EMC Perspective

The Starting Point for Backup, Recovery, and Archiving

Table of Contents Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Phase One: Assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2 Phase Two: Solution Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Choosing the Right Partner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 About EMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 Author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

The Starting Point for Backup, Recovery, and Archiving

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The average midsize enterprise ($25 to $500 million in revenue) has the same general data concerns as its larger counterparts, but in a smaller environment with leaner budgetary and staffing resources. Many have implemented disparate devices, systems, and applications. And managing all of them requires significant manual effort, which can increase operational costs and compromise efficiency and data accuracy. Plus, operating in a 24x7, data-intensive environment affects backup windows and can increase restore times to unacceptable levels. What’s more, organizations must also comply with an ever-changing landscape of regulatory requirements and be ready to provide historical data at a moment’s notice. On top of all of these challenges, midsize organizations are typically growing at faster rates, creating unique data scalability issues.

Introduction If you are agonizing over how to meet your backup, recovery, and archiving needs…stop. Or, if you’re in the midst of planning how to meet your backup, recovery, and archiving needs, read on.

Backup, Recovery, and Archiving Challenges for Midsize Enterprises • With growth rates in excess of 25 percent in many cases, the data stores of midsize enterprises are fast approaching sizes once associated with only the largest enterprises. • To protect increasingly valuable data and prevent significant consequences, businesses must have mission-critical applications up and running within 24 hours. • Data that is worth having must be protected as it drives the business. • The single greatest data protection challenge is getting backup jobs done in allotted timeframes and performing faster recoveries. However, in today’s 24X7 operating environment, backup windows are smaller than ever and recovery times are increasing. • Nearly one out of four midsize enterprise users report that at least 20 percent of their tape-based backup operations fail due to media issues. Source: Enterprise Strategy Group

In the past, resource limitations have left midsize enterprises with very few affordable options for backup, recovery, and archiving. But today, there are a host of cost-effective, scalable hardware and software solutions available. These new offerings maximize existing technology investments, consolidate the management of multiple devices, and provide an unprecedented level of automation. Every environment is different and storage solutions are never “one size fits all,” so effective deployment requires careful consideration. A business must thoroughly assess its backup, recovery, and archiving environment, identify business goals, pinpoint pressing needs and weaknesses in its technology infrastructure, develop a solution based on appropriate technologies, and deploy it in a cost-effective, scalable way. Very often, this means engaging an experienced service or technology provider with extensive knowledge and resources. This EMC® Perspective paper serves as a guide for midsize enterprises that want to make backup, recovery, and archiving more effective and efficient. It highlights the key methods for assessing the backup environment, determining which technologies to deploy, and choosing the right technology and/or services partner with which to execute the strategy.

Phase One: Assessment The right backup, recovery, and archiving solution can help a business effectively manage increasing amounts of information, while ensuring its accessibility and availability to a rapidly growing user community. But in order to choose a solution that best meets its needs, a business must first understand its current environment. An independent assessment of the backup, recovery, and archiving environment by an experienced, knowledgeable technology and services partner is critical to developing this understanding. This assessment requires two basic steps: determining the points that are causing the most pain, and evaluating the current technology landscape for weaknesses in the infrastructure. The individual responsible for backup, recovery, and archiving deals with the associated processes and challenges on a daily basis and is the best resource for uncovering information on problem areas. A dialogue with this person will reveal not only the most pressing challenges of backup, recovery, and archiving, but also the elements of an ideal environment.

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What percent of unsuccessful backup at first attempt to you experience?

Figure 1: Failed Backups (*based on 135 responses) Source: Peripheral Concepts and Coughlin Associates 2006

% of failed backups

# of respondents*

A good assessment should focus on business drivers and goals. It should also include questions about recent failed backups and restores and the applications that were involved, as well as the applications that most frequently need to be backed up and restored. The discussion should revolve around the applications and data that are most critical to the business and most frequently require access. Finally, it should uncover all recovery-time objectives (RTOs) and regulatory requirements for backing up data to an offsite location.

What’s your major problem in the backup or archive process today?

Figure 2: Backup, Recovery, and Archiving Challenges

% of respondents

Armed with a sense of the most critical objectives related to backup, recovery, and archiving and the obstacles that stand in the way of those objectives, the technology and/or services partner should begin a comprehensive analysis of the backup and recovery environment along with the related archiving processes and infrastructure. Here, the partner and the business work together to gather information about policies and procedures, take inventory of the existing equipment (which can be accomplished with data collection software tools), and audit the data residing on file systems for space by file type, file owner, and last-access date.

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Phase Two: Solution Design At this stage, the environmental and technological assessments have uncovered the most pressing challenges associated with backup, recovery, and archiving and the infrastructural weaknesses that are creating these challenges. Now, it is necessary to evaluate potential solution deployment options based on this information and choose those that best fit the needs and objectives of the business. This will include examining the components and benefits of each option, as well as the technology available for midsize enterprises.

