How to go about
the Backup Software Purchase Decision?
The
more popular methodology for analyzing competing brands is to
define the main attributes used by the industry to describe
its offerings and to examine the product features of each brand
in the light of these attributes. Here are 6 easy steps to make
sure that you will buy the right backup software.
The previous article, suggested the attributes
used by backup and recovery management vendors to describe their
wares. The following article will explain to you what to look
for in backup products and what questions you should ask so
that you can make the best and most informed decision.
The previous article also showed a diagram to
explain how these attributes inter-relate with one another.
Click on the image below to enlarge and show how a summary of
the attributes that you should look for.
Click
to Enlarge
Step 1: "Ease of Use"
The first product attribute relates to the installation
and setting up of the product to perform backup and data recovery.
In evaluating the various competing brands,
you should ask about the features that make the backup and recovery
management software easy to install, manage and run:
- How easy is the installation and initial
configuration process? Is the install interface clear and
unequivocal? Are the steps written in plain English and do
not leave any place for choosing the wrong options?
- Does this process take long? Do the vendors
state a time-frame within which the installation and initial
configuration takes place?
- Is the product easy to use and user friendly?
Is the user interface built in a Windows-familiar environment?
Are the user-interface and the commands intuitive? Does the
product allow step-by-step backup and restore?
- Does the product allow non-technical users
to make use of this product without much training? Does the
product manual and/or help system provide enough information
to gain a thorough knowledge of the product?
- How easily can the user browse around the
various options to set up backups and restores? How easily
can the user browse around the documents and application settings
to set up backups?
- Are there any shortcuts to this data and
settings? How easily can the user browse the backup archive
to find and restore multiple or single files?
- Are schedules easy to set up?
- Are the manuals and in-built help written
in plain and simple English and are they easy to understand?
Does the product provide real-time job status?
- Was information readily available on the
vendor website? Was it easy to find or did the site contain
an overload of information making it extremely difficult to
learn what solutions are available and whether these products
fit requirements?
- What do independent reviews by magazines
say about the company and the products in respect to ease
of use?
Step
2: Cost of Ownership and Value for Money
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