Commercial and Open Source Alternatives to Rubrik for Microsoft 365 Backup (2024)

Rubrik is a notable Microsoft 365 backup market player known for its automated resource discovery and user-friendly interface. While Rubrik offers robust features for organizations with hybrid cloud setups, the evolving data protection landscape demands a closer look at alternatives that may better suit your needs.

In this article, we will go through top Rubrik competitors to help you make an informed decision that aligns with your unique data protection requirements and operational goals.

• What to Look for in a Rubrik Alternative
• Top Rubrik Alternatives for Microsoft 365 Backup
• Alcion Backup as a Service for Microsoft 365
• Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365
• Commvault's Metallic Microsoft 365 Backup
• AvePoint Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365 (Office 365)
• Open-Source Rubrik Alternatives
• Corso: Free and Open-Source Microsoft 365 Backup
• Discover the Ideal Rubrik Alternative for Your Organization

What is Rubrik for Microsoft 365?

Rubrik for Microsoft 365 is a backup solution that protects core Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Microsoft Teams.  

At its core, Rubrik operates using a cloud-first model, allowing customers to host their backups within Rubrik's Azure environment or their Azure account. While this approach offers some flexibility, it may limit options for organizations with specific storage preferences or cost concerns.  

However, it's worth noting that this flexibility comes with a minimum requirement of 300 seats, which may impact its suitability for smaller businesses.

While Rubrik offers features like automated discovery or immutable backups, organizations considering Rubrik should carefully evaluate the total cost of ownership. The solution's pricing structure and potential storage costs can lead to significant expenses, especially for larger enterprises or those with rapidly growing data volumes.

Furthermore, while Rubrik simplifies many aspects of backup management, setting up and optimizing the system for large, complex environments still requires careful planning and execution. Administrators must consider factors such as Azure resource allocation, data transfer costs, and ongoing management of backup policies to ensure seamless operation and comprehensive data protection.

From our Microsoft 365 Backup solutions snapshot article: Rubrik's combination of automated resource discovery and user-friendly interface, complemented by competitive pricing, makes it a strong contender in the backup solution market, especially for businesses seeking efficiency and security.

Who Uses Rubrik Backup for Microsoft 365?  

Rubrik's Microsoft 365 backup solution generally targets larger enterprises, particularly those with hybrid cloud setups. However, its reliance on Azure infrastructure and potential scalability limitations may not align with the needs of all organizations, especially those seeking more flexible, cost-effective, or feature-rich alternatives in today's rapidly evolving data protection landscape.

Why Look for a Rubrik Backup for Microsoft 365 Alternative?

While Rubrik offers a robust backup solution for Microsoft 365, you might find yourself exploring alternatives due to certain limitations:

• Minimum Seat Requirement: If you're a small to medium-sized business, Rubrik's typical 300-seat minimum might be more than you need, preventing you from accessing their enterprise-grade backup solution.
• Azure-Centric Approach: Should you prefer cloud providers other than Azure or have existing investments in different infrastructures, Rubrik's reliance on Azure for backup storage might not align with your strategy.
• Cost Structure: Rubrik's tiered licensing system and potential additional charges for high storage usage might lead to unpredictable costs, especially if your organization is experiencing rapid data growth or maintains extensive archived data.
• Limited Ransomware Detection: While you get some anomaly detection capabilities with Rubrik, you might notice its ransomware detection features primarily focus on OneDrive and SharePoint, potentially leaving gaps in protection for your other Microsoft 365 services.
• Scalability Concerns: If you're managing a huge enterprise or have complex, multi-geo Microsoft 365 deployments, you may need to evaluate Rubrik's scalability and performance in these scenarios carefully.
• Restore Flexibility: If you need to export data to external formats like PST or MBOX for portability or compliance reasons, you might find Rubrik's limitations in this area problematic.  

What to Look for in a Rubrik Alternative

In our analysis of top Microsoft 365 Backup solutions, Rubrik has positioned itself as a notable option, particularly for its automated resource discovery and user-friendly interface in hybrid cloud environments. It caters to larger organizations with its comprehensive backup capabilities for core Microsoft 365 services and Entra ID.

However, depending on your organization's size, budget constraints, and specific needs, you might seek alternatives that address Rubrik's limitations.  

Seek Enhanced Security and Threat Detection

Given Rubrik's limited ransomware detection capabilities, prioritize alternatives that offer more comprehensive, AI-driven security measures. You should look for solutions that provide advanced threat detection across all Microsoft 365 services, not just OneDrive and SharePoint. Seek out options with proactive threat response mechanisms and integration with broader security ecosystems.

Consider More Scalable Pricing Models

If Rubrik's minimum seat requirement and tiered pricing structure don't align with your needs, search for alternatives with more flexible pricing models. You might benefit from solutions that offer per-user pricing without significant minimum commitments, allowing you to scale your backup solution more efficiently with your organization's growth.

Emphasize Ease of Management

Although Rubrik is known for its user-friendly interface, you should seek alternatives that further simplify backup management, especially for complex environments. Look for solutions that offer intuitive dashboards, automated policy management, and easy-to-use restore processes that don't require extensive technical expertise.

Prioritize Performance and Scalability

If you're managing a large or rapidly growing Microsoft 365 environment, look for alternatives that offer superior performance and scalability. Seek solutions that can handle high-volume backups efficiently and provide fast restore times, even as your data footprint expands.

Demand Robust Reporting and Compliance Features

While Rubrik offers some reporting capabilities, you might benefit from alternatives that provide more detailed insights and compliance-focused features. Look for solutions that deliver comprehensive audit trails, customizable reports, and features that assist with meeting various regulatory requirements.

Top Rubrik Alternatives for Microsoft 365 Backup

The best Rubrik competitors for Microsoft 365 backup include Alcion Backup as a Service for Microsoft 365, Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365, Commvault's Metallic Microsoft 365 Backup, and AvePoint Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365. Each solution offers unique benefits and differentiators that might better align with your requirements.

In the following sections, you'll find a comparison of these alternatives to Rubrik. We'll explore how each solution addresses the key factors you should consider and help you decide which backup solution best fits your organization's unique needs and challenges.

Alcion Backup as a Service for Microsoft 365

From our Microsoft 365 Backup solutions snapshot article, Alcion stands out for businesses of all sizes seeking advanced security measures, AI-assisted ransomware and malware detection protection, AI-driven backups, ease of setup, transparent pricing, and all-inclusive SaaS convenience.

As you explore alternatives and the best Microsoft 365 backup solutions to Rubrik, you'll find that Alcion offers a modern, cloud-native approach to Microsoft 365 backup that addresses many of the challenges you might face with traditional solutions. Alcion redefines data protection with its AI-driven approach, seamlessly blending user convenience with high-level security measures. In addition to further strengthening this position, we are proud to be funded by Veeam. Read why Veeam led Alcion's latest funding round.

Cloud-Native Approach: Unlike Rubrik's Azure-centric model or traditional on-premises solutions, Alcion embraces a fully cloud-native strategy. This approach eliminates your need for on-premises infrastructure, significantly reducing cost and complexity. You won't have to worry about managing servers, storage, or software updates, allowing you to focus on your core business activities.

Intelligent Backup: Alcion introduces an innovative, AI-powered scheduling system you won't find in most other solutions. This system optimizes backup timing based on your actual data usage patterns and risk assessment. You'll benefit from efficient data protection without unnecessary redundancy, a feature that sets Alcion apart from solutions relying on conventional, fixed backup schedules.

User-Friendly Setup: Alcion's intuitive one-click setup process markedly contrasts with the complex configuration requirements of many other backup solutions. This ease of deployment ensures that Alcion is accessible to you regardless of your organization's size or IT expertise.

Cost Efficiency: Alcion offers a transparent per-seat pricing model, providing predictable costs without hidden fees for infrastructure or maintenance. This model allows you to budget more effectively, avoiding the unpredictability of solutions requiring additional infrastructure and management resources.

Advanced Ransomware Protection: Alcion sets itself apart with its robust, AI-powered security measures. You'll benefit from built-in ransomware detection that monitors across all protected services, not just specific applications. Alcion also offers proactive threat response, automatically initiating backups when potential threats are detected.  

Proactive Malware Detection: Alcion's solution automatically detects and filters out malware during the backup process, integrating closely with Microsoft Defender to enhance this capability. This feature is crucial in ensuring your backups remain clean, preventing malware from contaminating your restored data.

Incident Response: In the event of an attack, Alcion's system marks known good backups, simplifying your recovery process and minimizing downtime. Additionally, the continuous and automatic verification of customer backups and advanced ransomware detection positions Alcion as a leader in incident response for Microsoft 365 backup solutions.

Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365

From our Microsoft 365 Backup solutions snapshot article: Ideal for large corporations requiring intricate backup customization, detailed reporting, and the ability to handle complex, multi-faceted environments. Excels in detailed restore functionalities, including restoring data to on-premises environments, crucial for such complex setups. Veeam's ability to integrate diverse storage solutions while offering flexibility also adds a layer of complexity to storage management.

Veeam could be an excellent fit if you're a large corporation with a complex IT environment, including some on-premises components. It's particularly well-suited if you need detailed control over your backup and restore processes and have the IT resources to manage a more complex infrastructure.

Scope of Coverage: Veeam offers comprehensive coverage of core Microsoft 365 services, including Exchange Online, SharePoint Online, OneDrive for Business, and Teams. You'll also find support for on-premises Exchange and SharePoint environments, which could be beneficial if you manage a hybrid setup. Additionally, Veeam backs up archived mailboxes and OneNote, although there are some limitations with OneNote notebooks and Teams chat restores due to API constraints.

Deployment and Infrastructure: Unlike Rubrik's cloud-centric approach, Veeam operates in a more traditional setup. You'll need to install the software on Windows servers on-premises or in a cloud environment. This approach offers more control over your backup infrastructure but requires more hands-on management. Remember that this setup might demand more from your IT team regarding ongoing maintenance and updates.

Backup and Restore Capabilities: Veeam is known for its granular backup and recovery capabilities. You can selectively restore specific emails, documents, or other data from various Microsoft 365 services. This level of detail could be handy if you often need to recover specific items rather than entire mailboxes or sites.

Security Features: Regarding security, Veeam focuses on immutability for malware defense and incorporates YARA rules for malware detection. However, you should note that Veeam's documentation doesn't mention specific ransomware detection features for its Microsoft 365 backup solution. If advanced, automated threat detection is your priority, you might need to consider additional security measures.

Ease of Use and Management: While Veeam offers powerful features, be prepared for a more complex setup process, especially in large environments. You'll need to manage multiple configurations and backup proxies, which requires careful planning and execution. Once set up, though, you might find the day-to-day operation more straightforward.

Cost Considerations: Veeam's pricing is based on a per-user model, but remember that this excludes infrastructure costs. You'll need to factor in servers, storage, and ongoing management expenses, which can significantly impact your total cost of ownership.

For more insights check out our detailed article about Rubrik Microsoft 365 Backup vs Veeam Backup for Microsoft 365

Commvault's Metallic Microsoft 365 Backup

From our Microsoft 365 Backup solutions snapshot article: Metallic is great for businesses needing a broad range of Microsoft 365 services, including Microsoft Project and Dynamics 365, and catering to extensive backup needs.

Commvault's Metallic offers a comprehensive Microsoft 365 backup solution with distinctive features. Metallic could be a good fit if you're a medium to large organization using a wide range of Microsoft 365 services, including less common applications.

Scope of Coverage: Metallic stands out for its extensive service coverage. Beyond the core Microsoft 365 services like Exchange Online, SharePoint, and OneDrive, you'll find support for additional applications such as Microsoft Project and Dynamics 365.

Deployment and Infrastructure: Unlike Rubrik's Azure-centric approach, Metallic operates without needing on-premises or cloud infrastructure for Microsoft 365 backup. However, Metallic does provide the option to copy backups to on-premises infrastructure, offering flexibility if you prefer having local backup copies.

Security Features: When it comes to security, you'll find that Metallic offers data immutability through Azure WORM (Write Once, Read Many) storage for Microsoft 365 backups. This feature helps protect your backups against unauthorized alterations. Metallic also provides some ransomware detection through anomaly detection, although its capabilities in this area may not be as advanced as other solutions.

Ease of Use and Management: While Metallic aims for user-friendliness, you might find that its administration is not as straightforward as some SaaS competitors. You'll need to regularly monitor backup success, which could require more attention from your IT team than you might prefer.

Cost Considerations: Metallic offers a per-user fee model with Standard and Enterprise tiers. While this structure provides some flexibility, be aware that you might face additional costs for extra storage usage, especially if you have high storage demands or extensive archived data.

AvePoint Cloud Backup for Microsoft 365 (Office 365)

From our Microsoft 365 Backup solutions snapshot article: AvePoint's container-based backup management allows dynamic resource inclusion, fitting for backup scenarios of medium-sized enterprises.

