Features

Features

• Do I still need an enterprise-level backup software application?

  With ever more powerful primary storage, why is backup still relevant? In this feature, storage expert George Crump explores the business case for backup applications.  Continue Reading

• Tape archive remains the recording medium of choice

  Tape archiving offers low-cost, long-term data protection in a variety of industries, keeping it atop the list of data center backup technologies.  Continue Reading

• Backup technologies help appliances do more than backup

  Backup targets have grown more efficient thanks to deduplication, scalability, copy data management and other advancements in backup technology.  Continue Reading

• Cloud backup options protect public cloud storage data

  Public cloud vendors are developing cutting-edge products to make cloud-based backups more effective in backing up public cloud storage data.  Continue Reading

• Data backup hardware buyers get good deals from vendors

  Buying data backup hardware has never been easy, but companies are leveraging vendor relationships to get discounts and other benefits.  Continue Reading

• Asigra Cloud Backup Version 13

  Asigra Cloud Backup Version 13 provides an AWS Elastic Block Store Snapshot Manager and the ability to support Docker container backup through an Asigra partner.  Continue Reading

• Veeam Availability Suite v8

  Veeam Availability Suite v8 offers several key backup software components in one package, including Veeam Cloud Connect, Snapshot Hunter and WAN acceleration for VM replication.  Continue Reading

• Druva inSync 5.5

  Druva inSync 5.5 endpoint backup software stands out with its proactive compliance, cloud app integration, full text search and cloud privacy framework.  Continue Reading

• NEC HYDRAstor v4.4

  The NEC HYDRAstor version 4.4 is viewed as the most scalable target dedupe appliance and its Universal Deduped Transfer offers source-side dedupe to reduce bandwidth usage.  Continue Reading

• ExaGrid Systems EX32000E version 4.9

  The ExaGrid EX32000E version 4.9 backup hardware appliance and its deduplication software offer capacity for 25 appliances and support 15 data centers for cross-site DR.  Continue Reading

• Oracle Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance

  The Oracle Zero Data Loss Recovery Appliance is integrated with RMAN and Oracle Enterprise Manager and is designed to drastically reduce data-loss exposure.  Continue Reading

• How to choose the right snapshot method

  Snapshots and replication have become data protection tools of choice, but finding the right snapshot method for your data center can be challenging.  Continue Reading

• In search of the ideal disk backup system

  Integrated backup appliances and disk backup systems are playing key roles in the evolution of data protection to drive business efficiency.  Continue Reading

• Backup tech buyers want problems solved, data protected

  Making a backup purchase? You probably want to solve specific problems and build out your infrastructure, but cost, capacity and scaling matter.  Continue Reading

• Remote data backup options offer a centralized approach

  Remote data backup options include integrated backup appliances, the cloud and a hybrid approach. Discover the pros and cons of each strategy.  Continue Reading

• The bleeding edge of backup applications

  Today's backup software does more than just copy data. These platforms are evolving to support faster restores, disaster recovery, and even archiving.  Continue Reading

• Data restoration in less than 15 minutes

  To reduce data restoration times, backup products are integrating with a storage system's snapshot function to implement copy data management.  Continue Reading

• Faster recovery point objective part of backup evolution

  Most users want their critical applications to have faster recovery time objectives, but IT departments preach a more realistic expectation.  Continue Reading

• Asigra, Veeam remain top users' choice for backup applications

  Enterprise and midrange vendors who were each first-time winners in last year's Quality Awards for recovery and backup applications software win again this year.  Continue Reading

• Flat backup grows into viable tool for data protection

  Flat backups reduce license fees and improve recovery point objectives and recovery time objectives, making them useful for data protection.  Continue Reading

• VM backup software offers efficient protection and recovery

  Virtual machine-specific backup software and VM backup functionality from traditional vendors have changed virtual server backup for the better.  Continue Reading

• Today's cloud-based backup strategies

  Cloud backup has evolved to protect data enterprise-wide -- on servers, laptops, desktops, smartphones and tablets. But it has limitations.  Continue Reading

• Endpoint data protection products offer backup, file sync and security

  Today's crop of endpoint and mobile data protection products blend backup, file sync and security functionality to increase user productivity while protecting against data loss.  Continue Reading

• Virtual machine backup a top VM storage priority

  Virtual machine backup might not be such a big headache anymore, but it still commands some serious resources.  Continue Reading

