Why VTL?
(Virtual Tape Library)
Thanks for visiting our website as part of your interest in addressing your backup and recovery needs by using a disk based backup solution (commonly known as VTL).
VTL is more evolutionary than revolutionary as a technology solution. With higher capacity, lower cost SATA based disks available in volume, a number of vendors now offer solutions that appear to your backup and recovery software as ‘tape devices / tape libraries’. VTL solutions start at 1TB typically (sub £2000) up to multi-terabyte solutions that scale to the highest levels imaginable.
Quick wins
Combining VTL with some of the well known software products, along with newer releases of backup and recovery software you can now bring some fairly quick wins to your organisation, some of which are as follows:
1. As VTL uses spinning disk technology, you can reduce backup times and reclaim backup time you were previously losing due to production windows, 24 x 7 working, high data growth or the demands of business continuity.
2. VTL is relatively simple to implement, it typically uses existing software (subject to compatibility check).
3. Most vendors offer a choice of connectivity which can be achieved using SCSI, iSCSI and Fibre channel - www.brighter-connections.com/data/why-iscsi-
4. It is easier to retain multiple days of backup data on a ‘near-line’ storage device (VTL) for quicker recovery. This helps with customer satisfaction, confidence of the management team and improves productivity in the IT department.
5. By combining VTL with continuous data protection software you can roll back to much more recent points in time (improves both Recovery Time objective and Recovery Point objectives).
6. A number of VTL vendors are now releasing de-duplication software, this will have provide a further benefit of reducing the number of copies you backup of the same data / folder / file, etc, reducing backup windows further still and speeding up recovery.
7. As VTL is known to most current backup vendors (Symantec / Veritas / Arcserve) to name a few, VTL is easy to implement and can be your first backup point, tape media can remain in the organisation if needed, or you can ditch it altogether, using only VTL, or VTL and off-site backup of smaller volumes of data via a Managed Services Provider.
Whilst these are some immediate and simple wins, Brighter Connections goal is to support anyone with whom we have a relationship to get the very best technical and commercial solution to meet their individual needs.
One way we aim to achieve this goal is by removing some of the complexity from the technology market. We firmly believe if we can help people focus on how technology such as VTL can benefit any organisation in their every day business, then we are one step closer to helping that organisation become more effective and efficient.
Based on our experience, we try to help anyone looking at backup and recovery as follows:
1. What are the typical considerations people are making when considering disk based backup and recovery.
2. Where does VTL fit in the hierarchy of data storage?
3. By providing ideas as to how other people are exploiting this next evolution in backup and recovery.
VTL – Typical Considerations
· Is my existing backup and recovery software compatible with the range of VTL offerings I am researching?
· Am I looking to upgrade my existing software to a new version that offers a more granular level of backup and recovery?
· Do I need any additional software agents for my VTL deployment? Depending how you intend to ‘share’ out the VTL resources, you may need additional agents, or you may require application aware agents that can backup whilst an application is ‘open’
· Do I intend to deploy a VTL for my most critical applications that are needed and widely used every day? If so, then tape still has a key role for those less critical applications or for information that is archived and accessed less frequently
· Will I maintain the same backup and recovery policy with VTL as I use for tape based backup and recovery or do I intend to modify it?
· Am I purely looking for performance gains, and if so which unit gives me the best bang for my buck
· Am I looking to consolidate a number of older tape based backup and recovery devices and replace them with a single higher capacity, higher performing VTL?
· Do I have the space and network to allow me to locate a VTL at my off-site computer room / Data-centre for business continuity purposes?
· Do I have a shrinking backup window? Where is my cliff edge?
· What complementary technology does an individual vendor offer me that helps me build better future foundations as my business changes?
Where does VTL fit in the hierarchy of data storage?
Given so many organisations deploy and manage data in such different ways; it is not easy to address every instance via this medium.
In a simplistic manner, VTL is being adopted as either second tier storage (with high performance disk / DAS / SAN) being the first tier.
Tape based devices are now being placed as third tier. Tape is still commonplace for compliance purposes and as part of long-term due diligence.
Tape is therefore still an important media and will remain so for a very long time.
It is possible to have a tape based device connected directly to a port on the VTL, which means that processing backup to a third tier storage does not have to impact the corporate network.
The reasons iSCSI is gaining in popularity are numerous, so we have listed just a few that are based on our own commercial experience and feedback from existing clients as follows:
· The nature of iSCSI allows block level changes of data to be transferred over iP networks. Benefits of block level transfer can include continuous data protection (CDP). If you are looking at data mirroring, snapshot technology, CDP to tape or VTL, then iSCSI can make a real impact on your recovery time objectives and recovery point objectives.
· Nowadays, most organisations will have investments in both iP networks and the associated skills required to manage such networks. This combined with reduced costs have resulted in greater confidence from IT teams who are now happy to look at moving data storage, along with backup and recovery onto the corporate network.
· ISCSI is less complex and less expensive to implement than Fibre channel. Whilst we would concede that iSCSI does not typically perform to the same level as Fibre channel, if your applications do not demand the extra throughput of FC, then iSCSI should be considered.
· Some vendors already deliver multi-protocol devices with iSCSI and Fibre channel connectivity. The benefit of this approach is that you have the choice and benefit of using whichever protocol best meets the needs of your specific applications / servers, etc.
· Many devices can be supported by the use of a software based iSCSI initiator. This are freely available via the Microsoft website at www.microsoft.com
· Short-term goals can be addressed with iSCSI devices, there is no need to spend months putting together business justification for switched Fibre channel networks, extra training and investment for staff. Many IT professionals can self install iSCSI devices, and if not, with an element of familiarity and knowledge transfer, then ongoing operation and management is within the scope of IT literate individuals.
What do I do next?
As Your IT Agent, we are here to help you look at the options available to you from a breadth of IT vendors such that you can make an educated decision, in timescales that suit your own business. Our motto is that we only sell, when YOU are ready to buy.
If you are considering your future plans and are looking at any of the following as possible investments for your own organisation:
ISCSI
Storage Area Network
Virtualisation
Backup and recovery
Then we would love to hear from you.
Why not call now on 03707 551515 and ask for Darren, Paul or Ben. Alternatively, email us at :
We will be happy to listen / review your needs. We will take down some notes, provide some help with technical and commercial areas as promised and ensure you are given all the help we can offer as Your IT Agent.
