Are these types of tools really expensive and what can you do if you need some of this functionality

Are these types of tools really expensive and what can you do if you need some of this functionality

The solutions are definitely an add-on cost to any environment. But if you look at the benefits you get from these types of solutions, it really does pay off over time. If you've been hit with an audit or if you have to comply with an e-discovery request and you need to have instant access to information, you need to know up-to-date information about your backup environment.

If you don't have the budget to afford this type of a solution, many of the vendors are offering sort of a service-level offering where it's a pay-as-you-go model. So that might be an easier entry point for organizations that are budget constrained.

Checkout the entire Backup reporting FAQ

This was first published in June 2008