ExaGrid is the leader in cost-effective and scalable disk-based backup solutions with byte-level data de-duplication. A highly scalable system that works with existing backup applications, the ExaGrid system is ideal for mid-market and small enterprise companies looking to quickly eliminate the hassles of tape backup while reducing their existing backup windows. ExaGrid’s patented approach minimizes the amount of data to be stored by providing standard data compression for the most recent backups along with byte-level data de-duplication technology for all previous backups. Customers can deploy the ExaGrid system at a primary site and at a second site to supplement or eliminate offsite tapes with a live data repository or for disaster recovery.

ESG Lab Report 

Key Points from ESG Lab Report

• Ease of Deployment:  “ESG Lab found that initial configuration of an ExaGrid system is simple and intuitive. Integration with existing [backup] polices was straightforward. The first backup job was running sixteen minutes after beginning a configuration from scratch on a pre-wired system.” (Page 4)

• Backup performance:  “Using real-world data and a real-world backup application, ESG Lab has confirmed that ExaGrid can backup data at rate of 4 TB/hr for a fully configured grid.” (Page 7)

• Restore performance:  “Since most restore request are for data that is no more than a day or two old, this approach provides the best of both worlds — the speed and reliability of full-form disk-based images for recent restore requests and the savings of data de-duplication for older requests.” (Page 5)

• Replication:  “ESG Lab has also confirmed that ExaGrid remote replication has no impact on backup performance.” (Page 11)

• Scalability:  “ExaGrid scales to meet a wide variety of performance and capacity requirements. ESG Lab found that adding a new server to an existing grid is straightforward. Automatic spillover and migration provides the flexibility needed to grow, maintain and tune a growing pool of virtualized capacity. Taken together with the space savings provided by de-duplication, the scalability of a singly managed ExaGrid system reduces the cost and complexity of managing growing disk-based backup requirements.” (Page 13)

• Overall:  “ESG Lab believes that organizations struggling with the cost, complexity and risk associated with tape backups would be wise to consider the bottom line savings that can be achieved with ExaGrid: faster backups, quicker and more reliable restores, lower risk, lower expenses (capital and operational) and last, but not least, a greener solution with optimized power and cooling.” (Page 15)

Technical papers:

Disk-based Data Protection Options

Evaluating Scalability of disk-based backups

Data Protection Scenarios and Solutions