Operational Efficiency and the Power of Analytics

Monday, May 14, 2012

Guest post by Robert Brower

Information, like knowledge, can be power. However, information without context is just data. Organizing data into meaningful or actionable content requires time, effort and familiarity with the subject to achieve meaningful value. The analysis of the multi-element aspects of large-scale data movement could consume an enormous amount of resources — resources that most enterprises have in extremely short supply. When a repeatable operational task fails to function, a background process — data backup — rapidly becomes a forefront issue, and one that may consume multiple resources, across multiple disciplines to resolve. Through the automation of data analytics, these processes can more rapidly resume background status, increasing the efficiency of enterprise operations.

Backup "eats like a canary and can excrete like an elephant." Enterprises expect backup to be a utility, always on and running in the background, it's there when needed. This expectation frequently collides with the reality that data growth can quietly and relentlessly overwhelm infrastructure to the point of catastrophic failure. Emerging technologies in virtualization, deduplication and snapshots have increased the level of expertise required to complete an effective triage and root-cause analysis of issues that impact data movement and protection operations. These key technologies highlight the advancement in both protection capabilities AND the need for improved analytics to resolve functional issues when they occur.

By its nature, backup touches every element of an enterprise environment. System resources, file system layout, application integration, network architecture and storage elements are all integrated with data protection operations. It is universally accepted that backup is a daily stress test on a healthy enterprise environment. Given the pervasiveness of backups' view into these enterprise components, effectively leveraging the logs and outputs associated with both successful and failed operations can be an enormously valuable tool in creating rapid insight into the root cause of an operational failure. By mining the metadata associated with these operations immediately, cogent information is made available to operations and administration personnel regarding the aggregate health and well-being of these multiple layers of enterprise complexity.

Rule-based reporting offers this analytic mining to appropriately alert relevant personnel with INFORMATION enabling rapid pinpointing and resolution of error causes. CommVault is continuously enhancing its monitoring application products to provide this contextual data analysis to operations and administration personnel so they have more time to work on strategic projects. Through the provision of enhanced integration with ROMS^® (Remote Operations Management Service) and CommServe^® content, CommVault software and services provide more and more accurate information, and not just data, to create operational efficiency.

Robert Brower is vice president of worldwide customer support and training at CommVault.

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Simpana Software: Helping Put CommVault Customers "In the Zone"

Monday, April 30, 2012

Guest post by Jeff Dorr

CommVault recently held its global sales kickoff event in Orlando with the overall theme being "In the Zone." It was great to see co-workers, sales makers, customers, partners and analysts face-to-face. It was also good to hear them share their experiences from today's rapidly shifting IT playing field. And just like the theme to the event, I came away with the sense that enterprises the world over can get "In the Zone" with a modern approach to data and information management. Let me share a few of my experiences and you can judge for yourself.

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NetApp Insight in High Demand in Macau

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Guest post by Neil Hughes

CommVault is a committed, global partner and has been a gold-level sponsor of the NetApp Insight event series for the last two years, where I personally have had the chance to participate in the U.S. and APAC. I have just returned from the 2012 APAC instalment in Macau and can confidently report that the interest, level of participation and the quality of demonstrations and presentations goes from strength to strength. Hundreds of attendees converged at the Grand Hyatt in Macau this year making it the best- attended APAC version of the show, providing lively conversation and a deeper level of insight into the technical differentials and associated selling strategies of the solutions available.

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HIMSS 2012: The Healthcare IT Transformation Continues

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Guest post from Jay Savaiano, Director of Business Development, Healthcare Vertical

Every year, we're eager to attend the annual HIMSS conference to meet with healthcare professionals about the dynamic changes taking place in the industry and how leading-edge technology is empowering them to better manage an influx of clinical and operational data. With more than 300 educational sessions and an exhibition showcasing thousands of products and services, there will be much to see and do in Las Vegas this week.

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IntelliSnap™ Connect Program Broadens the Appeal of Array-Based Snapshots

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

By Jeff Dorr

The use of array-based snapshots is increasing in environments where data pools have grown too large or backup/recovery times have shrunk so small that traditional streaming techniques are no longer viable. However, not all snapshot tools are created equal and few actually tie into more comprehensive data management platforms. The result of this standalone approach is typically a point solution that works well for a narrow task, but still needs complex scripting and technical workarounds to get the desired results. CommVault established its SnapProtect® technology over two years ago to help customers take the guesswork out of snapshot management and overcome these barriers.

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The content of this blog reflects the thoughts and opinions of the author, and does not represent the thoughts, opinions, plans or strategies of CommVault Systems, Inc. ("CommVault") and CommVault undertakes no obligation to update, correct or modify any statements made by the author of this blog. Any and all third party links provided by this blog are not affiliated with, nor endorsed by, CommVault.