HP does a Double-Take on data backup

Hewlett-Packard is teaming with a small software company to offer a data replication product for Microsoft applications.

HP and NSI Software on Wednesday plan to announce that NSI's Double-Take replication software will be shipped under the name "HP OpenView Storage Mirroring." The product allows for the replication, or "mirroring," of data from server computers or storage devices to other machines. The software is designed to work with servers or network-attached storage (NAS) devices that use a Windows operating system.

NAS devices are dedicated computers that serve up files and data to computer users on a network.

Bob Guilbert, vice president of marketing and business development for NSI Software, said that organizations would use the product for tasks such as disaster recovery and centralized data backup--meaning that remote offices would replicate data to a central office where it could be transferred to storage tape more efficiently.

"Businesses understand the risks of leaving key applications and information unprotected, but the high cost and complexity of many data replication technologies continue to alienate small to mid-sized companies and prevent large enterprises from protecting a wider-range of applications," Guilbert said.

The announcement builds on an existing relationship between NSI and HP. In April 2002, HP started shipping Double-Take for its NAS products under the name HP StorageWorks NAS Data Copy.

Dell also resells the Double-Take product, though under the NSI brand, Guilbert said.

HP's expanded relationship with NSI is part of a broader emphasis on software by storage product makers. The trend comes amid rising demand for management software that can allow storage administrators to focus more on designing their storage networks and less on day-to-day maintenance.