Storware — General FAQ Page

Storware is a European enterprise software company specializing in backup, recovery, and disaster recovery for multi-vendor, multi-hypervisor environments. Since 2013, we have designed a single platform built for demanding infrastructures — from VMware and KVM-based hypervisors to OpenStack, OpenShift, and containers. Our focus is data protection continuity across every stage of an enterprise’s infrastructure: at rest, in transit, and at scale.

Storware is an EU-based company headquartered in Warsaw, Poland, operating globally. For enterprises this matters beyond geography: it means data sovereignty and alignment with European law and standards, so organizations keep control over where their data resides and which jurisdiction governs access to it.

Storware has developed enterprise backup and recovery software since 2013. From day one we designed for multi-vendor, multi-hypervisor environments rather than adapting a legacy, hypervisor-specific tool — a decision that later migrations to open-source ecosystems proved right. That path is our proof of credibility.

Storware is built for enterprise organizations running demanding, distributed, multi-vendor infrastructures — and for the two roles that depend on them: IT leaders who need predictable data protection continuity and cost control, and engineers and architects who need granular control over backup operations at scale. See our Virtual Machine Backup and Recovery hub and MSP / BaaS & DRaaS page for role-specific detail.

Storware Backup and Recovery is a proven, enterprise-ready platform that protects virtual machines, containers, private clouds, and storage across multi-vendor environments under one universal license. Built around an agentless architecture, it delivers backup, disaster recovery, and cross-platform migration from a single console, so teams maintain consistent policies as infrastructure evolves and scales.

Storware protects a broad range of environments from one platform: VMware vSphere/ESXi, Microsoft Hyper-V, Nutanix AHV, Proxmox VE, Citrix Hypervisor, XCP-ng, Virtuozzo Infrastructure, VergeOS, oVirt/OLVM/RHV, and Scale Computing on the virtualization side; OpenStack and its distributions for private cloud; OpenShift and OpenShift Virtualization (KubeVirt) for containers and Kubernetes-native VMs; plus Microsoft Azure and Azure Stack HCI. Full detail lives on each [platform page](→ /virtual-machine-backup-and-recovery) and in the [documentation](→ https://docs.storware.eu).

Storware uses one universal license that covers legacy and modern, open-source environments under a single model. There are no per-platform fees, no feature tiers, and no additional license cost for adding new environments — so protecting a new hypervisor or cloud doesn’t mean re-architecting your backup or renegotiating your contract. This gives enterprises cost predictability as their infrastructure grows.

Yes — that is precisely what the platform was designed for. Storware uses a distributed, horizontally scalable architecture that meets enterprise recovery objectives in high-concurrency, multi-hypervisor environments, with centralized policy management across platforms so coverage stays consistent as you scale.

Storware is built around an agentless architecture: for most supported platforms it works directly with the hypervisor or infrastructure, with no backup agents installed inside protected machines, which simplifies operations and removes the overhead of maintaining in-guest agents at scale. There are two documented exceptions — Microsoft Hyper-V uses a lightweight host-level agent, and file-level backup (together with certain CephFS and RGW paths) uses the Storware OS Agent. We name these openly, because accurate architecture matters more than a blanket claim.

Storware is storage-agnostic and both source- and destination-agnostic: source and target storage don’t need to share the same technology, so you can design backup infrastructure around your environment rather than around the tool. For OpenStack, that includes Cinder-compatible storage and native Ceph RBD integration, protecting workloads without tying backup to a single storage layer.

Storware uses block-level incremental backups with Changed Block Tracking (CBT) — and, in Ceph-based environments, native Ceph RBD integration with CBT and Snap Diff — to detect and transfer only changed blocks. This reduces the data processed and moved during each run, lowering the load on production while keeping recovery points current. Synthetic backups combine existing full and incremental data into new full restore points without re-reading everything from production.

Storware is ready to deploy across environments through multiple options: installer, ISO, packages, and physical or virtual deployment. This flexibility lets teams match the platform to existing infrastructure and expand protection as environments grow, rather than forcing a single deployment model.

Yes. Storware supports immutable backups through Immutability, Object Lock, and Retention Lock, which protect backup data from modification or deletion during a defined retention period. For enterprises, this preserves the integrity of recovery points — a foundation for recovering with confidence after ransomware or accidental deletion.

Storware was built around OpenStack from day one and carries the deepest OpenStack feature set on the market: native integration with Horizon and Skyline, OpenStack multitenancy with RBAC and multi-domain authentication, storage-agnostic block-level incremental backups, native Ceph RBD integration, and multi-Ceph, multi-cluster support. Rather than adapting a legacy tool, we designed for OpenStack’s architecture directly — which is why we position Storware as #1 Backup & DR for OpenStack. See the [OpenStack backup](→ /openstack-backup) page for the full feature set.

