Always-On and Optimized Data for the Hybrid Cloud
Enterprise storage environments have become so complex that they are very difficult to protect and manage. Data is being created so quickly and it is being captured on such a wide range of storage infrastructure resources that it is going unseen and unmanaged by IT. In the era of hybrid cloud, compliance, cyber-threats and always-on business continuity, this is a key challenge to overcome.
Veritas Launches its Enterprise Data Services Platform
Data protection software provider, Veritas, recently launched its new Enterprise Data Services Platform. The platform is based on a new version (8.2) of Veritas’ NetBackup backup and recovery software. It also includes the company’s InfoScale high availability software, alongside the new Information Studio and APTARE storage reporting platforms. According to Veritas, the software suite was cultivated with the objectives of providing always-on data availability, enhanced data protection, better confidence in data recoverability, and deeper insights for cost optimization and compliance.
Veritas NetBackup 8.2 Enhancements
At the core of Veritas’ announcement are enhancements to NetBackup for cloud and virtualized environments.
Specifically, NetBackup 8.2 adds agentless support for VMware environments alongside full support for Red Hat KVM and OpenStack. The software also includes automated updates, storage APIs and integrations with VMware vRealize to enhance support for hybrid cloud data services including backup, replication and orchestration.
From a cloud perspective, NetBackup 8.2 supports the ability to archive old backup data to Amazon Web Services’ (AWS’) Glacier and Microsoft’s Azure cloud services, or to an on-premises object store. According to Veritas, NetBackup doubles the previous version of NetBackup’s backup speeds to the cloud. Automated disaster recovery in and to AWS cloud environments is also now possible.
To enhance security for virtualized and cloud-based environments, NetBackup 8.2 also introduces dual-factor authentication, an external certificate authority, and role-based access control.
Veritas InfoScale Enhancements
Complementing NetBackup data protection are enhancements to Veritas InfoScale for increased data availability. InfoScale can now run in the cloud which means it can benefit from the same on-premises enterprise storage services in the cloud. A cloud-based version of InfoScale should also lead to easier cloud migration. IT professionals can also use InfoScale to cluster AWS availability zones. Support for the Chef and Ansible automation tools as well as for the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) have been added, as have a handful of security updates and new solutions for Nutanix, Dell EMC, ScaleIO and NVMe storage implementations.
The key takeaway from the InfoScale announcements is that Veritas is seeking to extend availability and resiliency into the cloud for mission-critical applications. It is also seeking to add value by building upon cloud providers’ capabilities (including preventing against, detecting and remedying hardware failures) with broader visibility across the application stack.
Introducing Veritas Information Studio and APTARE
Rounding out the Enterprise Data Services platform are two data intelligence software solutions: Information Studio and APTARE. The core objective is to provide enhanced visibility and analysis into the storage environment. This enables storage managers to take informed actions such as deleting unnecessary files, which can better optimize storage infrastructure resources, while simultaneously reducing risk and improving compliance.
Information Studio can connect to more than 20 different unstructured data sources (both on-premises and in the cloud). It serves as a visualization tool for users. It also evaluates metadata and classifies data accordingly, for instance tracking who owns a particular file and where personally identifiable information (PII) is located across the enterprise. To streamline this process, Information Studio supports more than 700 preconfigured patterns and more than 110 policies.
Alongside Information Studio, Veritas also includes the APTARE IT analytics platform that it acquired in March 2019 in its Enterprise Data Services platform. APTARE applies an agentless data collector to oversee multi-vendor, on and off-premises environments from the standpoints of optimizing data protection, improving storage capacity planning, and providing chargeback for infrastructure-as-a-service. It also integrates with ServiceNow IT Service Management.
StorageSwiss Take
The Enterprise Data Services launch reflects Veritas’ focus on abstracting applications from infrastructure, to better equip IT to meet the reality of today’s demanding data protection service level agreements, compliance requirements and malware threats, in the face of storage resource complexity and massive data growth. From this standpoint, the data intelligence capabilities including Information Studio and APTARE bear watching as they continue to develop as important differentiators. As Veritas updates its portfolio, for instance with the addition of cloud support, it is focused on providing single-pane-of-glass visibility and control and at the same time a consistent look and feel across deployment models, to ease the process of data protection modernization for customers.
Senior Analyst, Krista Macomber produces analyst commentary and contributes to a range of client deliverables including white papers, webinars and videos for Storage Switzerland. She has a decade of experience covering all things storage, data center and cloud infrastructure, including: technology and vendor portfolio developments; customer buying behavior trends; and vendor ecosystems, go-to-market positioning, and business models. Her previous experience includes leading the IT infrastructure practice of analyst firm Technology Business Research, and leading market intelligence initiatives for media company TechTarget.
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