As enterprises evaluate alternatives to VMware, disaster recovery (DR) capabilities often take center stage, as they are essential for maintaining business continuity.

Arcfra Backup & Disaster Recovery (ABDR), the DR and backup module of Arcfra Enterprise Cloud Platform (AECP), not only covers VMware’s core functionalities for virtual machine replication and fault recovery orchestration, but also integrates advanced features such as native backup, seamless site-to-site network failover, and sandbox testing, enabling users to establish a fully integrated disaster recovery system.

ABDR vs. VMware DR Capabilities: Key Feature Comparisons

ABDR provides native backup and recovery capabilities for AECP clusters, along with replication and recovery features that align with the core functions of VMware’s vSphere Replication and Site Recovery Manager (SRM). Since VMware lacks a native backup product, the table below compares the core replication and recovery functionalities of ABDR and VMware’s offerings.

Arcfra’s Top 3 Backup and DR Advantages Over VMware

Unified Platform: Simplified O&M with Improved Efficiency

• Native Backup & DR Capabilities Provided by One Platform: ABDR provides data backup and disaster recovery together, supporting long-term retention, version management, accidental deletion recovery, and rapid failover. It also delivers capabilities of business continuity and fast failover.
• Centralized Resource Management: Backup and DR policies, along with required storage, networking, and compute resources, are centrally managed via the Arcfra Operation Center (AOC). No additional tool integration is needed, making deployment, configuration, and troubleshooting much simpler.
• Reduced Total Cost of Ownership (TCO): Eliminating redundant licenses and third-party software costs, combined with streamlined O&M, significantly lowers long-term investment and maintenance expenses.
• Minute-Level Recovery: With built-in orchestration, failover can be triggered with one click, automatically managing VM boot order, delays, network switching, and IP mapping to minimize RTO.

Flexible Scenario Coverage: Adapting to Multiple Business Demands

• Network Auto-Adaptation in Failover: Replica VMs are automatically assigned networks and IPs according to predefined rules, fitting different DR deployment architectures while reducing manual workload and ensuring business continuity.
• Comprehensive Recovery Options: Supports emergency, planned, and permanent failovers, covering use cases from testing to production migration.
• Fast Site-to-Site Recovery: In case one site is disrupted, workloads can be restored from another site with minimal downtime, boosting overall DR efficiency.

Integrated with Networking & Security: Stronger Protection with Faster Recovery

• Embedded Security Capabilities: With AOC and Arcfra Network Service (ANS), features like VPC, traffic visualization, anomaly isolation, and sandbox drills are natively integrated into backup and DR workflows.
• Seamless Failover Networking: Leveraging ANS VPC, failover can occur without IP or routing changes, ensuring uninterrupted service recovery.
• Boosted Security & Efficiency: Automated network failover combined with dynamic security policies enhances both recovery speed and protection levels.

Learn more about the key features of ABDR from our previous blog, and download your go-to guide for navigating the post-VMware era for free: https://www.arcfra.com/resources/document/vmware-alternatives-ebook/

You can find more information on Arcfra vs. VMware in key components here:

Arcfra Virtualization Engine vs. VMware vSphere: Higher Availability with Optimized Performance

Arcfra Kubernetes Engine vs. vSphere with Tanzu: A Feature-by-Feature Comparison

Arcfra Network Service vs. VMware NSX: Comparable Capabilities, Streamlined Management

Arcfra Operation Center vs. VMware vCenter for Centralized VM and Cluster Management