Axcient Versus Redstor for MSP Client Backups 2024

Axcient data backup and the Redstor cloud backup solutions will be evaluated in this article, we will explore the quirks and features of both with a solid vendor backup recommendation at the conclusion.

Backup solutions are more important than ever, and choosing the right vendor platform can make a significant difference in terms of your reputation as an IT operations support company. 

Axcient data backup and the Redstor backup offering are two popular backup vendor offerings that are fairly closely matched and are also a popular choice.

Selecting the right backup platform that meets the unique needs of each business is one of the more important tasks of a service provider. Whether it is for small businesses or enterprise-level organizations, the right backup and recovery platform can help improve your backup vendor experience.

My only piece of wisdom when it comes to online backup vendors is ALWAYS use your own cloud storage. Something like AWS S3 or Azure Storage. It makes moving from one provider to another so much easier. 

While you are here, Take a look at some of our other backup-related articles below that may interest you:

• Legal Ramifications of Hosting Your Client Data P1
• Legal Ramifications of Hosting Client Data P2
• Liabilities of Hosting Client Backups
• Liability Waiver When Client Declines MSP Backup Recommendation
• Backups - Client Expectations

This article will serve as a guide for I.T organizations who are considering either Axcient or Redstor data backup for their clients' storage needs. 

By the end of this article, readers will have a reasonable understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of each remote backup platform and be better equipped to make an informed decision.

As a secondary goal of the main discussion here, I will also discuss how documentation can help IT outsourcing services manage and maintain backup and data recovery solutions effectively as it specifically relates to this topic.

We can help you respond faster to your clients needs, allow less experienced staff handle tasks they otherwise could not and ultimately improve your profit margins while getting ahead of your competition.

Technical publication processes are an essential aspect of the IT industry whether it be corporate backup solutions discussed here or recording how your support desk undertakes a test backup and restores consistently. It enables IT operations support to manage and maintain the infrastructure of their clients effectively. 

We have years of experience in working with service providers to document their procedures  and as mentioned, there is no area more important to a service provider than how their clients' backup and disaster recovery systems are documented.

Axcient Vs Redstor

The primary difference between Axcient and Redstor is that Redstor has a very cloud-based backup focus whereas Axcient offers both on-premise backup solutions as well as cloud-based backup solutions that work together. Of course there are various backup plans from each.

Both backup solutions target I.T outsourcing partners and are designed for this purpose in mind. Now anyone that has read my other articles on backup systems knows that I believe the best backup systems require both an online and local component.

Axcient goes to great lengths to state their local component is a cache not an actual local backup so this needs to be taken into consideration. It still needs the online backup to work and keeps the large lump of data locally so the restores can be reduced in time taken but you cannot spin up a Virtual Machine straight from the local backed up copy.

Axcient Backup Key Features

The Axcient backup offering has several benefits that get me a bit excited.These include:

Cloud Based With Local Cache

Axcient is primarily focused on cloud backups yet does still have the capability to store a local copy of your clients backup information using either a BYOD or a Axcient supplied device.

They go to great pain to mention that the local backup is only a cache storage with its primary reason for existing, to reduce the time required to undertake a full recovery.

Axcient backup also claims to have a “Bring Your Own Datacenter” which is a fancy way of saying that the backup solution will work with other cloud providers.

File Level and System level Backups

Axcient allows for both file-level and system image backups. File-level backups enable the protection of individual files and folders, while system image backups capture an entire system, including the operating system, applications, and data.

While providing image based backups is a great feature, you need to consider how big and how many servers will be part of the backup. It requires capacity planning and the ability to keep a local copy of the cloud based data is a big advantage.

Backup Virtualization

Axcient supports the cloud virtualization of backed-up systems, enabling businesses to quickly spin up virtual instances of their systems for testing, recovery, or temporary operations during downtime.

Now this feature could conceivably be used as a replacement for locally based backups. It eliminates the requirement for having to transport the backups to the client location. Just start the backed up server image from the backup location and your clients staff can work in a remote capacity.

There may be licensing and practicality issues regarding this but it certainly goes a long way to making the argument that companies could eliminate their local backup storage systems.

Ransomware Detection

Axcient comes with built in ransomware functionality and this is such a welcome inclusion because there have certainly been some high profile ransomware incidents in the recent past where the backup was rendered useless because the hackers targeted the backups in the leadup to the actual hack taking place.

Worthy Mentions

With other features albeit standard in many backup solutions including Automated backup scheduling, Centralized management and some decent reporting functionality, the Axcient backup solution has me Big Kev excited. 