• Repurpose backup and archive data to gain value

  Can backup and archive data be mined for business analysis?  Continue Reading

• Unitrends Certified Recovery Suite

  This year, Unitrends announced UCRS, a new software bundle that offers backup for virtual and physical servers, as well as hybrid cloud DR.  Continue Reading

• Asigra Inc. Cloud Backup Version 13 Featuring Cloud-to-Cloud Backup and Recovery

  The latest version of Asigra Cloud Backup adds cloud-to-cloud backup for Salesforce.com, Google Apps and Office 365.  Continue Reading

• Dell DR6000 Disk Backup Appliance

  Dell's DR6000 disk backup appliance is enhanced with Rapid NFS and Rapid CIFS for source-side deduplication.  Continue Reading

• HP StoreOnce 6500

  The HP StoreOnce 6500 backup and deduplication appliance takes gold in Storage magazine's annual Products of the Year awards.  Continue Reading

• Quantum Corp. DXi6900 Deduplication Appliance

  Quantum's DXi6900 backup deduplication appliance grabs silver in the Storage magazine/ SearchStorage.com Products of the Year awards.  Continue Reading

• Enterprise data protection shopping lists focus on cost, scalability

  Changing backup applications or processes may keep storage managers awake at night, but cost and scalability concerns remain firm.  Continue Reading

• IBM and Dell dominate tape storage systems user ratings survey

  Perennially a strong competitor, IBM earns the top spot among enterprise tape libraries for the second time, while Dell snares its first midrange win.  Continue Reading

• Snapshot, replication change backup management and scheduling

  Snapshot, replication among storage tools are fueling a shift in how enterprises protect data. Data protection vendors are adding features that allow users to roll data back to specific points rather than just restoring from backups.  Continue Reading

• Importance of mobile device backup grows

  Mobile device data protection is growing in importance, but challenges remain.  Continue Reading

• Users pick Asigra and Veeam as top backup applications

  Both the enterprise and midrange categories saw first-time winners in our ninth annual Quality Awards for backup and recovery software.  Continue Reading

• Backup challenges: Protecting large volumes of data

  In the first part of this primer on backup challenges, Brien Posey explores how backing up volumes of data impacts the data protection process.  Continue Reading

• Backup targets: Tape libraries and VTLs

  Tape drives, tape libraries and virtual tape libraries are among the popular backup target options available today.  Continue Reading

• Veeam Software Veeam Backup & Replication v7

  Version 7 of Veeam's Backup & Replication software platform includes built-in WAN acceleration and tape support for long-term data retention.  Continue Reading

• Data backup hardware: 2013 Products of the Year finalists

  Data backup hardware category finalists range from Oracle's high-speed, ultra-high-capacity tape drive to Riverbed's cloud-attached appliance.  Continue Reading

• Backup and disaster recovery software: 2013 Products of the Year finalists

  Backup and DR software and services finalists illustrate the diversity of tools available for data protection both in and beyond the data center.  Continue Reading

• Modern backup alternatives

  With more data to protect, weekly fulls and nightly incrementals may not be enough. It's time to look at alternatives to traditional backup processes.  Continue Reading

• The state of mobile device backup

  With the growing bring-your-own-device movement, backing up data on mobile devices is quickly becoming an issue for most companies.  Continue Reading

• Zerto Virtual Replication 2.0

  Zerto Virtual Replication 2.0 wins the Gold in the Storage magazine/SearchStorage.com 2012 Products of the Year competition.  Continue Reading

• ExaGrid Systems EX130-GRID with Secure Erase

  ExaGrid Systems' EX130-GRID with Secure Erase removes data by performing overwrites to the affected areas, ensuring previous data is not recoverable.  Continue Reading

• The king of all backup jobs: Backing up the Library of Congress

  The Library of Congress is the ultimate backup job, preserving petabytes of Internet data and created from turning physical files into digital ones.  Continue Reading

• Data deduplication technology today and tomorrow

  It may seem like data deduplication for backup has been around forever, but there are plenty of companies that have yet to add dedupe to their backup operations.  Continue Reading

• Protecting petabytes: Best practices for big data backup

  How do you protect the massive data sets? Learn the best practices and products used for big data backup disaster recovery.  Continue Reading

• Backup definitions: Top terms you need to know

  Check out this list of important data backup definitions on SearchDataBackup.com. The list includes both terms you probably know and some that you may not.  Continue Reading

• Can cloud file syncing replace backup solutions?

