InfoStor : Symantec adds de-dupe, CDP to NetBackup, June 2008 Page 1

By Kevin Komiega

June 10, 2008—Symantec today announced a series of updates to its Veritas NetBackup software platform, including the integration of data de-duplication and continuous data protection (CDP) technologies previously available only as stand-alone products.

Symantec has also cherry-picked some features found in its Windows-based Backup Exec product to bring granular recovery capabilities for Windows and VMware environments to the NetBackup platform.

Specifically, Symantec added the Granular Recovery Technology it first introduced in Backup Exec to NetBackup, allowing for quick recovery of an entire system or individual files, e-mails, documents, and virtual machines from single-pass image backups of Windows, Exchange, SharePoint, and VMware servers. The Granular Recovery Technology eliminates duplicate block-level backups, eliminating redundant data and reducing capacity requirements.

Symantec plans to roll out all of its new updates in two parts over the course of the next few months, with some enhancements available now and some coming later this summer.

NetBackup 6.5.2, available now, features expanded support for Microsoft applications, including the granular recovery technology for Sharepoint 2007, Exchange 2007, and Windows Server 2008. Version 6.5.2 also includes support for VMware, with the addition of VCB incremental backups and Snapshot Client support in virtual machines, as well as higher availability and policy-driven encryption key management for NetBackup tape environments.

NetBackup PureDisk 6.5 integration with NetBackup, also available now, offers a hybrid approach to data de-duplication with a menu of choices, including source-based, inline target-mode, or post processing de-duplication based on application requirements.

The PureDisk 6.5 option also features integrated replication, leverages any storage hardware, and can scale up to meet the backup-and-recovery needs of hundreds of remote sites, data centers, and multiple petabytes of backup data.

Symantec offers a five-system NetBackup starter pack for $3,995.

However, users will have to wait a bit longer for NetBackup 6.5.3 and RealTime 6.5 CDP, with availability slated for later this summer and in the fall, respectively.

The integration of RealTime Protection 6.5 will add CDP to NetBackup by capturing all changes to application data in real-time. RealTime also includes NetBackup Storage Lifecycle Policies to automate the movement of RealTime data to longer-term storage media.

Symantec has been steadily enhancing its NetBackup portfolio by incorporating technology from Backup Exec and vice versa. Specifically, Symantec has been fleshing out both products in the areas of disk-based backup, virtual machine support, Windows protection, OpenStorage, and recovery capabilities.

Symantec's director of product marketing, Mary Ward, says users should expect to see the company update its products faster going forward, based on the company's decision to change its organizational structure by bringing together its enterprise-focused NetBackup and Windows-oriented Backup Exec groups.

"We folded the two groups together about two months ago and now a lot of the technology is being shared between the groups," explains Ward.

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