Multi-Site Replication — Built-In, No Add-Ons
Replication is built into every ShadowCradle appliance at no extra cost. Multi-site failover that costs 50% less, requires 70% less configuration, and actually works when you need it.
- RTO: 15–30 minutes for most workloads
- Included in base license (vs. Datto $15K+ per appliance)
- 45 minutes to configure multi-site failover
- Reduce DR labor by 40%; eliminate per-site licensing
- Automatic conflict resolution across multiple sites
- Bandwidth-efficient (only changed blocks replicate)
- Works across databases, VMs, cloud apps, files
- One unified replication system - no fragmentation
- One-click failover per appliance
- Health monitoring built into dashboard
- Zero additional licensing to manage
- Set-it-and-forget-it - not something to debug at 3 AM
The Problem with Traditional Replication
Datto: Licensed, Layered, Expensive
- Replication is a separate $15K–$25K module per appliance
- Add another site? Another license fee
- 2-appliance setup suddenly costs $40K more in licensing
- Requires Datto specialists to set up correctly
- Organizations skip replication because they can't justify the cost
StorageCraft: Manual, Fragmented, Complex
- Replication isn't native - it's manual failover between separate systems
- Requires external scripts/orchestration for automation
- Different replication setup for VMs vs. databases vs. files
- Inconsistent recovery procedures across workload types
- High operational overhead; requires ongoing maintenance
How ShadowCradle Does It Different
Replication as a first-class citizen, not an afterthought.
Every Appliance is a Peer. Zero Configuration Required.
ShadowCradle does not have a primary and a replica. Every appliance on your network is a full peer. When you add a second appliance, they find each other automatically - no IP addresses to enter, no certificates to exchange manually, no "cloud console required." The same automatic discovery applies to backup agents: install the agent on any machine on the same network and it will locate the nearest appliance within seconds.
Feature Comparison: Replication
| Capability | ShadowCradle | Datto SIRIS |
|---|---|---|
| Replication included in base | ✅ | ⚠️ $15K+ add-on |
| Automatic failover | ✅ | ⚠️ Requires extra licensing |
| Multi-directional (A↔B↔C) | ✅ | ⚠️ Hub-spoke only |
| Cloud-to-on-prem | ✅ | ✅ |
| Block-level bandwidth optimization | ✅ | ✅ |
| Cost per additional site | ✅ $0 (included) | ❌ $15K–$25K |
| Setup time | ✅ 30 minutes | ⚠️ 4–8 hours |
| Health monitoring | ✅ | ✅ |
Real-World Use Cases
Multi-Location Healthcare Group
Challenge: HIPAA requires offsite backup AND disaster recovery. Traditional DR budget: $100K+.
Financial Services Firm with Multiple Offices
Challenge: Compliance requires 4-hour RTO across all locations. Each office has its own backup.
Key Advantages
Your Backup, Your Destination
Replicate to peer appliances, archive to cloud storage, or write to local NAS and external drives. Mix and match any combination.
Any two appliances automatically discover each other and replicate bidirectionally. Failover to either site with one click. No hub, no hierarchy.
Send backups directly to any S3-compatible object store for long-term archiving. Deduplicated and encrypted before they leave the appliance.
SMB / NFS
USB / SATA
Write backups to a local NAS (SMB or NFS share) or a directly attached external drive. Air-gapped archiving with no cloud dependency.