As virtual machines (VMs) have recently become the cornerstone of modern IT infrastructure, ensuring the protection of critical data for small businesses and global enterprises in virtualized environments is non-negotiable. So, that’s where continuous backup software for virtual machines comes in.
Unlike the traditional scheduled backup solutions, VM backup solutions with continuous data protection (CDP) can help you ensure that every change is instantly recorded. This significantly minimizes downtime, which costs businesses an average of $5,600 per minute.
Let’s take a look at the continuous data protection solutions that stand out this year.
Key Considerations for Continuous Data Protection Solutions
Usually, all VM backup solutions with continuous data protection (CDP) are created differently. If you’re looking for a virtual backup solution that will meet your needs, here are the key factors to keep in mind:
Compatibility with Virtualization Platforms
Firstly you need to check whether the backup software you want to use to protect critical data in virtual machines supports your virtualization platform. Having a reliable solution to backup virtual machines that work across multiple virtual environments, such as VMware, Hyper-V, Proxmox, and Nutanix AHV, will give you the possibility to handle a variety of infrastructure setups, including MSP VM backup.
Data Recovery Speed
In the world of IT, downtime is costly. One of the most critical aspects of any virtual backup solution is its recovery speed. You might not realize this, but the ability to quickly recover important data, whether it’s for a whole virtual machine or one file, can make business processes much more stable. Solutions that offer fast, granular recovery options, such as instant VM recovery, are invaluable to minimize downtime and maintain productivity.
Ransomware Protection
Cyber threats, particularly ransomware, have become one of the greatest risks to data security. A backup solution without strong ransomware protection is vulnerable to attacks that can cripple your virtualized systems. You need to look for backup solutions that include features like immutable backups, air-gapped storage, and advanced detection to prevent data corruption and ensure your backups remain secure in the event of a cyberattack.
Scalability
As your virtualized environment grows, so will your data backup needs. Choosing the best real-time backup software for virtual machine that can easily expand to meet increasing data volume is essential. The best VM backup solutions should provide a high level of flexibility to expand resources as your business evolves, ensuring that your backup infrastructure can handle additional workloads without compromising performance.
Continuous Data Protection
What is continuous data protection? It is the system’s capacity to immediately capture any modification done on a virtual machine and back up data in real-time. This feature eliminates the risk of losing critical data between backup windows and provides businesses with the highest level of protection. With the help of continuous backup solutions, your virtualized systems will always be secure, and you will benefit from minimized downtime and disruption during recovery.
Popular Continuous Backup Software for Virtual Machines
In 2025, there is no shortage of continuous data protection software available for virtualized environments. These types of real-time backup software provide stability, scalability, and speed, therefore meeting the rigorous demands of contemporary IT systems. Here is a virtual machine backup software comparison that excel in providing continuous data protection:
NAKIVO Backup & Replication
NAKIVO Backup & Replication is a strong and one of the best continuous data protection software vendors for virtual machines. It supports all types of virtualization platforms, such as VMware, Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV, and Proxmox. With its features such as instant VM recovery and ransomware-resistant immutable backups, VMware backup from NAKIVO ensures that your virtual machines are always protected against data loss and cyber threats. This continuous backup solution also includes automated disaster recovery testing, with regular backup verification without manual intervention. NAKIVO stands out as one of the best VM backup solutions, offering comprehensive protection for virtualized environments at an affordable price.
Best for: Businesses seeking a powerful, cost-effective solution with ransomware protection.
Starting price: $2.50 per workload per month.
Free Trial: 15 Days
Key features:
Supports VMware, Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV, Proxmox, AWS EC2, and Microsoft 365
Instant VM recovery and granular restore options
Immutable backups for ransomware protection
Automated disaster recovery testing
Global deduplication to optimize storage
Veeam Backup & Replication
Veeam Backup & Replication has long been a leader in continuous data protection, including continuous backup. As one of the most well-known continuous virtual data protection software solutions with a flexible and adaptable system to backup virtual machines, it enables you to restore specific files, applications, or entire virtual machines with ease. It is an excellent choice for businesses with a mix of on-premises and cloud-based workloads, as the solution supports hybrid environments. Veeam’s backup virtual machine capability, combined with advanced ransomware protection features, makes it a top contender in the world of continuous backup solutions for virtual machines.
Best for: Enterprises needing advanced backup for hybrid environments.
Starting price: $428 per year per CPU socket.
Free trial: 30 Days
Key features:
Broad compatibility with VMware, Hyper-V, and cloud environments
Instant recovery of virtual machines and separate files
Advanced storage integration with cloud backup support
Built-in ransomware protection with secure backup storage
Adaptable scalability to meet evolving data needs
Acronis Cyber Backup
With its AI-powered ransomware protection, Acronis Cyber Backup differentiates itself by ensuring that virtual machine data is protected against the most recent threats. Acronis offers a strong hybrid cloud architecture that enables seamless real-time database backup and recovery for both on-premises and cloud workloads. With its continuous data protection approach, businesses can rest easy knowing that every change made to their virtual machines is automatically backed up, minimizing the risk of data loss. Acronis Cyber Backup is a top choice for companies seeking a modern, real time data backup software solution.
Best for: Businesses prioritizing cybersecurity alongside backup.
Starting price: $69 per year per workstation.
