CommVault Unveils Next-Gen Storage Automation

CommVault launched Jan. 26 a new version of its Simpana data management software package that includes a whopping 140 new features plus the industry’s first embedded global deduplication module.
Simpana 8’s ability to automate the data deduplication function anywhere in an enterprise’s IT system-starting with the data file entering the system and ending when it finds its resting place in either disk or tape storage-enables IT managers to save time processing the scads of data that pour into typical storage systems each business day.
“Storage appliances can be very useful in the right circumstances, but let’s face it-they’re slow,” Dave West, CommVault’s vice president of marketing, told eWEEK. “This offers a holistic approach to data deduplication that spans both disk and tape.”
Most storage appliances limit dedupe benefits to the boundaries of their box, West said.
“Data reduction begins at the client and spans through, and includes off-site tape copies. Our holistic, block-level approach results in faster network data transfers, shorter backup windows and faster recoveries,” he said.
CommVault’s Simpana, which won eWEEK’s Excellence Award for Storage Software in 2008, automatically preserves the compressed state of the deduplicated data as it is transparently migrated to tiers of cheaper storage for longer retention needs. All this is done based on predetermined policy settings.
Simpana 8 also features new snapshot protection capabilities that simply eliminate backup windows, West said. The data gets handled, deduplicated and stored on the predetermined storage tier as it enters the system, so there’s never a glut of data to run and store when the system slows down.
“All system backups now can be handled during regular 9-to-5 work shifts using this new software. Storage admins will love the fact that they won’t have to be coming in on weekends and in the evenings to do it while the main system is running slow,” West said.
Simpana 8 software, with its single-platform approach, is a great example of a solution meeting the distributed data demands while reducing operational overhead, said Lauren Whitehouse, analyst with Enterprise Strategy Group.
“Most impressive is its native, built-in data deduplication feature that optimizes storage capacity across storage silos for all of the data copies made for recovery and long-term preservation purposes,” Whitehouse said.
For more details on Simpana 8, go here.