i365, Microsoft, Dell Team Up on Cloud Storage Appliance

Seagate cloud storage subsidiary i365 came out April 19 with a new version of its EVault storage appliance optimized for Microsoft’s data protection suite, System Center Data Protection Manager 2010.
The collaborative project is indicative of Microsoft’s determination to move deeper into the cloud storage and services sector and of i365 starting to climb to higher visibility in the market.
In the three-way partnership, Dell will supply the server and storage machines for the EVault for DPM appliance. Dell’s support organization also will serve as a backup to i365’s customer support worldwide.
The preconfigured, plug-and-play appliance features special bundling and streamlined licensing and is designed for fast deployment and simpler management of the i365 and Microsoft applications.
Using EVault for DPM, IT managers can send both their DPM and EVault-protected backup data to the i365 cloud service to obtain off-site disaster-recovery protection. The optional cloud-connected storage includes secure replication of the backup data to the cloud, an i365 spokesperson said.
Replication is a method in which data files are copied and filed in one or more locations apart from the central data center as a backup and disaster-recovery mechanism.
The i365 cloud is supported by geographically dispersed, SAS70 Type II-certified data centers staffed by a team of experts and employing state-of-the-art encryption protocols and redundancy practices, i365 said.
The new EVault version is the only disk-based storage hardware and software package that enables IT managers to deploy Microsoft DPM across other platforms-such as Linux and Solaris-in addition to i365’s cloud data centers.
EVault for DPM on Dell hardware is scheduled to be available in June but can be ordered now through i365 and Microsoft channel partners.