Storware protects OpenStack across supported distributions, including Canonical OpenStack, Red Hat OpenStack Platform (RHOSP), OpenMetal, Virtuozzo Infrastructure, and Sardina FishOS. Coverage is designed to be distribution-flexible, so organizations aren’t locked into a single vendor’s OpenStack. Each distribution has a dedicated page — see [Canonical OpenStack](→ /canonical-openstack-backup), [RHOSP](→ /rhosp-backup), [OpenMetal](→ /openmetal-backup), [Virtuozzo Infrastructure](→ /virtuozzo-hybrid-infrastructure), and [Sardina FishOS](→ /sardina-fishos-backup).

Yes. Storware integrates natively into the OpenStack Horizon and Skyline dashboards, so administrators manage backup operations from within their existing OpenStack environment. Combined with Storware RBAC and multi-domain authentication, this gives separate tenants and teams controlled access to their own backup operations without granting super-user access across the whole environment.

Yes. Storware can protect OpenStack environments that span multiple Ceph instances and multiple clusters from a single backup platform, giving centralized management across distributed deployments. This lets organizations scale OpenStack infrastructure while keeping backup coverage consistent.

Storware supports cross-platform migration as part of the backup and recovery process, using existing backup data to move workloads without a separate migration tool. For V2V migration specifically, the supported path is from VMware, Citrix Hypervisor, and XCP-ng to OpenStack. Because the same platform protects both the source and the target, migration happens without breaking data protection continuity. See the [V2V Migration](→ /v2v-migration) hub and the [VMware-to-OpenStack](→ /vmware-to-openstack-migration) deep-dive.

Yes — this is a core reason enterprises choose Storware. Because one platform and one set of policies protect both legacy and open-source environments, workloads stay protected before, during, and after migration — no re-architecture, no coverage gaps. Over a decade of multi-hypervisor experience makes these transitions predictable rather than risky.

Storware helps enterprises maintain consistent retention policies, access controls, and audit trails across platforms, so governance doesn’t fragment during architectural change. As an EU-based platform aligned with European law and ISO security standards, it supports organizations working to meet frameworks such as NIS2 and DORA.

Yes. As an EU-based platform with global reach, Storware lets organizations keep control over where their data resides and which jurisdiction governs access to it — increasingly a business and regulatory requirement, not just a preference. Flexible, source- and destination-agnostic storage supports sovereign backup designs.

Storware’s immutable backup support — Immutability, Object Lock, and Retention Lock — keeps recovery points from being altered or deleted during their retention period, so a clean copy remains available to recover from. Paired with one-click disaster recovery and regular backup testing, this shortens the path from incident to verified recovery.

Backup creates and retains recovery points; disaster recovery is how quickly and predictably you bring workloads back when it matters. Storware treats both as one continuous capability: the same platform that protects data at rest, in transit, and at scale also runs recovery, so protection and restoration aren’t split across separate tools.

Yes. Storware recovery plans define in advance what to recover, from which backup, and where each workload should be restored; executing a plan runs those steps in a single action instead of restoring workloads one by one. The same mechanism supports regular backup testing, so teams verify recovery procedures ahead of time and get more predictable results when DR is needed.

Storware uses one universal license with no per-platform fees, no feature tiers, and no hidden or per-ticket support charges, which makes total cost predictable as environments grow. Exact pricing depends on the scope of your environment — [contact our team](→ /contact) for a quote scoped to your infrastructure.

Storware provides human-based support from engineers who work with demanding enterprise environments — not tiered ticket queues with per-incident charges. For enterprises, expert partnership and long-term stability matter as much as the product itself.

Storware supports evaluation through proof-of-concept engagements, so teams can validate the platform in their own environment before committing. [Contact us](→ /contact) to arrange an evaluation scoped to your workloads.

Yes. Storware works with partners including MSPs and service providers delivering BaaS and DRaaS, supported by flexible licensing built for multi-tenant delivery. Partners get expert knowledge, human support, and business opportunities rather than a rigid reseller model. See the [Partnership Request](→ /partnership-request) page and our [MSP / BaaS & DRaaS](→ /msp-baas-draas) offering.

Most backup tools were built for the legacy-hypervisor era and later adapted to newer platforms, which often reintroduces vendor dependency at the data protection layer. Storware was designed for multi-vendor, multi-hypervisor environments from day one, protecting legacy and open-source platforms under one license and one set of policies. The difference shows most during migration and coexistence — exactly where adapted tools tend to leave coverage gaps.

The right comparison depends on your environment. Storware’s focus is deep, native protection for open-source and multi-hypervisor infrastructures — OpenStack, OpenShift, KVM-based platforms — under a single universal license, with an agentless architecture and EU-based data sovereignty. For environments centered on those platforms, that design tends to mean fewer tools, fewer licenses, and no coverage gaps as you scale.