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Integrated Data Protection Challenges: Page 2 of 2

If you have but don't like your current car radio, you just added XM -- you probably don't throw out the whole car. XM may not be integrated into your steering wheel controls, but it is cheaper to reach down to the radio and change the channel than getting a new car. The same is probably true with data protection -- you have a lot invested in your backup application, both in terms of money and an understanding of what it can and can't do. Overhauling that might not be worth it, especially when the one thing you want to add may not be as good as buying it in a standalone version.

This is especially true in a down economy; budgets are tight and IT resources are even tighter. Switching backup applications can be both expensive and time consuming. Since very few, if any, backup applications have the ability to import and manage other backup products, most conversions also require running the prior application for a considerable period of time.

Standalone focused products that solve a specific pain point and do so easily are often worth the extra management cycles, compared to the cost of throwing out the whole application. I'd much rather backup vendors focus on nailing the backup process instead of adding new applications to their portfolio and, if they do, I'd rather see them focus on advancing those products as opposed to slowing things down when they try to integrate the code bases.