Quantum DXi Qualified for Symantec Backup Exec 2010

Quantum Corp. announced qualification of its DXi-Series disk backup deduplication appliances with Symantec Backup Exec 2010. The combination provides a backup solution that delivers improved management and value, uniting the scalability, simplicity and performance of appliance-based deduplication with the power of Backup Exec. In addition, Quantum offers Symantec OpenStorage (OST) optimized systems qualified for NetBackup and delivers DXi-Series deduplication appliances with direct disk-to-tape support for Backup Exec environments.

By establishing a single point of control across sites and storage tiers, the combination of DXi-Series disk backup appliances and Backup Exec simplifies backup management, improves performance, and reduces costs. The DXi-Series appliance approach to deduplication provides an average 125 percent boost in backup and restore performance without increasing loads on the application or backup servers – an attractive capability for performance-oriented customers seeking to shorten their backup window. For site-loss protection, the deduplication technology in the DXi-Series reduces the typical bandwidth needed for transferring backup datasets by a factor of 20.

"Quantum works closely with Symantec’s engineering, support, and sales organizations to deliver the highest value to our very large joint customer base," noted Janae Lee, senior vice president of Marketing at Quantum. "With the combination of Backup Exec and DXi-Series disk backup, customers will benefit from more effective disaster recovery protection and reduced management of removable media, leading to better overall protection and lower costs."

"We have been pleased with the simplicity, flexibility and performance of the DXi7500 and Backup Exec 11d," said Steve Sakamoto, senior systems analyst, Hawaii Department of Health. "Our backup time has been reduced from days to hours, and it typically now takes about 30 seconds to restore a file. The combination of DXi replication and Backup Exec under OpenStorage shows great potential benefits."

"With Backup Exec 2010, Symantec is delivering a flexible approach to deduplication," said Pat Hanavan, vice president of product management, Symantec Information Management Group. "Used with Quantum’s DXi-Series appliances, Backup Exec customers will benefit from superior backup and restore performance, with impressive simplicity and ease of deployment."

Using Direct Tape Creation to Link Disk and Tape
Backup Exec supports application-specific path to tape with the DXi-Series. With this capability, customers can write data directly to DXi-Series deduplication systems and then automatically write the data to tape via a dedicated high speed Fibre Channel link outside the backup window and under full control of Backup Exec. The combination enables customers to take advantage of the fast backup and near-term restore provided by the DXi-Series and use tape for cost-effective and secure long-term retention, all through a single interface and fully automated processes. This functionality is also fully compatible with encryption and key management capabilities to give users security for their offsite data.

Deduplication in an OpenStorage Environment
With the qualification of Backup Exec for DXi-Series models, users are able to leverage advanced disk backup functionality using the Symantec OpenStorage Technology interface. OST provides several kinds of support for disk and data deduplication, including direct write to disk and the ability to leverage independent disk systems’ deduplication and replication capabilities. Application-aware replication (what Symantec refers to as ‘optimized deduplication’) allows disk appliances to replicate data efficiently between sites by reducing bandwidth needs, while managing and tracking the process through Backup Exec. This approach makes replication of backup data over conventional WANs practical for disaster recovery, allowing users to utilize disk for backup in smaller sites without giving up effective disaster recovery protection. Application-aware replication reduces or eliminates the need for removable media in smaller sites, lowering costs and improving overall data availability while streamlining and centralizing management.

In 2009, Quantum announced qualification with OpenStorage in Symantec NetBackup environments for several DXi-Series products, including support for application-aware replication. The DXi7500 was the industry’s first deduplication solution to be qualified with OpenStorage direct-to-tape capability for NetBackup. Quantum includes OpenStorage support as a standard feature in several disk products, including its DXi2500-D for remote office protection and all the models in its new DXi6500 family of midrange appliances. Quantum has recently completed qualification for the DXi6500 family with NetBackup, continuing the company’s commitment to support the Symantec OpenStorage initiative on NetBackup.

Quantum’s DXi7500 models are qualified today for Backup Exec and OpenStorage. Qualification of other DXi-Series appliances, including the new DXi6500 family, is currently in progress.