FalconStor updates data protection suite

FalconStor recently updated its line of storage virtualization and data protection products. It appears that the goals for this release are to better integrate the company's tape, storage server, deduplication and file system products and prepare for a cloud-based future. The company calls this "future ready data protection today."

If we boil down what they've announced the following key messages emerge:

• Integration: Link FalconStor's desk-based backup products with FalconStor’s deduplication technology. The company hopes this will enable organizations to use high performance disk technology rather than relying on tape backup and recovery.
• Optimization: Utilize the FalconStor deduplication technology to improve both file and block backup tools. This, they hope, will result in organization's seeing FalconStor as a global deduplication repository. The company has also improved I/O performance of its products so that heterogeneous storage environments will work better together.
• Performance: Improve overall performance of data protection so that more data can be protected or recovered in a shorter period of time.
• VMware Integration: This release of FalconStor's product now support the VMware vStorage APIs for storage array integration. This also means that VMware's vCenter Site Recovery Manager works with FalconStor's products.

Snapshot Analysis

FalconStor is one of a number of storge virtualization suppliers that are working on providing a more intelligent storage environment to support physical, virtual and cloud computing environments. Dell, EMC, and NetApp also are playing in these markets. FalconStor has interesting technology to be sure, but their bigger challenge is getting through all of the noise that other competitors are making.

If I took the slide decks from any of those other competitors, the messages sound very similar to those presented by FalconStor. I have trouble keeping them all straight. In the end, I suspect organizations are likely to select a larger vendor, one that is making more noise in the market. That would be a shame. FalconStor has some very interesting capabilities that could be very helpful.