Storage: Top 10 Backup and Recovery Software Vendors

Backup and recovery software is still the bread-and-butter product category for solution providers with a storage focus, and there are a lot of applications from which to choose.

1. Symantec

No. 1 on the list of solution providers' backup and recovery software vendors is perennial favorite Symantec.

2. Microsoft

As it does with many of the tasks customers do on a daily basis, Microsoft addresses the backup and recovery market with applications included in its operating systems, as well as technology that integrates with third-party applications.

3. Hewlett-Packard

HP, like all the server vendors and many of the storage systems vendors, has its own backup and recovery application.

4. CA

CA has had mixed relations with solution providers over the years, but less so in the storage business, where the company's primary go-to-market strategy has been through the indirect sales channel.

5. EMC

EMC over the years has acquired several storage vendors and done a good job of keeping those vendors' products up-to-date with customers' changing environments.

6. IBM

IBM ranks high on the list of channel backup and recover software vendors because of the close relationships the vendor has with its solution providers.

7. (tie) Dell

Dell's acquisition early last year of EqualLogic gave it an instant pre-built storage channel that included solution providers working with the backup and recovery software related to the EqualLogic iSCSI storage appliances.

7. (tie) Hitachi Data Systems

Hitachi Data Systems has a couple of very strong midrange and enterprise storage array lines that are sold directly to channel partners or through the channels of OEM partners such as HP or Sun, but when it comes to backup and recovery software the company calls on some OEM partners of its own.

7. (tie) Sun Microsystems

Like nearly all the systems and storage hardware vendors, Sun offers a wide range of storage-related software with its hardware.

10. Double-Take

Double-Take is a strong Microsoft partner, making it a popular choice for solution providers looking for alternatives to larger data protection software vendors. The company's data protection software, while also available with support for Linux and VMware virtual server environments, offers a full spectrum of protection for Microsoft applications that form the backbone of most SMB customers' computing environments.