- Vembu Backup & Replication for VMware Agentless VM backup solution for VMware and vSphere that supports incremental VMware backups, file-level recovery, AES 256-bit encryption, and more.
- UniTrends – Backup software for VMware VM’s with individual file backup, complete VM backup, SLA policy automation, and more.
- Veeam Backup & Replication Community – Free backup software for VMware virtual machines with an Instant Recovery Engine, and malware protection.
- Storware vProtect – Backup and recovery platform that supports VMware with full and incremental backups, a recovery testing tool, and more.
The list above includes a mixture of tools for Windows, Linux, and macOS, including tools for monitoring VMware performance and for conducting backups. We’ve prioritized tools that provide user-friendly features like incremental, differential, and multiple VM backup and create an overall hassle-free backup experience.
The best tools for VMware backups
1. SolarWinds Virtualization Manager (FREE TRIAL)
SolarWinds Virtualization Manager is a virtualization monitoring tool that allows you to monitor the health and performance of VMware vSphere infrastructure. With SolarWinds Virtualization Manager you can use customizable dashboards to monitor all of your virtual resources to determine when you need to upscale your resources.
Key Features:
- Customizable dashboard
- Graphs and charts
- Automatic mapping
- Alerts
- Recommendations
Recommendations provide you with guidance on how to optimize your existing resources. For example, it can highlight virtual machines with high CPU or memory utilization so that you can take steps to optimize your performance. The platform also automatically maps VMs to elements like dependent host, datastore, and related objects, increasing transparency over your virtual services.
Similarly, alerts notify you about performance issues and include VMware-specific notifications on VM Swap, memory ballooning, co-stop, and more. Users can configure alerts by defining trigger conditions to determine when the system generates an alert.
SolarWinds Virtualization Manager is recommended for enterprises looking for a cost-effective and reliable solution for monitoring VMware machines. available on a subscription or a perpetual license. You can download the 30-day free trial.
2. Acronis Cyber Protect (FREE TRIAL)
Acronis Cyber Protect is a backup tool that offers support for VMware and vSphere virtual machines. With Acronis Cyber Protect, you can recover virtual machines to bare metal in 15 seconds or less. During instant restore you can start Windows and Linux machines directly from storage so that you can return to operation promptly.
Key Features:
- Restore Vmware and vSphere virtual machines
- Bare-metal recovery
- Remote recovery
- Automated recovery
- Smart alerts
The software also offers automated recovery, where you can customize bootable media with scripts that determine how vSphere VMs are recovered. This helps reduce the amount of time you spend managing the recovery process. On the other hand, you can also use remote recovery to remotely access bootable media and conduct updates over a WAN.
The software lets you know about issues that could affect the availability of your storage. Alerts are aggregated so that you can deal with the most important concerns first and ensure that your backups are kept protected at all times.
Acronis Cyber Protectis an excellent tool for enterprises that require a reliable virtual backup solution with a user interface that’s easy to use. Prices start at $559 (£395) per year. You can start the 30-day free trial.
3. Iperius Backup
Iperius Backup is a backup solution that offers backup for VMware ESXi, vCenter, ESXi Free, and Microsoft Hyper-V. Iperius Backup is an agent-less solution so you don’t need to install software agents in order to run it, making it an incredibly easy tool to deploy within enterprise environments.
Key Features:
- Back up VMware ESXi, vCenter, ESXi Free, Microsoft Hyper-V
- Incremental backup
- Differential backup
- Restore individual files
- Agentless deployment
With Iperius Backup you can conduct incremental and differential backups and replicate virtual machines from host to host or datastore to datastore. There is also the option to restore individual files rather than having to restore an entire virtual machine. For example, you can use the user interface to open VHD and VHDX files, explore their internal content and then extract individual files to back up.
When backing up virtual machines, you have the option to back up to disc, cloud service, NAS, LTO tape, or network. This allows you to make sure that your data is stored wherever you need to ensure business continuity.