  While cloud file syncing solutions as a form of backup makes endpoint users happy, haphazard adoption by employees can leave organizations more susceptible to risk.  Continue Reading

• Best data backup technology tips of 2010

  Start 2011 off right and read our best data backup technology tips of 2010, and get the best advice from our data backup experts.  Continue Reading

• Choosing the best Oracle backup strategy for your environment

  Find out which Oracle backup strategy is right for you in this FAQ: user-managed backups, RMAN or import/export backups.  Continue Reading

• Implementing data deduplication technology in a virtualized environment

  More environments are showing an interest in implementing data deduplication in their virtualized environments. Find out what's driving this interest and what to watch out for.  Continue Reading

• Solving common data deduplication system problems

  Still not getting the deduplication ratios vendors are promising? Learn about the most common problems with deduplication systems and how to fix them.  Continue Reading

• Common NAS backup challenges

  Curtis Preston discusses some of the most common challenges associated with NAS backups, the pros and cons of NDMP and other technologies that help simplify NAS backup in this Q&A.  Continue Reading

• Choosing data archiving software and other data archiving best practices

  There are a number of important data archiving best practices, but the most important ones (that are rarely followed) are simply to archive at all and to use data archiving software.  Continue Reading

• Oracle backup best practices

  Learn Oracle backup best practices in this column from backup and recovery expert W. Curtis Preston.  Continue Reading

• Laptop data backup and desktop data backup best practices

  Laptop and desktop backup is just as important as enterprise data backup. Learn about the best practices to follow for backing up your laptop and desktop data in this Q&A.  Continue Reading

• Data backup application choices for backing up virtual server environments

  Backing up virtual storage environments often require non-traditional backup approaches. Learn about the best way to back up virtual storage and virtual machines.  Continue Reading

• Backup best practices: Easy fixes for your enterprise backup system

  In Mr. Backup's latest column, learn about a few simple and easy things you can do to optimize your backup system.  Continue Reading

• Best practices for reusing data backup tapes

  W. Curtis Preston answers common questions about reusing backup tapes in this Q&A.  Continue Reading

• LTO tape technology continues to evolve with LTO 5

  W. Curtis Preston, TechTarget executive editor and independent backup expert, outlines how LTO tape differs from other tape media, discusses the various generations of LTO tape, and the pros and cons of LTO in this Q&A.  Continue Reading

• Choosing an affordable backup tape library for SMBs

  Greg Schulz, founder and senior analyst with The Storage IO Group discusses what you should look for when choosing an SMB-level backup tape library in this Q&A.  Continue Reading

• Archiving storage vs. data backup storage: The dos and don'ts of using backups and data archives

  Learn the differences between data backup software and data archiving tools and the dos and don'ts associated with each in this FAQ with Curtis Preston.  Continue Reading

• Modern data backup and recovery system considerations

  In this book excerpt, Iearn about tape vs. disk storage, the difference between full versus incremental backup, and disaster recovery vs. backup.  Continue Reading

• File-level versus image-level data backup: Chapter excerpt from "VMware VI3 Implementation and Admin

  Learn about file-level backup versus image-level backup, and attaching tape drives to ESX hosts in our chapter excerpt from "VMware VI3 Implementation and Administration."  Continue Reading

• Symantec Veritas NetBackup best practices: Using the maximum jobs per client setting

  This is the second in a multi-part series discussing Symantec Corp. Veritas NetBackup best practices to help you make the right choices for your data backup system.  Continue Reading

• Backing up your virtual environment

  Learn all about backing up your virtual environment, whether with traditional backup and backup scripts in this except of Eric Seibert's new book "VMware VI3 Implementation and Administration."  Continue Reading

• Data protection strategies for remote and branch offices

  Many large corporations have many smaller remote offices or branch offices (ROBOs) that create and use data. Learn the best strategy for your ROBO data protection.  Continue Reading

• Avoid data loss with proper tape storage handling procedures

  Learn how to properly store your tape drives and avoid data loss with proper tape storage handling procedures.  Continue Reading

• Using network-attached storage as a target for disk-based data backup and recovery

