Backup, recovery solutions for SMBs from Quantum, Veritas

Hyderabad: Quantum Corp. (NYSE:DSS) and Veritas Software Corp. (Nasdaq:VRTS) will provide small-to-medium-size businesses (SMB) and workgroup customers a bundled solution that will enable them to backup and restore critical data, with no additional cost for the software.

Quantum will make available Veritas Backup Exec 10 QuickStart Edition software with its tape autoloaders and DDS/DAT-, DLT and LTO-based stand-alone tape drives. These combined products create a reliable, high-speed backup solution for customers, out of the box — with the ability to scale as their data storage needs grow.

"Protecting critical data is hard enough for under-staffed SMB companies without having to worry about whether the products will work together," said Janet Waxman, vice president, hardware channels research at IDC. "They probably do not have the luxury of an IT administrator dedicated specifically to backup. By partnering with Veritas, the world's number one supplier of backup and archive software, Quantum has made it easy and affordable to have a reliable, certified solution," she said.

The Quantum-Veritas solution is ideal for customers that need an easy-to-use, reliable backup for a single server and reflects the continuing close work of the two companies to test and certify hardware and software to ensure full interoperability. Customers who purchase the bundled solutions will also be able to leverage Quantum's technical support resources, a team of experts that understand the integration of backup hardware and software.

"Bundling Backup Exec QuickStart with Quantum tape drives and autoloaders provides customers with easy access to leading Windows backup and recovery solutions from Veritas," said Jeremy Burton, executive vice president, Data Management Group, Veritas Software. "We're thrilled to partner with Quantum to offer a solution that delivers value to the customer right out of the box."

The OEM agreement between Veritas and Quantum will benefit not only customers directly but also the resellers, system integrators and distributors that provide the solutions. The two companies are creating new opportunities for channel partners by providing an introductory backup solution for small office home office (SOHO) to medium-size businesses that can be upgraded as customers' storage demands require it. For example, channel partners will have the opportunity to upgrade or migrate customers to tape automation systems, as well as sell additional tape media, service and support, and software enhancements, including all Agents and Options available with Backup Exec 10.0.

"Our goal is to provide solution providers with the tools they need to protect their clients' business-critical data, quickly and effectively," said Paul Bay, senior vice president, vendor management, Ingram Micro U.S.A. "Our partnership with Quantum and Veritas enables us to provide our customers a single-source, certified solution that quickly resolves business security issues and addresses important storage needs," he added.

"The SMB market is a growing segment which has basic IT needs that Quantum and Veritas are addressing with turn-key solutions such as this," said Tony Carrozza, senior vice president, worldwide sales for Quantum. "Pairing our leadership in tape drives and autoloaders with Veritas, the leader in backup and recovery software, further strengthens our value proposition and ability to serve customers now and in the future."