Commvault Competitors: 5 Alternatives to Try for Data Archiving

When it comes to data archiving, choosing the right vendor can be as crucial as the technology itself.

Many organizations opt for Commvault for its robust features and extensive track record. However, no solution is without its drawbacks, and Commvault is no exception.

Our focus? Finding five leading Commvault competitors that might suit your specific needs better.

We’ll cover:

• Some disadvantages of choosing Commvault as a data archiving solution.
• An overview of five Commvault competitors (with key feature differences).
• A list of pros and cons based on real-life product reviews on independent websites like Gartner and G2.

Commvault offers a wide range of services catering to various aspects of data management, protection, and security. One of Commvault’s core offerings is its data protection and backup solution for physical and virtual environments.

Apart from ensuring business continuity by safeguarding critical data against loss or corruption, Commvault offers disaster recovery services, cloud data management, ediscovery and legal hold, endpoint data protection, file storage optimization services, data migration, and ransomware protection.

As for data archiving, Commvault addresses the need for regulatory compliance and data governance. Their solutions help in identifying sensitive data, enforcing data retention policies, and providing audit trails to ensure compliance with various regulations like GDPR, HIPAA, and others.

In addition to that, Commvault provides ediscovery and legal hold capabilities. These tools assist in the search, identification, and preservation of relevant information for legal cases and compliance audits.

Commvault Data Archiving: Things to Look Out For

While Commvault is a robust and comprehensive solution for data archiving, it does come with a set of drawbacks that organizations should consider.

• Complexity and learning curve — Commvault’s software can be complex due to its extensive set of features and capabilities. This complexity often translates into a steep learning curve for IT teams, especially those that do not have experience with comprehensive data management systems.
• Cost — Commvault is often perceived as a premium offering in terms of pricing. The cost can be a significant factor, especially for SMEs or organizations with limited budgets. The licensing model and the total cost of ownership may be higher compared to some of its competitors.
• Configuration and customization — Setting up and customizing Commvault to fit specific organizational needs can be a time-consuming process. It often requires dedicated IT staff and possibly external consultants to configure the system optimally, which can add to the initial deployment time and cost.
• Overwhelming for smaller environments — For smaller organizations or those with simpler data archiving needs, Commvault’s extensive feature set and capabilities might be more than what is actually needed.
• Integration challenges — While Commvault is designed to integrate with a wide range of systems and applications, the process can be complex and arduous. This could be a challenge for organizations with a diverse set of IT systems.
• Customer support — Some users have reported varying experiences with customer support, with concerns regarding response times and the level of technical support received.

It’s important to weigh these drawbacks against their specific needs, budget, and IT capabilities to determine if Commvault is the right data archiving solution for you.

Here are some Commvault alternatives that may be a better fit depending on the scale, complexity, and specific requirements of your organization.

Five Commvault Competitors to Consider

Jatheon

Jatheon stands out in the data archiving world with its AWS-based Jatheon Cloud platform. Known for its simplicity, robust feature set, and efficiency, Jatheon offers an intuitive user interface combined with powerful archiving capabilities. Jatheon is known for its user-friendly design, fair pricing model and 24/7 technical support, making it a prime choice for organizations that find Commvault’s complexity, lack of support, and price point challenging.

Key features:

• Advanced ediscovery — You can simplify deep searches for open data requests and ediscovery with an intuitive, yet powerful search function.
• Compliance management — Jatheon lets you automate data retention to ensure regulatory compliance across various standards, including HIPAA, SOX, GDPR, and FERPA.
• Security — Secure your data both in transit and at rest with high-grade encryption methods, two-factor authentication, geofencing, and overall secure environment based on microservices architecture.

Average Gartner Peer Insights score: 4.8 out of 5

Pros:

• Jatheon supports various content formats including email, social media, chat apps, text messages, and collaboration platforms like Zoom or Teams.
• The solution has a good balance of powerful features and ease of use.
• Automated legacy data migration from legacy and competitor systems.

Cons:

• Jatheon is one of the few archiving vendors that still has on-premise systems. However, the UI of their on-prem offering hasn’t been updated in recent years.

