Asempra Technologies' Business Continuity Server 2.6 Delivers 30 Second Restore Of SQL Server Data

Asempra Technologies, a leading provider of continuous availability solutions for Windows applications and data, recently announced the latest version of its award-winning Business Continuity Server(BCS). The BCS version 2.6 incorporates enhanced support for SQL servers, thin provisioning capabilities to minimize storage requirements, and several developments to help customers better manage their fast-growing demand for continuous availability and data protection.

"Asempra's BCS 2.6 release guarantees that we're able to serve our customers at any time by restoring SQL server data within 30 seconds after any storage failure," said Derek Kruger, IT & Communications Supervisor for City of Safford, Arizona, municipal government. "Today, we use the Asempra BCS to protect our Exchange, SQL, and Windows File Servers, and since our deployment we've been able to recover employee data in seconds, not hours or days. We are looking forward to implementing the enhanced SQL capabilities in version 2.6. With the new off-host processing feature we will be able to do more effective testing of our SQL infrastructure before we go live with changes to the database."

Asempra's BCS solution protects SQL, Exchange, and Windows File Server applications and data through a patented approach that captures and indexes all data events, creating a virtualized data store that allows instantaneous recovery of any point in time. Using Asempra's virtualized recovery and data protection technology (Virtual On-Demand Recovery), Exchange and SQL can be available as fast as 30 seconds after a storage failure. The BCS allows IT administrators to "roll back the clock" so that applications and their data are immediately available at any point in time just as they were before outages caused by storage failures, human error, virus outbreaks, or even a datacenter fire. The BCS delivers complete, uncorrupted data at all times, eliminating the need for multiple, costly manual recoveries that are frequently required when relying on traditional backup and restore technologies.

"BCS 2.6 extends further Asempra's commitment to the mid-market's critical need for an all-in-one continuous availability solution," said Gary Gysin, CEO at Asempra. "With 2.6, we have delivered to our reseller partners and end users the advanced features, such as thin provisioning, additional third party compatibility, and superior SQL support, they need to keep their Windows applications and data continuously available with near-zero data loss and 100% uptime."

The BCS solution combines next-generation storage technologies into an all-in-one solution tailored to mid-market needs. The BCS incorporates real-time continuous data protection (CDP), application failover, snapshot, replication, disk-based backup, and seamless tape backup integration to ensure business data is always available, 24x7. Bringing together multiple technologies into an all-in-one, easy-to-use solution is dramatically more cost-effective, and easier to manage for mid-size companies with limited IT resources.

Additional BCS 2.6 Benefits

With BCS 2.6, customers can reduce their overall storage requirements and more easily manage their BCS storage environment. Thin provisioning for BCS connected storage allows customers to define long data retention periods for each protected data set, without having the actual physical storage for that retention period. All BCS protected data sets draw upon storage from a centralized BCS attached storage pool, minimizing the initial storage purchase and simplifying storage management. As users identify more data sets to protect, or deploy additional server infrastructure needing protection, the BCS thin provisioning capabilities ensure an easy, non-disruptive process to add BCS attached storage in the background, transparent to the protected data sets.

The 2.6 release incorporates several enhancements that extend the BCS' performance lead even further. "In-file" de-duplication reduces network bandwidth and storage utilization, providing substantial advantage over traditional block-based data protection products that often must send the entire file after every change. BCS 2.6 has also added cluster load-balancing and storage multi-path support to ensure system availability and manageability in demanding environments.

Additional third-party support gives customers more choices in connecting the BCS to storage and backup infrastructures. Support for Storvault, Lefthand Networks, and HP All-in-One combine the BCS with the benefits of cost-effective and interoperable iSCSI storage networks. Seamless integration with tape backup infrastructures is extended in BCS 2.6, adding support for CA ARCserve tape backup in addition to other leading storage infrastructures. With the extension of its tape backup support, the BCS continues to add value by helping eliminate backup windows on Asempra protected server environments.

"We see Asempra's latest announcement as further proof that they understand our mid-market customers", said John Quinn, Technology and Architecture Leader at Merrimac Solutions, an Asempra authorized reseller. "As a beta site, we found BCS 2.6 to be a very robust and strong expansion of Asempra's product line. BCS 2.6 allows us to offer a complete solution to protect core mid-market IT services - Exchange email, Windows files and SQL databases - so that applications and data are always available. Asempra's approach to continuous availability and data protection is resonating strongly with our mid-market customers."

Pricing and Availability
BCS 2.6 is available immediately through Asempra's partners and resellers listed at the company website. Pricing for the BCS starts with a base configuration of only $15,000, including the BCS server appliance hardware.

About Asempra Technologies, Inc.
Asempra Technologies is a leading provider of continuous availability solutions for Windows applications and data. Named as a "Best of Connections 2007" Finalist in October 2007, ranked as an "Outstanding Choice" by ByteandSwitch in September 2007, and selected as a "Top Ten Start-up to Watch" in September 2006 by ByteandSwitch, Asempra's Business Continuity Server enables application availability and data recovery in seconds or minutes, from any location, at any point-in-time. The BCS solves many critical concerns of small to medium sized businesses, providing continuous availability, data protection, disaster recovery, business continuity, and recovery management in one easy to use solution. Tightly integrated with

Microsoft Exchange, SQL and Windows File Server platforms, the BCS allows companies to leverage existing infrastructure and reduce management complexity while providing near zero data loss. Asempra is headquartered at 3200 Patrick Henry Drive, Santa Clara, California 95054. For more information, please call 408.215.5800 or visit www.asempra.com

SOURCE: Asempra Technologies, Inc.