Cortex IT subsidiary BackupAssist announced the release of its Zip-to-Tape Add-on with NTBackup Replacement for Windows Server 2008. The solution provides a solution to the missing tape drive support problem in Server 2008 and other newer Windows operating systems, the company said. The solution is tape backup software that uses the ZIP64 standard to automatically compress data for storage on tape. The add-on will retail for $149, with BackupAssist V5 retailing for $249.
Features include support for tape drives (backup to a standalone tape drive), multi-threading architecture and open .ZIP format, which means backups are stored as .ZIP files for access on any Windows-based machine. The company argues when Microsoft released Windows Server 2008 without NTBackup tape support, it left many I.T. Administrators using tape drive backups with two choices: write-off their significant investments in tape drive hardware, or attempt to source third party tape backup software.
“We were very surprised when Microsoft decided to drop NTBackup, because we’ve all been happily using it for years” says Linus Chang, lead developer and CEO of Cortex. “But we were already working on our Zip Engine as a means to compress and encrypt backup data, so when our customers asked for help with tape drive support on Windows Server 2008, we were able to come up with a simple solution very quickly.”
Chang said zipping files and folders is a simple and effective backup method and ZIP is a trusted and proven technology, describes BackupAssist’s ZIP engine as -ZIP Turbocharged’. “It has multi-threading architecture, tuned for performance. It outperforms WinZIP by a factor of three on entry-level servers and takes ZIP64 to the next level by automating the process,” he said. “That makes it one of the best tape backup solutions on the market, suitable for even the most demanding business backups.”
The Zip-To-Tape Add-on also gives users real-time data compression, 256-bit AES encryption and user-friendly guides and wizards. An additional feature is a restore function including time stamps, NTFS attributes, and ADS. “Our new Zip-to-Tape Add-on adds yet another important feature set to our family of products, which also includes solutions for imaging, Exchange, SQL and Rsync.” Linus said. “Together, BackupAssist V5 with the BackupAssist Zip-To-Tape Add-on gives you a Server 2008 tape backup solution and a complete software package that covers all your backup needs.”