To give end users more data back-up options, Compaq Computer Corp. on Monday will announce a partnership with Atempo Inc.
The deal will let Houston-based Compaq include Atempos network data management protocol (NDMP) technology into Compaq network-attached storage (NAS) units. The software will be included with all of Compaqs NAS units beginning early next year, and users of older units will be able to download the software as a plug-in, Compaq NAS marketing director Mark Nagaitis said.
“We already support native back-up software from Computer Associates, Veritas and Legato. But more and more we believe NDMP is emerging as the standard,” Nagaitis said.
But the company will have to be careful to look out for version incompatibilities, he said.
A primary reason Compaq chose Atempo, of Santa Clara, Calif., instead of NDMP vendors is that most of the others support Unix but not Windows. Compaqs NAS units are based on the Microsoft Corp. Server Appliance Kit, so the decision was made for Atempo, Nagaitis said.
“This was simply a port,” he said.
The software addition wont change the price of the NAS devices.
“Really all youre doing is loading an application to run,” said Randy Kearns, industry analyst with Evaluator Group Inc., in Greenwood Village, Colo. “Its one of those things that should be in your product offering as a NAS box, and that way, for the ones who want to use it, its there.”
