Endpoint backup feature request, paid version

[harrym]

To whom it may concern:

I have been using the free software for my personal machines and it compares favorably to some paid software such as Acronis True image 2015 home especially in the backup retention category.

I perfectly understand that certain features of the software rely on the B & R manager which is understandably not free, but many users and clients I have spoken to would be happy to pay $40 per copy for individual licenses if the features below were to be implemented.

1) SMTP notification. Yes, I am aware of the workarounds, I have tested them and they work, but a two-minute setup beats 20-30 minutes of setting up an SMTP server solution, enabling relaying for certain secure e-mail accounts and setting up a powershell script schedule to send a backup log that it pulls from parsing the the server logs. Relying on two many other software for accomplishing a task can impact long term reliability and consistency of operations.

2) More scheduling options (weekly, etc.)

3) Backup to multiple external devices in one job. For example, If I have two external hard drives, Y and Z I would like to select them in a pool. Backup checks if one is available and backs up to it allowing off-site rotation.

4) Universal recovery media, restore to dissimilar hardware.

Is there a plan to offer a paid version that has those and more features?

[Vitaliy S.]

Hi Harry,

Do you refer to this option when talking about multiple external drives?

Thanks for the feedback!

[Gostev]

4. Can you please clarify what makes the current recovery media "not" universal?
As a matter of fact, restore to dissimilar hardware is already fully supported...

[togenshi]

Harrym, we are currently using all the features you suggested in production. Already restored a Dell PE2950 onto R720. However, I would suggest using the WinRE Veeam Recovery environment using WDS to inject drivers during recovery.

With the rotated disk, we just swap the drives out in the NAS and keep everything the same.

[Vitaliy S.]

@togenshi, do you use VBR notifications for your Endpoint backup jobs or something else?

[togenshi]

OMDistro (omdistro.org - self contained nagios/icinga/check_mk/pnp4nagios/etc package) with check_mk monitoring the event viewer "Veeam Endpoint Backup" for anything else but "Information" Levels.

[Vitaliy S.]

Ok, thanks for sharing.

[harrym]

Thank you for the responses everyone!

I am covered with questions 3 and 4. Is there an estimate of feature availability for questions 1 and 2?

[Gostev]

1) SMTP notification are already available when backing up to a Veeam backup repository, no plans to add for other backup targets (as those are mostly used for personal backup, where SMTP notification is not essential).

2) You can already force more rare backups with "backup no more often than" option, if daily backup is too often for you for whatever reason. Beyond that, there are no plans to add advanced scheduling options (such as those that can be found in server backup products) - just because this is an endpoint backup product. Additional scheduler tweaks inline with the main use case will of course be considered though.

[harrym]

Gostev,

1) Please permit me to disagree on the SMTP notification not being essential. Given other forum posts on workarounds for SMTP notifications I think that many others will agree with me about the need for that feature. Again, I am not asking for something for nothing. As previously stated I would not mind paying $40 per copy for a solid backup software. I see and opportunity for you guys here. Merely a suggestion. Thank you for your response.

2) Thank you for the response on the second question.

That just about does it! Thank you all for the input. This can be considered as answered.

[OrangeWing]

Personally, I think a paid version is counter productive. One of the reasons i BOUGHT the B&R suite is the fact that I could back up my endpoints for free. In an enterprise setting that turns out to be a huge benefit. Asking for it to go 'paid' just so you can appease individual users is as i said, counter productive.

There are good backup products on the market that are set to support individuals. I am sure the 'support' of said product would consume most of the low price of the product and pull away from the support team for the paid product as it exists now. Consumers tend to me much more needy than an enterprise that has someone that can manage the B&R infrastructure.... that's probably a big reason the VEB can be a free product in the first place. Its mostly going into an enterprise that has management and the larger paid product.... (correct me if I'm wrong, Gostev)

I am super happy with the products. Hopefully the VEB will stay free and all the products will continue to evolve as they have.

[Vitaliy S.]

Hi Stafford,

Personally, I think a paid version is counter productive. One of the reasons i BOUGHT the B&R suite is the fact that I could back up my endpoints for free. In an enterprise setting that turns out to be a huge benefit. Asking for it to go 'paid' just so you can appease individual users is as i said, counter productive.

Standalone Veeam Endpoint Backup will still remain FREE, and the functionality you're using now will also remain free forever. As to the paid version of the product, then our first step would be to release it to service providers via integration with LabTech.

Thanks!