NAKIVO adds vSphere 9, Proxmox 9.1 in backup update

NAKIVO has released version 11.2 of its Backup & Replication software. The update adds support for VMware vSphere 9 and Proxmox VE 9.0 and introduces built-in OAuth 2.0 authentication for email notifications.

The release targets organisations running mixed virtualisation estates and those refreshing platforms. NAKIVO positioned it as a way to maintain existing protection during hypervisor upgrades while strengthening authentication for system alerts.

NAKIVO sells backup and recovery software for virtual, physical, cloud and software-as-a-service environments. The company says it has more than 16,000 customers across 188 countries and lists Coca-Cola, Honda, Siemens and Cisco among users.

Virtualisation coverage

A key change is support for VMware vSphere 9. NAKIVO Backup & Replication now recognises and protects environments running the latest version of VMware's virtualisation platform, helping IT teams keep backup processes stable during upgrades.

The update also extends support for Proxmox VE 9.0 and adds compatibility with Proxmox VE 9.1. Proxmox has gained momentum in parts of the market, particularly among organisations looking for alternatives in virtualisation and management.

NAKIVO already offers agentless backup for Proxmox environments. Agentless approaches can reduce the need to install and maintain software on each protected virtual machine, though performance and feature coverage can vary by workload.

In practice, new platform support affects day-to-day operations. Backup vendors must track changes in hypervisor APIs, storage handling, and snapshot behaviour. Many IT teams treat compatibility updates as a prerequisite for upgrades, especially in regulated environments where backup and retention processes support audit evidence.

Security changes

Another headline feature is built-in OAuth 2.0 support for email notifications. Many organisations rely on email alerts for backup job status, failures, and reporting, while email systems have tightened authentication requirements and reduced reliance on basic methods.

OAuth 2.0 is widely used for delegated access and token-based authentication. Adding it to the product lets administrators connect notifications to modern email services without workarounds and can support compliance requirements for stronger controls over messaging systems and service accounts.

NAKIVO also cited "important security updates" in the release, alongside support for additional platform versions. It did not specify the full list of versions covered or the detailed scope of the security changes.

Backup vendors have put more emphasis on security in recent years as ransomware groups target backup systems to remove recovery options and increase pressure on victims. Buyers have responded by seeking stronger access controls, hardened architectures, and clearer security roadmaps, alongside measures such as immutability and offline copies.

Customer comment

NAKIVO included feedback from the University of Colourado Denver.

"With previous backup tools, I could not recover full VMs, but with NAKIVO Backup & Replication, I can recover VMware VMs within 10 minutes. With data deduplication, we were able to decrease storage space by 80%," said Matt Mitchell, Web Developer, SEHD, University of Colourado Denver.

Recovery time and storage consumption remain key purchasing criteria for backup products, particularly in virtualised estates where many systems share common data patterns. Deduplication can reduce stored backup data by removing duplicate blocks, although results vary by dataset and retention policies.

Market context

The release arrives amid continued change in enterprise virtualisation. VMware remains widely deployed in large organisations, while alternative platforms, including Proxmox, have become more visible in small and mid-sized environments and among some service providers. Many buyers now need backup tools that cover multiple hypervisors in parallel, particularly during migrations.

For backup suppliers, keeping pace with hypervisor releases is an ongoing requirement. Compatibility gaps can create operational risk: IT teams may delay upgrades without confirmed support, or run mixed versions across clusters and sites during transition periods.

Bruce Talley, NAKIVO's chief executive officer, said the update reflects changes in customer infrastructure.

"Our priority is to give customers a smooth and secure path forward as their environments evolve," Talley said. "v11.2 focuses on compatibility, security and consistent performance as virtualisation platforms evolve."

NAKIVO said version 11.2 is now generally available, including the new hypervisor support and OAuth 2.0 integration.