How do you use it to streamline data backup and recovery in your organization?

How do you use Cohesity DataProtect to streamline data backup and recovery in your organization?

How do you and your clients use AI to improve data?

What areas have room for improvement? Is there anything that could be simplified to make it better?

Does the solution require maintenance, and is it complex or easy to maintain?

Regarding scalability with enterprise clients, how scalable is Cohesity DataProtect?

I am looking to speak with Zaheer.

I have used Cohesity DataProtect primarily for cyber recovery.

Some of the most valuable features of Cohesity DataProtect for me include instant mass restore, anomaly detection, and its ability to handle large data volumes effectively. The Helios interface is quite good for monitoring all aspects of this and provides real-time monitoring capabilities.

I have been working with Cohesity DataProtect for two years.

I haven't experienced any stability issues, critical errors, or technical difficulties.

I think it is pretty good at handling large data volumes.

During the implementation, customer service was quite good, but I haven't had much engagement with support since then.

The initial setup was a bit challenging because I was new to Cohesity DataProtect, but I have gained more experience and it's better now.

I find Cohesity DataProtect to be expensive.

If I had to rate Cohesity DataProtect, I would give it an eight.

Our customers typically use Cohesity DataProtect for backup and restoration solutions. We are partners, not end customers, and our typical use case involves comparing Cohesity DataProtect with other backup tools, like Veeam and Rubrik. Customers often run tenders to find more modern solutions than just basic backup and restore.

Cohesity DataProtect is a converged solution that simplifies backup and allows use of the backed-up data. It is not just a storage solution, but it enables evaluating backups for heuristics or virus traces. The platform is based on a scale-out architecture with each node having compute, RAM, SSD, and HDD. It reduces interfaces and components, making it easier to run and maintain.

While there are improvements to be made, such as providing support for older systems like IBM iSeries and tandem systems from HP, the solution overall shifts from older methods to modern practices. Customers looking for features that older systems provided might find gaps, but these are typically for very specific needs.

I have been working with Cohesity DataProtect for five years.

The issues I faced were often due to misunderstanding the principles of Cohesity DataProtect, with performance issues usually stemming from improper setup, such as with SAP HANA backups. On the whole, any problems were more related to hardware limitations rather than issues with Cohesity DataProtect itself.

Cohesity DataProtect is built on a scale-out architecture, which means it can effectively scale to meet various needs. It uses a converged approach which makes it easier to manage and reduces oversight on various system components.

The support from Cohesity is good, but it is not as exceptional as Nutanix. The support can depend on the region, and for larger customers, I advise having a Technical Account Manager for better assistance. However, for smaller installations, the typical support might fall short.

Positive

Using Cohesity DataProtect is easier to manage, and it simplifies various components into one architecture, reducing the need for extensive human resources to manage backups. It offers a declarative approach to backups, improving efficiency.

Our customers often compare Cohesity DataProtect with Veeam and Rubrik, which share many common functions as backup solutions.

Having a Technical Account Manager for the first year or two can significantly improve the support experience. I would rate Cohesity DataProtect as a nine in Europe and a ten in the US. The perception differs by region, with US users often being more optimistic. The overall product rating I give is 10.

Other

We use the solution for backup.

The tool is faster and easier to use than others. The most critical feature for our data protection needs is the accuracy of backups and restores.

Cohesity DataProtect needs to improve its reporting capabilities. 

I have been using the product for two years. 

The solution has been stable, and we haven't had any significant challenges with stability.

The scalability works well for all our systems—we have various servers with two to three petabytes of data. Data recovery is pretty fast. We can bring up VMs instantly and haven't had any issues.

We earlier used Commvault and switched to Cohesity DataProtect since it was easier to use. 

While I didn't take part in the initial setup, I understand that the setup is relatively easy. Maintenance is also pretty easy.

I rate the overall solution an eight out of ten. 

On-premises

Most customers use the solution for file backups, particularly for NAS file sharing. They back up files from Microsoft Windows OS to ensure they can restore data when needed. They also perform periodic temporary restores to verify the functionality of their backups.

