SEP sesam review
A mature enterprise backup suite with broad recovery coverage and a free limited edition.
Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026
SEP sesam is backup and recovery software for organizations managing physical servers, virtual machines, databases, enterprise applications and heterogeneous operating systems. It provides centralized administration across Windows, Linux and macOS, with self-hosted deployment and API access. Recovery options include file-level restore, bare-metal recovery for Windows and Linux, instant recovery and mounted access to backup sets. Its scope suits infrastructure teams responsible for mixed environments rather than organizations seeking only basic computer backup.
The free Community Edition provides a free license for limited systems, a 3 TB storage pool, 1 TB of Si3 deduplication, up to 5 backup clients and one bare-system-recovery license. It is intended for limited non-commercial use and does not represent the unrestricted commercial edition. Commercial SEP sesam uses unit purchase or subscription licensing, with quote-based configuration through the commercial full product edition. A 30-day free trial is also available. Buyers should compare the Community Edition's system, storage and client limits with their environment before treating it as a long-term deployment option.
SEP sesam's strongest fit is broad infrastructure protection: multi-hypervisor backup covers VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, Citrix XenServer and Proxmox VE, while application integrations include SAP HANA, Oracle, SharePoint, Exchange, Google Workspace and Microsoft 365. Si3 deduplication and replication address storage efficiency, while immutable storage, S3 Object Lock and offline tape air-gap protection support ransomware-focused recovery planning. The product was founded in 1992 and is offered by SEP GmbH. Choose it when centralized control and varied recovery modes matter; a narrower, simpler backup tool may suit teams without heterogeneous infrastructure.
SEP sesam pros and cons
- Where it wins
- Centralized backup for physical, virtual, application and database environments
- Immutable storage, S3 Object Lock and offline tape air-gap protection
- Supports VMware, Hyper-V, Proxmox VE, SAP HANA and Microsoft 365
- Where it doesn't
- Community Edition is limited to non-commercial use and specified system limits
- Commercial SEP sesam uses quote-based unit or subscription licensing
- The free edition is not equivalent to the unrestricted commercial product
SEP sesam fact sheet, pricing and score →
Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. Vendors can pay for top positions in our rankings and for a place on other products' pages, and we may earn a commission when you click some links. Bought places stand at the number bought; this page and our disclosure say so. Paying vendors may get a fuller, more detailed review from our editors, and that review can change their score. How we rank.
Last updated · How we research and update