Entries categorized under “Deduplication”

When Symantec shipped its first backup appliances in late 2010, it could arguably be said the primary intention of these appliances was to simplify the deployment of Backup Exec and NetBackup at customer sites by shipping both hardware and software as a single SKU. While that still holds true, these appliances also opened the door for them to offer specific features and assume their own unique identities. The new NetBackup 5220 begins to deliver on that promise as it now offers specific software and features that make it much more than just a "server with NetBackup software pre-installed on it." (read more)

It's no secret that 'Big Data' is becoming a 'Big Problem' for organizations from a data and storage management perspective. However what organizations may fail to realize is that the best way to solve their Big Data problems is NOT by mindlessly throwing more resources at them. Rather it is to look at Big Data more strategically and then tackle the data management problems it creates in one fell swoop using software like CommVault® Simpana® and its OnePass technology. (read more)

Using EMC Data Domain systems to deduplicate Oracle database backups has been one of the most successful use cases for Data Domain systems to date. Today EMC provides the solution that many organizations are looking for to better control and manage their Oracle databases by integrating DD Boost with Oracle's native Recovery Manager (RMAN) utility. DD Boost software provides advanced integration between EMC Data Domain deduplication storage systems and applications for faster, more efficient backup and recovery. (read more)

In this fourth and final part of our interview series with GreenBytes CEO Bob Petrocelli, we hear about a three-second failover between canisters used in Solidarity, a solid-state storage array solution. If you're not looking, says Petrocelli, you could miss the failover. (read more)

In the first part of our interview series with GreenBytes CEO Bob Petrocelli, we got a glimpse into the company's groundwork with solid-state drives (SSDs) that led to the development of Solidarity. It is a high-availability (HA), globally optimized SSD storage array solution receiving a great deal of attention because it does away with magnetic drives and delivers a massive 200,000-plus IOPS performance. Today I resume my interview with Petrocelli as he lays out the configurations and processes that make Solidarity hum. (read more)

Inline deduplication data storage solutions provider GreenBytes, Inc. recently released a new high-availability (HA), globally optimized solid-state drive (SSD) storage array solution called Solidarity that is garnering a lot of attention. Solidarity offers inline real-time deduplication and compression via a dual-controller unit outfitted entirely with SSD storage. The buzz over Solidarity is in large part because of its 200,000-plus IOPS performance--with deduplication and compression enabled. (read more)

Recently I have had number of engaging conversations regarding how backup management is evolving. On the upside, many of the challenges associated with managing backup are definitely on the decline. But there are aspects of managing backup that are probably never going away and which every size organization needs to be prepared to manage indefinitely. (read more)

Companies are adopting server virtualization at an accelerating rate each year and, as they do, the need for performance on the back end hardware is growing right along with it. To accommodate this, enterprises need a way to increase the I/O throughput of their virtual machines (VMs). Today, I continue my blog series talking with Virsto Software CEO Mark Davis where we discuss the VM I/O blender problem, what it is and how Virsto boosts VM performance using a hypervisor plug-in that is up to ten times faster than what VM hypervisors natively provide. (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)

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)

Like many organizations do at this time of year, DCIG takes time to reflect on the past year. As part of doing so, DCIG takes a look at what blog entry topics caught the fancy of people in the past year and, as happens every year, the blog entries that are the most read are a mix of what I expect and what catch me by surprise. This year is no different. So without further ado, here are the Top 10 most read blog entries on DCIG's site in 2011 with today's blog entry covering those entries that came in at the numbers 8, 9 and 10 positions. (read more)

"Dedupe everywhere" is becoming a guiding principle in how enterprises now strategically look to deploy data deduplication into their organizations. But it is now recognized that these organizations need a common mechanism to deduplicate data throughout their environment to optimally manage and scale it. It is in this context that HP recently announced its new StoreOnce B6200 Backup System along with a number of StoreOnce feature enhancements as HP takes its deduplication story further into the enterprise. (read more)

Using the "cloud" for backup is the primary context in which people think about the cloud when asked about it. Yet if forced to list what features an "enterprise cloud-based backup provider" offers, it is questionable if one could do so. So as DCIG prepares to release its inaugural Buyer's Guide in 2012 on Enterprise Cloud-based Backup products, one of its first tasks was to define what constitutes an "enterprise cloud-based backup" offering. (read more)

In the last few years, the need for backup software to support VMware has become almost a must-have for any backup solution to remain relevant in the years to come. The need for organizations to back up both physical and virtual machines means that addressing data protection has become increasingly complex. This is why the new Revinetix RevOS 4.0 provides an all-in-one solution to bridge the physical-virtual gap that other backup software solutions may not accomplish without increasing complexity. (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)

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)

VMware will hit a tipping point with 2011 with VMware customers expected to cross the 50% virtualization threshold by the end of the year. But as VMware adoption accelerates, a hurdle that every organization faces as it looks to implement VMware vSphere is identifying a back-end storage system that delivers the appropriate levels of availability and performance at the right price point. Last week the new Symantec FileStore N8300 v5.7 with its new deduplication feature gave organizations a glimpse into how that may be accomplished. (read more)