Mimecast

Mimecast is renowned for its comprehensive cloud-based archiving solutions. Focused on email security and archiving, it provides robust features to manage and preserve critical communication data. Mimecast is particularly compelling for those seeking a blend of email archiving and security, which may not be as pronounced in Commvault’s offering.

Key features:

• Seamless integration. Mimecast effortlessly integrates with multiple email platforms including Microsoft 365 and Exchange.
• Continuity management ensures uninterrupted email access even during server outages.
• Admin Console provides unified access to all features: security, archiving, ediscovery, recovery, email retention policy settings, user management, and litigation hold requests, can all be managed through a single web interface.

Average Gartner Peer Insights score: 4.4 out of 5

Pros:

• Encrypted, secure storage in various data centers.
• Quick search, with an industry-leading 7-second search service level agreement.

Cons:

• Initial setup and configuration can be a bit complex and time-consuming.
• Suboptimal customer support.
• As for non-email content, Mimecast can only archive Microsoft Teams. There’s no native support for social media or other chat apps.
• It’s only available as a cloud service. Customers interested in on-premises or hybrid deployments for archiving need to opt for an alternative vendor.

Global Relay

Global Relay has carved a niche for itself with its strong emphasis on compliance and communication archiving for regulated industries, but primarily financial services. Global Relay’s focus on regulatory compliance makes it a preferred choice for businesses in regulated sectors, where Commvault’s solution may not be as targeted.

Key Features:

• Compliance archiving — Tailored archiving system that meets the strict demands of regulatory bodies and all major laws.
• Search functionality — Robust search tools to swiftly locate necessary records.
• Secure data management — Prioritizes the security and integrity of stored data.

Average Gartner Peer Insights score: 4.2 out of 5

Pros:

• The compliance-focused features are top-notch, making audits and regulatory checks much more manageable.
• Can archive Google Drive and SharePoint, unlike most other competitors.

Cons:

• The user interface could be more intuitive, especially for new users.
• Does not offer on-premise or hybrid solutions.

Intradyn

Intradyn offers a compelling archiving solution with a focus on affordability and ease of use, making it a viable option for small to mid-sized businesses. For those who find Commvault’s pricing and complexity prohibitive, Intradyn presents a more accessible and budget-conscious option.

Key Features:

• Scalable architecture — It can adapt to growing data needs, making it suitable for expanding organizations.
• Comprehensive compliance — Intradyn is a solid choice if you need to meet compliance requirements efficiently.

Average Gartner Peer Insights score: 5.0 out of 5.0 (only one review).

Pros:

• Intradyn provides an excellent balance between cost and functionality, ideal for our growing business needs.
• Intradyn offers a budget-friendly archiving solution without compromising on basic features.

Cons:

• Some advanced features are lacking, which might be necessary for larger enterprises.
• Intradyn hasn’t been included in any industry reports like Gartner or Radicati.

Smarsh

Smarsh is well-regarded for its expertise in archiving and compliance, particularly in handling diverse types of electronic communications and its focus on the financial services industry. Smarsh’s ability to handle a wide array of communication channels sets it apart, especially for organizations that need more than just email archiving, which is a typical focus of Commvault.

Key features:

• Multi-channel archiving — Efficiently archives various communication formats including email, social media, and mobile messages.
• Proactive Compliance Monitoring — Tools to proactively monitor and enforce compliance policies.
• Advanced search and ediscovery — Streamlines the process of data retrieval and legal discovery.

Average Gartner Peer Insights score: 3.2 out of 5

Pros:

• Smarsh has a comprehensive coverage of different communication types.
• The company offers tools that actively monitor and enforce compliance policies.
• It’s a common choice for financial services organizations.

Cons:

• The learning curve for the platform can be steep for new users, requiring significant training.
• It’s not possible to access the archive via a mobile app.
• The software is localized only in English.

Summary

When looking for an archiving solution, consider your technical and compliance requirements but also make sure the software aligns with your business model and budget. While Commvault is a robust choice, it’s not the only one.

There are several vendors that specialize in data archiving and can provide the same robust feature set with a more intuitive user experience and more efficient technical support.

About the Author

Bojana Krstic

Bojana Krstic is the Marketing Director at Jatheon, where she leads strategic initiatives and creates content on data archiving, ediscovery, and compliance. When AFK, you’ll find her in the forest, discovering new music, or exploring the Adriatic.