The line between archive and backup data stores has always been a little fuzzy from the viewpoint of end users. How these respective data stores should be deployed and managed from a theoretical standpoint were always fairly clear cut even though in reality they often ended up on the same backend storage pool. The growth of unstructured data stores is changing that. However it is only altering how these processes will be managed going forward even as their data continues to cohabit next to one another. (read more)

Today EMC announced the availability of a new online file sharing (often referred to as 'sync and share') solution that is aimed at meeting the needs of enterprises. EMC is the first single vendor to offer a comprehensive, end-to-end solution in the file-sync-and-share marketplace. The new EMC solution provides an enterprise grade file-sync-and-share infrastructure from a single vendor. It combats enterprise data leakage risks while helping organizations realize the advantages of increased productivity and collaboration that sync and share enables. EMC backs the enterprise grade moniker with their professional services and 24x7 global support. The solution combines the simplicity and scalability of Isilon scale-out storage with Syncplicity's sync and share administrative and policy control tools. (read more)

Backup appliances are rapidly becoming the de facto standard for organizations as a means to quickly and easily solve their backup challenges. But their availability as a turnkey solution creates a new dilemma for organizations: how to appropriately size a backup appliance for their environment with midsized businesses particularly challenged in making this assessment. As it turns out, "1:1" is a good rule of thumb for midsized business to follow to choose the right size backup appliance for them and why new appliances like the EMC Avamar Business Edition are so well suited for their environments. (read more)

Bringing storage systems initially designed to meet Big Data demands into enterprise data centers is proving to be a bigger challenge than either storage providers or enterprises anticipated. While enterprises certainly want a storage system with a cost-effective, easy-to-manage, scalable architecture, other features such as data protection, data security and virtualization integration also come into play. EMC Isilon's latest OneFS 7.0 operating system takes these specific needs into account freeing enterprises to tackle their Big Data concerns. (read more)

KISS - "Keep IT Simple, Stupid" - is the objective of almost every small and midsized business (SMB) on the planet. However SMBs and storage providers sometimes define "simple" in very different ways, especially when it comes to performing tasks like data protection and business continuity. Taking this challenge head-on, VMware has tightly integrated EMC Avamar technology in its new vSphere Data Protection offering to provide SMBs with the level of simplicity that they expect and need. (read more)

Many SMBs are interested in moving beyond virtualization's upfront consolidation and cost reduction benefits to also achieving improved availability, data protection and business continuity for their applications. But to date the costs and technical complexities of pursuing those goals have held many of them back. VMware's recent vSphere 5.1 Data Protection release changes that as VMware leverages EMC's deep backup and recovery expertise to address these specific SMB needs. (read more)

The mainframe and virtual tape libraries (VTLs) are linked in ways in which most of the open systems world has never really experienced. While both mainframe and open systems have and continue to use VTLs as part of their respective backup and recovery strategies, mainframes may also store less frequently accessed data on VTLs using its hierarchical storage management (HSM) software. EMC's introduction of synchronous replication on its new DLm8000 means mainframe environments may continue and even expand their use of HSM while still achieving the same levels of availability to which they are accustomed on their Tier 1 storage systems. (read more)

Over the last decade or so EMC has assembled quite a collection of enterprise backup products: Legato NetWorker enterprise backup software in 2003; Avamar deduplication backup software in 2006; and, most recently, Data Domain deduplication appliances in 2009. As acquired each one enabled EMC to address key challenges that users faced at the time. However with EMC's release of NetWorker 8.0 one sees more clearly how EMC is bringing its larger vision to life: the transformation of these individual products into a single, comprehensive backup solution that meets the specific requirements of large enterprises. (read more)

Backup software is often rightly viewed as the "sticky" part of an organization's backup infrastructure. But as organizations look to use the right backup solution for specific applications, the need to centralize where that backup data is stored and then how it is managed are becoming the larger issues companies need to address. As this change in perspective occurs, EMC Data Domain Boost (DD Boost) software is shaping up to become the new glue that helps hold enterprise backup infrastructures together. (read more)

Today there is no shortage of purpose built backup appliances (PBBAs) from which enterprises have to choose. However that list shortens considerably when enterprises factor in how well a PBBA meets their backup performance requirements, integrates in their environment and satisfies the ever growing number of compliance requirements to which they are subject. EMC largely addresses these concerns with its new Data Domain DD990 system and latest Avamar 6.1 release as they combine to make a strong case as to why these EMC PBBAs should be at the top of every enterprise's PBBA short list. (read more)