The platform is highly customizable and adapts well to changing conditions. The snapshot features are the most valuable because they allow rapid restoration and provide dedicated space for longer snapshot retention.

I would like security improvements, such as enhanced backup immutability and better tape storage connectivity. Reducing storage capacity requirements and improving security features are also areas that could be enhanced.

I have been working with Cohesity DataProtect for one year.

The solution is stable, with regular updates and patching. 

I rate the stability an eight. 

I rate the product's scalability as an eight.

The product's technical support is quite good. It is available 24/7 and has a high response rate, although it sometimes requires multiple communications to resolve issues fully.

Positive

The initial setup is relatively easy and involves configuration, integration with backup targets, and virtualization management. The deployment process usually takes about two weeks from the initial setup to installation, depending on the availability of hardware. It typically involves preparing the server, configuring it with either Linux or Windows, integrating it with the backup solution, connecting it to source storage, and managing the backup targets.

I rate the process a nine out of ten. 

Integrating the platform with the Acropolis Nutanix management solution is particularly valuable. It simplifies management by providing a unified interface for backup solutions.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven.

On-premises

I'm a consultant, so my clients use it, and I assist them.

It is used as a backup solution.

It gives my clients an enterprise-wide solution for managing backups.

Standardization across the enterprise and ease of use are the most valuable features. 

There is room for improvement in terms of price. 

In future releases, I would like to see a more comprehensive cyber resilience capability.

I have experience from an architectural standpoint.

I would rate the stability a ten out of ten. 

I would rate the scalability an eight out of ten. 

I've used NetBackup and TSM.

It was already deployed when I started engaging with the client.

I would recommend using it. Overall, I would rate it a nine out of ten. 

On-premises

We use it for data corruption exaltation.

Software immutability is a valuable feature, and the varying deployment options.

In addition, from a data security perspective, zero trust access is a key function. Within Helios, we have role-based access control, single sign-on, multifactor authentication, and quorum for user approvals.

On-premises multi-tenant services need improvement.

I have been using Cohesity DataProtect since 2019.

Cohesity uses hyper-converged cluster architecture (min. 3 nodes) for on-premise deployments which provides erasure coding within the cluster and non-disruptive change control. Nodes range from 8 to 96 TB capacity and clusters are extensible with additional nodes of different sizes, provided they are certified platforms. Cohesity also offer a SaaS platform. The on-premises deployments are scalable provided a cluster has been deployed.

The initial setup is straightforward. We have somewhere in the region of thirty customers using Cohesity. 

Typically on-premises nodes/clusters are deployed for primary backup (to enable instant mass restore) so price will be dependent on chosen OEM and capacity required. MSPs like us utilise PPU licensing.

My recommendation would be that if you have an intent to use all of Cohesity's feature set, then you should probably consider using Cohesity cloud services, especially if you're a service provider, and you're going to be delivering Cohesity to more than one customer as a managed service.

I rate the solution an eight out of ten. 

We have opted for Cohesity DataProtect to protect ourselves from ransomware due to its remarkable backup capabilities. We are transitioning from our previous solution, which was the Dell EMC.

Several features enable us to perform fast recovery, such as instant fast recovery. All our virtual machines protected with the product can be quickly restored to another healthy environment with minimal downtime for our main customers. These features have significantly improved our recovery time objectives. 
The most important function is ransomware protection, along with instant mass recovery for quick restores. Additionally, managing data via the Central Management console is crucial.

The tool could benefit from further improvements in AI features, particularly in areas such as a generative AI chat interface. This feature could help answer queries about the data being protected. One feature that would greatly improve our experience with the product is the ability to identify data redundancies through a central console. This feature would help us reduce storage costs by managing redundant data. 

I have been using the product for six months. 

I rate the product's stability an eight out of ten. 

I rate the solution's scalability a ten out of ten. My company has 40 users. 

Cohesity DataProtect's technical support is responsive. Their response time is good. 

Cohesity DataProtect is better than Dell EMC. I prefer working with it primarily because of its central management console, which is user-friendly and provides excellent visibility into what is being protected across different sites. Previously, everything was in silos, and I had to look at each site in isolation. With Cohesity DataProtect, I now have a consolidated view. 

