Symantec heads for the cloud with storage and back-up service

Here be updates

In honor of the occasion, Symantec's Backup Exec 12 software and Windows-centric Backup Exec System Recovery suite are getting dolled-up with updates.

The latest editions of both products introduce certified support for Windows Server 2008, tighter integration with other pieces of Symantec software, and enhanced granular recovery.

According to Brian Greene, Symantec director of product management, this is the first backup application to be certified with Windows Server 2008.

"The reason we are making a big deal out of this, is we had to go through a lot to get certified," he says, "Microsoft changed a lot of things, including the way we have to go about backing up."

Customers are not expected to dive into Server 2008 on Day One, but they will want to know that the backup application isn't "holding them back" from making the change, he said

The update also adds further integration with Enterprise Vault and the ability to see Symantec's security warning system, ThreatCon. Users can set up security measures so that critical data is backed up automatically when TheatCon detects a certain level of global security panic.

Granular recovery options are being updated to allow backup to removable storage devices, along with automatic deletion of expired jobs to save space. Greene said the update expands backup and restore from Microsoft Exchange environments beyond to SQL Server, Active Directory, and SharePoints as well.

Both updates are available now. Pricing for Backup Exec 12 starts at $995 per server. Pricing for Backup Exec System Recovery 8 starts at $1,095 per server or $69 per workstation. ®