Arcserve ShadowProtect SPX review: Highly effective continuous backup with virtual perks

Price When Reviewed

$99.95

Best Prices Today: Arcserve ShadowProtect SPX Desktop

Continuous knowledge safety doesn’t get any higher than Arcserve’s $100 ShadowProtect software program. It’s image-based backup, versus file-based, that compares favorably with Apple’s Time Machine, albeit with a bit extra know-how required. ShadowProtect has been round for some time, and it’s one of many few backup applications I’d place in R-Drive Image’s class for reliability. It additionally has some distinctive methods up its sleeve.

Note: This overview is a part of our ongoing roundup of the best backup software. Go there for data on competing merchandise and the way we examined them.

ShadowProtect: Design and options

The very first thing to learn about ShadowProtect is that it’s closely slanted in the direction of fast and straightforward catastrophe restoration. It backs up solely full drives or partitions (volumes), not particular person information and folders.

You can, nonetheless, restore particular person information and folders from an SPX backup by choosing some extent on the timeline and clicking on the Mount Image icon within the pane beneath. The ensuing digital arduous drive can be mounted below Windows with a drive letter of your selecting. You can then browse and replica off information simply as you’d with another Windows quantity.

If you’re frightened about future compatibility, you may as well restore/archive to a digital arduous drive (Microsoft VHD/VHDX, or VMware VMDK), which you’ll be able to browse from VirtualBox, VMWare, and so on. If you may have a VM atmosphere put in, ShadowProtect will restore on to a digital machine. One of these VM perks I spoke of up high.

Setting up a job in ShadowProtect is simple. Every steady job begins with a full preliminary backup, and all subsequent backups are incremental (modifications for the reason that final backup). There are additionally blended backups that allow you to schedule a number of full backups with subsequent incremental updates.

Additionally, you could schedule full backups with out incrementals, in addition to manually run full backups. You might also “rebase” any backup at any time—i.e., create a brand new full backup as a brand new start line/baseline.

As a long-time competitor within the subject, SPX options nearly each possibility and ancillary perform within the e book. You can restrict CPU utilization, cut up photographs, outline retention insurance policies, run earlier than and after scripts, and even select which VSS (quantity shadow copy service) writers can be accessible to make use of.

ShadowProtect tracks modifications to the file system in actual time, however essentially the most granular setting for really backing up these modifications is 15 minutes. Just do not forget that the extra incremental backups you accrue, the longer it would take to browse them and the extra space they may require.

If you’re a fan of differential (all modifications for the reason that preliminary full backup) backups, you may not like ShadowProtect, which doesn’t supply them. They’re merely not a superb match for the mission. They take longer with each iteration as modifications accrue, and devour considerably extra cupboard space.

ShadowProtect: Interface and utilization

The ShadowProtect interface is engaging and easy sufficient given the quite complicated set of duties. Some of the icons are a bit tiny, and I would favor extra right-click context menus, however that’s me. It’s all straightforward sufficient when you dive in.

There’s additionally a useful assist “overlay” that explains the fundamentals. It seems on first run, however you’ll be able to invoke it any time you want.

ShadowProtect can be a kind of backup applications that, like Time Machine and File History, mean you can stroll via your backups by way of a timeline. It doesn’t present you the information, and it’s a must to mount the picture from that date, but it surely’s loads simpler than sorting via the checklist of file names on the precise backup media.

What would possibly throw off some new customers is the login dialog that seems the primary time you run this system. It pops up as a result of ShadowProtect may also function a console for distant backups from different programs. The login dialog provides a alternative between native (the PC you’re working this system on) and distant logins, replete with IP handle, area, workgroup, consumer identify, and password.

Obviously, most finish customers will select the native job, then fill within the consumer identify and password for that machine. Subsequently, it received’t seem except you select the log-out possibility.

ShadowProtect: Performance

I had zero points with ShadowProtect backing up throughout my testing for this text, nor have I ever had any points up to now. It’s quick and dependable. That’s not one thing I can say about all backup applications.

That stated, whereas the pre-built Linux-based restoration disc (there’s a Linux model of ShadowProtect as effectively) booted advantageous on bodily PCs, it did not boot correctly in both VirtualBox or Parallels. As the precise ShadowProtect program restores on to VirtualBox or VMWare if they’re current, I don’t ding it a lot for this misfire. However, it does reinforce my appreciation for the remarkably stable and dependable R-Drive Image, whose restoration disc has booted on each bodily or digital platform I’ve ever tried it on.

I additionally skilled points making an attempt to create a Windows-based restoration disk. This perform requires downloading a separate restoration builder app. After putting in stated restoration builder, I discovered that the hyperlink to the Windows 8 ADK within the “you need this to proceed” dialog was damaged. The restoration builder additionally didn’t acknowledge the Windows 10 model of the ADK that was already put in on the system. I referred to as it quits at this level because the Linux boot disc is greater than satisfactory.

ShadowProtect: Pricing

Though there’s a freely downloadable trial on the corporate’s web site, Arcserve does’t make it tremendous obvious to finish customers as to how they’ll purchase it. Where most web sites emblazon the purchase hyperlink within the forefront, for ShadowProtect there’s first an enormous “Request a quote” type with a quite demure hyperlink for the net retailer nearly hidden beneath that.

With so many related variations and merchandise, even the shop is bit tough to navigate, so right here’s the direct hyperlink to $100 perpetual license for Shadow Protect SPX Desktop for Windows.

Final ideas

If all you need is steady file and folder backup, keep on with Windows File History. If, nonetheless, you need one thing extra sturdy you could restore rapidly and simply, with assist for third-party digital arduous drives, ShadowProtect SPX is a superb, if dear alternative. It’s additionally an excellent alternative for Linux customers or these with blended Windows/Linux environments, particularly for SMBs.