A SQL Server database is not just a file, it has a very complex internal structure. I think most non-DBAs don't appreciate this. They think a file is a file and that a backup takes care of things: DBAs with any time under their belt know better.

Backup agents frequently are an add-on product for SQL Server, so you can often save money by ditching them and doing native SQL Server backups. To placate your backup admins, have the final step of the backup job copy the backups to a share that is captured by their backup process.

I lost this argument with the network admin and IT manager at a previous gig, and it sent a chill down my spine looking at the messages in my log. They subsequently decided not to fill my DBA position, instead relying on a vendor to monitor the system. When the SAN dropped a volume and it was found that the database was corrupt and backups weren't restorable, they lost 3 months of billable data. I laughed out loud when I heard this.