Data Backup Digest

SAP, an international leader in enterprise software and business management solutions, has long been regarded as a pioneer in the IT industry. In order to further that reputation, the professionals at SAP have recently introduced a near-line storage solution, known as NetWeaver BW, which is expected to accommodate the increasing data storage needs of medium-sized and large businesses around the globe.

According to the Aberdeen Group, a leading IT research and analysis firm, stored data increases at a rate of 35% on a yearly basis for many enterprises. These trends account for an average of 13% of an organization's entire budget, which amounts to doubling the amount of storage capacity approximately once every two years.

Under the new technology introduced through SAP's NetWeaver BW, operational costs can be minimized while simultaneously providing streamlined data query and reporting functionality. Ultimately lower maintenance costs and improving downtimes, the application allows instantaneous access to data that is stored in an enterprise's near-line storage architecture.

What Is Near-Line Storage?

Near-line storage is a relatively young innovation that takes advantage of online storage to facilitate access to critical files while maintaining system backups and miscellaneous files on local storage media. By splitting the data load between two separate areas, online and off, the near-line storage protocol effectively increases the performance of online storage systems while boosting the longevity of physical data storage hardware.

SAP's executive vice president of solution and knowledge packaging, Dr. Bernd Welz, explained the benefits of NetWeaver BW in a recent interview. He was quoted as saying: "By implementing NetWeaver BW, customers can experience faster online querying through a reduced amount of data in the business warehouse and its proximity to SAP Sybase IQ. Businesses can now work with archived data on an as-needed basis with the same agility they have come to expect with live data."

SAP Sybase IQ

Sybase IQ is SAP's own platform for big data storage and relational database management. Though its origination can be traced backed to the 1990s, it wasn't until 1995 that the application was given the name of Sybase IQ. Since then, Sybase IQ has gained recognition as one of the first products meant specifically for big data warehousing and storage. The software has seen numerous updates and revisions throughout its lifespan, and it remains one of the most widely used applications for high-performance database management and industry analytics.

SAP HANA

The NetWeaver BW application relies on SAP's proprietary memory architecture, High-Performance Analytic Appliance, or simply HANA. A relational database management framework, HANA incorporates numerous other technologies in order to offer real-time data access to small, medium and large businesses around the world.

In Conclusion

Given SAP's propensity to big data warehousing, storage and long-term industry analytics, as well as their proven reputation within the IT industry, it's easy to see why NetWeaver BW has already been embraced by IT department leaders around the world.

Furthermore, given the reported increase in data storage needs over the past few years, as well as forecasts for the future, it's safe to say that many more enterprises will find their own comfort in SAP's NetWeaver BW.