IBM has penned an OEM deal with hosted service provider Rover
Technology Fusions to build a simplified version of its CDP for
Files software. It claims the new product will
backup business documents from laptops to a USB flash card that
fits in a wallet.
The product, called Rover Sparc, includes the slimmed-down
version of CDP for Files on a 2 GB or 4 GB memory card that plugs
into a USB port on a laptop or desktop. The product automatically
installs the continuous data protection (CDP) software and gives
the user four checkboxes to select whether or not it wants to
backup financial, email, My Documents folder or all Office files.
The cards are encrypted using the same mechanism used by Tivoli
Storage Manager, using a software-based 128-bit algorithm.
From then on, whenever the card is plugged in, the software will
update it with the most recent changes to the selected data.
Changes are automatically stored and then submitted next time the
card is plugged into the desktop or laptop computer.
According to Chuck Broes, CEO of VitalTrust Business Development
Corp. (VTBD), his company, as well as one of its 23 subsidiaries,
American Medical Specialties (AMS), will deploy hundreds of the
cards to back up data from mobile workers after having beta tested
them since January.
"The greatest weakness in our system is notebooks and PDAs in
the field -- it's not uncommon for someone's system to be stolen or
broken without being backed up," Broes said.
The parent company plans to deploy some 300 cards. AMS will have
about 25. The company is already a customer of Rover for hosted
data services, but Broes said the companies will purchase the cards
separately.
So far the 2 GB cards have worked well in tests. Broes said he'd
like to see support for media files, especially voicemails, which
are important for litigation and compliance at both VTBD and AMS.
With support for larger media files would have to come larger
cards, something Broes also said he'd like to see.
IBM chief technology officer Chris Stakutis said that's one idea
for future releases. Future releases of Rover Sparc will also
contain Rover Sync software that can restore contact lists from
lost or stolen Windows mobile devices.
"We deliberately ignored USB [as a medium] about a year ago,"
Stakutis noted. "It's only been recently we've started to see the
high capacities being brought to newer memory cards."
Stakutis also said that IBM was frequently asked for hardware
suggestions when trying to pitch CDP for Files software to small
businesses. "We had to give a somewhat elusive answer, which was a
stumbling block for most people," he said.
Rover Sparc is currently available direct from Rover for $99 for
the 2 GB card and $129 for the 4 GB card. Consumers used to $7
memory sticks might balk at that price, according to Mike Karp,
senior analyst with Enterprise Management Associates (EMA). "A lot
of people might blanch at paying so much more for something that
looks exactly the same as the cheap card they're used to buying,"
he said.
The product won't be hitting the shelves at Best Buy anytime
soon, however, according to Stakutis and Rover general manager
Simon Morgan. The companies instead are seeking users like Broes
who will buy the cards in bulk to protect an entire corporation's
mobile data.
"As telecommuting becomes more and more of a trend, the more we
all become our own little IT shops," Stakutis said. "This is a
simple way for that market to address backup."
In this market space, Rover Sparc is competing mainly with other
technologies, including USB drives or hosted online backup
services. However, Lexar Media, also announced a directly
competitive product last week, the ExpressCard SSD, which also
comes with autobackup software. That card is shipping in 4 GB, 8 GB
and 16 GB capacities.