A data protection management software company is launching its first product for fileservers at the same time as it opens a search for channel partners in Canada.WysDM Software announced WysDM for Fileservers, which is tailored for Network Appliance environments with at least 10 of that company’s file servers. With the software, companies can collect a comprehensive set of reports from NetApp devices and set policies easier, said Alan Atkinson, WysDM’s chief executive officer.
“A typical NetApp box has 1,200 configuration parameters,” he said. WysDM for Fileservers “let(s) you define a model, and if something deviates from that we can send an alert.
“You can put in really detailed and rich policies around how you want your Network Appliance machines configured.”
That means unintended or unauthorized system changes can be discovered, and fileserver capacity can be accurately predicted.
At the same time the company also announced WysDM for Backups 3, the latest version of its first application, which gives administrators a view of data from servers, storage and backup applications across the network. It adds support for Hewlett-Packard’s DataProtector backup software, joining support for backup applications from EMC/Legato, IBM Tivoli and Symantec Veritas.
WysDM for Backups 3 lets administrators span backups across multiple servers and multiple databases, allowing recovery objectives, such as having servers backed up within an hour of each other, to be easily set.
The application can also forecast how long backups will take based on the growth of data.
Both applications are available immediately for Windows Server 2000 and 2003, Solaris and Red Hat Linux, with pricing starting at US$15,000 for 50 clients.
Channel program
A four-year-old company based in New York City, it announced a global channel program earlier this month and started looking for Canadian partners. As part of that effort chief operating officer Tim Tokarksy moved to Montreal.
When it announced the program, it revealed six international partners (as well as an OEM deal with EMC), none of whom has a Canadian office.
But Atkinson said the company is looking for system integrators here who already sell backup or data recovery solutions. “We’re looking for five partners that understand the storage space and have good reach.”
The single-level channel program is simple: Dealer margins are negotiated based on sales. WysDM offers some product training and cross-marketing opportunities.
While other companies are already in this space, Atkinson said WysDM software installs easily but “has a lot of drag-on services” partners can take advantage of, such as setting up business rules for customers. Those rules, he added, can be written in XML, saved on a USB flash drive and imported on site.
