Backup vendors will drive the move from tape to digital

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It will have to be the backup vendors encouraging businesses to leave virtual tape library (VTL) behind, according to Data Domain.

In an interview with IT PRO, Trevor Cooper, business development consultant for the company, kept his cards close to his chest on his opinion of VTL but said that he believed it was down to backup vendors to push for a change.

“We don't advocate VTL but when some customers invest a lot into SAN infrastructure we need a device to provide for that. As the company refreshes they may move away from VTL but it is up to backup vendors to drive them away,” he said.

When asked whether Data Domain will ever stop providing for this technology, as many companies consider is at the end of its time, Cooper said: “Some people say that VTL is dead, but we can't move away from the existing tech if a company has invested into it."

The bidding battle for the company, with eventual winners EMC taking it for $2.1 billion (£1.3 billion), attracted a lot of media attention but again Cooper was selective with what he shared.

“We are going through the process of integrating with EMC as the backup and recovery fall into one division. There will be a cohesive strategy but I don't know what that is yet,” he said.

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