Symantec Makes the Move to Continuous Data Protection

by Alex Woodie

Symantec last week unveiled a pair of new utilities that deliver new options for preserving the integrity of Windows servers and the data they manage. Backup Exec 10d for Windows Servers includes a new capability for continuously transmitting changes to Windows data, thereby reducing the backup window, while LiveState Recovery 6.0 delivers greater flexibility in restoring Windows environments on dissimilar hardware, and integration with Backup Exec 10d. Symantec also announced plans to acquire security software vendor BindView for $209 million.

Backup Exec 10d for Windows Server is a collection of software that enables IT departments to implement disk-to-disk-to-tape (D2D2T) backup and recovery processes. The software, which is based on the Backup Exec product line that Symantec obtained in its $13.5 billion acquisition of Veritas earlier this year, runs on Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003 operating systems, and provides backup and restoration for a range of Windows file systems and file types, such as SQL Server, Exchange Server, Windows Storage Server 2003, popular database management systems and ERP programs, and even Macintosh, Unix, and Linux files.

The key new feature that Symantec is promoting in Backup Exec 10d for Windows Servers is continuous data protection. With Backup Exec 10d running on a Windows server, that machine--at least from Symantec's perspective--has become a "Continuous Protection Server" for all of the remote and local servers and laptops it has been hooked up to through the various agents provided by Symantec.

So what the devil is continuous data protection, and why should the average Windows shop care? According to Symantec, continuous data protection provides "true disk-based" data protection by transmitting block-level changes of files from the continuous protection agent (sold separately) to the continuous protection server (which we explained is just the Windows server with Backup Exec 10d running on it). This provides various benefits, Symantec claims, including eliminating the need to perform multiple incremental or differential backups. In fact, Symantec says its new whiz bang can even eliminate backup windows altogether.

This approach also brings benefits to recovery. Because the backup server stores data on disk in its native form, end users can access their files and recover them using a standard Web browser, Symantec says. This feature alone could save IT administrators and help desk personnel dozens of hours they would otherwise spend recovering spreadsheets, documents, and e-mails lost by users or their finicky machines.

Symantec has high hopes for Backup Exec 10d, which it first unveiled in beta form this spring, when it went by the Veritas codename "Panther." Since that time, there have been more than 15,000 downloads of Panther, which Symantec says indicates a need in the market for continuous data protection solutions. Backup Exec 10d will cost $795 when it becomes available October 10, or users can pay $995 for a bundle that includes Backup Exec 10d and one continuous protection agent, which cost $295 each when purchased separately.

LiveState Recovery

Symantec is also trying to speed the recovery of fallen Windows systems through a new release of LiveState Recovery Manager, which was its primary offering in the storage management space before acquiring Veritas. With LiveState Recovery Manager 6.0, Windows systems can be recovered to virtually any type of hardware, even if the configuration on the new hardware is different from the original system that failed, a new feature Symantec calls the Restore Anyware option.

The new release also integrates with Backup Exec enabling administrators to create Backup Exec jobs in LiveState Recovery Manager that protect system recovery points and move them to tape for storage off site in a safe and secure location.

The combination of the Restore Anywhere capability and the integration with Backup Exec was put on display by Symantec officials at an industry event in New York last week. After an IBM server overheated and went down (complete with smoke, we hear), the officials powered up a Dell server that had a completely different configuration, popped in a disk, and pulled up the file they had been working on before the IBM server went down. The software had captured the latest change, and enabled the users to pull up the file, on a completely different server, in a matter of minutes.

LiveState Recovery 6.0 also features a new LightsOut Restore Option designed to enable the restoration of unattended servers from remote locations and devices. Other new features include: new network bandwidth throttling; Windows domain controller support; support for sending SNMP traps; and enhancements to the Symantec Recovery Disk.

LiveState Recovery Advanced Server Suite 6.0 is available now. The suite is priced at $1,695 and includes LiveState Recovery Advanced Server, Restore Anywhere Option, LightsOut Restore Option, LiveState Recovery Manager, and pcAnywhere for LiveState.

In other news, the Cupertino, California, software company also announced plans to buy BindView, a company that builds security products and does research into vulnerabilities. BindView, which is based in Houston, has recently focused on providing compliance solutions. It is publicly traded and had revenues of about $73 million last year. Symantec has agreed to pay BindView $209 million. The acquisition is slated to close in the first quarter of 2006, subject to regulatory approval and a vote by BindView shareholders.