Starting at $745 per year, Zerto Virtual Replication (ZVR) represents a well-rounded Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS) solution, but one that's directed primarily at larger companies, generally either midsize businesses or enterprises rather than small businesses.
That's due not only to its higher price, but also the need for an experienced IT staff to fully operate it.
Our Editors' Choice winner, Microsoft Azure Site Discovery, is also best-served with some on-staff IT expertise, but it's capable of operating with much less technical users, and it certainly has a better overall price.
Still, ZVR offers more overall flexibility than Azure so, if your needs are unique, then it's definitely worth checking out.
Honest, Objective Reviews
Daxdi.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services.
Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.
Many DRaaS offerings provide a variety of specialized backup methods.
Typical offerings include bare metal, database, virtual machine (VM), and mail server recovery.
Zerto completely ignores this paradigm and instead focuses solely on safeguarding VMs through replication to another host on your network or to an external cloud such as Amazon Web Services ($6,415.00 at Amazon) (AWS).
In that sense, ZVR is a one-trick pony, but the one trick it does, it does very well.
ZVR protects a single VM starting at $745 per year, according to the PR representative with whom I spoke, though you won't find this information published on its website.
Sales are done completely through channel partners, so final pricing will likely fluctuate based on the size of the deal being brokered and the options selected.
The prerequisite components blur the cost a bit more.
For example, if you are planning on using Microsoft Hyper-V, also plan on purchasing Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager.
It's also important to consider the costs of hosting the Zerto Cloud Appliance in AWS or another third-party cloud provider, like Rackspace ($10,300.00 at Rackspace) .
Depending on your selections this may or may not add up to be an expensive solution for your organization.
An Organized Web App
The ZVR user interface (UI) is a tab-organized web application geared towards defining, managing, and reporting on Virtual Protection Groups (VPGs).
Each consists of a set of VMs, associated resources, network settings, and failover options.
There is a special tab for pairing remote and local sites for replication.
There is also an intuitive dashboard tab that displays useful information such as whether or not the VPGs are meeting their service-level agreement (SLA).
Other telemetry including network performance, time to seed, and the earliest recovery point available.
A variety of predefined reports are available under the reporting tab that could be useful for those wishing to have an audit trail for their ongoing replication process.
Report topics span a variety of topics including recovery, usage, performance, and resources.
Data is presented in a dashboard form by default, but is easily exportable to PDF, CSV, or ZIP formats depending on the report.
It would have been nice to define custom reports, but the internal set is adequate.
The tab UI is intuitive to navigate, but it's easy to get frustrated if a step is missed along the way and a particular function is not available for use.
It requires some subtle connecting of the dots to establish the specific problem until familiarity with the overall process is internalized.
Installation and Setup
The ZVR setup process is not a consistent experience.
It depends on which virtualization platform is chosen and the cloud platform to which it is being deployed.
My testing experience centered on Hyper-V, but the same general outline applies to VMware vSphere.
Instead of installing System Center Virtual Machine Manager as I did, VMware users will want to configure vCenter instead.
The underlying virtualization infrastructure can be challenging to configure if it doesn't already exist, and that process is far beyond the scope of this article.
What that means is that ZVR is aimed at replicating a virtual infrastructure, not creating one.
You'll create the virtual network you need using tools like VMM or vCenter, and then use ZVR to discover that infrastructure and back it up to a third-party cloud.
It's a straightforward concept to folks familiar with virtual networking, but it does rely heavily on third-party tools and platforms when compared to more homogenized DRaaS solutions like Zetta Backup and Recovery ($175.00 at Serve from American Express) .
The ZVR installer, however, is both a simple and pleasant experience requiring only a few dialog boxes worth of information to complete.
Upon executing the installer, you will be prompted for login credentials to either VMware vCenter or Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager, the server listening ports, and a Microsoft SQL Server database with credentials where the replication data will be stored.
When the installer completes, the web application will launch.
At first login, you will be prompted for a license key.
After this point, you are guided to install the Zerto Virtual Replication Appliance into your virtual host–think of this as a virtulized version of an on-site, physical DR appliance like you'd find with Quorum onQ Hybrid Cloud Solution .
This is done automatically with a few adjustable options for resource usage, IP address, and storage.
Once the VM is installed, a secondary site may be paired and Virtual Protection Groups (VPGs) may be defined for VMs that require protection.
Because of all the moving parts outside of Zerto's control, you'll need to pay attention to the company's installation documentation or risk difficulties.
For example, if AWS is being used, the installation is similar, but there is a special version of the cloud appliance that must be installed.