About Recovery Objectives • Recovery-time objective (RTO) is the time required to recover data after downtime. • Recovery-point objective (RPO) is the maximum time window of data loss the business can afford for the application. • The population aiming at RTO and RPO of less than 20 minutes has doubled since 2004. Source: Peripheral Concepts, Inc. and Coughlin Associates

Active Archiving. If the assessments from the previous phase uncovered excessive amounts of static data, active archiving can help reduce the cost of storing this information, while ensuring accessibility. Active archiving includes techniques such as single-instancing, which stores only a single copy of a file in a pool of storage. This approach minimizes the number of files that will be routinely backed up in the production environment. Another approach involves simply moving inactive information onto less-expensive storage platforms. But manually going through a company’s files to identify documents that are no longer actively used is simply too big a job to be practical. The best approach is to use software automation tools to identify static data and move it onto Tier 2 or Tier 3 storage platforms. Here, the data remains easily accessible by corporate users, yet it resides on a less-expensive storage platform. Cost isn’t the only benefit. Ongoing active archiving can also keep production applications streamlined and operating at peak performance, improve information access, and ensure regulatory compliance.1 Every business has recovery-point objectives (RPOs) and RTOs upon which the recovery process should be based. Active archiving technology supports these objectives with a variety of features, including tiered service levels, automated movement of information to more cost-effective storage media, and simplified assessment, implementation, and management of the backup, recovery, and archiving environment. Plus, all of these features fully integrate with the business’s existing databases, file systems, and e-mail applications for seamless data exchange. Disk-based backup. If the assessment uncovered excessive instances of tape media failures in a business’s recent history, storing data on disks rather than tape can make backups more reliable, as well as faster and less labor-intensive. Disk technology has a significantly lower TCO than tape technology and enables backups to take place continuously or at least within a more reasonable time frame, so more data can be kept online for faster recoveries.2 Recent advances in advanced technology attachment (ATA) disks and the availability of low-cost Fibre Channel drives (LCFCD) have made disk costs comparable to tape—with better performance and reliability. Plus, backup software applications can maximize the value of a disk solution by leveraging high-speed disk arrays to accelerate backup and recovery. A virtual tape library should be considered with disk backup technology. The benefits of a virtual tape library include recovery and backup at channel speeds many times faster than tape. In fact, a virtual tape library can deliver 30 to 60 percent faster backups and up to 90 percent faster recoveries than traditional tape-based offerings. Plus, with this technology, IT staff no longer needs to mount, position, and dismount tapes or worry about the reliability of the media.3 A virtual tape library integrates low-cost ATA drives, tape emulation software, and powerful functionality to deliver a simple-to-deploy and easy-to-use disk-based backup and restore solution that can even back up networked storage. This technology is available in a wide range of sizes and capacities to suit the needs of any size business and is highly scalable for growth.

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Consolidation. If the assessment detected more than one backup application or multiple copies of the same backup application, consolidating them onto a single, scalable platform can result in more efficient use of storage space. Consolidation separates storage from individual servers and establishes a shared, centralized pool, usually connected by a network. By centralizing backup and recovery, consolidation offers a wide array of benefits to the business. These include improved data availability, management, and performance. Done properly, consolidation solutions should be scalable and flexible to address a wide range of challenges from the simplest to the most complex. A solution entails a wide range of options that includes IP storage consolidation, mid-range tiered storage and server consolidation, and high-end storage consolidation. Tape Library. If the environmental assessment uncovers a requirement for point-in-time data copies offsite for regulatory purposes, a tape library provides a cost-effective solution. A tape library is a collection of magnetic tape cartridges and tape drives that can be ejected out of the library and shipped to an offsite location. This technology can work in conjunction with disk-based backup systems to provide the full benefits of a tiered backup infrastructure. Weekly backups can stay on disk for 30 days, migrated to tape for six months, and finally, be shipped offsite for three or more years to better meet offsite regulatory requirements.

Choosing the Right Technology If your organization:

You should consider:

Routinely stores excessive amounts of static information

Active archiving

Experiences tape media failures

Disk-based backup

Has multiple backup applications and copies of the same application

Consolidation

Requires low-cost, point-in-time data copies offsite

Tape library

Must meet stringent regulatory requirements

Active archiving with contentaddressed storage (CAS)

Choosing the Right Partner With so many new options available for optimizing backup, recovery, and archiving, determining the right solution can be a challenge. A reliable technology and services partner with proven experience in backup and recovery and an understanding of the unique needs of the midsize market can help. Together with its partners, EMC Corporation provides complete end-to-end backup and recovery solutions for midsize enterprises worldwide. EMC has long recognized the needs of midsize enterprises, investing hundreds of millions of dollars in its mid-tier portfolio in the last two years alone. And, with more than four million backup environments tested and qualified as part of an extensive interoperability program, and the recent acquisition of key storage products, EMC’s backup, recovery, and archiving portfolio is stronger than ever. EMC offers its midsize customers affordable, powerful solutions packaged to fit their needs. These are significantly easier to implement, manage, and use. According to the Business Strategy Group, “EMC has put together a family of midsize hardware and software products that have the potential to become a disruptive force in the industry and rival moreestablished product sets.”4 The Starting Point for Backup, Recovery, and Archiving

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The EMC® portfolio of products for backup, recovery, and archiving for midsize enterprises includes:

Assessment Services EMC Backup Advisor. A customizable business backup reporting and analysis tool, EMC Backup Advisor works with EMC NetWorker™ and other software to provide users unparalleled visibility into backup and recovery operations. File System Assessment Services. Using data from a file-serving environment, EMC can create a report complete with TCO models to demonstrate the amount of data that can be moved out of the production environment. E-mail Assessment Services. A comprehensive evaluation of the e-mail environment, these services help businesses understand what is in the environment and how to establish policies for archiving and retention.

