Data Backup Digest

Originally founded in 1986, Asigra currently exists as a company that specializes in cloud-based data backup and recovery. Their flagship product, Asigra Cloud Backup, is the evolution of one of Asigra’s earliest offerings, DS-Televaulting, in 1986. Rebranded as Asigra Cloud Backup in 2009, the team with Asigra has been dedicated to cloud-based data management ever since. To that extent, it should come as no surprise that their latest solution, dubbed the Asigra Converged Data Protection DS-System Appliance, is meant to streamline the entire cloud deployment and integration process. Moreover, Asigra's innovative pricing model accommodates the limited funds of small, medium-sized and startup businesses.

Eran Farjun, executive vice president with Asigra, described the backup and disaster recovery system as an “industry first that tackles the inflexible designs and costs of traditional storage systems, including a new approach to highly scalable and performant data protection storage.” He continued by saying: “The approach enables service providers who want to offer cloud backup services for the first time a quick and easy way to get to market in days rather than months with all of the Asigra marketing and sales support provided through our Hybrid Partner Program.”

What is Converged Data Protection?

The concept behind converged infrastructure, or in this case, converged data protection, is a rather simple one. By combining four separate tiers of backup functionality into a single, group-centric offering, converged data protection offers a number of benefits. Increased redundancy, better utilization of available resources and lower infrastructure costs are among the most instantly recognizable benefits, but there are a number of lesser benefits associated with converged data protection as well.

Device Configurations

Asigra’s Converged Data Protection DS-System Appliance is available in three distinct variations. The introductory model, the 1U 1800, is capable of supporting nearly 10 TB of deduplicated and compressed data. Next is the 2U 3600, which provides support for up to 33 TB of data. Finally, the 4U 5400 is capable of supporting just under 100 TB of data. All three of the devices are equipped with 32 GB of DDR4 RAM and dual, 10-gigabit Ethernet ports.

Pricing Model

While Asigra’s latest devices are capable of storing several TB of data, customers will only have to pay for what they actually use. According to William Kulju with Asigra’s product marketing division, customers only pay for the hardware upfront. While one terabyte of storage space is included at no cost, Asigra offers additional storage space through a platform that is described as “pay as they grow” by Kulju. This eliminates the need for an initial large investment, which is especially beneficial to small and medium-sized businesses.

Product Availability

The Asigra Converged Data Protection DS-System Appliance is available as of August 2015. While an official pricing point has been given at the time of this writing, prices are expected to come in at well less than $5,000 for the 1U 1800 device. For more information on the Asigra Converged Data Protection DS-System Appliance or any of Asigra’s other products or services, please visit their website at www.asigra.com.