Imation Partners With Nine For Cloud Disaster Recovery

Imation has teamed up with online backup and data recovery vendor Nine Technology to offer a data backup and disaster recovery system for the cloud

Cloud environments have a new backup and recovery option after Imation said it will partner with Nine Technology to offer a data backup and disaster recovery system for the cloud.

The “Powered by Nine” cloud-based backup and file restore platform will incorporate Imation’s RDX removable hard disk drive cartridges to seed backups.

“We’ve known for a long time that we’ve got the best online backup and recovery software available, and with Imation RDX-based cloud seeding, we can jump-start new partners from all over the world faster and more securely than anybody else,” wrote Tom Gelson, chief executive of Nine Technology, on the company’s blog.

The combined approach will utilise Imation’s RDX removable hard disk system. The USB and SATA-compatible drive is designed to withstand “the rigours of cross-country travel,” according to Imation, and can function as a seeded backup device.

Removable Cartridges

“This exciting new application of Imation’s RDX cartridge system as a ‘cloud seed’ with Nine Technology is a great solution for businesses – from small and medium-sized SMBs to larger enterprises – to enable initial connectivity to cloud storage,” said Subodh Kulkarni, chief technology officer and senior vice president at Imation, in a statement.

Businesses can use Imation RDX as part of a disk-to-cloud backup strategy. The removable cartridges can be used for an initial dataset backup before backing up into the cloud, and then using the system to enable future file restores.

“Facilitating the initial seeding as well as accelerated recovery in backup SAAS solutions are key considerations for end-user adoption,” said Lauren Whitehouse, senior analyst at Enterprise Strategy Group.

Imation’s RDX system provides fast, easy and reliable backup, the company said. The system includes a docking station and a high-capacity, rugged and removable 2.5-inch hard disk drive cartridge. The cartridge’s storage capacity comes in 160GB, 320GB, 500GB, 640GB, 750GB and 1TB sizes. Both the RDX docking station and cartridges are forward- and backward-compatible and are scalable. Imation will extend the RDX system to include additional interfaces, such as USB 3.0, to complement the current cloud-seeding service, the company said.

Scalable Cloud Backup

“With Imation’s RDX system, Nine Technology can launch a scalable cloud-powered backup strategy with phenomenal speed and security,” said Gelson in a statement.

“Powered by Nine” is a turnkey online backup and restore system that managed service providers can use to quickly offer reliable and scalable disaster recovery services to protect customer data on servers, desktops and laptops. The RDX-enabled “Powered by Nine” disaster recovery system is available immediately to Nine Technology partners.