Arcserve was one of the first host-based back-up solutions, originally for Novell Netware servers but now also for Windows and Unix/Linux.

This latest version can back up to writeable CD-Rom/DVD drives and hard disks.

Support for Network Attached Storage (Nas) and Storage Area Networks (Sans) is also available, along with facilities to back up open databases, mail servers and so on.

And a lot of effort has gone into making the user interface as simple as possible.

Installation of the Windows version has been streamlined in version 9, and most popular tape drives are recognised and set up automatically.

There's support for single drive libraries, although multi-drive support costs an extra £539 ex VAT.

The management interface can be run on the host system or remotely to manage multiple back-up servers hosted on different platforms.

It features a web look and feel with familiar forward/back navigation buttons, hyperlinks, favourites and so on.

You get plenty of wizards and a quick-access menu which groups the most frequently used options.

In terms of basic functionality Arcserve provides a full set of backup and restore options plus integrated antivirus scanning and tape rotation as standard.

Built-in reporting with an onscreen preview option is another useful facility along with comprehensive alerting capabilities.

There are also facilities to tune performance including support for multiple network adaptors to build a dedicated back-up network.

However, as with most back-up applications you need to buy extra add-ons to access some of the advertised features.

Among the extras on offer there's a disaster recovery module for £465 ex VAT, and agents to back up other server platforms, such as Netware, Linux and Unix, starting at around £130 ex VAT.

Plus you can get agents for all the leading databases, including Oracle, SQL Server and Sybase, plus Exchange Server and Lotus Notes, these cost around £660 ex VAT each.

A SAP R/3 module is yet another option as is support for San and Nas Back-up, tape Raid and image back-up.

All this can add up to an expensive solution, but it does save having to pay for options you don't really need.

Arcserve wins our Editor's Choice award, for being a comprehensive back-up solution that scales well to handle the needs of most enterprises.

We liked its interface and found it easy to get the maximum performance out of our tape drives.

DETAILS

Price: From £545.20 (£464 ex VAT) (Windows)
Contact: CA 01753 577 733
www.ca.com