AmeriVault Signs With EMC Mozy To Offer Desktop, Notebook Backup Service

Online data protection service provider AmeriVault is expanding into the consumer and small business market with an OEM deal with EMC's Mozy service.

AmeriVault is using Mozy to build a service for desktop and notebook PCs, said Scott Bush, director of marketing for the Waltham, Mass.-based service provider.

Mozy was acquired by EMC early this year, and is now the base on which EMC is building a software as a service (SaaS) offering.

AmeriVault's strategy is to deliver services based on the variable needs of data, especially different RTOs and RPOs, Bush said.

RTO, or recovery time objective, is a measure of the maximum amount of time that data can be unavailable. RPO, or recovery point objective, is a measure of how far back a company can go to restore data in a useable form.

"We need to meet the needs of individual data," Bush said.

AmeriVault's online storage service is currently built on top of two other technologies.

The company's AmeriVault-AV is based on software from Toronto-based Asigra, and offers full long-distance replication capabilities for mission-critical data.

Its AmeriVault-EV is based on Seagate's EVault technology, and is lower in cost compared to AmeriVault-AV in part because the data is not replicated long-distance to a further remote site.

Mozy was chosen as AmeriVault's third service because it is easy to get started with, and easy to use, Bush said. "We wouldn't recommend it for larger servers or for critical data," he said.

Bush said that, while the three services do not share a common user interface, that has not been an issue.

"With online backups, the interfaces are very easy," he said. "All three are very intuitive. Once the backup is set up, you don't touch it that often. So it's not a big issue."

While EMC's Mozy service is being used by a number of other companies on an OEM basis, including the Thrive service of Staples, AmeriVault is the first large specialized online storage provider to sign with the service, said Vance Checketts, COO of the Mozy service.