Gartner's Backup Software Report: Commvault and Veeam Lead the Way

Gartner's annual backup software report, led by storage analyst Dave Russell, returns to its roots this year—focusing exclusively on pure software solutions and leaving out integrated backup appliances. One company, FalconStor, was dropped from the list after shifting its focus away from standalone backup software.

The report includes no new vendors, except for Veritas Technologies, which returns under its own name after previously being a part of Symantec.

Commvault Leads the Pack

Commvault ranks #1 in Gartner's evaluation for:

• Completeness of vision
• Ability to execute

Gartner praised Commvault's comprehensive feature set and compatibility with the widest range of storage hardware arrays. However, the report noted:

• A steep learning curve for installation and training
• Weaker sales channels outside the United States

Veeam Gains Ground

Though lesser-known compared to EMC, IBM, and Veritas, Veeam has emerged as a major player:

• Formed in 2006
• Now ranks as the fifth-largest backup vendor by market share
• Generates more backup revenue than Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (HPE)

“Veeam is also the fifth-most mentioned backup vendor in Gartner end-user inquiries,” said Russell.

HPE’s 2016 acquisition of Trilead (a VM backup vendor) was partly aimed at competing with Veeam in the virtualization space.

Three Key Takeaways from the Report

1. Market Openness to New Vendors

• Organizations are increasingly deploying multiple solutions for VM backup and new workloads.

• Motivations include:

  • Lowering costs
  • Adding capabilities
  • Reducing complexity

• Pricing has decreased on a per-terabyte basis.

2. Market Fragmentation Is Accelerating

• The top four vendors still control over 70% of the market
• But the market is becoming more diverse and competitive
• Organizations are exploring:
  • Hyperconverged solutions
  • Self-protecting storage (e.g., snapshots, array-based software, replication)

3. Perception of Backup Varies Widely

“After almost 27 years in backup, it’s amazing how very differently the same product can be perceived by different administrators.”
— Dave Russell, Gartner

• Backup remains complex and often fragile, despite years of advancement.

Looking Ahead: Backup Software Trends Through 2020

Russell outlined key expectations for the near future:

• By 2020, over 40% of organizations will replace long-term backup with archiving systems—doubling from the previous year.
• By 2018, more than 50% of organizations will consider newer vendors (less than five years old), up from under 30%.

This evolution reflects a more agile, experimental mindset among enterprise IT buyers—and a backup software market that’s increasingly diverse, competitive, and innovation-driven.