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Disaster recovery and data protection specialist Paragon Software Group announced the release of Paragon Hard Disk Manager 15 Suite and Professional a data management solutions set for Windows PC users working in physical or virtual environments.
The HDM 15 lets users create backups directly in the form of virtual disks in any of the supported formats (pVHD, VMDK, VHD, VHDX), while the Professional edition now offers file exclusion filters for backup and recovery operations, the capability of editing virtual hard disks, Hyper-V guest system backup, scripting and expanded support for virtual machines.
Both editions allow the creation of bootable recovery media, and HDM 15 Suite unites more than 20 data management technologies, including partitioning, boot correction, file and image backup, disk copying, secure data wiping (even on solid state drives), and flexible recovery options.
In addition, the company announced HDM 15 Suite and Professional users get an update to Windows 10 support for free.
Additional functions in the HDM 15 Suite include Embedded Recovery Media Builder 3.0 and make it possible to create a personal recovery environment, file-level backup and restore for virtual containers, and a revised user interface for easier navigation.
New functions in HDM 15 Professional include all of the above, plus agentless protection of Hyper-V guest machines and P2V-Restore from virtual containers.
“The Suite and the Professional versions target private, basic-to-advanced PC users,” Konstantin Komarov, Paragon’s CEO, told eWEEK. “The Pro version is also bridging the gap between the needs of self-employed people and small businesses. It offers a wide range of professional tools such as virtualization but does not support server OS. For businesses looking for a server solution, we offer the business edition.”
The suite allows an entire system, individual partitions or just selected files to be backed up manually or on a schedule. HDM’s wiping function helps free up storage space and permanently deletes sensitive data using Paragon’s wiping algorithms or user-developed algorithms, and SSDs can be wiped without shortening their service life.
The Professional edition provides scripting to automate frequently used operations. A variety of virtual backup containers are available, including the space-saving pVHD format as well as Hyper-V (VHDX) and other containers that can be used as base for virtual systems.
HDM 15 Professional backs up Hyper-V guest systems without requiring installation on the virtual system in question (agentless backup). This allows the protection of multiple Hyper-V systems from a central location, whether or not they are running.
The full selection of backup options–sector and file-based, differential or incremental backups or special file complements–are available in all cases.
Password protection keeps sensitive data safe, and BitLocker-encrypted volumes are supported.
In case of a disaster, backups can be restored to different hardware through the Universal Image Mounter (UIM), which gives users access to archived files. The user maps a backup archive as a network drive and the contained files will be accessible, just like a physical hard disk.
Paragon ConnectVD (Virtual Disk), included in the Professional edition makes it possible to manage virtual drives, including anything from partitioning or MFT defragmentation to data exchange.
In addition, the advanced mode provides analysis and repair tools useful when fixing booting problems or analyzing the hard drive’s status.
The Hard Disk Manager 15 Suite is available for $49.95, while HDM Professional is available for $99.95, and family licenses are available for three PCs in one household.
“Data is the most valuable aspect for any PC user and it’s important to protect all data–whether documents, favorite music, movies or family photos–as well as your operating system,” Komarov said. “Everyone has important digital data these days.”