The Latest Magic Quadrant

Key Insights and Trends in Enterprise Backup and Recovery

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In the ever-evolving realm of data protection, the Gartner Magic Quadrant report for Enterprise Backup and Recovery Software Solutions stands as a vital benchmark. Known widely for its insightful analysis, the Magic Quadrant evaluates the top players in the field, revealing where vendors rank in terms of execution and vision. This report is a primary source for businesses and partners alike to understand who dominates the backup and recovery landscape and to identify solutions that align with their strategic objectives.

It is well-known that being included in the Magic Quadrant is reserved for the industry’s largest players, as Gartner’s criteria for inclusion demand a certain level of market presence, proven technology, and broad user adoption. Yet, what truly defines this year’s Magic Quadrant are the emphasized trends and future-looking insights Gartner offers, especially regarding the strategic planning assumptions for the years ahead.

Predictions

A particularly noteworthy prediction is that by 2028, a remarkable 75% of enterprises will have adopted a common solution for backup and recovery across both on-premises and cloud infrastructures. This is a substantial leap from the current 20% of enterprises that rely on unified solutions for hybrid environments today. Gartner’s forecast underscores a growing imperative in the market: enterprises increasingly demand flexibility to manage data across diverse locations—be it on-site, in various cloud environments, or across multiple data centres. One major factor influencing this shift is the rise of hybrid and multi-cloud environments, where data is no longer confined to a single location. Data might be split between multiple cloud providers, on-premises systems, or even geographically separated data centres. This trend, often referred to as “data gravity,” is all about data’s natural tendency to attract applications, services, and other data. As data is dispersed across a range of environments, the need for a cohesive backup and recovery solution grows. Businesses require a robust, unified approach to ensure that every piece of their dispersed data remains protected under a single, comprehensive “pane of glass.” For solution providers, this shift presents both an opportunity and a challenge. To stay competitive, vendors must innovate to offer solutions that address these distributed, hybrid environments. Customers are no longer simply looking for storage; they are looking for guardians of their data, solutions that can manage, protect, and recover their dispersed data seamlessly, wherever it resides.

Trends for the Future

In addition to predicting the rise of unified solutions for hybrid data environments, this year’s Magic Quadrant from Gartner also highlights several significant trends shaping the future of backup and recovery. The report anticipates that by 2028, 75% of enterprises will prioritize the backup of SaaS applications as a core requirement, up from just 15% in 2024. This emphasis on SaaS backup reflects the rapid adoption of SaaS solutions, as more businesses rely on these applications for daily operations. Yet, despite the expected growth, there’s room for scepticism around reaching the 75% mark within the next four years. Although the demand for SaaS data protection has surged, the pace of change required to reach such a high adoption rate remains uncertain. Gartner’s report also underscores an escalating focus on cybersecurity within the backup domain, projecting that by 2028, 90% of enterprises will prioritize threat detection within their data protection strategies. This shift is an essential step forward, as security and threat analysis are becoming indispensable for protecting both backup systems and core production environments. The increase in cyber threats has made cybersecurity a non-negotiable aspect of modern data protection.

Additionally, Gartner forecasts that 75% of large enterprises will adopt Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) solutions by 2028, a substantial rise from the current 15%. While Gartner presents this as a future-defining trend, it is debatable how universally this shift will occur. Many large enterprises still rely heavily on on-premises solutions, often due to the need for strict data control and security, which they believe can be best achieved through on-site storage. These organizations may not fully embrace BaaS as the ideal solution and may continue to invest in traditional on-premises infrastructure.

GenAI

One particularly forward-looking prediction from Gartner is the integration of generative AI in backup and recovery products, with 75% of solutions expected to include AI functionality by 2028. Currently, only a small fraction of platforms utilize generative AI, but as the technology matures, it promises to enhance operations by streamlining user interactions and automating complex tasks. While generative AI may not be a revolutionary factor for backup platforms, it could significantly improve how administrators and end-users engage with backup services, making them more intuitive and efficient.

Vendor Performance

In terms of vendor performance, Gartner’s report shows minimal changes among the top players. The six leading vendors—Veeam, Commvault, Rubrik, Cohesity, Veritas, and Dell Technologies—continue to dominate the market. Behind them, Druva, HyCU, and IBM are highlighted for their strong strategic vision, while other notable players such as OpenText, Microsoft, Unitrends, Ransomware, and ArcServe fall into the niche category. These companies, each with distinct strategies, have shaped the backup and recovery landscape as they work to capture a piece of the market, valued at an estimated $14 billion annually.

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Insights

Despite Gartner’s comprehensive analysis, the report overlooks some major trends shaping the market. One notable omission is the impact of Broadcom’s acquisition of VMware and the subsequent shift in VMware’s strategy. With alternative hypervisors, such as KVM and Xen, gaining traction, Forrester estimates that 10-20% of VMware’s customer base may transition to these other hypervisors in response to rising costs and new policies under Broadcom. This shift presents a significant opportunity for backup vendors to offer solutions tailored to these platforms and underscores the need for vendors to support not only VMware but also KVM-based hypervisors like Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor, OpenStack , OpenShift Virtualization, Oracle Linux Virtualization Manager, Scale Computing , and Verge.io and more.

Storware , for example, has recognized this demand early on, having introduced KVM data protection as far back as 2015. With robust support for a variety of virtualization platforms and hyper-converged infrastructure, Storware aims to provide versatile data protection that extends beyond the standard VMware and Hyper-V solutions. As businesses explore alternatives to VMware, vendors like Storware, with a strong presence in KVM and hyper-converged backup, are well-positioned to address this market shift.

While the Gartner Magic Quadrant remains a key industry reference, enterprises need to maintain a broader view of the market and consider emerging trends and lesser-known vendors who are innovating to meet evolving needs. Vendors like Storware have shown long-term vision by investing in non-traditional hypervisors and multi-cloud capabilities, responding directly to the demands of an increasingly complex backup and recovery landscape. As the market evolves, keeping an eye on these alternative players and technologies will be crucial for making informed data protection decisions.

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