AvePoint could be a good fit if you're a medium to large organization using a wide range of Microsoft 365 services and value the flexibility of container-based backup management.  

Scope of Coverage: You'll find that AvePoint offers extensive coverage of Microsoft 365 services. Beyond the core applications like Exchange Online, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Teams, you get protection for additional services such as Microsoft Project, Yammer, Power BI, Power Apps, Power Automate, and Dynamics 365.

Deployment and Infrastructure: AvePoint provides a fully hosted SaaS solution, so you won't need to manage any on-premises infrastructure. However, if you prefer, you can choose a 'bring your own storage' (BYOS) option.  

Backup Management: One of AvePoint's distinguishing features is its "container-based" backup management. This approach allows you to create dynamic backup sets based on various criteria, such as group membership. You might find this helpful in creating more tailored and efficient backup strategies, especially in larger or more complex environments.

Security Features: When it comes to security, AvePoint offers basic anomaly detection and has recently enhanced its incident investigation and response mechanisms. However, you should note that their documentation doesn't explicitly mention capabilities like delayed deletion or the ability to scan backups for malware. If these are critical features for you, you may need to investigate further or consider other options.

Ease of Use and Management: While AvePoint is designed as a user-friendly SaaS application, you might find that it requires more management than you'd expect, especially if you opt for custom storage solutions. The initial setup complexity can vary based on your chosen licensing and storage options.

Cost Considerations: AvePoint charges a per-user monthly fee, which includes some level of storage. However, their public documentation doesn't clearly outline the exact storage limits and their impact on overall costs. That could make budget planning more challenging, especially for larger organizations or those with significant data growth.

Open-Source Rubrik Alternatives

You might be interested in an open-source option that offers flexibility and transparency as well. In this category, there's one standout solution worth your consideration.

Corso: Free and Open-Source Microsoft 365 Backup

Developed under the Apache v2 license, Corso has evolved from a small project into a robust, community-driven solution for Microsoft 365 backup. In that regard, Alcion has two separate efforts in the Microsoft 365 backup ecosystem, Alcion, and Corso, which are fit for different use cases.

Our goal in developing an open-source solution for Microsoft 365 protection was to offer:

Community-Driven Development: By choosing Corso, you'll benefit from the collective wisdom of a diverse group of developers and users. This vibrant ecosystem ensures the solution continually improves and rapidly adapts to new challenges and needs. If you value the ability to contribute to or customize your backup solution, Corso offers you this flexibility.

High-Performance Architecture: You'll find that Corso is built for speed and efficiency. It features a custom high-speed Microsoft 365 Graph API data mover and a high-performance data engine powered by Kopia. This architecture aims to shorten your backup times and accelerate recovery processes, potentially outperforming some commercial solutions.

Command-Line Interface: If you're comfortable with PowerShell or terminal commands, you'll appreciate Corso's command-line interface. This design caters to users with technical proficiency, allowing you to perform flexible and robust backup operations with precise control.

Ransomware Defense: Despite being open-source, Corso doesn't compromise on security. Leveraging encryption and immutable object storage offers protection against ransomware, ensuring your data remains secure and recoverable despite evolving cyber threats.

Transparency and Customization: As an open-source solution, Corso gives you unparalleled openness in its operations. You can inspect, modify, and enhance the software to meet your specific needs, a level of customization not typically available with commercial solutions like Rubrik.

Discover the Ideal Rubrik Alternative for Your Organization

As you've explored the various alternatives to Rubrik for Microsoft 365 backup, you've seen how each solution offers unique strengths and capabilities. Your ideal choice depends on your needs, technical resources, and organizational priorities.

Alcion stands out with its cloud-native approach, offering advanced AI-driven features, robust security, and user-friendly management. It's an excellent choice if you're looking for a modern, efficient, secure backup solution that's easy to set up and manage.

If you are evaluating your options and seeking guidance, consider Alcion's Backup as a Service for Microsoft 365. Alcion, bolstered by Veeam's backing, stands out for its AI-driven intelligence, user-friendly interface, and robust ransomware protection.  

Try Alcion free for 14 days with no commitment. Our streamlined setup process means you can start protecting your data in minutes. Alternatively, schedule a demo with our expert team if you'd like a personalized walkthrough of how Alcion can meet your needs.  

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