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Enterprise Backup
Commvault Backup

Finding Viable Commvault Metallic Storage Alternatives to Cut Costs by 80%

08.10.2025

9

Minutes
Thomas Demoor
CTO Impossible Cloud
How to eliminate egress fees and vendor lock-in with a predictable, S3-compatible object storage solution designed for enterprise backup and recovery.

Organizations using Commvault Metallic for backup are often trapped by vendor lock-in and unpredictable costs. The primary pain point is not storage, but the punitive egress fees and API call charges that can inflate bills by 3-5x. This article outlines a strategy for selecting Commvault Metallic storage alternatives that deliver cost predictability and data control. We will explore an enterprise-ready, S3-compatible object storage solution that eliminates 60-80% of typical cloud expenses by design. This approach focuses on performance, security, and a built-in exit strategy for long-term value.

Key Takeaways

  • Eliminate unpredictable cloud storage costs by choosing an S3-compatible alternative with zero egress fees, cutting expenses by 60-80%.
  • Ensure seamless integration with Commvault by demanding full S3 API compatibility that supports advanced features like Object Lock and lifecycle management without code rewrites.
  • Adopt an "Always-Hot" storage model to simplify operations, guarantee instant data access for restores, and avoid the hidden fees and delays of complex data tiering.

Eliminate Cost Uncertainty in Your Backup Strategy

Cost unpredictability is the number one cloud pain point for 95% of enterprises. Surprise egress fees and API charges from traditional cloud providers create budget overruns of 25% or more. An effective alternative storage model eliminates these variable costs entirely. This provides a predictable monthly bill, reducing total cloud storage expenses by 60-80%. This shift makes budget planning and ROI calculation finally possible for IT leaders. A transparent economic model with zero egress fees is the foundation for a cost-efficient backup strategy. This approach ensures your total cost of ownership decreases as your data grows. It also removes financial penalties for accessing your own data for restores or analytics. This financial control allows you to build a more resilient and affordable disaster recovery plan. You can find more details in our Commvault alternative pricing guide. This focus on predictable economics is the first step toward breaking free from vendor lock-in.

Demand S3 Compatibility That Actually Works

True S3 compatibility is a non-negotiable requirement for any drop-in storage replacement. IT leaders need alternatives that work with existing tools and scripts without requiring a single code rewrite. This protects your past investments in workflows and automation, reducing migration risk to near zero. Our platform offers full S3-API compatibility, ensuring your Commvault jobs run up to 20% faster. Simply change the endpoint, and everything else keeps working as expected. This seamless integration accelerates your time-to-value from months to just a few hours. This compatibility must extend beyond basic operations to include advanced capabilities. A truly compatible solution supports:

  • Object versioning for granular recovery points.
  • Lifecycle management policies to automate data retention.
  • Immutable Storage with Object Lock for ransomware protection.
  • IAM with MFA and RBAC for secure, granular access control.
  • Event notifications for automated downstream workflows.

This level of integration ensures your architecture remains stable and performant.

Build a Resilient Architecture Without Complex Tiering

Many cloud storage solutions rely on complex data tiering to manage costs. This approach often creates more problems, leading to restore delays of several hours and unexpected retrieval fees. An "Always-Hot" object storage model eliminates this complexity entirely. All data is immediately accessible, which is critical for meeting recovery time objectives (RTOs) of under 15 minutes. This model avoids API timeouts and keeps third-party tools like Commvault stable during large restores. Our architecture is built for consistency and availability, with multi-AZ replication to eliminate single points of failure. This design provides predictable low latency, which is essential for both backup and recovery operations. By avoiding fragile tiering, you gain operational simplicity and strengthen your overall security posture. This leads to a more robust solution for managing backup capacity tiers.

Prioritize Ransomware Protection and Compliance

Ransomware attacks increasingly target backup infrastructure as the primary point of leverage. Immutable storage via S3 Object Lock is now a mission-critical feature for business continuity. This capability makes your backup data unchangeable for a defined period, rendering it safe from malicious encryption. This is a core requirement for obtaining cyber insurance for 100% of carriers. Our platform provides Immutable Storage and Object Lock out-of-the-box. We also provide enterprise-grade compliance certifications, including SOC 2 and ISO 27001. This allows you to store regulated workloads with confidence. You maintain full control over your data with multi-layer encryption and customer-controlled key management. This security-first approach ensures your last line of defense remains secure.

Empower MSPs with Predictable Margins and Brand Ownership

For Managed Service Providers, unpredictable costs directly erode profit margins. Finding viable Commvault Metallic storage alternatives is key to building a profitable Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) offering. A storage backend with zero egress or API fees provides the predictable margins MSPs need to quote with confidence. Our partner program allows MSPs to launch their own branded cloud service with a custom domain and UI. This shifts the narrative from simply reselling a vendor's product to building a valuable asset. This whitelabel capability gives MSPs full margin control and brand ownership. We provide the necessary tools for success. Our partner console includes:

  1. Multi-tenant management for overseeing all clients.
  2. Full automation via a comprehensive API and CLI.
  3. Detailed reporting for billing and client management.
  4. A simple onboarding process that takes less than 24 hours.

This makes it easier for partners to serve as an Azure Blob storage alternative for their clients.

Implement a Practical Exit Strategy from Day One

Vendor lock-in is a strategic risk that limits your negotiating power and long-term agility. Many organizations only consider an exit strategy when it's too late and costs have spiraled. A true alternative storage solution is designed with data portability in mind from the start. The combination of 100% S3 API compatibility and zero egress fees provides a built-in exit strategy. You can move your data at any time without facing financial penalties. This freedom preserves your long-term options and prevents you from being trapped by a single provider. Open standards and proven bulk data movement tools ensure you can always retrieve your data efficiently. This approach gives you permanent data control and independence, which is a core tenet of a modern cloud strategy. You can compare pricing models with our Wasabi vs Impossible Cloud analysis.

FAQ

How does Impossible Cloud integrate with Commvault Metallic?

Impossible Cloud offers 100% S3 API compatibility, making it a drop-in replacement. You can configure it as a cloud storage target in Commvault by adding a new cloud library and entering the Impossible Cloud service endpoint, access key, and secret key. No other changes are needed.

What are the primary cost savings when switching to Impossible Cloud for Commvault backups?

The primary savings come from the complete elimination of egress fees and API call charges, which typically account for 60-80% of a cloud storage bill. Our pricing is transparent and predictable, based only on the amount of storage you use.

Is my data secure and compliant with Impossible Cloud?

Yes. We provide multi-layer encryption (in-transit and at-rest), immutable storage with Object Lock for ransomware protection, and granular IAM controls. Our service is certified for SOC 2 and ISO 27001, making it suitable for regulated workloads.

Can MSPs use Impossible Cloud for a multi-tenant BaaS offering?

Absolutely. Our platform is designed for MSPs, offering a multi-tenant partner console, full automation via API/CLI, and whitelabeling capabilities. The predictable pricing model with no hidden fees ensures stable, high-margin BaaS and DRaaS offerings.

What does "Always-Hot" storage mean for my recovery times?

Our "Always-Hot" architecture means all your data is instantly accessible without any restore delays or retrieval fees associated with archived tiers. This ensures you can meet aggressive RTOs and your recovery operations are fast and predictable.

How do I migrate my existing Commvault backups to Impossible Cloud?

Migration is straightforward due to our S3 compatibility. You can use Commvault's native data movement capabilities to migrate backups to the new Impossible Cloud storage library. Since we charge no egress fees, you can also retrieve data from your old provider without financial penalty from our side.

Would you like more information?

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