Article Written by Doug Hanchett, Acronis
The reviews are in, and it's official: Acronis Backup 12.5 is
sending shockwaves through the world of backup. Its blazing speed, rock-ribbed
reliability and unprecedented level of data protection has redefined backup for businesses
of all sizes.
Years in the making, Acronis Backup 12.5 is a significant
upgrade over prior backup solutions and marks the future of data protection. It
also signifies a merger of Acronis' longstanding, highly-regarded business
backup solutions: Acronis Backup 12 is
now Acronis Backup 12.5 Standard Edition and Acronis Backup 11.7 Advanced is
Acronis Backup 12.5 Advanced Edition.
What's all the hubbub? The consensus from reviewers is that Acronis
Backup 12.5 is fast, dependable and easy to use. It offers complete protection
that safeguards all data regardless of where it's located - on-premises, in
remote systems, in private or public clouds, or on tablets or mobile devices.
"Acronis Backup 12.5 Advanced is the world's first
enterprise-grade data protection solution with a consumer-grade user interface,"
said Jason Buffington, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group. "It makes
the complex job of data protection easy for any IT administrator or business
owner ... and it works equally well with organizations of all sizes."
Underpinned
by proven technology that's trusted by more than 5.5 million users across
the globe, Acronis Backup 12.5:
- Installs
in three clicks and provides one-click backups.
- Protects
data on 21 platforms with a single touch-friendly, web-based console.
- Stops
ransomware in its tracks with Acronis Active ProtectionTM - the only backup technology
that actively fights back against this growing threat.
- Delivers
the world's fastest backups and 15-second restores.
- Simplifies
backups with customizable dashboards, smart alerts and advanced reports.
While Acronis Backup 12.5 has over 150 new features - many
of them developed based on input from customers - in this article we'll look at
the key enhancements for each edition.
Acronis Backup 12.5
Standard Edition
Acronis Backup 12.5 Standard Edition is designed for small-
and medium-sized businesses looking for safe, straightforward backup of their
vital business data.
Unlike larger companies that have dedicated IT staff to
oversee backup and recovery, data protection at smaller outfits often falls to an
employee with a limited tech background. So simplicity is key. Smaller companies
are often less concerned with the latest bells and whistles than with knowing
they can set up their backup software
easily and it will reliably protect them in the event of a data loss incident.
Enter Acronis Backup 12.5. It packages sophisticated,
innovative technology with an intuitive, easy-to-use interface that makes data
protection a snap. Here is some of the enhanced functionality that comes with
the standard edition.
Acronis Active
ProtectionTM
Acronis Active Protection is the first backup technology to
actively defend against ransomware, detecting and deflecting attacks before
they can encrypt data and hold it hostage. It uses sophisticated analysis and
artificial intelligence to monitor your system. If it spots any errant behavior
or suspicious processes, it stops the activity and blacklists the program
responsible for it. And if ransomware does manage to sneak through and start
encrypting files, Acronis Active Protection will quickly detect the encryption
and halt it - automatically restoring the affected files.
"Acronis has turned the world upside down," said Eric O'Neill,
a cybersecurity expert and former FBI counter-terrorism agent. "Not only have
they delivered an innovative protection that any size business can easily use,
but also an active protection against ransomware attacks with instant recovery
of the affected data. This is a game-changing industry first."
Cool interface with customizable
dashboards
The slick new management console gives backup operations a
modern look and feel. But Acronis Backup 12.5 is more than just a pretty face. With
one quick glance, users get unparalleled visibility into their systems and understand
everything that's going on. Best of all, they can easily customize the intuitive
dashboard by adding drag-and-drop widgets that contain real-time data, monitoring
items like which machines are unprotected, if any backups have failed and which
alerts are active.
Acronis Startup
Recovery Manager
This tool helps users quickly restore their
Windows PCs from software failures without the need
for assistance from IT, saving time and trouble for everyone. Users simply
press F11 during boot-up and then use the easy-to-use system recovery interface
directly from the PC's hard drive.
