Ken Ciolek

LAB Testing: Veeam Backup & Replication 13.1 BETA Security Features Deep Dive (‘Why Now?’ Community Challenge for Veeam Data Platform 13.1)

A Hands-On Look at the Next Generation of Cyber Resilience Every time I get access to a new Veeam BETA release, I have the same routine. I spin it up in the lab, build out a realistic customer environment, and start testing. While new platform support and performance improvements are always exciting, the first area […]

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Lab: Hands-On with Veeam Backup & Replication 13.1 BETA: Installation, Configuration, and Lab Testing

There’s always something exciting about getting access to a new Veeam beta release. As someone who spends most of my time in the lab testing new features before customers deploy them, I couldn’t wait to spin up Veeam Backup & Replication 13.1 Beta and see what it brings. Rather than simply reading the release notes,

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Lab: Integrating PowerProtect Data Manager with Data Domain DD6410: Demo Environment

In my lab, I spent time integrating PowerProtect Data Manager with a Data Domain DD6410 to better understand deployment flow, configuration requirements, and real-world operational behavior. The process was straightforward overall, but there are several things worth validating immediately after deployment to avoid performance or retention problems later.

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Installing the Veeam Plug-in for HPE VM Essentials v13 (RTM) on my Veeam Lab Server

I recently deployed the Veeam Plug-in for HPE Morpheus VM Essentials version 13 (RTM) on my Veeam Backup lab server, which is running v13.0.1. Once tested, I’ll have it available to demonstrate to my customers. Veeam has introduced a dedicated plug‑in that enables image‑level backup and restore for virtual machines running on HPE VM Essentials.

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Lab Deployment: Deploying a Scale-Out Backup Repository (SOBR) for Backup Environments

In this article I’m going to walk you through deploying a SOBR from scratch in my lab environment — not just the wizard clicks, but the design decisions, the gotchas, and the things I wish I’d known the first time I built one at scale. In recent years, before Veeam introduced direct-to-cloud capabilities, SOBR was

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From the Lab: 10 Commvault Configuration Mistakes I See All the Time

Commvault is incredibly powerful. But that power comes with complexity—and complexity is where mistakes creep in. I’ve worked in enough environments to see the same patterns repeat: And most of the time, it’s not a product issue. It’s configuration. Here are 10 Commvault configuration mistakes I see all the time—and how to avoid them. 1.

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