Free trial: 30 Days
Key features:
AI-powered ransomware detection and prevention
Hybrid-cloud architecture for managing on-premises and cloud workloads
Real-time backup and recovery for minimal downtime
Comprehensive data encryption and compliance-friendly security
Easy-to-use management console for virtual machine backup automation
Commvault Complete Data Protection
When it comes to large-scale businesses, Commvault Complete Data Protection is one of the best options for both physical and virtual data, including VMware continuous data protection. Commvault is known for its compliance-friendly features, making it a perfect solution to backup virtual machines with strict data security and regulatory requirements. The solution’s comprehensive support for virtualization platforms, including VMware and Hyper-V, along with its ability to protect critical business applications, has made it one of the best VM backup solutions with continuous data protection. Continuous backup and recovery of virtual machines are made easy with Commvault’s powerful, all-encompassing backup technology.
Best for: Large enterprises with strict compliance needs.
Starting price: Custom pricing based on requirements.
Free trial: 30 days
Key features:
End-to-end protection for virtual, physical, and cloud workloads
Automated compliance reporting for regulatory requirements
Scalable architecture for large data environments
Granular recovery options for separate files and applications
Strong encryption and security protocols
Rubrik
Rubrik takes a modern approach to data protection with its policy-driven continuous backup solution. Known for its multi-cloud support, Rubrik ensures that virtual machines are protected across a variety of cloud platforms. Companies looking to simplify their backup operations choose this solution because of its easy implementation and convenience of usage. Rubrik’s continuous data protection ensures that your virtualized data is always secure and can be rapidly restored in the event of a disaster, making it one of the best continuous backup products for virtual machines in 2025.
Best for: Companies with multi-cloud environments.
Starting price: Custom pricing based on storage and workload needs.
Key features:
Policy-driven backup and recovery automation
Seamless multi-cloud integration for hybrid environments
Instant recovery of VMs, databases, and applications
Immutable snapshots for ransomware resilience
Scalable architecture with an easy deployment
Use Cases and Examples
Depending on the particular requirements of your virtualized environment, each of the provided VM backup solutions performs effectively in different use cases. The following are examples of how businesses are using these solutions in various industries and environments:
VMware and Hyper-V Environments
According to customer reviews, NAKIVO is the best VM backup solution for VMware and Hyper-V environments due to its seamless integration, advanced features, and user-friendly interface.
“The system has a user-friendly interface, making backup configuration and management easy. It integrates smoothly with VMware and Hyper-V, offering efficient, fast backups with minimal system impact,” says Joe Payne, an IT Manager at Smart Dolphins.
Emphasizing how accessible the solution is for users with varying levels of experience, Miklos M., a CRM Consultant, noted, “I installed Nakivo Backup solution on my homelab server (VMware ESXi free) without any background knowledge about other backup systems, which seemed overcomplicated for me“.
Whether you’re an IT professional or a small business owner, NAKIVO’s efficient, fast backups, along with its intuitive deployment process, make it a top choice for VMware and Hyper-V environments.
Kubernetes Clusters in Virtualized Environments
Veeam Backup & Replication is the perfect virtualization backup software for businesses leveraging Kubernetes clusters within their VMware or Nutanix environments. Veeam’s Kubernetes-native backup capabilities provide continuous data protection for containerized workloads alongside traditional virtual machines, ensuring that your entire virtualized infrastructure is safeguarded in one unified solution. “Kasten K10 has made data management easy and smooth for me. I appreciate the alerting framework. Kubernetes integration with cloud platforms has made life easier.” says Seemant Aggarwal, a software engineer at Parity Technologies.
Healthcare Organizations
Commvault has proven to be a reliable and easy-to-use VM backup solution for healthcare providers, offering strong cyber resilience to protect sensitive data like Electronic Health Records (EHR) and ensure operational continuity. As Clint Monchamp, Director of Storage and BCDR at Prime Healthcare Services, stated, “Commvault gives us the ability to rapidly recover critical patient data, helping to ensure that our hospitals remain fully operational even in the face of ransomware attacks.” The solution’s ease of use is also a key benefit, with Paul Vries, IT Consultant at Bilthoven Biologicals, praising on the the Commvault dashboard’s simplicity: “With just a few clicks, we can restore a virtual machine or backups after an attack which is vital in our line of work as a pharmaceutical company with very sensitive data.“
Small Businesses with Hybrid Workloads
Acronis Cyber Backup makes it an ideal choice among other VM backup solutions for small and medium-sized businesses with hybrid infrastructures. Its ability to manage both cloud and on-premises data, combined with its powerful ransomware protection features, makes it a popular choice for businesses looking to protect their virtualized systems cost-effectively. As Guy K. from Kittelson IT Solutions, shared in his G2 review, “This product combines antivirus, computer patching, computer management, remote control, immutable backups, EDR, XDR, mail protection, and it will back up your computer, VM, server, and do it locally and/or to the cloud while allowing disaster recovery locally or in the cloud on whichever machine or cloud location you desire.“
Enterprises with Multi-Cloud Architectures
Rubrik is an excellent solution for large companies requiring multi-cloud backup capabilities, thanks to its policy-driven automation and robust support for protecting virtual machines across various cloud platforms. As Burhan Shakil, Systems Engineer at Harvard University, shared, “We have only one physical server that we are protecting with it and the rest are all virtual servers. We have around 400 server VMs and all of them are protected using Rubrik.” This ability to protect large and diverse environments makes Rubrik a highly effective and scalable option for businesses with complex infrastructures.
Wrapping Up
If you want to experience stable business operations, then you need to choose the solution that best fits your company’s needs to protect and backup virtual machines. Is it continuous VMware data protection or you need to secure your hybrid workloads? Think what’s most important for your environment—compatibility, scalability, or robust security. By doing so, you’ll be safeguarding your data and ensuring the resilience of your IT infrastructure well into 2025 and beyond.
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