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i365 is working with Microsoft and Dell to extend Microsoft's data protection software capabilities across other platforms and into the cloud, making it a potentially significant competitor to Symantec's Backup Exec and other established vendors.
i365, a wholly-owned subsidiary of storage vendor Seagate, which provides technology for cloud-based storage and backup services, is collaborating with its partners to extend Microsoft's System Center Data Protection Manager software across non-Microsoft platforms.
Microsoft's Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2010, part of its System Center family of management products, protects data for applications such as SQL Server, Exchange, and SharePoint , as well as data on Windows-based desktop and laptop PCs and virtual servers.
DPM 2010 this week was upgraded with centralized protection of mobile PC data, centralized data protection policy management for roaming laptops, native site-to-site replication for disaster recovery to another DPM server or cloud provider, and bare metal recovery.
However, by working with i365, DPM can now offer that functionality in non-Microsoft environments, said Terry Cunningham, senior vice president and general manager for Emeryville, Calif.-based i365.
"The problem with DPM is, it only works in pure Microsoft environments and Microsoft applications," Cunningham said. "We bring it to non-Microsoft platforms and to the cloud as well."
This is an important step for Microsoft's DPM, Cunningham said.
"Currently, DPM works only in Microsoft environments," he said. "If a customer has Linux, or is running applications on a VMware virtualized environment, he needs another solution. DPM is still a small player in the world of data protection because of that limit. That's why everyone here is excited about this."
Next: EVault for Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager
