NetApp Backup: Amazon Web Services Vs. Zetta DataProtect

Author:  Nick Mueller, Zetta.net

NetApp filers need backup – or rather, the critical data on them needs to be backed up. But traditional NetApp backups are expensive, complicated, and offer limited functionality.

• Expensive: A 2nd NetApp appliance, to use as a backup target, is a requirement.

• Complicated: The 2nd NetApp needs all the associated infrastructure and protection – offsite location, connectivity, and reliable power – as the filer it’s protecting.

• Limited Functionality: The data is only readable by a NetApp filer, and can only be recovered to another NetApp.

Even now that NetApp is expanding its partnership with Amazon Web Services in Equinix data centers  – offsite backup with Zetta DataProtect for NetApp is still significantly less expensive and offers unique functionally, by “unlocking” your critical data, enabling recovery to different servers and locations.

Zetta DataProtect for NetApp delivers cloud-based offsite backup, replication, and disaster recovery for NetApp filers at 70% lower cost.

1. DataProtect for NetApp replaces costly, labor-intensive, and less flexible local tape or other removable media.

2. It doesn’t require a target NetApp filer, other new hardware, or third-party NDMP backup software.

3. It doesn’t require a NetApp filer as a restore target. Zetta supports UNIX and NTFS ACLs and LUN backup and recovery.

Zetta DataProtect for NetApp also provides greater flexibility for disaster recovery:

1. Open replication: files and folders can be retrieved selectively and granularly, via a web browser.

2. Flexible recovery: You don’t need another NetApp filer as the restore target. Zetta lets you recover to other servers and locations.

3. “Incremental Forever” Backups: The incremental changes are applied to the Zetta backup, so the current version is immediately available (while retaining the option to revert to previous versions).

All this makes Zetta DataProtect for NetApp an easy, affordable choice particularly for smaller companies who can’t afford a 2nd NetApp filer.

There are use cases where Equinix’s NetApp Private Storage for AWS will make sense – when you want a low-latency NetApp environment to do development and testing scenarios, for example.

But if the critical data on your NetApp filer requires enterprise-grade offsite backup, you should know that Zetta’s data centers are already located in Equinix’s world class facilities.

There’s a right tool for every task – and for NetApp backup, that tool is Zetta DataProtect.

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Nick is Zetta's Corporate Reporter, and has been writing and telling stories about technology with blogs and social media since the days when the BBS reigned.