SunGard Launches Secure2Disk Online Backup Solution
June 11, 2009 – 3:21 amSunGard’s Availability Services unit last week launched Secure2Disk, a new online solution designed to back up and store data from i OS, Windows, Unix, and Linux servers. The new appliance-based offering helps protect vital customer data by storing de-duplicated and encrypted copies of backups at SunGard facilities, and costs about the same as a tape-based backup system, the software and services giant says. SunGard also announced its top 10 tips for dealing with hurricane season.
While disk-based backup has been widely used in the larger IT market for years, there appears to be a surge of interest in the technology occurring right now in the cloistered IBM i (i5/OS) community. A number of vendors are selling disk-based backup solutions (sometimes referred to as D2D, D2D2T, or virtual tape libraries [VTLs]) that work with the Power Systems (iSeries) server, including Crossroads Systems, EMC, FalconStor, Gresham Enterprise Storage, LaserVault, LXI, and others.
The Secure2Disk appliance works pretty much like a VTL or D2D system. It looks just like a tape drive to the System i server it connects to, which reduces complexity and disruption to existing backup processes.
The big difference between Secure2Disk and the EVault offering is that Secure2Disk utilizes an on-premise X64-based storage appliance to buffer the backup output from the System i (eServer i5) servers, whereas EVault uses an i OS (OS/400)-based agent to replicate data from the server directly across the line to SunGard’s SAN.
While the onsite disk-based approach introduces another server that requires care and feeding to the data center, it brings advantages in the areas of speeding the backup, as well as speeding the recovery of data, since a copy of the backup is on premise.
SunGard partnered with Asigra in the development of Secure2Disk. Asigra, which calls itself a developer of “hybrid cloud” backup and recovery software, developed the software for Secure2Disk, and SunGard provided everything else, a SunGard spokesperson confirmed. About two years ago, Asigra introduced support for i5/OS with its flagship Televaulting DS-System offering.
SunGard Availability Services also unveiled its top 10 list of tips for hurricane preparedness. The annual hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 15. Government forecasters foresee a normal hurricane season, with a 70 percent chance of having nine to 14 named storms, of which four to seven could become hurricanes.
Highlights of the list include:
- Regularly test your disaster recovery plan
- Revisit and reassign responsibilities
- Make sure your notification system is up-to-date
- Put your people first
- Don’t wait to relocate
- Don’t forget about your technology
- Keep your vendor list current
- Consider the impact outside of your organization
- Evaluate readiness and completeness of offsite data storage
- Take the guesswork out of server recovery
Source: itjungle.com
