Iperius Backup 5.8.0

Overview

Do you think you’ve tried enough backup and restore software to have a strong opinion on the matter? Well, if you haven’t tried Iperius Backup, then think again. It can backup files and folders from your computer, network or even cloud environment to a destination of your choice, and it also allows you to backup the whole operating system and restore it easily (bare metal restore). Its features include backing up to a tape drive, creating backups of Oracle, MySQL and SQL Server databases, FTP synchronization, cloud backups and many more.

Installation

The Installation is straightforward and finishes in the blink of an eye. There are no advanced settings you have to make throughout the installation procedure. The setup package is 100% clean from any malicious software (viruses, malware, etc.) and isn’t bundled with any additional 3^rd party software either.

Supported operating systems are Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2008, Windows 8 and Windows 2012.

Interface

Iperius Backup has a modern and elegant interface that is comfortable to work with and not tiring or confusing at all. There are 4 tabs at the top of the main window (Home, Restore, Tools and About) and the only thing changing when you switch between them is the toolbar. The rest of the window is the same in any tab and displays a list of all created backup jobs.

When creating a new backup job you will be presented with a wizard that will help you with it in a step-by-step process.

Pros

You can backup your files and folders in a local or network directory, but you can upload the backups to a cloud service too. Supported cloud services are Google Drive, Sky Drive, Dropbox, SugarSync and others. Upload to remote FTP server is supported as well.

If you wish to backup your data to a tape drive like DAT and LTO tapes all you have to do is create a backup job and in the Destinations tab select the “Add destination to tape” button. Then choose the tape drive you want to use and configure the rest of the settings normally.

Oracle, MySQL and SQL Server Databases can be backed up too.

If you want to backup the entire OS, Iperium Backup can create a disk image and give you the power to restore it in the future.

Multiple backup jobs can be performed at the same time. In addition, scheduled jobs are supported.

The program supports ZIP compression, and encryption of the backups using AES-256 bit encryption method.

You can choose between Full and Incremental backup types, or you can create a Full backup and keep several incremental ones afterwards.

Another great function of the program is its email notification feature, which notifies you by email when specific criteria regarding backup jobs are met (for example when a backup job is finished).

Cons

The trial version limits you quite a lot (doesn’t allow you to backup anything other than files/folders and nowhere else than a local destination).

Alternatives

Several alternatives are available: Uranium Backup (paid), Cobian Backup (free), Duplicati (free), Areca Backup (free) and CrashPlan (free/paid).

Conclusion

To sum up, the paid version of the product is certainly worth having if your backup jobs are demanding, since it includes everything you would possibly need to carry them out. If, on the other hand, you are a normal user without too many demands, the free version will satisfy you as well.