Deduplication can be a Quick Backup Fix but Permanent Data Management Solutions Exist
Most organizations simply do not like to think about their backup problems. To many their backup problems feel so overwhelming and the steps to fix them are so painful and complicated that they are desperately looking for a quick fix. So when a technology like deduplication comes along that appears to do exactly that, their initial reaction is to buy it. But organizations should not fail to consider other products that include deduplication technology as part of their solution. These solutions can provide the quick backup fix that organizations crave while addressing persistent, underlying data management issues that also need attention.
Deduplication is one of the more revolutionary technologies to emerge in the data protection space in quite some time with interest in the technology and its potential currently reaching a fever pitch. The interest in deduplication is most likely driven by two factors that are currently on the minds of many:
However they will rarely if ever make any promises about improving the manageability of your data stores. In fact, when I pressed one provider on the topic, the provider absolved itself of responsibility in this matter and say it is not their problem nor was it their intent to solve this issue.
This is where organizations need to recognize deduplicating target-based appliances for what they really are. They provide a 3, 6 or even a 12 month respite from an organization's current backup problems by suppressing the symptoms of out-of-control data growth. However they do little or nothing to stem an organization's underlying problems around continual data growth, managing data retention and searches of archived, backup or production data.
While in good times organizations may be able to sweep this issue under the rug, a recent blog by CommVault's David West makes the point that a perfect storm is descending upon organizations. Inefficient IT processes, immature backup software, shrinking budgets, flat or declining head counts and growing legal requirements to discover and produce data is forcing organizations to spend their money more prudently
.
As they do so, they need to think more strategically about what solutions they buy. They can no longer expect to just throw money at a problem in the hopes that it will magically go away and, if it does not, then receive more money next quarter or next year to try to deal with the issue then. Those days are coming to an end if not already over.
Instead organizations should take a step back and see what other problems they can solve beyond just deduplicating their backup data. Archiving email and file data, performing eDiscoveries and reporting on data growth and backups are other issues that persist in many organizations. While these features do not have the same glamour that deduplication currently possesses, by bringing them in-house organizations can begin address the real issues that are causing the backup problems in the first place.
Data management software such as CommVault® Simpana® supports all of these features - archiving, deduplication, replication, reporting, search and many more. Further, in the last few years CommVault has taken great strides to tailor Simpana to meet the requirements of any size organization. CommVault can deliver a solution that meets an organization's immediate deduplication needs while putting in place a platform that can meet their future data management needs.
The hype around deduplication has not been all bad as it has served to provide greater attention on the issue of backup with which many organizations struggle. But organizations that view deduplication as some type of silver bullet for their backup problems are setting themselves up for disappointment down the road. There are no silver bullets to solving long term backup problems but data management software like CommVault Simpana does a remarkable job of providing a short term fix while delivering a platform as a long term solution that fits the needs of most any size organization.
Deduplication is one of the more revolutionary technologies to emerge in the data protection space in quite some time with interest in the technology and its potential currently reaching a fever pitch. The interest in deduplication is most likely driven by two factors that are currently on the minds of many:
- The pending acquisition of Data Domain by either EMC or NetApp. Data Domain's acquisition price of nearly $2 billion dollars raised eyebrows from Main Street to Wall Street. Not only did it re-ignite the conversation around whether deduplication is a feature or a technology, but it raises the specter of what potential that deduplication may hold for other applications besides backup.
- Staffing cutbacks coupled with continuing data growth rates. Job loss estimates for 2008 and 2009 vary but an estimated 3 million jobs were lost in 2008 and more than 2 million jobs have already been lost in 2009. In spite of fewer people working, many attendees at a recent TechTarget Backup School event in Waltham, MA, cited data growth as their number one challenge. Fewer staff and more data are forcing organizations to identify better, more effective ways to protect their data and attendees saw deduplication as one way to accomplish this goal.
However they will rarely if ever make any promises about improving the manageability of your data stores. In fact, when I pressed one provider on the topic, the provider absolved itself of responsibility in this matter and say it is not their problem nor was it their intent to solve this issue.
This is where organizations need to recognize deduplicating target-based appliances for what they really are. They provide a 3, 6 or even a 12 month respite from an organization's current backup problems by suppressing the symptoms of out-of-control data growth. However they do little or nothing to stem an organization's underlying problems around continual data growth, managing data retention and searches of archived, backup or production data.
While in good times organizations may be able to sweep this issue under the rug, a recent blog by CommVault's David West makes the point that a perfect storm is descending upon organizations. Inefficient IT processes, immature backup software, shrinking budgets, flat or declining head counts and growing legal requirements to discover and produce data is forcing organizations to spend their money more prudently
.
As they do so, they need to think more strategically about what solutions they buy. They can no longer expect to just throw money at a problem in the hopes that it will magically go away and, if it does not, then receive more money next quarter or next year to try to deal with the issue then. Those days are coming to an end if not already over.
Instead organizations should take a step back and see what other problems they can solve beyond just deduplicating their backup data. Archiving email and file data, performing eDiscoveries and reporting on data growth and backups are other issues that persist in many organizations. While these features do not have the same glamour that deduplication currently possesses, by bringing them in-house organizations can begin address the real issues that are causing the backup problems in the first place.
Data management software such as CommVault® Simpana® supports all of these features - archiving, deduplication, replication, reporting, search and many more. Further, in the last few years CommVault has taken great strides to tailor Simpana to meet the requirements of any size organization. CommVault can deliver a solution that meets an organization's immediate deduplication needs while putting in place a platform that can meet their future data management needs.
The hype around deduplication has not been all bad as it has served to provide greater attention on the issue of backup with which many organizations struggle. But organizations that view deduplication as some type of silver bullet for their backup problems are setting themselves up for disappointment down the road. There are no silver bullets to solving long term backup problems but data management software like CommVault Simpana does a remarkable job of providing a short term fix while delivering a platform as a long term solution that fits the needs of most any size organization.
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