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Dell EMC Avamar

By Erin Sullivan

Dell EMC Avamar is a hardware and software data backup product.

Avamar began as a private company and was among the first vendors to sell data deduplication software for backup data. EMC acquired Avamar for its deduplication technology in 2006, more than a decade before Dell's blockbuster acquisition of EMC.

Dell EMC Avamar can be used in a variety of data storage environments, and is available in integrated hardware and software or software-only options. Avamar software provides source-based deduplication, reducing data at the server before the data is moved to the backup target. That is different than the Dell EMC Data Domain platform that performs target-based deduplication at the disk backup appliance.

Avamar backups

Dell EMC Avamar performs full daily backups. Maintaining daily complete backups allows for a single-step recovery process.

All Dell EMC Avamar deployments use variable length data deduplication to reduce redundant copies, which shortens backup windows and cuts back on bandwidth use by only storing unique changes. In remote environments, Avamar can use existing local area network and wide area network bandwidth. Avamar uses RAID and RAIN technology to reduce redundant data and increase fault tolerance.

Use cases

Dell EMC Avamar has a wide array of use cases depending on the environment it is used in. Customers can use Avamar for:

• Virtualized environments
• NAS backups
• Laptops and desktops
• Remote office backups
• Business-critical applications
• Cloud disaster recovery

Deployment options

Avamar can be used with a variety of applications, with application modules for products from other vendors such as IBM, Oracle, OpenStack and Microsoft.

Dell EMC Avamar has four different deployment options, depending on the buyer's hardware preferences or available resources:

• Avamar Data Store combines Avamar software and a purpose-built backup appliance as a one-stop, integrated product. This option is ideal for those looking to cut down on setup time and avoid working to integrate the Dell EMC software with different hardware vendors. Avamar Data Store can be scaled to 124 TB of deduplicated capacity.

• Avamar Virtual Edition includes the backup software and a virtual appliance, which can be deployed in Azure, Hyper-V or vSphere.

• Avamar Business Edition is designed for midmarket companies that may be dealing with limited resources. The business edition includes a purpose-built backup appliance and simplified management.

Avamar can also be integrated with a physical Dell EMC Data Domain system for added scalability and performance.

Management

Avamar servers are managed through a single centralized console. As with the vendor's Data Domain system, Dell EMC Backup and Recovery Manager is used to control and monitor Avamar. No license is required to install Backup and Recovery Manager for Avamar.