CommVault Bolsters Backup, VM Management Tools

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CommVault launched today a new version of its Simpana data protection platform, which reduces the time it takes to back up, archive, and report on data, expands snapshot integration to reduce backup windows, and enhances the management and protection of data for virtual machines.

The company's backup and data protection software, Simpana 9, has five new features and capabilities that help customers reduce the cost of data management and lower the risk of leaving a business unprotected in the event of a disaster.

A new feature of Simpana 9 is OnePass, which reduces the time it takes to backup, archive, and report on data by reading and moving data only once rather than by using redundant processes that generate more data. OnePass saves up to 50% of the time it takes an administrator to run these processes separately, according to CommVault. With OnePass, data is collected from backup, archive, and reporting processes and transferred into Simpana's ContentStore repository, where it can be deduplicated, backed up, archived, or reported on. Simpana OnePass also now supports Dell Lustre HPC and HP X9000 Network Storage Systems for big data applications.

The impetus for OnePass is big data. As the amount of data that needs to be protected, archived, and managed continues to grow, CommVault addresses the problem by combining the backup, archive, and storage resource management processes into one platform.

[ Managing big data introduces a new level of compliance challenges. See Big Data's Dark Side: Compliance Issues. ]

The new version of Simpana also includes improved snapshot technology and integration with a variety of EMC, Dell, Hitachi Data Systems, HP, IBM, and NetApp storage arrays. In addition, SnapProtect is now more tightly integrated with Simpana's replication module for applications that run on storage that doesn't support snapshots. CommVault also announced an IntelliSnap Connect Program for its snapshot technology, which lets third-party vendors such as Nimble Storage and XIO build plug-in connectors so their arrays can use SnapProtect.

Simpana also now supports virtualization platforms such as VMware, Hyper-V, and XenServer by automatically protecting virtual machines and implementing change block tracking, which allows virtual machines to track disk sectors that have changed. A new plug-in module for Simpana to VMware's vCenter is also now available, which allows administrators to recover files from the vCenter management console.

The company has also introduced Simpana Edge Protection, which protects laptops and desktops and allows monitoring and management from Windows, iOS, and Android devices.

Finally, CommVault integrated Simpana with Microsoft SharePoint to provide better performance and utilization and to reduce the backup window.

Deni Connor is founding analyst for Storage Strategies NOW, an industry analyst firm that focuses on storage, virtualization, and servers.

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