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Rubrik CDM 4.2 extends data protection to Amazon cloud storage
Backup software and appliance specialist adds protection to apps in Amazon cloud to existing on-premise and cloud-to-cloud functionality, along with service provider features
In its latest upgrade, Rubrik has extended its backup and data management platform to applications that run in Amazon Web Services (AWS) Elastic Cloud Compute (EC2) and using Elastic Block Storage (EBS).
Key to this in version 4.2 of Rubrik Alta Cloud Data Management is native protection for applications that run in Amazon EC2.
The firm also added on-demand capabilities for service providers with a proxy deployment of Rubrik, called Envoy, and the addition of Multi-tenancy capabilities on its platform.
Rubrik made its debut in 2015 with a solution for integrated backup for VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V (via VSS). The company went on to add support for Linux environments and key relational databases (in Rubrik CDM 3.0 “Firefly”).
Then it tackled data protection at the storage array – beginning with those from Pure Storage – using its snapshot application programming interfaces (APIs).
More recently, it has added the Nutanix Acropolis Hypervisor (AHV) to the list of virtual environments natively supported, and has improved its cloud capabilities.
The firm also added the ability to use the cloud as a backup target, and later between clouds, before adding the ability to protect applications in the cloud.
Read more about cloud backup
- Applications that run in the cloud are protected, but only so much. For full protection of data generated by cloud-based apps you need cloud-to-cloud backup.
- Backup product supplier Druva plans cloud-to-cloud backup to Amazon Web Services and other public cloud services as demand arises, in a future firmly fixed on hybrid operations.
In June 2017, version 4 of Rubrik CDM – known as Alta – extended functionality to multicloud data management operations. Alta CDM was built to run on on-premise Rubrik appliances or third-party servers but is also deployable in Amazon, Microsoft and Google clouds.
The software combines advanced backup functionality with replication, archiving and sophisticated copy data management capabilities, such as indexing and analytics. Rubrik’s ambition is to be a market leader in data management and copy data management.
Addition to this set of functionality was completed in the spring with the launch of Rubrik “Polaris”, which is a software-as-a-service platform for data management conceived of as an umbrella to drive multiple Rubrik deployments in the enterprise.
With Polaris, Rubrik provides a point of centralised control in the cloud with visibility across data it manages, whether on-premise or in the cloud.
With Rubrik 4.2 CDM, the product will now protect applications in Amazon EC2 and in EBS.
Rubrik Alta 4.2 confirms the cloud orientation of the product. Rubrik is now capable of natively protecting and managing applications deployed in AWS EC2.
Alta can index, catalogue and protect such applications as if they were deployed on-premise. It leverages snapshot functionality and EC2 APIs to take coherent snapshots of instances deployed on EC2 and using EBS storage. These snapshots can then be replicated to another Rubrik platform according to policies defined by an administrator.
Functionality for future releases
Alta doesn’t currently offer similar functionality for Microsoft and Google cloud services, but these are likely to be addressed in future releases. Rubrik has, however, added support for Oracle’s Solaris OS and strengthened support for IBM’s AIX. The platform also integrates with VMware vCloud Director.
Alongside its improved support in the cloud, Rubrik has also unveiled Envoy, which allows service providers to pool Rubrik clusters to deliver multi-tenant (or subdivisions thereof, i.e. customer departments) to its clients.
Envoy takes the form of a proxy that service providers can deploy to clients. This allows them to deploy the full ensemble of Rubrik services in multi-tenant fashion as if the client themselves deployed the Rubrik environment.
