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Arcserve ShadowProtect

arcserve.com

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Spec score 9.0 #11 of 151 in Backup software

What it is

Arcserve ShadowProtect is a paid backup and recovery product for Windows and Linux. It creates image backups for physical and virtual computers and servers, with support for workloads including Exchange, SQL Server, SharePoint, IIS, Hyper-V, Dynamics CRM, VMware vCenter, Oracle Database, and custom applications. Listed SaaS coverage includes Microsoft 365, Microsoft Entra ID, Azure DevOps, Dynamics 365, Power BI, Salesforce, Google Workspace, Zendesk, Jira Cloud, and Confluence Cloud. Backups can run multiple times daily, use incremental images, be encrypted, and go to cloud image destinations. Immutable backups and application-aware backup are supported. Recovery features include item-level restoration, bare-metal restore, and bootable recovery media. ShadowProtect also provides test failover, failover orchestration, failback orchestration, and audit logs in a hybrid deployment. Annual and two-year subscriptions include updates, upgrades, and standard technical support during the subscription period. A perpetual license covers one system in physical or virtual environments. There is no free plan; pricing is on request and a 30-day trial is listed.

Spec sheet

What it does
ShadowProtect SPX is Arcserve's sector-based image backup and disaster-recovery software for physical and virtual systems.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.arcserve.com
Supported platforms
Windows,LinuxRead 21 Sep 2026 · arcserve.com
Free plan
NoRead 21 Sep 2026 · arcserve.com
API
The June 2026 ImageManager 8.1 release added an API that exports verification data to dashboards, reporting systems and automation tools.Read 15 Oct 2026 · arcserve.com
Integrations
The documentation bookshelf includes PSA integrations for Autotask and ConnectWise, plus ShadowControl and ShadowStream guides.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.arcserve.com
Headquarters
Eden Prairie, Minnesota, United StatesRead 28 Sep 2026 · arcserve.com
Founded
1983Read 28 Sep 2026 · arcserve.com
Backup scope
imageRead 21 Sep 2026 · arcserve.com
Company facts
LinkedIn lists Arcserve as a privately held IT services company founded in 1983 with headquarters in Eden Prairie, Minnesota and 501-1,000 employees.Read 15 Oct 2026 · linkedin.com
Computer backup
YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · arcserve.com
Continuous backups
SPX can run a full base image followed by incremental backups on a schedule as frequent as every 15 minutes.Read 15 Oct 2026 · buy.storagecraft.com
Documentation depth
Arcserve publishes SPX, ShadowProtect for Windows, ImageManager, ShadowControl, Recovery Environment, release notes and cross-platform user guides.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.arcserve.com
Encryption
Backup images can be password-protected with RC4-128, AES-128 or AES-256 encryption.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.arcserve.com
Hyper-V host protection
ShadowProtect 8.0 added native host-based Microsoft Hyper-V protection alongside agent-based backups.Read 15 Oct 2026 · arcserve.com
Hypervisor coverage
The virtual license documentation lists Citrix XenServer, Linux KVM, VMware, Hyper-V, VirtualBox, Proxmox, RHEV, everRun and VMware Workstation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.arcserve.com
ImageManager
ImageManager verifies, consolidates, replicates and reports on ShadowProtect backup images.Read 15 Oct 2026 · arcserve.com
Immutable storage integration
Arcserve Cloud Cyber Resilient Storage provides immutable cloud copies integrated with ShadowProtect and ImageManager.Read 15 Oct 2026 · arcserve.com
Legal name
Arcserve documentation identifies the legal entity as Arcserve LLC.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.arcserve.com
Limit: image-only backup
PCWorld noted that ShadowProtect backs up complete drives or volumes rather than directly backing up individual files and folders.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pcworld.com
Limit: licensing and validation
Gartner Peer Insights reviewers cited licensing-related backup failures, lengthy integrity validation and confusing process reporting.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
Limit: management complexity
TrustRadius reviewers mentioned difficult remote management, occasional off-site replication problems and manual maintenance of backup chains.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Limit: pricing
PCWorld characterized the desktop product as expensive for end users, and Capterra reviewers commonly rated value for money below other categories.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pcworld.com
Limit: support and reliability
Capterra reviewers reported slow support, bugs, backup failures and time-consuming troubleshooting when chains or restores failed.Read 15 Oct 2026 · capterra.com
Linux installation
Linux SPX is installed from Arcserve's public repository and requires a sudo-capable user.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.arcserve.com
Management
SPX provides remote monitoring and management of other SPX systems over HTTP.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.arcserve.com
Notable news
On June 4, 2026 Arcserve announced ShadowProtect 8.0 and ImageManager 8.1 with host-based Hyper-V protection and expanded verification reporting and API capabilities.Read 15 Oct 2026 · arcserve.com
Praise: recovery speed
PCWorld praised fast continuous protection, easy restores to physical or virtual disks, timeline navigation and disaster-recovery capability.Read 15 Oct 2026 · pcworld.com
Praise: usability
TrustRadius reviewers repeatedly cited a user-friendly interface, strong disaster recovery and flexible backup destinations and bandwidth controls.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Ransomware protection
YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · arcserve.com
Rating on Capterra
4.4 out of 5 from 31 reviews.Read 15 Oct 2026 · capterra.com
Rating on G2
4.2 out of 5 from 23 reviews.Read 15 Oct 2026 · g2.com
Rating on Gartner Peer Insights
4.2 out of 5 from 123 ratings.Read 15 Oct 2026 · gartner.com
Rating on Software Advice
4.4 out of 5 from 31 reviews.Read 15 Oct 2026 · softwareadvice.com
Rating on TrustRadius
6.7 out of 10 from 29 reviews and ratings.Read 15 Oct 2026 · trustradius.com
Recovery scope
The product supports file-level, volume-level and full-system recovery, including migration between physical and virtual environments.Read 15 Oct 2026 · arcserve.com
Restore modes
mixedRead 21 Sep 2026 · arcserve.com
Server backup
YesRead 21 Sep 2026 · arcserve.com
Storage targets
Backups can be replicated to local storage, remote servers, colocation facilities, third-party clouds or private clouds.Read 15 Oct 2026 · arcserve.com
Trial terms
Registered MSPs can enable 14-day customer trials, while new MSPs can obtain a free 30-day trial; small-business purchases have no trial requirement.Read 15 Oct 2026 · arcserve.com
Unsupported systems
SPX does not support exFAT, most DFS use, Windows Storage Spaces pools, Cluster Shared Volumes, deduplicated file systems or mapped network volumes.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.arcserve.com
VirtualBoot
VirtualBoot can turn backup images into virtual machines on VMware vSphere, Oracle VirtualBox or Microsoft Hyper-V.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.arcserve.com
Windows requirements
The Windows installer requires at least a 300 MHz Pentium-compatible or AMD CPU, 256 MB RAM or the OS minimum, 50 MB free disk space and outbound port 443 for activation.Read 15 Oct 2026 · documentation.arcserve.com

