Data Protection Manager Tackles Databases, Tape

Data Protection Manager 2007, the second version of Microsoft’s backup software, supports tape backup and backup of Exchange Server, SQL Server, and Windows SharePoint Services databases, making it a viable stand-alone backup solution in Microsoft-only shops; the prior version had to be combined with third-party tape backup software. However, Data Protection Manager still only protects Windows computers and selected Microsoft products, and the new version brings a price increase, even for customers who bought Software Assurance coverage on the previous version.

Beyond File Snapshots, Disk-to-Disk

Data Protection Manager is designed to capture frequent backups of application data to enable quick recovery and to minimize the amount of data lost in a failure. A typical installation includes a central server for storing data backups and agents on the target computers being backed up. Agents use the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) of Windows to capture point-in-time snapshots of application data on the disks of target computers and transmit those data to the central server. (See the illustration “Data Protection Manager Disk Backup Architecture“.) Administrators can configure Data Protection Manager to allow users to restore files from backups themselves, which can reduce calls to help desks due to accidental deletion of files.