When reviewing solutions, you need to know if they will address your actual production needs. Many backup solutions were developed 10 years ago and are just not built to leverage today's network & system capabilities.
TucanBackup is next-generation technology. Data exists (100% up-to-date) in multiple places at the same time, 24 hours a day - with most inter-site traffic simply eliminated. No matter where the changes occur, all systems are up to date.
How much bandwidth does it need?
Files are created and modified all the time. Sending a modified file over and over again is bandwidth intensive. TucanBackup works by sending only one single delta (byte-level differencing) as any file changes. TucanBackup's differencing technology is ultra-fast and real time. Smart bandwidth usage can be the difference between a failing backup product and a successful one. Plus, TucanBackup compresses all data transfers - so even an initial backup of files is extremely efficient. Also; TucanBackup includes bandwidth throttling settings and it dynamically changes packet size and other parameters to ensure optimum performance. Most vendor claims of "byte level differencing" simply do not prove true in the field.
Does it backup remotely, as well as over the local network?
TucanBackup backups data between machines on a LAN, WAN, internet, or VPN. TucanBackup works over HTTP or HTTPS and thus requires no special firewall setup. It crosses firewalls transparently. A VPN is not necessary. Systems can be located anywhere using any connection, at any distance. TucanBackup has many customers backing up data between continents, and consolidating backups across continents.
Is it true Real-Time?
TucanBackup operates in true real time. Compare that to other products which backup on a schedule (e.g. at midnight) or only upon a system scan. Or worse, it may detect a change immediately, but how long does it actually take for the change to get to "the other side"? We know of no other product that performs in end to end real-time. And on files in any state. With TucanBackup, there are no stale versions of files. When you open a file, you are guaranteed that it's the latest and greatest - everywhere. Of course, if you want to operate on a schedule, TucanBackup supports that too. But TucanBackup never re-syncs.
Past Versions? Deleted files?
TucanBackup can automatically keep past file versions of each file -you decide how many. One central copy of past versions - you decide how many. Want to roll-back a document to its state two weeks or two hours ago? Want to retrieve a file that was deleted a month ago? With TucanBackup, it can be done with a single click. Or, use a browser to securely access files from ANY location. Never pull tapes again!
Can backup be uni-directional, bi-directional or multi-directional?
TucanBackup supports all. For continuous backup, you configure unidirectional replication. True data sharing between sites often needs multidirectional data transfer among all N sites. TucanBackup is the only product fully supporting real-time 24 x 7 multi-directional replication between any number of sites, with any number of files, and any file size. This is radically different than N sites simply broadcasting to each other. TucanBackup is multi-directional, absolutely real-time, with coherence.
How are Open Files handled?
If a file is open at any site - does it update? Does the ability to handle open files mean real-time no longer works? Does this "feature" cost extra? TucanBackup supports backup of opened files, e.g. of an Excel file that is modified, saved, but is kept opened, or files that are also opened at remote sites. The file updates everywhere in real-time no matter what. We know of NO other product that can operate in real time on open files, and have them be open at N sites.
What is the interface? How transparent is it?
With TucanBackup, no new interface needs to be learned. The IT manager simply points TucanBackup at the folders that need to backup on the various file-servers in the different sites. Users & applications change nothing and just keep working as they did before enabling TucanBackup - no need to change anything. You can share the folders over the LAN and set all permissions exactly the same as before. Can the product handle CAD data with XRefs? What happens if you want to backup a very complex drawing with many external references? TucanBackup handles it all transparently.
What is the setup like?
Deploying a backup solution does not have to be painful. It does not have to involve writing scripts, and navigating complex dialog boxes. With TucanBackup, deploying can be done by clicking a single link. b sets up and fully deploys in under 5 minutes and the software download is tiny, about 2 MB.
What is the end to end performance?
TucanBackup gives instant end to end performance. Even the largest data sets over long distances complete end to end functions in under tenths of seconds. If a user in the Tokyo branch of your company creates a 50MB file, the file would be instantly accessible in the London branch, or in the NYC branch. Data is accessible even before it finished backing up, thanks to TucanBackup's streaming technology.
What is the overhead? What platforms are supported?
How beefy must your server hardware be? TucanBackup is a software-only solution, which uses negligible CPU time, a very small memory footprint, and no extra storage on any source or target. Load it on any machine, with any other applications. TucanBackup supports any Windows OS, including 2003, NAS and clusters - and you can use any network storage device.
What happens if any site is offline?
Or if there is a failure at any point in the system? What happens when it comes back? Are all the files the same again? TucanBackup switches automatically from on-line to off-line mode and back, if the network (or any resource) is down. In off-line mode, the backed up data is still fully accessible locally and changes are recorded. When the system comes back, backup automatically continues. Compare that to all other systems - if offline during the backup window their file backup can be missed forever.
What about data coherence between sites?
Can two users in two different sites open and modify the same file at the same time, ever? Will they overwrite each other's data, or worse, cause data corruption? With TucanBackup, file conflicts are eliminated. TucanBackup backs up in real-time the application's file and data lock status. This is true regardless of where the users are, even if they are separated by an ocean. For example, only one user can open a PowerPoint file in read-write mode. The others can open it at the same time, however the PPT "read-only" message pops up. No matter how far away the servers are. Guaranteed real-time coherence. Only TucanBackup does this. TucanBackup is so real-time, it can support Excel's on-line "share workbook" feature! No other product comes close.
How secure is the data access? How secure is the communication?
TucanBackup supports all Windows security (NTFS permissions - ACLs) and Share settings 100% transparently. You can even backup the security settings between all your sites. Plus, with TucanBackup all the communication between sites is fully encrypted. Automatically. End to end.
Is TucanBackup scalable?
TucanBackup supports an unlimited number of independent data sets, unlimited amounts of data, any size files, and any file type. One system scales to backup between any number of machines. Anywhere. And at each site, any number of workstations can use the system. It is deployed at some of the world's largest organizations.
Last but not least: is it affordable?
After comparing TucanBackup features and capabilities with the other tools, you'll be surprised to find how inexpensive TucanBackup is. It is 100% software - no need for expansive appliances. There are no hidden modules. It is inexpensive to purchase, inexpensive to deploy, and inexpensive to maintain. No "surprise" add-ons. TucanBackup is affordable, reliable and easy-to-use.
