Science & Technology
Science and Technology
Science and Technology
Thu, July 1, 2010
Wed, June 30, 2010 Indiana Wesleyan University Turns to Quantum Deduplication and Tape to Solve Virtual Server Backup Problems
SAN JOSE, CA--(Marketwire - June 30, 2010) - Quantum Corp. (
In the past two decades, Indiana Wesleyan University evolved from a small liberal arts college with 1,000 students to a university with campuses spread over three states. However, with this growth came data backup and restore challenges that the university's legacy tape library wasn't designed to accommodate.
"We really needed to address the limitations of our backup system. When it takes longer than
24 hours to do a daily backup, you know you have a problem," says Everette Webber, director of Systems Administration for the university. "Restore was another big issue. When we needed to restore a file, we would have to wait for the prior day's backup to be done before starting. It was impossible to tell users with any confidence when they would have their data back."
Webber felt it was critical to reduce backup time and have an infrastructure that provided an effective way to restore data quickly. After speaking with several consultants, he was convinced that the university needed a combination of a disk-to-disk solution with deduplication technology and an integrated tape library for archival purposes. Ultimately, Webber chose Quantum's DXi7500 Express system with 9 TB of disk space, along with a Quantum Scalar® i500 tape library. Webber's team also took the opportunity to update the university's existing backup software, Symantec NetBackup, to version 6.5.
The team created 40 virtual servers using VMware Consolidated Backup, with 12 virtual servers backing up to the DXi7500 and the remainder backing up to tape. This approach enables the team to back up an entire VM image and perform a file level restore from that image. Critical information that would need to be restored quickly in the event of a disaster, as well as information that is subject to frequent restore requests, is earmarked for the DXi7500, according to Webber. He also reports that restoring files is now a "pain-free process" that allows staff to give a confident estimate of when users will see their data again.
With the DXi7500 in place, the university is no longer worried about the backup window or the ability to restore data. Deduplication enables backup data to be reduced by 94 percent when it is stored on disk, so more copies can be kept online for fast restores.
"We had been backing up only a couple of terabytes when we started our evaluation, but now we back up 6 to 7 TB a night between the DXi7500 and the Scalar i500," says Webber.
Despite the more-than-doubled volume, the new solution is able to complete the backup cycle before users log on to begin their work in the morning.
"With our new capabilities, we are backing up things that we couldn't get to before," notes Webber. "We've established unique retention schedules for different types of data, as well as separate policies for what goes on disk or tape."
More information on the Indiana Wesleyan University implementation and Quantum's full range of deduplication solutions can be found at [ http://www.quantum.com/Products/Disk-BasedBackup/DXi7500Express/Index.aspx ] and [ http://www.quantum.com/dedupe ], respectively.
About Quantum
Quantum Corp. (
DXi™-Series, the first disk backup solutions to extend the power of data deduplication and replication across the distributed enterprise. As a long-standing and trusted partner, the company works closely with a broad network of resellers, OEMs and other suppliers to meet customers' evolving data protection needs. Quantum Corp., 1650 Technology Drive, Suite 800, San Jose, CA 95110, (408) 944-4000, [ www.quantum.com ].
Quantum, the Quantum logo and Scalar are registered trademarks of Quantum Corporation and its affiliates. DXi is a trademark of Quantum Corporation. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
"Safe Harbor" Statement: This press release contains "forward-looking" statements. All statements other than statements of historical fact are statements that could be deemed forward-looking statements. Specifically, but without limitation, statements relating to 1) customer benefits and value to customers from using Quantum's DXi7500 backup systems and Scalar i500 tape libraries, and 2) customer demand for and Quantum's future revenue from such systems and libraries, are forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Safe Harbor. All forward-looking statements in this press release are based on information available to Quantum on the date hereof. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause Quantum's actual results to differ materially from those implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks include operational difficulties, unforeseen technical limitations, unexpected material deviation in product operation, the ability of competitors to introduce new solutions that compete more successfully with our solutions, unexpected changes in market conditions and unanticipated changes in customers' needs or requirements, as well as the risks set forth in Quantum's periodic filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, but not limited to, those risks and uncertainties listed in the section entitled "Risk Factors," in Quantum's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 5, 2010 and in Quantum's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 30, 2009. Quantum expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter its forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.
