IT Planner: 5 Steps to Continuous Data Protection - IT Planner: 5 Steps to Continuous Data Protection (
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Data duplicates should also be winnowed down. Gartner analyst Dave Russell wrote recently that most enterprises keep between two and seven copies of their data at all times, depending on the application environment. Limiting that number to two or three at most will save a great deal of time, space and performance throughout a large system.
Deduplication, all the rage at the moment in the storage industry, is software that keeps copies to a minimum, depending on company policies. Consider buying it.
Step 3: Evaluate tech requirements.
After deciding what data needs to be protected, IT managers need to determine what CDP hardware, software and services are required.
Choosing the right CDP hardware, software and/or services for your organization depends on budget and breadth of coverage needed—just like an insurance policy.
EMC provides two full-blown CDP platforms: RecoverPoint and Kashya. IBM, meanwhile, offers backup software and hardware snapshots in its Tivoli Continuous Data Protection for Files offering. eWeek has also learned that IBM is working on new CDP software.
Microsoft and Dell have no enterprise CDP products in their lineups as yet, but they do offer low-end replication and snapshot packages for Windows systems. Hitachi Data Systems offers a replication and snapshot solution using CommVault.
Through its acquisition of Alacritus, Network Appliance offers a combination of FlexClone and SnapRestore that works only for data residing in its own storage, so there’s a lock-in issue to consider.
LiveOffice, meanwhile, offers a well-regarded e-mail storage and access system for enterprises and small and midsize businesses.
Other companies in the CDP space to consider include Symantec, CommVault, Mendocino, Iron Mountain, Exanet, Idealstor, BakBone, Availl, CA, SonicWall and Mimosa Systems.
Step 4: Check for compliance.
When developing your CDP plan, use the state, federal and industry regulations your company must comply with as guidelines.
“Do [the CDP systems] meet all the accounting rules? Are they compliant with local and international law? If you’re an American company, are they Sarbanes-Oxley-bulletproof?” Dunkelberger said.
