FalconStor Plots De-Dupe Debut

FalconStor, a virtual tape library (VTL) vendor that has remained silent on data de-duplication, is getting ready to jump into the game and, in fact, might leapfrog some of its louder competitors.

Although FalconsStor was among the first to offer VTL software and sells it through OEM deals with some of the biggest names in the industry, it was late to data de-duplication, but while other companies have made overtures -- they haven't delivered products yet.

Sources say FalconStor has been quietly beta testing a data de-duplication module for its IPStor software. CEO ReiJane Huai won't give much detail but says he expects to ship it within a few months, certainly by the end of the year. Huai says FalconStor will handle block- and file-based de-duplication.

"There's no formal announcement yet, but we're about to roll out our single instance repository in the next couple of months," Huai says. "It can work with any VTL or disk-to-disk system on the market today. It can also work with any file-based archiving system. We will perform compression, encryption, and WORM-based services."

Also known as single-instance storage and commonality factoring, data de-duplication reduces the amount of data being backed up or replicated by eliminating copies of files and repeated data blocks within files. The idea is to improve performance and decrease consumption by reducing the amount of data that is moved.Interest in data de-duplication jumped earlier this year. ADIC acquired Rocksoft for its data de-dupe technology for $63 million in March, Symantec made a pass at de-duplication a few weeks later, and VTL startup Sepaton in May said it would have de-duplication by the end of the year. (See ADIC in De-Dupe Deal, Symantec Dips Into De-Dupe, and Sepaton Readies De-Dupe.)

Backup software vendors Asigra and Avamar, and appliance vendor Data Domain, have had data de-duplication for years. VTL vendor Diligent added it in January.

That doesn't necessarily mean FalconStor is late. Its major rival for OEM deals is Sepaton (FalconStor has deals with EMC and IBM, Sepaton has Hewlett-Packard), and the startup is still months away. ADIC originally expected a VTL product using Rocksoft technology by the end of the year, but that might be pushed back now that Quantum has acquired ADIC. (See De-Dupers Lining Up.)

Huai dismisses those who have beat FalconStor to market.

"Some VTL vendors are promoting the concept of redundant data elimination, but it is slow," he says. "We will introduce it as modules, and they'll be well integrated and tested modules. They work in conjunction with our VTL system without slowing down the backups."While some of his disk-based backup rivals see tape backups as a common enemy, Huai thinks tape is an ally. (See De-Dupers Demand Disk Mindset and Diskers Enjoying Tape Woes.) He sees VTL as a complement to tape backup -- not a replacement for it.

"Not only can we live with tape, tape will be here for many years," he says. "Tape is good. We love tape. Tape is getting bigger, stronger all the time. Remember, 20 years ago people were predicting the death of mainframes? Mainframes are still growing."

Dave Raffo, News Editor, Byte and Switch

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