Symantec, MS in disaster recovery pact

disaster recovery as a service platform using Symantec's storage software and Microsoft's Azure cloud, CRN reports.

The new alliance will eventually result in customers being able to offer disaster recovery in the Azure cloud, including spinning up virtual machines to keep applications in production until the primary site recovers, says Saveen Pakala, director of product management at Symantec.

The new Symantec-Microsoft agreement was unveiled this week at the Microsoft TechEd conference, but the cloud offering will not be available until sometime in calendar 2013, Pakala adds.

Symantec says the disaster recovery as a service, in combination with Windows Azure, is the first of its kind the security firm has undertaken, PC Advisor notes.

Basically, it would require business customers to use Veritas Storage Foundation High Availability for Windows and Veritas Volume replicator products on their main data-processing sites in a way that ties into Microsoft's cloud-based Azure, so that if a disaster recovery situation should unfold, there would be no disruption in computing.

Organisations are increasingly demanding better protection and more recovery options, including leveraging the public cloud for disaster recovery protection, Express Computer writes.

According to IDC's 2011 Business Continuity Market Analysis, advancements in replication, clustering and server virtualisation software have opened the door to a more flexible approach to those architecting business continuity schemes.

IDC adds that, given the increased need for business uptime and corporate reliance on information technology, the role of public clouds within the business continuity market will surely increase.