In addition, a VPN between your organization and AWS is mandatory before it can be paired with a local host.
But as long as you've got these details covered, from start to finish, the entire installation process should take only an hour or two.
The Internet Bottleneck
As with any DRaaS solution that involves replication, seeding VMs across the Internet creates a bottleneck if a fast connection isn't available.
Seeding three VMs at a total of 500 GB to AWS via VPN took approximately a week at ten megabits per second.
Once this initial seeding is done, however, ZVR keeps pace based on the SLA assigned to each individual VPG.
If the SLA is one hour, then your replicated VMs will never be more than one hour behind current.
This always-on behavior is handy and makes failover a one-button operation that takes only a few minutes to complete.
A running VM that fails on one site can be up and running on another with only a minor interruption.
Failing back is just as easy.
ZVR handles business continuity extremely well.
An optional backup mechanism is available to shared and local network targets, though it is not a highlighted feature.
While the built-in backup feature is adequate, users may want to pair ZVR with a secondary bare metal backup solution to protect the entire virtual host.
ZVR is a powerful tool for ensuring that your organization is protected in the event of a disaster.
This is even true in situations in which an organization's virtualized landscape spans Hyper-V, VMware, AWS, and a host of other Zerto-approved third-party cloud providers.
Surprisingly, Microsoft Azure (16.00 Per Month Per Virtual Instance at Microsoft Azure) is the only major player currently not supported.
This power and flexibility does come at a high financial cost, and the knowledge level required to install and maintain the underlying components is considerable.
Furthermore, not everything fits neatly into a VM.
NAS and other non-virtualized network appliances will feel particularly left out.
ZVR was one of the most flexible solutions we tested, but relied heavily on third-party tools to provide its solution.
With that kind of complexity, be sure to do a detailed match of what your business needs and what the software offers before implementing.
Zerto Virtual Replication
Pros
Easy-to-use interface.
Supports a variety of cloud options.
Converts between Amazon Web Services (AWS), Hyper-V, and VMware virtual machines (VMs).
The Bottom Line
Zerto Virtual Replication's higher-than-average price tag and need for qualified IT staff on the customer side definitely make it a solution that's best for larger organizations.
However, the solution's flexibility make it worth a look for any company with custom requirements.
Starting at $745 per year, Zerto Virtual Replication (ZVR) represents a well-rounded Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS) solution, but one that's directed primarily at larger companies, generally either midsize businesses or enterprises rather than small businesses.
That's due not only to its higher price, but also the need for an experienced IT staff to fully operate it.
Our Editors' Choice winner, Microsoft Azure Site Discovery, is also best-served with some on-staff IT expertise, but it's capable of operating with much less technical users, and it certainly has a better overall price.
Still, ZVR offers more overall flexibility than Azure so, if your needs are unique, then it's definitely worth checking out.
Honest, Objective Reviews
Daxdi.com is a leading authority on technology, delivering Labs-based, independent reviews of the latest products and services.
Our expert industry analysis and practical solutions help you make better buying decisions and get more from technology.
Many DRaaS offerings provide a variety of specialized backup methods.
Typical offerings include bare metal, database, virtual machine (VM), and mail server recovery.
Zerto completely ignores this paradigm and instead focuses solely on safeguarding VMs through replication to another host on your network or to an external cloud such as Amazon Web Services ($6,415.00 at Amazon) (AWS).
In that sense, ZVR is a one-trick pony, but the one trick it does, it does very well.
ZVR protects a single VM starting at $745 per year, according to the PR representative with whom I spoke, though you won't find this information published on its website.
Sales are done completely through channel partners, so final pricing will likely fluctuate based on the size of the deal being brokered and the options selected.
The prerequisite components blur the cost a bit more.
For example, if you are planning on using Microsoft Hyper-V, also plan on purchasing Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager.
It's also important to consider the costs of hosting the Zerto Cloud Appliance in AWS or another third-party cloud provider, like Rackspace ($10,300.00 at Rackspace) .
Depending on your selections this may or may not add up to be an expensive solution for your organization.
An Organized Web App
The ZVR user interface (UI) is a tab-organized web application geared towards defining, managing, and reporting on Virtual Protection Groups (VPGs).
Each consists of a set of VMs, associated resources, network settings, and failover options.
There is a special tab for pairing remote and local sites for replication.
There is also an intuitive dashboard tab that displays useful information such as whether or not the VPGs are meeting their service-level agreement (SLA).
Other telemetry including network performance, time to seed, and the earliest recovery point available.
A variety of predefined reports are available under the reporting tab that could be useful for those wishing to have an audit trail for their ongoing replication process.
