SharePoint server has become a very popular enterprise application to enhanced collaboration. As the quantity and value of data stored on SharePoint platform rises, backup and recovery becomes critical and it proves to be a challenge for administrators.

SharePoint offers full farm backup options out of the box: First, the web-based Central Administration backup and restore. Second, command-line backup tool using PowerShell. Third option is SharePoint Designer.

Unfortunately, these three options have some limitations: no true item level restore option (if a single item needs to be recovered, the entire site must be restored), manually front end backup necessarily , high restore time, frustrating command-line utilities, no back up directly to tape, no custom solution files backup, no IIS backup, no alternate access mappings backup.

Because of the intricate nature of SharePoint server and its vital mission, companies investing in the platform should look for reliable backup and recovery solution able to provide complete range of protection. And since out of the box solution does not offer that level of protection, a third-party solution would be a good investment. This article presents most notable third-party backup and recovery solutions available on the market. Did I miss anything? What is your choice for SharePoint backup and recovery?

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Recovery Manager for SharePoint by DELL

Simplify and accelerate granular and disaster-level SharePoint restores with Recovery Manager for SharePoint. Use your existing enterprise or native backups in order to perform granular searches, previews and comparisons with this flexible tool. Execute restores from your existing SharePoint backup, even when your data is offline or stored in external or remote BLOB storage (EBS/RBS).

With Recovery Manager for SharePoint, you can:

• Use enhanced search and preview capabilities to simplify SharePoint recovery
• Rapidly recover data directly where it is needed
• Gain a single solution to restore SharePoint, including granular, farm-level and externalized data recovery without an enterprise backup solution
• Streamline SharePoint recovery and complete restores without database engineers or access to SQL Server
• Recover and backup SharePoint at reduced costs by using your existing backups

Features

• Use your existing backups
• Better discovery and indexing
• Complete restores
• 24/7 access
• More secure SharePoint backup and recovery
• Free Trial Available

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DocAve Backup and Restore for Microsoft SharePoint by AvePoint

DocAve Backup and Recovery addresses the need for a fast, flexible, and intelligent backup solution for Microsoft SharePoint. DocAve provides full fidelity backup and recovery, from an individual content item to an entire SharePoint environment and all of its farm-level components, maintaining all metadata, securities, and version histories.

Key Advantages of the DocAve Backup and Restore:

• Business-aware, comprehensive, SLA-driven protection of SharePoint Server
• Granular Content Backup
• Farm-level Backup
• Externalized BLOB Backup
• Full, Differential, or Incremental Backup
• Filter Policy – Only back up the desired content
• Supported Storage Devices
• Data Pruning
• Backup Data Verification
• Free Trial Available

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CommVault Simpana for SharePoint

CommVault Simpana software offers enterprise-class backup and restore for Microsoft SharePoint to deliver reliable data recovery and low-cost retention. Add archive for reducing SharePoint database growth and improving system performance. You get it all managed from the same intuitive console, with the same servers, networks and storage shared for handling backup and archive data.

Key Benefits of CommVault Simpana for SharePoint:

• Rapid backup including “near instant” snapshot capabilities
• Easy browse and restore of individual sites, documents, lists, ASPX pages, templates, contacts and entire SharePoint databases and systems
• Simplified Any point-in-time recovery options
• Real-time replication among systems and sites
• Support for SharePoint stand-alone and server farm deployments
• Advanced continuous data protection and recovery features
• Single interface manages Exchange, AD and SharePoint

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EMC – NetWorker

NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications
EMC NetWorker Module for Microsoft Applications delivers a unified solution for protecting Microsoft Server applications including Exchange, SQL, SharePoint, Data Protection Manager, Hyper-V, and Active Directory. It enables EMC NetWorker to leverage the Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) framework for consistent point-in-time application snapshots, delivering quick recovery and off-host backup.

Key Benefits of NetWorker Module:

• Global source deduplication
• Snapshot-assisted backup
• VSS application writer integration
• Simplified, centralized, and automated backup and recovery in a single solution
• Disaster recovery and granular restore
• Off-host backup from snapshots eliminates the impact of backup
• Simplify content restore with comprehensive search
• Evaluation available upon request

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Idera SharePoint Backup

A powerful backup and recovery product for Microsoft SharePoint sites and site collections. Idera SharePoint backup provides automated scheduled backups, monitoring of backup and recovery operations from a central console and reduces administrator workload by enabling site administrators and users to recover their own documents. SharePoint backup also saves on storage costs with powerful compression technology to reduce backup sizes by up to 95%.

Key Benefits of Idera SharePoint backup:

• Fast retrieval and recovery of SharePoint content (from site collections to individual documents)
• Self-service SharePoint Recovery
• Easy to use – caters to ‘accidental administrators’
• Backup automation
• Reduced Backup Storage
• Only backup content that has changed!
• Free for 14 days

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Kernel for SharePoint

Kernel for SharePoint Server Recovery is an expedient software and very much capable of repairing and restoring the lost, corrupt or inaccessible SharePoint databases.

