Finally Free of Using Proxies for Backup Using Rubrik
Time heals all pain, as is the case with the use of proxies for backup. With so many backup choices out in the market, it’s time to look at other vendors if you’re still deploying proxies to do your daily backups since it’s possible to do backups without them. If you are looking for a new backup solution, one vendor you should look at is Rubrik.
Not long ago, I did a proof-of-concept (POC) with Rubrik, Cohesity, and Veeam. Each vendor had its strengths and weaknesses, but the clear winner for me was Rubrik, with its ease of use, intuitive interface, and, most of all, the installation was simple.
Before I start, I’ve had experience with the following solutions:
- CA ARCserve Backup for Windows
- EMC Networker
- EMC Avamar
- Netvault
- Symantec Backup Exec (limited usage)
- Veeam
- Rubrik (current solution)
My favorite from the list above is Rubrik, and my least favorite is EMC Networker. While I could explain why I didn’t like some of the others solutions, I won’t and instead will focus on why I prefer Rubrik. If Rubrik is out of your price range, then my next option would be Veeam.
Installation
If you’ve racked a server, this is no different.
Configuration
I touched on not using proxies briefly, but this was one of my pain points with other solutions. While not hard to deploy and configure, it’s time-consuming deploying them and troubleshooting them when things go wrong. Plus you now have to do additional administration when your solution has updates or upgrades. No thanks.
Configuration of backing up your VMware environment was simple: Point it to your vCenter Server with the proper credentials, give a few minutes to let it scan your VM inventory, configure your Service Level Agreements (SLAs - also known as policies with other solutions), attach an SLA to either the cluster level, folder level, or individual VM and let it get backed up. That’s it. It literally takes minutes to do.
