Microsoft preps disk-based backup offering

Fueling the growing interest in disk-based backup solutions, Microsoft plans to officially release its System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) this fall.

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DPM backs up files as they change, saving the changes to disk and eliminating the need to save the contents of a server to tape.

More than 50,000 copies of the beta version of DPM have been downloaded, Microsoft said. Pricing starts at $950 for the server software with the ability to protect three file servers. Future versions of the product will support Exchange Server and SQL Server, said Ben Matheson, group product manager for DPM at Microsoft. “Our goal is to protect any of our applications in the Windows Server system family,” he said.

Many IT managers are considering moving to disk-based backup because disks are faster, more reliable, and easier to manage than tapes. But tapes hold a cost advantage, particularly for long-term storage.

“Companies are very interested in disk-based backup, but it will be a gradual transition,” observed Steve Duplessie, analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group.

Meanwhile, Veritas, now part of Symantec, is beta-testing a browser-based data-recovery product dubbed Panther, which allows users recover lost files on their own.