SAI Global finds value in ditching tape backups
SAI Global (ASX:SAI) has improved disaster recovery and simplified backups since the introduction of data de-duplication technology at the end of last year.
SAI Global (ASX:SAI) has improved disaster recovery and simplified backups since the introduction of data de-duplication technology at the end of last year.
Deduplication, a fresh idea only a few years ago, has become a commodity, with organizations of all sizes deploying deduplication as just another feature in their data protection and backup solutions. This is progress. More data centers can eliminate the redundant data in their backup and storage systems to save money and increase efficiency. However, the job is not done. With deduplication in place, IT leaders can move on to adopting intelligent capabilities to ensure data is properly stored and protected. In 2013 data center managers will push for global deduplication that provides flexibility, scalability, performance and high availability of data.
There is a lot of discussion in the storage industry in regard to "scale-up" versus "scale-out" architectures for backup and recovery operations. More and more organizations are reducing or eliminating the use of tape by deploying disk-based appliances that use deduplication. But the architectural approach used by the appliance vendor can make a significant difference to the performance, scalability and total cost of the selected solution.
IT budgets are always tight in small to midsize business, and when it comes to storage, many simply bolt on additional boxes to accommodate growth and data retention regulations without considering the added complexity and long-term costs.
Cloud storage seems like such a no-brainer for backups and disaster recovery, it's a wonder that more businesses aren't taking advantage of it. If you're concerned about cloud outages, cloud storage costs, data loss, data security, or the ability to push your nightly backup sets up the Internet straw, Riverbed Technology's Whitewater appliance may make cloud storage easier to embrace.
It may well be referred to as ‘snorage’ but the storage sector is actually one of the more interesting segments of the ICT industry, largely as it is a window into what exactly people and organisations are doing with their IT. Think data, the myriad types of data, and the massive, unending, exponential growth in data by both consumers and organisations. And the biggest part is, the growth only gets bigger and faster.
<i>Exponential data growth is emerging as arguably the biggest issue IT managers face. But, handily, data deduplication is one available tool to help tackle the problem. Tim Lohman reports.</i>