Veritas Unveils Information Life-Cycle, Utility Computing Initiatives

The Mountain View, Calif.-based company introduced Data Lifecycle Manager 5.0, an option to its NetBackup 5.0 and Backup Exec 9.1 backup and recovery applications.

Data so backed up can be tracked as it migrates and can be set for automatic deletion after a certain length of time, said Michael Sotnick, vice president of partner sales. It is initially aimed at Microsoft Exchange and Windows NT file system formats, he said.

The Data Lifecycle Manager option allows existing backup tapes to be scanned and indexed for compliance purposes, said Sotnick.

Scott Pelletier, storage practice manager at Lewan & Associates, a Denver-based solution provider, said that for too long people have been confused over the difference between the backing up and the archiving of data. "These are two completely different concepts," he said. "Having one software that is cognizant of both sides is very relevant to our customers."

Mark Teter, CTO of Advanced Systems Group, also of Denver, said that a lot of companies would rather delete old e-mails than deal with them, and that compliance is still more often than not a back-burner issue. "Part of the problem is that there are no tools like this," he said.

NetBackup and Backup Exec are also getting enhancements to allow corporations to set policies for ensuring that critical data on desktops and laptops are automatically backed up, said Sotnick. Companies will be able to set specific policies for which data will be backed up to their data centers and when. They can also specify whether such backups will be done at high speed or low speed, he said.

NetBackup 5.0 will also ease disk-to-disk backups, Sotnick said. New functions provide suggestions to IT administrators on where to back up files based on availability for maximum throughput and performance, he said.

Veritas also plans to introduce CommandCentral Service (CCS) 3.5, aimed at turning backup and recovery into a service as part of its utility computing strategy.

CCS lets organizations assign usage to users aligned at the business level by geography or business or product line, said Sotnick. "This allows users to determine how storage assets are being aligned with business requirements, and allows an analysis of storage use for cost and budget purposes," he said. "This gives business leaders the ability to get into utility computing one step at a time."

CCS is available now, with a price starting at $22,000.

CCS takes advantage of the heterogeneous capabilities of solution providers, Sotnick said. "Veritas' partner base lives at the intersection of disparate hardware, software and services," he said. "[Partners'] expertise is to bring them together. Our heterogeneous and interoperable capabilities make us a key partner for anyone making a push into utility computing. And partner appetites for new services business translates into their ability to help."