Storage upstart polishes copied-data slurping tool

Storage startup Actifio has updated its data-copy killing software, which deduplicates data by preventing redundant copies from being made in the first place.

The firm's software tech virtualises a data storage system so that copies of data are pointers to master data and changed blocks rather than full files or databases - saving potentially vast amount of storage capacity. Data is traditionally copied for data protection reasons - backup-business continuity, archiving, testing and development and for analytic processing reasons. The startup quotes analyst IDC as saying that "up to 75 per cent of stored data is copied data".

Version 5.1 of its software adds four groups of additional functions:

• New functionality
• Simpler packaging and pricing - including a utility pricing model option
• Faster set-up
• New services - including implementation services

The startup has added data integrity validation with a service level agreement aspect and, generally better SLA compliance reporting. LDAP and Active Directory integration have been added and there is user and role-based auditing. There are also disk-to-tape enhancements for longer term data retention, which better fits some data storage compliance needs.

FailoverTest has been added to provide non-disruptive disaster recovery (DR) testing using virtual data copies. FailBackSync returns the uniquely changed app data from a DR site once the primary site is ready to resume operations. Actifio has also added bare metal recovery.

Under the simpler packaging heading there are now two products: the Actifio 100T for enterprise and mid-range data centres and remote and branch offices, scaling up to 100TB, and the Actifio Gateway for cloud and managed service providers, which scales up to the petabyte level.

Customers can buy these systems outright or use them with as-a-service pricing on all deals over 30TB.

On the services front there is better system monitoring, auto-updates, alert correlation and processing and better Virtual Private Network access.

Actifio's data copy tech functions at the server level, above storage arrays, and provides a single and universal data copying facility using virualisation. So far as we know, no other supplier has technology with the same basic functionality. EMC's Data Domain has been the main deduplication product provider for a few years now. Quantum, IBM, Oracle and SpectraLogic also do dedupe, but at the storage level. ®