Key Benefits of Kernel for SharePoint:

• Easy recovery of the data items from corrupt MDF database
• Recover and restore documents when MS SharePoint Server is down
• Allows preview of SharePoint data prior to saving it at respective location
• Access important shared files that turned inaccessible due to corruption of MDF database
• Works well with MS SharePoint Server 2013/2010/2007
• Compatible with MS SQL Server 2014/2012/2008 R2/2008/2005
• Free Trial Available

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Metalogix SharePoint Backup

No-Compromise SharePoint Backup Lightning-Fast SharePoint backup and restore.

SharePoint Backup is purpose built to protect your entire SharePoint environment, providing a coordinated capture of data tied to content databases, service applications, search data, and farm configuration.

Key Benefits:

• Total SharePoint Backup
• Fast Granular or Farm Restore
• Lightning-Fast Backup
• Restore from existing backups
• Self-Service Recovery
• Efficiently Manage Backup Storage
• Peace of Mind with Flawless Security
• UI Anyone Can Use
• Self-Service Recovery
• Efficiently Manage Backup Storage
• Free Trial Available

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MetaVis SharePoint Backup

Recovers your valuable SharePoint data, including business critical documents, site content, and metadata.

Professional SharePoint Server Recovery software that safely repairs SharePoint databases or SQL Server files to retrieve all crucial information stored on your SharePoint Server. The software can easily extract all data and documents from the damaged SharePoint database.

Key Benefits

• Backup: Backup site collections, sites, lists & libraries, documents & versions, permissions, views, terms, and more from SharePoint and Office 365, all from one place.
• Schedule: Perform backups when it is most convenient, even if you’re not around. Easily schedule full or incremental backups through the tool, Windows Task Scheduler, Powershell, or the command line.
• Multiple Storage Options: Backup to and Restore from local or cloud storage. Azure, and Amazon S3, and filesystems are all supported.
• Restore: Restore content and objects to SharePoint or Office 365 site collections, sites, lists/libraries, and folders without having to roll back the environment.
• Free Trial Available

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Symantec NetBackup/Backup Exec

As the leader in data protection, Symantec offers comprehensive data protection for SharePoint environments of all sizes. Easily protect databases, lists, and documents with a single pass backup while significantly reducing storage costs and improving backup and recovery times.

Key Benefits

• Online backups and restores of SharePoint environments
• Rapid restore of individual files, folders, sub-sites, lists, etc.
• Archive and remove an entire document library when a project ends
• Restore complete SharePoint server farms, in minutes, in the event of disaster
• Reduce data protection costs, storage and complexity as you grow
• Support for both physical and virtual environments
• Trial version offered

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SnapManager for SharePoint

NetApp SnapManager for Microsoft SharePoint Server lets you improve SharePoint scalability and reduce storage costs.

NetApp SnapManager for SharePoint software enables you to monitor and manage your growing Microsoft SharePoint Server environment across your entire enterprise. Using the clustered Data ONTAP operating system, you can perform routine maintenance and upgrades without disrupting storage operations.

Back up SharePoint Server data in minutes, and recover at any granularity from individual documents up to an entire SharePoint farm within minutes, from local or remote backups. SnapManager automates backup and restore of Nintex workflows, and FAST search information and certificates.

Key Benefits

• Reduce storage costs
• Scale seamlessly
• Safeguard SharePoint data
• Improve manageability
• Achieve fast, granular recovery of SharePoint Server data
• Meet archive and compliance requirements
• Automated discovery

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Stellar Phoenix SharePoint Recovery

Recovers your valuable SharePoint data, including business critical documents, site content, and metadata.

Professional SharePoint Server Recovery software that safely repairs SharePoint databases or SQL Server files to retrieve all crucial information stored on your SharePoint Server. The software can easily extract all data and documents from the damaged SharePoint database.

Key Benefits

• Repairs .MDF database of the SharePoint Server
• ‘Complete Repair’ Option
• ‘Document Recovery’ Option
• Searches for SharePoint Databases
• Preview of SharePoint Data
• Uploads Database files to SharePoint Server
• Option to View and Save Log
• Free Trial Available

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Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SharePoint

Veeam Explorer for Microsoft SharePoint gives you instant visibility into SharePoint backups with quick search and recovery of individual SharePoint items or lists.

Recover just what you’re looking for with a simple right-click—there’s no need to restore the entire database. You can:
– Browse your SharePoint database directly from a compressed, de-duplicated image-level backup
– Use the built-in, full-text search capability to find specific SharePoint items
– Recover and export items directly to the original SharePoint server, send items as email attachments to specific users or simply copy to another location

Key Benefits

• High Speed Recovery
• Data Loss Avoidance
• Verified Protection
• Leveraged Data
• Complete Visibility
• Free Trial Available

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Upsafe Backup

Upsafe Backup provides the best backup solution for Office 365/SharePoint. It helps you ensure the critical data from your SaaS application and allows you to focus on what really matters for your business & projects. In a few clicks you can set up the solution and just start your Office 365/SharePoint back up. Then, when necessary, just restore the files you need through granular or full recovery.

Protect SharePoint, your corporate teamwork environment, and focus on what really matters for your business.

Free Trial Available