Active Archive Solutions EMC Centera 4-node. An industry-leading, content-addressed storage system for archiving with capacity and price that fits the needs of midsize enterprises, EMC Centera™ 4-node is self-managing, self-healing, and self-configuring. EMC EmailXtender. An advanced e-mail archiving program, EMC EmailXtender® improves storage management and operational efficiencies in messaging environments, reduces the cost and risk of legal discovery, and automates e-mail retention policies to meet regulatory and compliance requirements. EMC DiskXtender. Software that intelligently migrates inactive or infrequently used files to more cost-effective storage locations, EMC DiskXtender® automatically moves information from primary storage to secondary storage via policies based on file attributes. EMC DatabaseXtender. Software for automated file system archiving, EMC DatabaseXtender™ delivers a policy-based, file-system-centric solution for migrating inactive data off higher-cost to lower-cost disk, tape, or optical devices.

Backup-to-Disk Solutions EMC CLARiiON Disk Library 310. A simple-to-deploy, easy-to-use disk-based backup and recovery solution, the EMC CLARiiON® Disk Library 310 combines the power and reliability of industry-leading EMC CLARiiON networked-storage systems with cost-efficient ATA disk drives and fully compatible tape library emulation. EMC CLARiiON AX150. A simple-to-install and easy-to-manage storage consolidation solution, the EMC CLARiiON AX150 extends the proven CLARiiON architecture to provide connectivity choice (Fibre Channel or iSCSI), integrated functionality, and ease-of-use at an entry-level price. EMC Celerra NS Series. Combining high-performance iSCSI and NAS with dedicated EMC CLARiiON CX series networked storage, the EMC Celerra® NS Series/Integrated consolidates file servers, applications, and information storage in a single device. EMC NetWorker and EMC Retrospect. EMC Retrospect® software for environments with up to 250 users, and EMC NetWorker software for larger environments are fast and flexible backup and recovery solutions that centralize backup and recovery operations for small offices to large data centers. The Starting Point for Backup, Recovery, and Archiving

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Long-term Passive Backup and Archive Solutions ADIC Tape Libraries. These open systems tape libraries for long-term, offsite recovery are efficient and reliable tape backup systems that complement EMC’s networked-storage platforms.

Conclusion With the many backup, recovery, and archiving options available for midsize enterprises today, deploying the one that best meets your business and budgetary needs can be a challenge. The best place to start is by choosing a technology and/or service partner who can provide a comprehensive analysis of your storage infrastructure with easy-to-understand reports. Choose a partner with a depth of experience and a breadth of scalable solutions; and be sure that the performance and benefits offered reduce your TCO.

About EMC EMC Corporation (NYSE:EMC) is the world leader in products, services, and solutions for information management and storage that help organizations extract the maximum value from their information, at the lowest total cost, across every point in the information lifecycle. Information about EMC’s products and services can be found at www.EMC.com.

Author Brad Steckline is the Senior Manager of EMC’s Backup, Recovery, and Archiving Initiative responsible for the cross-company alignment of EMC’s technologies, services, and partnerships to deliver unique, integrated solutions for the challenges of backup, recovery, and archiving.

References 1 Lee, Jim. “Active Archiving Minimizes Data Growth.” Storage Networking World, 23 Sept. 2002. 24 Aug. 2006 . 2 Brandel, Mary. “Backup Grows Up.” Network World 16 May 2005. 24 Aug. 2006 . 3 Connor, Deni. “Taking the Best of Tape and Disk.” Network World, 28 Mar. 2005. 24 Aug. 2006 . 4 Biggar, Heidi. EMC Puts More Than Muscle Behind Mid-Size Enterprise Initiatives. Enterprise Strategy Group, Inc., 2005.

EMC Corporation Hopkinton Massachusetts 01748-9103 1-508-435-1000 In North America 1-866-464-7381 EMC believes the information in this publication is accurate as of its publication date. The information is subject to change without notice. THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION IS PROVIDED “AS IS.” EMC CORPORATION MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND WITH RESPECT TO THE INFORMATION IN THIS PUBLICATION, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Use, copying, and distribution of any EMC software described in this publication requires an applicable software license. EMC2, EMC, Celerra, CLARiiON, DiskXtender, EmailXtender, Retrospect, and where information lives are registered trademarks and EMC Centera, DatabaseXtender, and NetWorker are trademarks of EMC Corporation. All other trademarks used herein are the property of their respective owners. © Copyright 2006 EMC Corporation. All rights reserved. Published in the USA. 09/06 EMC Perspective H2413

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