Plans and prices

Annual subscription Price not published Access to updates and upgrades · Standard technical support during the subscription period Read 21 Sep 2026 · documentation.arcserve.com
Two-year subscription Price not published Access to updates and upgrades · Standard technical support during the subscription period Read 21 Sep 2026 · documentation.arcserve.com
Perpetual license Price not published One license per system · Applies to physical and virtual environments Read 21 Sep 2026 · documentation.arcserve.com
ShadowProtect SPX Desktop (Windows) $47 a year annual subscription Windows desktops and laptops · maintenance and standard support included Read 15 Oct 2026 · buy.storagecraft.com
ShadowProtect SPX Desktop (Windows) - 2 Years $83.96, paid once two-year subscription Windows desktops and laptops · maintenance included Read 15 Oct 2026 · buy.storagecraft.com
ShadowProtect Basic listing $99.95, paid once one-time, per feature Capterra listed starting price · quotation required Read 15 Oct 2026 · capterra.com
ShadowProtect SPX Server (Windows) $511 a year annual subscription Windows servers · maintenance included Read 15 Oct 2026 · buy.storagecraft.com

Every Arcserve ShadowProtect plan and price →

Strong points and limits

Strong points

  • Image backup for computers and servers
  • Supports physical and virtual environments
  • Multiple daily backups and incremental images
  • Bare-metal restore and bootable recovery media
  • Failover, failback, and test orchestration

Limits

  • No free plan
  • Pricing is on request
  • Perpetual license covers one system
  • Supports Windows and Linux only

Who it suits

ShadowProtect suits organizations backing up Windows or Linux systems, including physical and virtual machines and the listed business workloads. It is relevant where hybrid deployment, orchestration, and item-level recovery are required.

Verdict

ShadowProtect covers image backup, application-aware workloads, cloud destinations, and several recovery and failover paths. Buyers should request pricing and match the supported operating systems and workloads to their environment.

Where Specifiction places it

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