Entries categorized under “Data Protection”

Today's defining characteristics of enterprise backup software are not whether they support VMware backups or use VMware's APIs for Data Protection (VADP). Those features should be a given. The new hallmarks of enterprise backup software are how well they manage physical and virtual environments from a single console and accelerate and simplify virtual machine (VM) restores. It is these enhancements that users will find natively included with CommVault® Simpana® 9. (read more)

Enterprise shops are like their small and midsize counterparts in that they share a similar desire to speed up and simplify backups in their respective environments. However the techniques required to meet these demands requires the use of backup software that is more sophisticated beneath the surface, easier to use and reduces operational expenses (OPEX). The enhancements found in this week's release of Symantec NetBackup 7.5 strike a good balance in accomplishing those exact objectives. (read more)

The differences between small, midsize and large organizations may be many but when it comes to backup, they all seem to share one thing in common: a desire to speed up and simplify their backups. The challenge is that for each of these organizations to accomplish this they need to take different paths to do so. This universal desire for better ways to do backup was the impetus behind many of enhancements found in today's announcements of Symantec Backup Exec 2012 and NetBackup 7.5. (read more)

On the surface, the idea of transitioning from tape-based to disk-based backup sounds relatively straightforward. But managing backups across multiple sites takes on a life of its own with virtualized machine (VM) backup adding yet another level of complexity to the mix. It is when the Daughters of Charity Health Systems (DCHS) considered this mix of variables and who was in the best position to ensure success that it opted to roll out Data Domain in its environment. (read more)

DCIG regularly talks to organizations that are confronted with continuing data growth, ongoing tape problems, saturated WAN links and overworked IT staff who recognize that changes to their existing backup environment are needed. However non-profits such as the Daughters of Charity Health Systems (DCHS) with limited funding for new technology purchases are particularly challenged as they have no margin for error. (read more)

Today there are more open system arrays with more features from more vendors from which organizations may choose. Yet what is emerging as an obstacle to organizations considering some of these arrays as viable options is their inability to leverage these snapshot capabilities. That obstacle may be short-lived thanks in part to the CommVault IntelliSnap Connect Program. (read more)

A little over two (2) years ago I did an interview with ExaGrid System's CEO Bill Andrews about the same time that EMC and NetApp were engaged in a bidding war over Data Domain. In that interview Andrews expressed concern about EMC winning the battle for Data Domain and how that might negatively impact ExaGrid. But as EMC and ExaGrid both respectively announced overwhelmingly positive numbers this week, it turns out that EMC's acquisition of Data Domain has served both companies well. (read more)

The big news out of IDC is that in December 2011 it upped its forecast as to how quickly it expects the purpose built backup appliance (PBBA) market to grow in the years to come. But this heightened revenue forecast provides a glimpse into why enterprises are selecting PBBAs and which providers they are choosing. Among these reasons, it appears clear that enterprises view PBBAs as an effective solution to address their backup challenges with EMC their top choice as it already holds a big lead in the PBBA market and is poised to extend it further going forward. (read more)

Implementing and then managing DR is still no "gimme." It requires that SMBs select a solution that offers the right five features so they can successfully execute on a DR initiative in their environment for 2012 and beyond. (read more)

Choosing the right cloud-based archiving and backup solution may well be one of the most important - and difficult - decisions facing small and midsize organizations in 2012. However a recent acquisition by Imation should contribute to easing which solution organizations should choose in 2012. This acquisition did more than give Imation a cloud-based backup offering. It put Imation among an elite class of providers that offer both local and cloud-based data backup, recovery and archiving options from a single solution. (read more)

Choosing the right cloud-based archiving and backup solution may well be one of the most important - and difficult - decisions facing small and midsize organizations in 2012. However a recent acquisition by Imation should contribute to easing which solution organizations should choose in 2012. This acquisition did more than give Imation a cloud-based backup offering. It put Imation among an elite class of providers that offer both local and cloud-based data backup, recovery and archiving options from a single solution. (read more)

About a month ago I started to put some thought and research into what might emerge as the top trends of 2012 by keeping a notebook next to my keyboard so as ideas struck me I could jot them down. Now as I look at the four trends that made today's short list, they ended up being on the surface ones that I hear, write and talk about every day. (read more)