Axcient Backup Disadvantages

There are also some drawbacks to using Axcient. These include:

Customer Support Complaints

While the product itself is quite good, there have been quite a few complaints about customer support. This type of disadvantage can change rapidly so it would be best to do a bit of searching to see if the company has listened and rectified long delays and over-use of cheap overseas level one support. 

It is annoying when a company puts very inexperienced techs as the front line when they know the callers will be likely experienced technicians who have already done in 5 mins what it takes a day for level 1 to work through before escalation.

**I have worked with some great help desks that operate in places like the Philippines and the good ones are scary good however if an organization lets price dictate choices, things can go bad fast. 

Vendor Lock In

You are locked in to the Axcient which can be a little frustrating especially if the relationship breaks down. One way to avoid this is to ensure you only use your own cloud storage in the form of either another vendor or your self managed cloud storage.

Online backup solutions are actually quite labor intensive to move away from so this should always be taken into consideration when signing up.

Backup Plan Creep

It can get expensive fast depending on your needs. The flipside of cloud backup plan scalability at the touch of a button is that it is just as simple for the backup vendor to swipe your credit card with the extra cost involved.

Non Intuitive Management Console

There can be a steep learning curve and because of the lack of intuitiveness, I kept having to google the same questions over again. The errors also do not seem to be all that transparent or intuitive.

Redstor Backup Key Features

Redstor is another popular backup solution that offers a range of features to protect businesses from data loss. Some of the key features of Redstor include:

eDiscovery and Compliance

Redstor backup offers General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which mainly would be of interest to our European readers, it can ensure you remain compliant under that framework. 

They also offer a fairly centralized way of monitoring your clients backed up data via RedApp so that you can stay on top of erasing information as regulations require as well as making e-discovery requests more painless than they otherwise would be.

It really does make the task of deleting and archiving client data (as requested through them) automated reducing the chance of mistakes occurring.

It also opens the opportunity for service providers to bill for something above and beyond the standard backup and recovery services normally on offer. Many businesses need to employ a dedicated staff member just to keep on top of these sorts of issues and you can come in like the hero you are and offer this type of service for a handsome (yet dignified) fee.

InstantData

Redstor's InstantData feature allows for near-instant access to backups, even if the original data is no longer available. It means you can view any file any time. It is a feature that certainly gets me a little excited that is for sure.

Geo-redundant Storage

Redstor offers geo-redundant storage, which means that backups are stored in multiple locations to ensure that data is always available. This would be a worthwhile feature for anyone living in a hurricane or tornado zone where it is possible an entire city could be impacted by an event.

By having geo redundancy, you get a copy of your clients backed up data in your own region with the benefit of it being also distributed to other geographical areas.

Cloud Storage and Local Backup Capabilities

This is where Redstor takes the lead over Axcient. It is difficult to overcome the advantage that Redstor has in that it provides a complete corporate cloud solution and feature rich local backup solution.

Multiple Local Copies With Consolidation and Retention

You can keep multiple backup copies and the ability to collapse backups into rollups means you can limit the amount of space required. You are limited only by the space you allocate for backups.

These backups can be stored either on a local computer, removable drive or UNC (Used for Network Attached Storage Devices) Think of how ShadowProtect used to work with imaging and consolidation and you get the picture.

Continuous Data Protection

Redstors CDP feature ensures that backups are performed continuously, capturing every change made to the protected data. This minimizes data loss and allows for quick recovery to any point in time.

Worthy Mentions 

Redstor uses deduplication to reduce the amount of data that needs to be backed up, which can save time and storage space. Redstor also has the usual features expected in a service provider backup offering such as centralized management, competent backup reporting and the ability to migrate data from other platforms.

Redstor Backup Disadvantages

There is only one real drawback using Redstor Backups.

Expensive

Redstor is at the higher end of subscription fees although as they say you tend to get what you pay for.

Verdict

Axcient and Redstor both offer decent solutions for MSP client backups. Redstor comes out on top in my view. When you take into account the archive capabilities and automated ability to adhere to compliance and add that to the way it provides such a comprehensive way to handle the local backup versions, it is the winner here.

It also has technical support that is at a higher level than Axcient. It all comes at a cost though and if you do go down the Redstor route then you had better have access to large sweaty wads of cash. 

Conclusion

Both options are good solutions for anyone looking to invest in the very best backup and recovery solutions on the market today. We hope this article has provided you with a solid foundation and understanding of this topic.

We have a number of other backup vendor articles listed below that will provide you with more detailed information on a number of related topics:

https://optimizeddocs.com/blogs/backups/backup-vendors-index

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