ANTenna Blog -- Storage

The volume of data that business generate is growing faster and faster and, seeing opportunity, vendors are swarming to fill the need. The latest entry from HP is designed specifically for small and midsize companies, provided they prefer on-premise, physical storage.

In yet another move aimed at small and midsize businesses, HP unveils new disk-based storage products. The hook on this product is the efficiency of HP's deduplication technology and the distinct solution for non-enterprise businesses.

HP product manager David Rogers wasn't shy about the value of the product, proclaiming, "We recognize that we're not the first to market with deduplication technology, but we do feel that our approach is the right one and the other guys are wrong," he says. "They look at the whole market as one continuous blob. We've done lots of work segmenting our market and the result is one product designed for enterprises and another for much smaller IT environments."

The product for those smaller IT environments appears to be distinct from the enterprise entry (rather than a stripped down version with different packaging and a lower price point). For smaller businesses, HP is offering a dynamic deduplication solutions (HP StorageWorks D2D Backup Systems -- 2500 and 4000 systems) while steering the larger, enterprise crowd toward an accelerated deduplication solution (HP StorageWorks Virtual Library System or VLS).

HP StorageWorks D2D2500 Backup System

HP StorageWorks D2D4000 Backup System

HP claims the entry-level price point ($6,499) is "45 % more affordable than similar systems." The fine print on that claim reveals that it applies only to DataDomain and is based on a per terabyte comparison.

The HP StorageWorks pricing structure:

• HP StorageWorks D2D2503i Backup System (EH945A) $6,499


• HP StorageWorks D2D4004i Backup System (EH938A) $18,999


• HP StorageWorks D2D4009i Backup System (EH939A) $37,998


• HP StorageWorks D2D4004fc Backup System (EH941A) $21,499


• HP StorageWorks D2D4009fc Backup System (EH942A) $42,998


• HP StorageWorks D2D4904 Capacity Upgrade (EH944A) $24,999

Rogers focused on the advantages of disk-based deduplication solutions over tape backup options, citing the efficient use of disk space (made affordable by declining prices) that allows quicker access and retrieval for regulatory compliance or other purposes, the elimination or reduction of tape handling costs, and the efficiency of consolidating backups in a single location.

As to the business value, Rogers keyed on two points, saying "businesses have two assets: their information and their people." He went on to point out that allowing people to harness that information is the essence of competitive advantage and the threat of losing is akin to a company losing its lifeblood.

When it comes to disk versus tape, HP is making a compelling push for the SMB market. However, it ignores increasing competition from SaaS storage and backup providers.