Leverage Disk And Tape Synergies To Maximize Storage ROI Via Deduplication

By Jack Fegreus, Ph.D., Managing Director, openBench Labs.

With the introduction of low-cost, high-capacity disk drives has come a surge in the use of disks in data protection strategies. For IT, disk-to-disk (D2D) backup strategies resolve a number of long standing pain points associated with data restoration. Nonetheless, D2D backup strategies also open new problems associated with the utilization of storage resources.

Backup began as a disk-to-tape (D2T) process, which made maximizing streaming I/O throughput and minimizing the time to complete a backup the key issues of concern. The issue of storage utilization was reduced to limiting the number of physical tapes needed to retain backup images at a secure off-site storage location. IT resolved this issue via a fixed tape rotation plan.

To provide the infrastructure and storage resource virtualization needed to synergistically integrate D2T and D2D technologies, Spectra Logic has introduced the nTier family of backup and archive appliances. Building on a data deduplication engine, each Spectra nTier appliance is able to extend data protection operations that utilize virtual tape libraries (VTLs) seamlessly with physical tape libraries to leverage both tape and disk technologies for maximum data protection while enhancing disk resource utilization via data deduplication. With a Spectra nTier appliance, IT can easily architect a cost-effective backup and recovery plan for protecting corporate data that meets any site-specific data retention or off-site storage requirements.