  For many businesses, using network-attached storage (NAS) as a target for disk-based backup and recovery is an attractive proposition. But, how do you decide if it's right for your organization? Curtis Breville, independent storage expert and ...  Continue Reading

• Using bare-metal recovery to migrate physical machines to virtual machines with VMware

  Learn how to use the bare-metal recovery procedure to migrate physical machines into virtual machines in VMware.  Continue Reading

• Symantec Veritas NetBackup data backup and recovery best practices

  Symantec Corp. Veritas NetBackup is an enterprise-level data backup application used in some of the world's largest companies. Learn NetBackup best practices for backup and recovery.  Continue Reading

• Data destruction options for your backup data

  When data backups are deleted in your business, are they really gone? In this FAQ, Executive Editor and Independent Backup Expert W. Curtis Preston discusses data destruction in backup environments.  Continue Reading

• Data replication for backup best practices

  Replication is increasingly becoming a critical business need for many organizations. In this interview, Executive Editor and Independent Backup Expert W. Curtis Preston discusses synchronous and asynchronous replication, deduplication and ...  Continue Reading

• Virtual tape library (VTL) data deduplication FAQ

  John Merryman, services director for recovery services at GlassHouse Technologies Inc., discusses the pros and cons of virtual tape library (VTL) data deduplication and the state of the VTL deduplication market today in this Q&A. His answers are ...  Continue Reading

• What are the benefits of using a virtual tape library (VTL) for data deduplication?

  Well, there are a few big use cases right now that are driving data deduplication to the forefront of the decision-making that's going on in backup environments. The bottom line is that data deduplication is dramatically changing the economics of ...  Continue Reading

• What are the drawbacks of using a virtual tape library (VTL) for data deduplication?

  There are really no alternatives for disk-based backup outside of backup software options. For example, Symantec has PureDisk that offers a data deduplication function at the client. IBM is soon to release a similar function in its software product....  Continue Reading

• The downsides of data deduplication technology explained

  Data deduplication is currently one of the hottest areas of backup. But there are still some areas where data deduplication has some growing to do.  Continue Reading

• What about security concerns?

  Security concerns are very valid and are probably the key reason why most organizations won't use a service provider.  Continue Reading

• What is server-free backup, and how does it work?

  Server-free backup is an umbrella term for two different kinds of backup. The general distinction is that it is backup that is going to be done outside of the server that is being backed up -- hence the name. Some of the methods for doing ...  Continue Reading

• What is the difference between server-free and LAN-free backup?

  LAN-free backup is simply connecting the server that needs to be backed up to a SAN, so the data is transferred over Fibre Channel to a tape drive, VTL or disk.  Continue Reading

• How to upgrade or replace backup software

  This section of our Backup Best Practices Guide offers a series of best practices that can help avoid common implementation mistakes and get the most from new backup software.  Continue Reading

• How to implement snapshots

  Snapshots can establish recovery points in just a fraction of the time needed for a traditional backup and can significantly reduce recovery point objectives by supporting more frequent recovery points. This article offers a series of best practices...  Continue Reading

• How to improve tape backup performance and reliability

  Even though tape's role in data backup changing, it's still important in many data centers. Here's how to get the most out of your tape drives and media.  Continue Reading

• What is the difference between a traditional file-level backup and a virtual machine backup?

  Most traditional client/server architecture remains the same in the server virtualization environment where the client has an agent installed. However, this can become cumbersome. We still have to manage agents...  Continue Reading

• What is considered best practices in terms of backup vaulting (offsite storage) frequency?

  As a consultant, this is something that I run into frequently. There seems to be a belief that if you're a smaller shop or smaller business: You don't have a lot of data, and you don't need to send your data offsite very often. A lot of times, the ...  Continue Reading

• Data backup quiz

  What's the level of your backup IQ? Try our Data backup quiz and find out if you're up to date with the various backup strategies available to help you protect yourself from data loss.  Continue Reading

• What is email archive indexing? Which type do you recommend?

  There is a wide range of indexing capabilities, and most people and companies don't think about this until after they've gone out and spent a lot of money on a solution. For us, "indexing" means that each email is opened as it is moved to an archive...  Continue Reading

• Three approaches to remote replication

  Remote replication came to the forefront in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when storage managers realized how important it was to send vulnerable data offsite.  Continue Reading