Backup Exec eases media management.(Veritas Backup Exec Multi-Server Edition 7.3 backup software)(Software Review)(Evaluation)

In these days of RAID arrays, redundant components, and server clusters, tape backups have been shoved out of the data-protection limelight. Backups have never been glamorous, but they remain your best defense against data loss. In such a mundane field, you might think there is little room for innovation and even less for surprise. But Backup Exec Multi-Server Edition 7.3, released just after changing hands from Seagate Software to Veritas, is both innovative and surprising.

Computer Associates' ArcServeIT has been the de facto choice for corporate backup for Windows NT. ArcServeIT has its appeal, particularly if you're running the UniCenter framework, but after working with it for years, I've become a Backup Exec convert.

Backup Exec's unique combination of features, including SQL Server 7.0 support, Linux backup agents, support for Windows NT clusters, and a capable command-line interface, puts it in the lead …