The tool's deployment is simple and doesn't take long to complete. 

The tool's pricing is average. 

I rate the solution a nine out of ten. 

On-premises

We use Cohesity DataProtect for on-premises backups.

Cohesity DataProtect is the primary backup platform that we use for data recovery. The solution's SQL cloning is great, and its Instant Mount restoration of virtual machines is brilliant. Cohesity DataProtect's multi-factor authentication (MFA) is good. The solution's security and immutable snapshots are very good.

The solution's storage efficiency is very good. The data reduction techniques on the platform are very good.

I would like alerts if any local accounts on the platform are changed for security. If someone were to change an admin account password, I would like an alert raised for that, which is not available at the moment.

I have been using Cohesity DataProtect for three years.

The solution's stability is fine, and I haven't faced any downtime issues.

I rate the solution ten out of ten for stability.

Cohesity DataProtect is a scalable solution. Around three people access and use the solution in our organization.

The solution's initial setup is very simple. It takes less than a day to get it all configured and working.

We implemented the solution through an in-house team. A team consisting of five database engineers is needed to deploy the solution. The solution's deployment is very simple and involves setting up IP addresses, VLAN tagging, creating protection jobs, and creating replication.

We have a capacity license for the solution that we renew annually.

On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a seven out of ten.

I would recommend Cohesity DataProtect for things like Oracle backups and SQL backups. I rate the solution ten out of ten for its effectiveness in managing backups across multiple environments or clouds.

We chose Cohesity DataProtect because its SQL Clones and SQL backups were very good. The solution's instant restoration of virtual machines is very quick. The solution's integration with Azure is very good, and it uses cloud block storage for long-term retention.

Overall, I rate Cohesity DataProtect a nine out of ten.

On-premises

We use not only DataProtect but also the platform and all the service subscriptions to manage both data protection and other services like SmartFiles.

Our customers use it to replace other data protection solutions, not only for the orchestration of the process but also for the data repository. 

With Cohesity, we have one solution for managing data protection. We also have a very useful storage system to be used, not only as a static repository but also for test environments and so on.

The product is quite simple and user-friendly, without limitations on scalability. And, it's a very good product if a customer wants to have total governance of their data.

We use Cohesity extensively, not just for a few products but in most of our SmartFile deployments. So, many of our customers use it both as a file service and a repository for DataProtect processes.

We use Cohesity to sell and implement the liquidity solution to our customers.

As a Cohesity partner, I won the Best Cohesity Sales Engineer award in 2023. My team discussed, essentially, improving Cohesity reporting because that's a feature gap I feel could really enhance the product.

Reporting is quite limited and not customizable. Many customers can't access specific numbers or insights regarding their daily data protection, something competitors like Veeam integrate quite seamlessly.

In my experience, it is quite a stable product. Similar to Citrix, we typically do basic checks before implementing new features or patches. In terms of completing operations for customers, the continuity loss is less than 3%.

We have around 30 customers using it. 

The customer service and support are fast and professional, and we have a dedicated support colleague who acts as a DataProtect wizard, confidently handling any issues we can't resolve ourselves.

Positive

The deployment depends on the environment. Deploying on VMs is relatively simple. But for most of our customers, we implement physical clusters with at least three configured hosts using the existing model. So, it depends on the setup.

Implementing DataProtect itself wasn't particularly challenging. One key requirement for successful DataProtect deployment is proper network configuration. If the network setup isn't right, you won't achieve optimal performance.

We have developed a service for some of our customers where they implement an appliance or physical cluster of Cohesity at the customer site.

Then, we use cloud clustering to replicate, and even in production, a second copy of the protected data. And in some cases, we have developed some disaster recovery procedures using Cohesity.

The price could be better. It could seem better, not necessarily bad, but not great, either. 

We partner with Cohesity in Italy and have a strong collaboration. So, when we propose Cohesity to potential new customers, we talk directly with Cohesity to get the best possible price and make everyone happy.  

I am an implementor, so I've prebuilt for this scope. And I put it in your environment. Then, I will ask the configurer to check. 

And then I give you the the toy to play with.

Overall, I would rate the solution a nine out of ten. 

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