NetApp Locks Down Files And Changes With New Archive Software

Like NetApp's prior regulatory software, SnapLock Compliance edition, LockVault allows a file to be saved along with information on how long it is to be retained for regulatory purposes in such a way that it cannot be deleted.

However, while a file saved with SnapLock Compliance cannot be modified once saved, LockVault allows changes to also be saved and locked down for the required time period, said Michael Marchi, senior director of data protection solutions for the vendor.

Such files can then later be recovered or restored according to how they looked on a particular day before changes were made, said Marchi. And since only changes to the file, not full copies, are backed up, overall storage capacity can be reduced, he said.

Merrill Likes, president of UpTime, an Edmond, Okla.-based solution provider, said customer interest in ways to lock data for regulatory purposes is growing strong, after waning for some time.

"When HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley and other regulations were being dropped on us, our clients originally said they wouldn't deal with the regulations because they turned them over to their auditors," Likes said. "But now we're seeing a resurgence in people talking about compliance issues."

Leonard Iventosch, vice president of channel sales, said LockVault can easily become a new service for solution providers to offer to their customers in the compliance area.

LockVault works in the midrange as well as in the enterprise space, making it a good product for the channel, he said. "Both Arrow and Avnet are driving hard with compliance initiatives," he said. "Both can provide some meat to their solution providers from our compliance offerings."