When you’re comparing disaster recovery solutions, it’s important to choose the right fit for your organization. There are plenty of excellent data-backup systems out there, but not all of them will be perfectly matched for the needs of your business.
Many of today’s BC/DR solutions are highly scalable and can be configured to fit your unique continuity objections. So to evaluate those options side by side, you need to consider which configurations, add-ons, services, hardware or other options are needed to simulate an “apples to apples” comparison between any two systems. (Otherwise, it’s like comparing apples to oranges.)
Let’s break down some of the key differences between Barracuda backup vs. Datto, along with some things to keep in mind as you evaluate both.
Getting started
Right off the bat, there are two things to consider when comparing Datto with Barracuda or any other disaster recovery solution: 1) the capabilities of the system and also 2) the time/cost of implementing and managing them. Here’s what we mean by that:
1) Capabilities
The capabilities define what your data-backup system can do and how it meets your continuity objectives. Example capabilities to consider:
· Backup frequency
· Recovery speed
· Ways to recover data
· Storage sizes and scalability
· Storage locations, i.e. on-premise, cloud, hybrid etc.
2) Deployment / Management Time, Cost & Complexity
This defines the complexity of the system as it translates to actual costs for your organization and/or the managed-service partner (MSP) who builds and manages it all.
For example, imagine two competing BC/DR solutions that can achieve the same level of continuity. One of them comes fully integrated, but the other requires a more complicated integration of infrastructure components and services to provide the same protection.
These key differences—beyond the actual capabilities of the systems—cannot be overlooked as you compare your options.
Barracuda
Overview
Barracuda built its reputation as an email-security solution and steadily branched out to provide a wide suite of products, including data backup. In 2015, the company built upon its own backup solutions by acquiring Intronis, another leader in BC/DR. Barracuda also offers products for network security, including firewall appliances and web filtering technology.
The Intronis disaster recovery solutions (increasingly referred to as “Barracuda MSP”) are still distinct from the Barracuda-branded products, so for the purposes of this post, we’ll be focusing only on Barracuda.
Barracuda offers two core data-protection products: Barracuda Backup and Barracuda’s Cloud-to-Cloud Backup Service (for Office365 backups). Here’s a quick breakdown of each.
Barracuda Backup
Barracuda Backup is the company’s flagship continuity solution, providing protection for physical servers, virtual servers and cloud data. Data can be backed up on-site with a Barracuda backup appliance and in the cloud via the Barracuda Cloud and/or your organization’s own private or a public cloud. In BC/DR, this approach is often referred to as “hybrid backup,” because it combines on-site backups with additional replication in the cloud for greater protection and greater recovery options.
Barracuda markets its solutions as an “all-in-one” approach to data protection, though businesses do need to determine the right mix of products for their needs. There are currently three different deployment options to choose from (not including the SaaS backup option), each with its own integration options:
· Barracuda Backup Appliance: Physical appliance for backing up data on on-site machines.
· Encrypted Backup Appliance: A physical appliance with 256-bit AES encryption for at-rest data.
This option is geared more toward businesses that handle more sensitive data and/or must meet strict regulatory requirements.
· Barracuda Virtual Backup: Virtual backups powered by Barracuda’s software on your organization’s own hardware.
All deployment options and ongoing management are controlled via Barracuda’s cloud-based dashboard. We’ll return to the core advantages of Barracuda Backup in a minute, but first, let’s take a look at its SaaS backup option.
Datto vs. Barracuda backup for Microsoft 365 Backup
If you’re comparing Barracuda vs. Datto specifically for SaaS backup, you’ll want to compare this protection with Datto’s Backupify.
Microsoft 365 Backup from Barracuda provides automatic backups of M365 data. It replicates the data from Microsoft’s cloud directly to Barracuda’s cloud, so there’s no need for an additional on-site appliance. All data within Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, and OneDrive is protected and can be restored at the site level down or individual file level.
Advantages of Barracuda Backup
From a sheer continuity perspective, here’s what we like about Barracuda:
· Hybrid cloud backup: Hybrid backups have become essential. An on-site appliance will still provide faster access to protected data, but additional cloud protection provides extra assurance in case of an on-site disaster.
· Flexible deployment options: “Flexibility” can be a double-edged sword for any IT deployment (more on that in the disadvantages below), but if your IT teams prefer the flexibility of configuring multiple solutions together, rather than starting with a fully integrated solution out of the box, then Barracuda’s multiple deployment choices could make sense for your needs.
· Site-to-site & multi-environment protection: Barracuda gives you the option of backing up data to your own secondary location or your own cloud. And it can protect a wide variety of environments, servers, clients and operating systems.
· Inline deduplication: Barracuda deduplicates data as it’s received, helping to reduce storage needs.
· 15-minute backup frequency: The Barracuda Backup Agent can perform backups as often as every 15 minutes, helping reduce the risk of data loss when a restore is needed.
· Recovery options: A variety of recovery options are available, including file-level restores, bare metal restores, and virtualization.
Disadvantages
Barracuda Backup has plenty to offer in terms of data protection, but if you’re comparing it with other disaster recovery solutions, here are a few things to keep in mind:
· When the objective is true business continuity (local and cloud), some deployments will require several different solutions to be configured together, which will increase overall costs and time for deployment and management. If you’re comparing Barracuda Backup vs. Datto, for example, consider that Datto is designed more as a fully integrated continuity solution, reducing the complexity of deployment and management.
· Barracuda uses a traditional incremental backup process in that new backups are still dependent on previous backups. So if a problem arises anywhere in the chain, the backup will likely fail during recovery (this is a common problem with traditional backup processes, which is why some BC/DR providers have developed new technologies that eliminate the dependence on previous backups).
· While any backup system can provide fallback protection against a ransomware attack, Barracuda Backup does not have any built-in detection capabilities. This is a feature that some backup providers have developed in recent years to help businesses identify an infection as early as possible to mitigate the impact.
· Barracuda Backup’s Inline Deduplication feature can help to verify the integrity of data during the backup process. However, this verification isn’t as advanced as some other competing BC/DR systems’ backup verification processes.
Datto
Overview
Founded in 2007, Datto provides a range of solutions for business continuity and disaster recovery, including data backup, file sync and share and SaaS backup. The company’s BC/DR technologies are targeted primarily to small and medium sized businesses, though its flagship solution—the Datto SIRIS—is built for enterprise continuity as well.
All of Datto’s solutions are delivered through its network of managed service providers. Here’s a quick breakdown of the company’s core backup products:
· SIRIS: An “all-in-one” disaster recovery solution designed to provide enterprise-level continuity to any size business. It provides protection for local, virtual, and Cloud environments.
· ALTO: The Datto ALTO is designed and priced for small businesses. It, too, is an all-in-one platform designed to provide enterprise-grade protection (but without the full feature set or power of the SIRIS).
· NAS: For organizations specifically looking for networked attached storage, Datto’s NAS solutions bring added continuity to local, virtual, and cloud environments.
· SaaS Backup: Datto’s Backupify provides cloud-to-cloud SaaS backup for Microsoft 365, G Suite and Salesforce. If you’re looking at Barracuda vs. Datto, then you’ll want to compare this product with Barracuda’s Microsoft 365 Backup solution.
Advantages
For the purposes of this post, we’ll be focusing primarily on Datto’s flagship BC/DR product, the SIRIS.
· Unified solution: Datto’s business continuity products score points for being fully integrated solutions. This can trim down on deployment / management time and costs, whether you’re managing your continuity in-house or using an MSP. With the Datto SIRIS, for example, you can achieve the highest level of continuity possible, without needing to configure several separate solutions together. It’s truly all in one, from the get-go.
· Hybrid cloud backup: Datto’s hybrid cloud backups provide dependable off-site replication, and backups are mirrored to geo-redundant datacenters for added protection. Even when booting backups as virtual machines, the virtualization can be performed via the on-site appliance or completely in the cloud (or a combination of both, a.k.a. “hybrid virtualization”).
· Inverse Chain Technology: Datto’s inverse chain backup process removes the dependency on previous backups (and the integrity problems that come with it). Each new backup is fully constructed and thus more resilient.
· 5-minute backup frequency: Inverse chain also allows for backups to be performed as often as every 5 minutes, minimizing the risk of data loss.
· Instant virtualization: Any backup—physical or virtual environments—can be virtualized instantly, locally or in the cloud. This is a game-changer for organizations that need the fastest possible access to their data and applications after a disruptive event occurs.
· Ransomware detection: Datto’s systems automatically scan for signs of a ransomware footprint and alert administrators, so that they can take action before an infection spreads.
Disadvantages
· While Datto’s backup capabilities and configuration options will fit the needs of most organizations, you could run into some limitations depending on what your business’s current setup is. If you have a need to schedule an image backup to NAS or USB, this isn’t an option with Datto (whereas it is possible with Barracuda Backup).
· Depending on your configuration needs, you’ll want to consider the total cost of each provider’s solutions. For example, a higher initial cost for deploying a Datto solution may still end up being more affordable in the long run when you consider the time cost of managing other, less unified systems.
Let us help you compare
A much deeper comparison is needed to uncover all the critical differences between Datto vs. Barracuda or any two disaster recovery solutions. Our business continuity experts are here to help. Request a free demo or contact us today at 1 (888) 244-1912.
