BE vs Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2007 (DPM)
A good number of people have been asking me about DPM recently and I’d just like to set the record straight.
DPM delivers backup and recovery, continuous data protection for Microsoft application and file servers for disk and tape media. DPM protects Windows Servers by capturing data changes with application-aware, block-level agents, providing a disk and tape data protection solution. – or so they say!
Granular Recovery Technology (GRT)
Allows for the recovery of individual emails from Full, Incremental or Continuous backups of Exchange.
DPM can recover individual email messages and mailboxes too. But it is a two step process not fully managed by DPM. DMP can restore the mailbox but then the user has to recover individual items manually using exMerge.
Backup Exec protects both continuously and traditionally, as well as giving the users the ability to recover anything from a single mail message, a mailbox or the entire Exchange database – automatically.
Application / Platform Support
Allows for the protection of critical applications with specific focus on the needs of the business.
DPM can only protect Windows resources.
Backup Exec supports other Operating Systems (not just Windows), various forms of Unix, Linux, NetWare and even MAC OSX. BE also protects non-Microsoft applications such as Oracle, Lotus Notes, DB/2 and SAP as well as remote users (BE can do this with users either connected or disconnected to the network – DPM needs users to be connected and accessible to the DPM server.
Integration with Archiving and Anti-Virus / Security Software
Integration with other software allows a solution to provide additional benefits and be more effective.
DPM supports running concurrently with most Archiving and Anti-Virus software in the market today; although provide no direct integration.
Backup Exec offers direct integration with Anti-Virus software. ThreatCon initiated backup allows BE to monitor the threat landscape, should the ThreatCon level rise to critical levels. Backup Exec System Recovery enhances the overall solution not only for Data Protection for small businesses and/or laptops and desktops, but server System Recovery as well.
Pedigree, Market Share and Brand
Any kind of solution should be fit for purpose, the best solution for the business.
Microsoft is the leading name in IT – however, how many people have heard of DPM? It’s not core to Microsoft’s business or skills for that matter
Symantec is the leader in the backup market with 20 years experience (Microsoft 2years at best). 47% of the world businesses are backed up with Symantec products. BE has 2 million customers worldwide – how many does Microsoft DMP have? What have Microsoft used to back up their critical data and applications themselves for the past 10 years or so? That would be Backup Exec!
There is no such thing as a free lunch
Symantec is simply Best of Breed in security, availability and compliance from the Desktop to the Data Centre. Symantec is way out in the lead in Data Protection with a 25% lead ahead of the next provider – IBM. Microsoft as a niche player in each of these markets – they really don’t do a good job, but they do make us think that what they do it “good enough”.
Whatever Microsoft are offering not only is it NOT “good Enough” but it won’t be free either.
Storage Expo
I’ve been pretty busy in the last couple of days demonstrating outside Olympia (http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2009/10/14/238126/anti-upgrade-demonstration-at-storage-expo.htm); on a couple of speaker panels (one on Data Centre trends and the other on Thin Provisioning); speaking to customers and partners and generally not getting enough sleep.
Although it seems that there were fewer attendees than previous years the quality was so much better. Frankly, for the first time ever, no one asked me how to configure their Norton 360 home PC product (for which I am eternally grateful because I know as much about Norton as most home users). No, this year every conversation I had was pretty specific about how to get more out of IT assets, which was handy as that’s what we do at Symantec.
The hardware vendors had a tough time – storage infrastructures desperately need to be optimised and consolidated. Backups need to be architected around the business requirements and specific infrastructures with centralised management and automated processes.
Backup Exec System Recovery was a hot topic. Virtually every conversation I had came back to: “How do I get a simple, cost effective DR process for my servers and desktops and laptops?” The answer is, of course, BESR. Actually, when it comes to backup, whatever the question, the answer is invariably The Backup Exec Family.