Iperius Backup is suitable for enterprises that want a simple solution for backing up virtual machines. It is available for $266 (£187) with a single license that supports unlimited hosts and virtual machines. You can download the free trial via this link here.
4. Veeam Backup and Replication
Veeam Backup and Replication is a backup tool that can back up VMware, Hyper-V, and AHV machines. With Veeam Backup and Replication you can create image-based backups of VSS-aware applications. To back up VMware virtual machines, the platform uses VMware vSphere snapshot to create a VM snapshot that acts as a temporary snapshot of a virtual machine, which the software uses to collect information for backup.
Key Features:
- Back up VMware, Hyper-V, and AHV VMs
- Native backup and recovery for AWS and Azure
- Alerts
- Reports
- Automated recovery testing
When it comes to recovering virtual machines, Veeam Backup and Replication offers an instant recovery engine that includes instant multiple VM recovery from a single image-level backup. If you’re concerned about the reliability of your backups you can use automated recovery testing to automatically test your VM backups
There are also alerts and reports that you can use to monitor backup issues. The software comes with over 340 alarms and over 150 reports that enable you to look for limitations in your environment that could leave your data vulnerable.
Veeam Backup and Replication is worth evaluating if you’re looking for an enterprise-grade backup tool that offers automated VMware backups. To view pricing information for this product, you’ll need to contact the company to request a quote. You can start the 30-day free trial via this link here.
5. Altaro VM Backup
Altaro VM Backup is a backup solution for virtual machines. With Altaro VM Backup you can manage backups for VMware and Hyper-V virtual machines and conduct backups every 5 minutes. With WAN-optimized replication you can replicate virtual machines to a remote site continuously, reducing the amount of manual administration you have.
Key Features:
- Back up VMware and Hyper-V machines every five minutes
- WAN-optimized replication
- Native cloud storage support
- ConnectWise Automate plugin
- Weekly, monthly, or yearly backup versions
- AES-256 bit encryption
When backing up virtual machines you can also choose between storing your data in a local backup or an offsite location such as a server, or Microsoft Azure, Amazon S3, and Wasabi with native cloud storage support. You also have the option to archive multiple versions of backups, so you can create new versions weekly, monthly, or yearly.
The platform comes with a range of security features that help protect your personal data. For instance, 256-bit AES encryption encrypts offsite backup copies automatically so they can’t be read by unauthorized users. Similarly, two-factor authentication ensures that only legitimate users can access the backup management platform.
Altaro VM Backup is suitable for organizations that require a VM backup tool with fast deployment options that’s easy for non-specialist users to use. Subscription and perpetual pricing options available. The subscription package starts at $369 (£260) per year for 5 VMs. You can start the 30-day free trial via this link here.
6. Uranium Backup Pro Virtual
Uranium Backup Pro Virtual is a VMware backup tool that supports VMware ESX/ESXi, vSphere, and Hyper-V. The platform supports incremental backups so you can store generated data after your last backup. In the event of a technical issue, you can use the replica feature to instantly recover virtual machines and return to normal operation.
Key Features:
- Back up VMware ESX/ESXi, vSphere, and Hyper-V
- Usilio management console
- Incremental backup
- Instant restore
- Cloud backup
Backups can be managed and monitored through the Usilio management console. Through the console, you can create backups and receive notification reports when you need to create backups.
The software provides you with many options when it comes to storing data collected from your virtual machines. You can back up to all the main cloud service providers including Amazon S3, Microsoft Azure, Google Drive, OneDrive, and Dropbox. This ensures that you have a copy of your virtual machines available wherever you need them.
Uranium Backup Pro Virtual is a tool worth researching for enterprises that need a low-cost but effective solution for managing VMware backups. A single license supports an unlimited number of backups. A single license costs $278 (£196) You can download the free trial via this link here.
7. Vembu Backup & Replication for VMware
Vembu Backup & Replication for VMware is a VM backup solution that supports VMware vSphere. The platform is agentless making it easy to deploy and provides image-level backup. With Vembu Backup & Replication you can conduct incremental VMware backups and boot virtual machines from backups in minutes.
