OBM is a complete open‑source solution for data backup and restoration, designed for professional environments, it allows centralising protection of workstations, servers and applications, while offering a simple interface and advanced features. In this review, we will explore its main features, installation, use cases, and compare it with popular alternatives, in order to assess its usefulness.

 

Problems solved

What problems does OBM solve?

Companies often look for alternatives to commercial backup solutions, because these can be costly, complex to configure, or limited in customisation. OBM provides an open‑source platform that enables

  • Centralised backup of multiple workstations and servers, reducing the risk of data loss,

  • Automatic scheduling of backups according to the company’s needs,

  • Fast and flexible restoration, allowing recovery of files or entire systems in case of disaster,

  • Compatibility with different operating systems and virtualised environments,

 

Features

Key features and capabilities

OBM offers a full set of features to meet the needs of modern businesses,

  • Interface: ergonomic, intuitive, with multilingual support,

  • Performance: fast backup thanks to optimised processes and compression support,

  • Customisation: ability to create personalised backup policies, plugins available to extend functionality,

  • Security: encryption of data in transit and at rest, user access control,
     

Key advantages

  • Centralised backup management,

  • Multi‑platform support (Windows, Linux, macOS),

  • Open‑source service and free, with the possibility to contribute to the open‑source community,

  • Detailed alerts and reports for backup monitoring,

 

Installation

How to install and configure OBM?

  1. Download the latest OBM version from the official site https://obm.io

  2. Follow the installation instructions suited to your operating system,

  3. Configure the main settings: backup paths, file types, users and policies,
     
  4. Test the first backup to verify that everything works correctly,

  5. Enable notifications and automatic scheduling to ensure continuous monitoring, using the technical support of the open‑source community if needed,

 

Use cases

Use cases for OBM

OBM adapts to many professional contexts,

  • Company X uses OBM to back up all its Windows workstations and Linux servers, reducing the recovery time of critical files,

  • A SME uses OBM to protect its Office 365 data and internal databases, guaranteeing business continuity,

  • Educational institutions deploy OBM to centralise backups of student and teacher workstations, with automated reports for tracking,

 

Comparison with alternatives

featureOBMVeeam Backup FreeBacula
Open source
Integrations
Multi-plateforme
Cloud backup
Encryption

 

Advantages and disadvantages

AdvantagesDisadvantages
✅ Completely free❌ Learning curve for beginners
✅ Highly customisable❌ Limited support compared with commercial solutions
Open‑source service, contribution possible❌ Interface less modern than some paid alternatives
✅ Multi‑platform and cloud integration❌ Dependence on the open‑source community for certain advanced features

 

Conclusion

OBM is perfectly suited for companies and organisations that seek a open‑source solution for backup and centralised management, complete and flexible. Its intuitive interface, multi‑platform capabilities and built‑in security make it a solid choice for system administrators, IT specialists and professional users who want to protect their data effectively while controlling costs.