Today is the last business day of 2011 and with it DCIG brings you our top most read and referenced blog entries. Each blog entry is compelling, yet timeless. What we find ironic about these blogs is that even as topics like "cloud," "deduplication," and "virtualization" generate a great deal of buzz, simple blog entries on storage, backup and data center labeling outperform them due to their foundations for IT leaders and practitioners. (read more)

Before DCIG announces its top three blog entries of 2011 tomorrow, this year we thought we would do something different and take a look at some other blog entries that garnered a great deal of attention throughout 2011 but not quite enough to reach the Top 10. That being the case, an honorable mention for these blog entries was in order. Further, what is notable about these entries is that, with the exception of one, they were all published in 2011. (read more)

Today I continue to reveal the Top 10 most read blog entries on DCIG's website in 2011 with these four (4) entries typifying the two extremes of topics that DCIG's readers tend to read the most. At one end of the spectrum are two forward looking blog entries on topics that every organization are examining now: the cloud and virtual server backup. At the other end of the spectrum are two older blog entries on the topics of cable labeling and encryption for which organizations continue to need relevant information. (read more)

IBM briefed DCIG on the details around its October Active Cloud Engine product announcement on Wednesday, November 16, of this past week. The briefing covered three functional areas, two products, one statement of direction and ironically nothing about the cloud. However, IBM deserves kudos for making a big change to its scale out NAS (SONAS) product during its Active Cloud Engine product announcement. (read more)

Looking back at the two fall VMworld 2011 conferences, there were more sessions available on how organizations could protect their VMware environments than many could probably attend in a month. Further, each of these sessions presented a number of backup and recovery tips that left organizations the task of sorting through and then prioritizing which ones to implement. Among these tips presented, three emerged that every shop should look to adopt regardless of how they move forward with the protection of their VMware infrastructure as a whole. (read more)

You hear the words and phrases repeated in legal offices, data centers, break rooms, and boardrooms: liability, indemnity, retention, regulators, act of discovery, compliance. The discomforting sound of Information Governance contains echoes of cost, complexity, inconvenience, and potential penalties. (read more)

Deduplicating, disk-based backup appliances are now part of almost every organization's data protection conversation. But this does not mean every organization should approach or view them in the same context. While many companies may want strictly a "backup target that does deduplication" that works with their existing backup software, there is an equally large contingent of companies that want a backup appliance that possesses features that enable them to build out a more comprehensive data protection strategy. (read more)

Enterprises have been hearing about the value and veracity of public cloud for years even as Symantec has been getting feedback on its value proposition from its public cloud customers. The message that Symantec has received is that "ripping and replacing" is not an option. Rather enterprises want and need revolutionary infrastructure with evolutionary products and prices. (read more)

"Impossible. Nobody can jump this." Enterprise technology buyers and IT administrators who have seen the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade can relate to how Indy feels as he looks across a great chasm and is asked to step out in faith. But too often these individuals may feel the same way when asked to make an enterprise technology buying decision with little more information than what Indy possessed. (read more)

Today's data centric world can leave small and midsize businesses (SMBs) feeling particularly vulnerable. As their focus tends to be more on providing services and products for their clients and less on protecting the data that they create and use, they can feel a bit overwhelmed when it comes to selecting the right solution to protect their data and recover their business. The new Imation RDX A8 Disk Storage Library is specifically intended to address these concerns that these SMBs possess. (read more)

Today's data centric world can leave small and midsize businesses (SMBs) feeling particularly vulnerable. As their focus tends to be more on providing services and products for their clients and less on protecting the data that they create and use, they can feel a bit overwhelmed when it comes to selecting the right solution to protect their data and recover their business. The new Imation RDX A8 Disk Storage Library is specifically intended to address these concerns that these SMBs possess. (read more)

Today DCIG and Monument Data Solutions are pleased to jointly announce the availability of a new DCIG Buyer's Guide, the DCIG 2011 Oracle Backup Software Solutions Buyer's Guide that weights, scores and ranks twelve (12) backup software solutions that have specific features to integrate with and protect Oracle databases. This Buyer's Guide gives small, medium and large enterprises the resources they need to assist them in making what is typically a very arduous and time-consuming decision: selecting a backup software solution that effectively protects their Oracle databases. (read more)

The move from tape to disk as a primary backup target had raised serious questions about what the future held for data protection and recovery management (DPRM) software. The argument was that with disk replacing tape in the backup process, why would anyone need DPRM software? Turns out, the reasons for companies continuing to deploy DPRM software are even more compelling than before. (read more)