What is the difference between spanning backup and Backupify?

When it comes to cloud-to-cloud backup solutions, Spanning Backup and Backupify are two widely recognized names. Businesses and individuals rely on these tools to safeguard their data from accidental deletions, cyber threats, and service disruptions. However, while they both serve the same overarching purpose, they are distinct in several ways, including their features, usability, and pricing.

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What is Spanning Backup?

Spanning Backup is a comprehensive cloud backup solution primarily designed for businesses using Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, and Salesforce. It provides automated backup services, ensuring that critical business data remains protected and is easily restorable when needed.

  • Automated and Continuous Backups – Spanning offers daily and on-demand backups, ensuring data isn’t lost in case of mistakes or cyber incidents.
  • User-Friendly Restore Options – With point-in-time restore features, Spanning makes it easy to recover deleted files, emails, or workloads.
  • Security and Compliance – It provides encrypted backups and complies with industry security standards, making it suitable for companies with strict data policies.

What is Backupify?

Backupify, owned by Datto, is another robust cloud backup solution that specializes in Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. It is particularly popular among managed service providers (MSPs) and businesses that want a reliable and scalable data protection solution.

  • Comprehensive Backup Coverage – Backupify covers a wide range of data, including Gmail, Drive, OneDrive, SharePoint, Teams, and more.
  • Granular Recovery – Users can restore individual files, folders, or even entire accounts with ease.
  • MSP-Friendly Features – Unlike many competitors, Backupify offers reseller and partner-centered features that attract IT service providers.

Key Differences Between Spanning Backup and Backupify

While both backup solutions serve a similar purpose, they have notable differences in functionality, usability, and audience focus.

1. Supported Platforms

  • Spanning Backup: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Salesforce.
  • Backupify: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365.

Unlike Backupify, Spanning also offers backup services for Salesforce, which can be a crucial differentiator for businesses relying on CRM data.

2. User Interface and Ease of Use

Both solutions have intuitive dashboards, but Spanning is often praised for its user-friendly interface that allows non-technical users to navigate with ease. Backupify, on the other hand, offers a more detailed and feature-rich interface that might be better suited for IT administrators and managed service providers.

3. Recovery and Restore Features

  • Spanning Backup: Provides unlimited, point-in-time restore functionality, making it easier to recover data from any backup point.
  • Backupify: Offers granular restore options, allowing users to restore single files, emails, or entire folders.

Both services allow individual file and email restorations, but Spanning’s point-in-time recovery can be particularly useful for businesses dealing with ransomware or accidental mass deletions.

4. Security and Compliance

Both Spanning and Backupify implement strong encryption and compliance measures. However, Spanning places significant emphasis on enterprise-grade security, offering extensive audit logs and access control mechanisms. Backupify, being a part of Datto, integrates with other disaster recovery tools, making it a preferred choice for IT service providers.

5. Pricing and Target Audience

  • Spanning Backup: Transparent pricing with per-user costs, focusing on SMBs and large enterprises.
  • Backupify: Offers MSP options and business pricing that can vary based on IT service agreements.

Spanning is more straightforward in terms of pricing, whereas Backupify offers bulk-pricing models for IT resellers and service providers.

Which One Should You Choose?

Your choice between Spanning Backup and Backupify will largely depend on your business needs.

  • Choose Spanning Backup if: You want a straightforward, user-friendly backup solution with strong security, easy point-in-time restores, and Salesforce support.
  • Choose Backupify if: You are an MSP or IT administrator looking for a scalable backup solution with granular recovery features and integration with Datto’s suite of tools.

Both solutions offer strong backup capabilities, but the best choice depends on whether your priority is ease of use and direct compliance (with Spanning) or IT service provider flexibility (with Backupify).

Final Thoughts

Data backup is a critical necessity for businesses working in the cloud. Whether you opt for Spanning Backup or Backupify, ensuring that your digital assets are secure and recoverable should be the top priority. Evaluate their features carefully before making a decision, and choose the solution that best aligns with your backup needs and business model.