Into the Email Backup Maze

Users have more choices than ever when it comes to backup software for Microsoft Exchange, but they're also confronting a series of claims that may be full of sophistry.

Among the companies peddling Exchange backup are Asempra, Atempo, Kashya, Mimosa, Revivio, and Timespring. At the same time, established players like EMC and Symantec offer backup solutions. Companies like Asigra and online service providers like Iron Mountain offer wares for large enterprises and service providers.

While there are differences in the size and scope of these products, many suppliers are making claims that sound alike. Most, for instance, offer some form of continuous data protection (CDP) for recovering email server setups after an outage. Most provide journaling, or the tracking of email records, that's additional to what Microsoft provides with its server software.

The uniformity of these claims is making it tough for suppliers to distinguish themselves, and most point to their product architectures for an added pitch. These arguments focus on whether a product works on the Exchange server or uses software agents to conduct backup and restoral.

First, let's take a look at the claims:

All this makes for a lot of confusing information, leading to more questions, such as: Are agents always bad? Is it better to keep backup software on a dedicated server or use the SAN?

From the customer perspective, there are no easy answers. Much depends on how an organization's network is set up, and how granular email records must be.

Some firms in the financial services sector, for instance, may require email records to be as detailed as possible, making host agents from the likes of Asempra or Symantec a worthy option.

"In my opinion, I don't mind agents if they provide more true information," says Jon Holmes, technology manager at the Boston-based accounting firm of Vitale, Caturano & Company. Presently, his firm is using products from EMC Legato and CommVault to backup email. His main goal is to ensure that any agents used on the server work with other agents, such as those from an online services firm like Iron Mountain. "Make sure they play well together," he says

The size of an organization is also a factor. For large companies, the burden of dealing with host-based agents can be an administrative problem. For them, a SAN-based solution like Kashya's, or Asigra's agentless offering, may work well.Bottom line? Despite vendor claims, there is no single solution to the backup problem for Exchange -- and arguments based on architecture don't apply to every case.

Mary Jander, Site Editor, Byte and Switch

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