Microsoft wants users to have control of their file backups and recovery, and do it with a hard disk instead of a tape.
The first lesson a new computer class participant learns is “save your work.” The second lesson tends to be “save your work more frequently.”
For every admin who has had to answer a help desk ticket from users who, by accident or mishap, lost a file, Microsoft wants to shift the paradigm of file recovery from administration to the end user.
By using a disk-based backup solution, users familiar with the Windows Explorer interface can access and retrieve files directly within Windows XP and Office XP applications from the backup repository.
In releasing a public beta of Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (DPM) this past April, Microsoft hoped to demonstrate DPM’s advantages over tape-based backups. Although the regular price drops in hard disks have leveled off, disks have become more affordable in general.
AIT tapes carry high price tags, in the $50 to $55 range per tape for 50/100 GB capacity. It’s a figure that can add up quickly as companies implement policies for performing full and incremental backups. For larger public firms subject to the provisions of Sarbanes-Oxley, retention policies mean they have to carry a greater number of tapes on hand to satisfy auditors.
But its the small to mid-sized firms Microsoft has chosen to focus upon recently. The company has recently announced a bundle of Windows Server 2003, Exchange 2003, and Microsoft Operations Manager 2005 with 50 Client Access Licenses will have about a 20 percent discount from standard Open License prices, beginning in August.
The DPM product will be another component companies can choose to add to their IT operations. Microsoft estimates the DPM price will be $950 USD for a single server license plus the management licenses to cover three file servers. The company believes this solution will be a better deal when considered over the long-term operations of a business. DPM should be available for purchase in August.
DPM’s beta program seems to indicate interest. Microsoft says over 50,000 downloads of the DPM beta have taken place, with over 100,000 worldwide customers testing the product.
David Utter is a staff writer for Murdok covering technology and business. Email him here.