Technology
True Disk-to-Disk (D2D) Technology
Unitrends is the only company providing true disk-to-disk backup, Hot Bare Metal™ crash recovery, and automated remote disaster recovery capabilities in one complete solution.
This unique configuration enables your company to streamline daily backup and disaster recovery protection into a near lights-out operation.
Improve Routine Data Backup and Recovery with True D2D Technology
Disk-to-disk (D2D) backup has become the preferred method due to its speed and reliability. When the total cost of operating a D2D system is compared to the hidden costs of a standard tape-based backup system, the return on investment is typically less than twelve months.
When choosing a D2D backup solution, it is important to recognize the different types of D2D. The two main types are "true" D2D and virtual tape library (VTL) D2D.
Most traditional tape-based backup providers have converted to a VTL D2D system because it was the easiest since they didn't have to change their tape-formatted files.
While faster than actual tape, VTL systems are still strapped with the limitations of tape, including sequential access and reliance on a tape header to keep data intact.
Unitrends began supporting D2D in 1993 and quickly realized a better format was needed. Unitrends redesigned their software to support a true D2D direct-access format, while maintaining the ability to support tape formats for customers still using tape.
True D2D allows for multiple backup and recovery operations to simultaneously access the disk directly by using a true file system.
Ensure Computer Systems Can Get Back in Business Quickly
When a computer's main hard drive goes bad, it typically takes hours or days for a computer technician to rebuild the operating system, the application software, reapply all software patches, and reset preferences.
Typically, backup and recovery software only protects data, not the operating system (e.g., Windows), or the applications (e.g., Email, Payroll, ERP, database, etc.).
Unitrends developed Bare Metal Recovery (BMR) in 1989 to enable quick restore of critical systems. Today, Unitrends supports more than twenty operating systems and can typically restore a system to operation in twenty minutes when best practices are followed.
Automate Remote Disaster Recovery Preparation
There are different degrees of disaster ranging from the loss of a critical computer (e.g., hard drive crash) to the loss of all networked computers (e.g., virus), to the loss of an office (e.g., fire), to the destruction of an entire region (e.g., flood, earthquake).
Ideally, disaster recovery preparation involves planning, procedures, and practice. A part of preparation is maintaining a current copy of your critical data and systems off-site for fast restore when needed. Procedures for the restore depend on the tools being used.
Typically, companies have been backing data up to tape and rotating tapes off-site or having a service pick them up. The service can be expensive, not just to take tapes off-site, but also to deliver them when needed. The entire manual process also depends upon a few people. It has built-in delays and relies on a very unreliable media - tape. And yet the penalty for downtime is high. According to IDC, 90% of companies fail within one year of significant data loss.
Unitrends Secure Data Synchronization (SDS) technology can eliminate the manual process of keeping your critical data and systems off-site. Every time your systems are backed up using a Unitrends' DPU, only the changed blocks of data since the last backup are automatically compressed and sent off-site to the DPV, where they are included in a full running master copy of your data. No more manual tape rotation. No more delays in getting access to your data or having tapes picked up and delivered.
Unitrends provides a family of data protection systems, including Data Protection Units™ (DPUs) and Data Protection Vaults™ (DPVs), and solution-centric services to support both the software and hardware components of its True D2D offerings.
The end results are: faster backups, faster restores, and greater storage capacity per dollar.
