Commvault Opens Data Protection Software

Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2016

Looking to extend the number of use cases under its data protection software, Commvault today unveiled a version of the Commvault Data Platform, formerly known as Simpana, that can store a variety of types of data natively that can be accessed via an open application programming interface (API).

Don Foster, senior director of solutions marketing and technical alliances for Commvault, says the end goal is to unify the management of data regardless of where it is stored in a way that doesn’t lock customers into a particular set of storage hardware.

For example, by storing data in its native format, Foster says the whole process of archiving and backing up data and then recovering it is greatly simplified. Instead of requiring organizations to deploy a dedicated application to recover data, it can, for example, be recovered using the same application in which it was originally created.

In addition, Foster notes that Commvault envisions a world where developers will invoke its REST APIs and orchestration software to create workflows that leverage data stored natively in Commvault. To facilitate that process, Commvault also today extended the reach of its IntelliSnap snapshot orchestration software to include support for IT infrastructure from Pure Storage and Nutanix, enhanced integration with software from EMC, NetApp and Hitachi Data Systems (HDS), as well as SAP HANA, Sybase and Postgres databases.

Finally, Commvault is adding a universal change block tracking capability to make it simpler to define instantaneous recovery time objectives (RTO) and more granular recovery point objectives (RPO).

As part of that effort, Foster says that Commvault has embedded all the management, compliance, search and auditing tools that IT organizations would need to holistically manage that data in a way that Foster says eliminates the need for a wide variety of point tools that generally only result in higher costs across the enterprise.

Just as importantly, Foster says, Commvault makes it easier for IT organizations to absorb hardware and software innovations because the data management platform they are using can now more easily adapt to IT environments that need to rapidly change and evolve. In effect, Foster says IT organizations can more readily activate their data whenever and wherever they need it.

Naturally, each IT organization will absorb those changes at their own pace. But at least from a data management perspective, Commvault is making it much simpler for IT organizations to leave all their options open.