All in all, Acronis Backup 12.5 Standard Edition is the
perfect fit for small- and medium-sized business that want to protect their
data without getting sidetracked from their core business
"The Acronis Backup 12.5 interface is useful to newcomers -
very user friendly - while offering a good range of configuration options,"
said Patrick Savary, systems engineer at Abacus Computers, Inc. "This looks
like a great implementation for small businesses that have been burned by
ransomware in the past and don't want to be hassled with keeping track of workstation
backups - just set it and forget it."
Acronis Backup 12.5
Advanced Edition
Acronis Backup 12.5 Advanced Edition is designed for enterprises
and medium-sized business with more sophisticated IT environments. It contains
the same groundbreaking features of the standard edition, but also offers
robust new tools that allow IT personnel to optimize their infrastructure and
backup regimen to suit their company's particular needs.
Here are some of the more popular features we've added.
Admin roles and delegations
Companies with multiple locations can delegate data
protection duties to IT staff in remote offices. Users can still monitor,
control and report on the entire organization, but remote administrators take
care of their own systems and networks. This makes them faster, more responsive
and more agile if anything out of the ordinary crops up.
Remote and automated
bare-metal recovery
Users can now boot a bare-metal system from Acronis Bootable
Media and connect to it remotely from the web console. If they need to recover
a server in the data center, they simply ask an on-site employee to insert the
bootable media, press the power button, get the IP address, and connect to it
remotely. That's it. There's no need to waste time traveling to the data center.
SAN storage snapshots
Businesses with VMware virtual machines that use NetApp
storage can reduce the load on their ESXi hypervisors by offloading backup
snapshots to NetApp SAN. They simply have to configure the connectivity and let
Acronis Backup 12.5 do the rest. ESXi no
longer needs to track VM changes for the entire period of the backup, but only
for few seconds at the start, freeing up ESXi resources for primary production
tasks.
Oracle Database
backup and granular recovery
This lets users back up the entire Oracle Database server,
including the operating system, applications, configurations, and databases,
and then restore select databases, tablespaces, or logs. This works on physical
and virtualized Oracle Database servers, including the ones hosted in Microsoft
Azure and Amazon EC2 clouds.
Advanced reporting
Acronis Backup 12.5 includes a large number of pre-defined
reports based on the extensive feedback from existing Acronis customers. In
addition, users can include dashboard widgets in their reports, such as adding diagram
with just a few clicks. Reports are customizable with filters, sorting, and
field selection so users can easily satisfy corporate reporting requirements. Plus
they can be scheduled to be sent out on a regular basis via email or saved to a
specific folder.
Blockchain
verification
Acronis NotaryTM uses blockchain technology to generate a
time-stamped "fingerprint" that can be used to verify the immutability,
authenticity and integrity of stored data or show a legal chain of custody,
such as proving when a document was created.
"Blockchain technology is gaining acceptance as an
indisputable method to certify data and verify its integrity," said Vitalik
Buterin, chief scientist and founder of the Ethereum Foundation. "Acronis
recognized the need before any other vendor and is ready to offer mature
technology just in time when the market is ready."
These are just some of the new features Acronis Backup 12.5
is being lauded for. Learn
more about its full breadth of functionality today. Or better yet, try it
for yourself for free.
Final Thought
Whether it's a small,
home-based business or a global industry goliath, Acronis Backup 12.5 has
something for everyone. Its speed and simplicity will appeal to mom-and-pop
entities, while its leading edge technology and robust tool set can handle any
challenge a big IT department can throw at it. Plus Acronis Backup 12.5 is the
only backup solution to actively defend data against the growing menace of
ransomware.
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About the Author
Doug Hanchett is the corporate content manager at Acronis.
Formerly an award-winning newspaper reporter, Doug has spent the last 12
years creating killer content for global IT firms.