Report topics span a variety of topics including recovery, usage, performance, and resources.
Data is presented in a dashboard form by default, but is easily exportable to PDF, CSV, or ZIP formats depending on the report.
It would have been nice to define custom reports, but the internal set is adequate.
The tab UI is intuitive to navigate, but it's easy to get frustrated if a step is missed along the way and a particular function is not available for use.
It requires some subtle connecting of the dots to establish the specific problem until familiarity with the overall process is internalized.
Installation and Setup
The ZVR setup process is not a consistent experience.
It depends on which virtualization platform is chosen and the cloud platform to which it is being deployed.
My testing experience centered on Hyper-V, but the same general outline applies to VMware vSphere.
Instead of installing System Center Virtual Machine Manager as I did, VMware users will want to configure vCenter instead.
The underlying virtualization infrastructure can be challenging to configure if it doesn't already exist, and that process is far beyond the scope of this article.
What that means is that ZVR is aimed at replicating a virtual infrastructure, not creating one.
You'll create the virtual network you need using tools like VMM or vCenter, and then use ZVR to discover that infrastructure and back it up to a third-party cloud.
It's a straightforward concept to folks familiar with virtual networking, but it does rely heavily on third-party tools and platforms when compared to more homogenized DRaaS solutions like Zetta Backup and Recovery ($175.00 at Serve from American Express) .
The ZVR installer, however, is both a simple and pleasant experience requiring only a few dialog boxes worth of information to complete.
Upon executing the installer, you will be prompted for login credentials to either VMware vCenter or Microsoft System Center Virtual Machine Manager, the server listening ports, and a Microsoft SQL Server database with credentials where the replication data will be stored.
When the installer completes, the web application will launch.
At first login, you will be prompted for a license key.
After this point, you are guided to install the Zerto Virtual Replication Appliance into your virtual host–think of this as a virtulized version of an on-site, physical DR appliance like you'd find with Quorum onQ Hybrid Cloud Solution .
This is done automatically with a few adjustable options for resource usage, IP address, and storage.
Once the VM is installed, a secondary site may be paired and Virtual Protection Groups (VPGs) may be defined for VMs that require protection.
Because of all the moving parts outside of Zerto's control, you'll need to pay attention to the company's installation documentation or risk difficulties.
For example, if AWS is being used, the installation is similar, but there is a special version of the cloud appliance that must be installed.
In addition, a VPN between your organization and AWS is mandatory before it can be paired with a local host.
But as long as you've got these details covered, from start to finish, the entire installation process should take only an hour or two.
The Internet Bottleneck
As with any DRaaS solution that involves replication, seeding VMs across the Internet creates a bottleneck if a fast connection isn't available.
Seeding three VMs at a total of 500 GB to AWS via VPN took approximately a week at ten megabits per second.
Once this initial seeding is done, however, ZVR keeps pace based on the SLA assigned to each individual VPG.
If the SLA is one hour, then your replicated VMs will never be more than one hour behind current.
This always-on behavior is handy and makes failover a one-button operation that takes only a few minutes to complete.
A running VM that fails on one site can be up and running on another with only a minor interruption.
Failing back is just as easy.
ZVR handles business continuity extremely well.
An optional backup mechanism is available to shared and local network targets, though it is not a highlighted feature.
While the built-in backup feature is adequate, users may want to pair ZVR with a secondary bare metal backup solution to protect the entire virtual host.
ZVR is a powerful tool for ensuring that your organization is protected in the event of a disaster.
This is even true in situations in which an organization's virtualized landscape spans Hyper-V, VMware, AWS, and a host of other Zerto-approved third-party cloud providers.
Surprisingly, Microsoft Azure (16.00 Per Month Per Virtual Instance at Microsoft Azure) is the only major player currently not supported.
This power and flexibility does come at a high financial cost, and the knowledge level required to install and maintain the underlying components is considerable.
Furthermore, not everything fits neatly into a VM.
NAS and other non-virtualized network appliances will feel particularly left out.
ZVR was one of the most flexible solutions we tested, but relied heavily on third-party tools to provide its solution.
With that kind of complexity, be sure to do a detailed match of what your business needs and what the software offers before implementing.
Zerto Virtual Replication
Pros
Easy-to-use interface.
Supports a variety of cloud options.
Converts between Amazon Web Services (AWS), Hyper-V, and VMware virtual machines (VMs).
The Bottom Line
Zerto Virtual Replication's higher-than-average price tag and need for qualified IT staff on the customer side definitely make it a solution that's best for larger organizations.
However, the solution's flexibility make it worth a look for any company with custom requirements.
