Virtualization for All

The stunning growth of virtualization is no big secret. And the reasons aren’t hard to come by either – server consolidation, centralized management, energy savings, and more. But until fairly recently, there seemed to be a misconception that virtualization was a platform exclusive to the enterprise. You and I know better.

In a recent article in Virtualization Review (A Virtual Door Opens for SMBs), author and industry consultant Dave Sobel shows just how accessible the benefits of virtualization technology can be to the small and medium business. But with virtualization comes a unique set of challenges for protecting your applications and data. Not to worry – we’ve got you covered.

On Thursday, April 1st we’ll be hosting a free webinar entitled Virtual Backups: Many Perspectives, Painful Management, Duplication of Work … Or, NOT?. Join me, along with Microsoft MVP and VMware vExpert Greg Shields, as we expose the pitfalls in today’s multiple virtual backup perspectives. We’ll shows you why yesterday’s backup solutions are fundamentally ill-suited for backing up today’s virtual environments. You’ll also see the power in today’s new paradigm in backups, “Backup 2.0”, which stands to revolutionize virtual administration by eliminating the backup problem completely.

We’re also pleased to announce the availability of two new installments of Backup 2.0 University, including Session 5: Rethinking Virtual Server Backups. In this session, we’ll discuss new approaches for the backup and recovery of virtual servers, and how administrators can rest assured that their critical information is protected.

Virtualization is here to stay, and more than ever, it’s open to all. We’ll make sure you’re prepared to tackle the unique challenges virtualization can present, so you can realize the greatest possible benefits that virtualization has to offer.

Industry News

Too Many Options Can Be a Problem: SAN, NAS and the Cloud
Nobody has to tell the CIO at the average enterprise that storage is in a state of flux. Indeed, when has it not been? But over the past two years or so, it seems that the disparate forces that are reshaping the data center are pulling the storage infrastructure in different directions. There’s the traditional choice of SAN vs. NAS, to be sure, but now we have to add the unified network, iSCSI vs. Fibre Channel and the cloud for good measure.

PCIe-based solid-state storage implementation benefits and drawbacks
Storage administrators scoping out solid-state storage will likely consider PCIe-based deployments, at least in part because that method enables a more direct – and therefore faster – connection to the server than other server-based approaches to solid-state storage.

Three questions for storage buyers
The endless variety of enterprise storage solutions means that you can find pretty much exactly what you need — if you have your requirements straight. The trick to avoiding overspending or under-specification is knowing what questions to ask when you’re deciding which option is right for you

Optimizing IT: Storage innovations that reduce costs
Join Computerworld’s Chris Poelker for a discussion on four storage technology innovations that may provide an opportunity to realize dramatic cost savings in the data center.

FCI Can Set You Free
In recent years the growing amount of legislation affecting data retention and records management has placed an enormous burden on IT. As part of a broader compliance framework, there’s a tremendously complex set of requirements that must be dealt with. Join Alan Madison for a look at how the often-overlooked File Classification Infrastructure (FCI) can help ease your regulatory burden.

News from AppAssure

Free Webinar – Virtual Backups: Many Perspectives, Painful Management, Duplication of Work … Or, NOT?
Please join me on Thursday, April 1, 2010 at 2pm ET, along with Microsoft MVP and VMware vExpert Greg Shields for this complimentary webinar. We’ll show you why yesterday’s backup solutions are fundamentally ill-suited for backing up today’s virtual environments, and how Backup 2.0 stands to revolutionize virtual administration by eliminating the virtual server backup problem completely. We’ll also hear from Brendan Hourihan, network engineer at Flagler College, who will provide a firsthand account about the benefits of Backup 2.0 in a virtualized environment.

Sessions 5 and 6 of Backup 2.0 University Now Available
We’re pleased to announce the availability of the next two installments of Backup 2.0 University. In session 5 – Rethinking Virtual Server Backups – we explore the impact of virtualization on the backup and recovery process. In session 6 – Keeping your backups: Storage Architecture – we discuss new storage options to maximize performance and minimize costs in today’s data center.