Key Features:
- VMware vSphere backup
- Incremental backups
- Granular file-level recovery
- AES 256-bit encryption
The recovery process is fast and precise, allowing you to instantly recover at the file level for Microsoft Exchange, Active Directory, SQL Server, and Sharepoint. You also have cross hypervisor migration which allows you to convert VMs from a VMware environment to Hyper-V, giving you more control over your backups.
All backup data is protected with AES 256-bit encryption in transit and at rest so that it can only be read by privileged users. Users can also configure an encryption key for an extra layer of security.
The free version supports backing up to 10 VMware VMs free. Paid editions start with the Standard Essentials Edition which allows you to back up and restore VMware VMs at $18 (£12) per virtual machine per year. You can start the 30-day free trial via this link here.
8. UniTrends
UniTrends is a backup solution that supports backups for VMware machines. With UniTrends you can back up individual files and full virtual machines. There are also application-aware backups you can use to back up virtual machines running Microsoft Exchange, Active Directory, SharePoint, and SQL.
Key Features:
- VMware backup
- File or full VM backup
- Application-aware backups
- SLA policy automation
The platform’s SLA policy automation reduces the amount of setup you need to do by allowing you to create automated SLA policies that automate the backup, replication, and archiving processes. For example, you can configure the frequency of backups and determine how long backups are kept.
UniTrends is designed for enterprises that require a simple backup management solution that supports automated backups. To view pricing information for this solution, you need to contact the company directly to request a quote. You can start the 30-day free trial via this link here.
9. Veeam Backup & Replication Community Edition
Veeam Backup & Replication Community Edition is a free backup tool that supports VMware virtual machines. With Veeam Backup & Replication Community edition, you can back up virtual machines on-premises and in the cloud. When you need to restore VMs, you can do so using the Veeam Instant Recovery Engine with file and application-item level restores.
Key Features:
- Free VMware backup
- Veeam Instant Recovery Engine
The software also protects your backups against ransomware and malware by enabling you to verify that backups are malware-free before you restore them. This reduces your backup’s exposure to malicious actors.
Veeam Backup & Replication Community Edition is ideal for enterprises that require a low-cost solution for backing up virtual machines. The software is free for up to 10 workloads. You can download it via this link here.
10. Storware vProtect
Storware vProtect is a backup and recovery solution for virtual machines that supports all open source and commerce virtual environments including VMware and Hyper-V. With Storware vProtect you can back up virtual machines to multiple destinations with full and incremental backups.
Key Features:
- VMware and Hyper-V support
- Full and incremental backups
- Recovery testing
- Open API
Backup destinations supported by Storware vProtect include AWS S3, Azure Blob storage, Catalogue DPX, Ceph, Dell EMC DataDomain, Dell EMC NetWorker, ExaGrid, Google Cloud Storage, IBM Cloud Object Storage, Nutanix Objects, Veritas NetBackup, OpenStack SWIFT, and more. You can also use an Open API to integrate the platform with other third-party software.
The software comes with a recovery tool that allows you to test backups automatically to ensure they can be covered. This helps you to verify that the backups you’ve taken will be available to you when it comes time to restore your systems.
Storware vProtect is a great choice if you need a solution that can back up multiple types of virtual machines. It is available on Linux and CentOS. You need to request a quote from the company directly to view pricing information. There is also a free version that’s limited to 10 virtual machines. You can start the 60-day free trial via this link here.
Best Tools for VM Backups: Editor’s Choice
If you’re using VMware machines as part of your IT infrastructure, then it’s critical that you have a solution to monitor and back them up. SolarWinds Virtualization Manager is a great place to start if you want to monitor virtual machines but if you want to back them up then a platform like Iperius Backup is a better choice.
Iperius Backup offers incremental and differential backups so you can create the backups needed to keep your information safe. Please note, we recommend that you research multiple tools before committing to a purchase to ensure that you discover the solution that’s right for your environment.
