This week, the Syncsort team from around the world has gathered in Newport Beach, CA for our 2012 Global Sales Kickoff. It has been a great event to say the least with presentations from NSB customers, channel partners, NetApp executives, and our own solution experts. In conjunction with the event, we were also able to recognize great NSB partners like SwishData, Zumasys and Voyant Strategies as part of our Partner of the Year Awards program.
One of the presentations that delivered a lot of value to the Syncsort data protection team was from Evaluator Group’s Randy Kerns. Randy has had relationships with members of the Syncsort executive team for many years, and it was great to have him on hand to share his views on the data protection market and the benefits that NSB can deliver to customers. We had the chance to catch up with Randy following his presentation and wanted to share an excerpt from that. Enjoy!
Q. What demands do you see server virtualization placing on data protection today?
RK: Virtualization creates both a storage bottleneck and a great deal more systems to be backed up. A new approach is needed. New approaches may need a better backup software solution that can handle the virtualized environment.
Q. What do you hear from organizations in terms of the impact of Big Data on data protection?
RK: Right now, it is mostly a case of fear of dealing with the projected amount of machine to machine data they are going to have to deal with. They are looking for approaches and tools to deal with this now.
Q. What are you observing from companies regarding business continuity and disaster recovery planning, as well as hearing about the priorities in those areas?
RK: Many companies have put BC/DR plans on hold the last few years and are now starting to catch up with what is needed. BC/DR has many facets but the basis for all of it is data availability. These companies are starting to execute on their delayed plans.
Q. Having spent time with the Syncsort team this week, are there any key takeaways on the NSB solution and its value to customers?
RK: I think one thing that struck me is the wealth of capabilities there are in the virtualization area. There are some great opportunities there for improving the administration and operations.
