CommVault focuses on VM backup, snapshot management, endpoint ...

CommVault focuses on VM backup, snapshot management, endpoint protection Analyst: Dave Simpson 22 Aug, 2014

CommVault recently introduced a set of software packages, which it refers to as 'solution sets,' designed to modularize its portfolio while still leveraging the company's key differentiator versus its rivals: a single unified code base for all of its data protection and management modules. The announcements underscore some of the key trends in data protection, focusing on VM backup/recovery, array-based snapshot management, endpoint (laptop/desktop) data protection and file sync/share – all with an emphasis on the cloud. CommVault's new packaging and product enhancements reflect end-user demand, but are also designed to thwart competition from specialists such as Veeam and VMware in virtualization environments, as well as endpoint data protection specialists that, like CommVault, also have file-sync/share options.

The 451 Take Although there were some product enhancements laced into CommVault's recent announcements, we see them more as packaging plays that will make it simpler – and more affordable – for IT organizations and service providers to adopt various portions of the company's Simpana platform. This is a reaction to the fact that many prospective customers simply don't need the entire Simpana suite and are not willing to pay for functionality that they don't need. Its recent packaging of 'solution sets' and pricing changes should help the company in VM environments while keeping smaller vendors at bay in the increasingly important endpoint data protection arena.

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Products With the recent introduction of 'solution sets,' CommVault customers now have two options for purchasing the company's data protection/management software: buy the entire Simpana platform or buy solution sets that fall into the following four categories: VM backup and cloud management, array snapshot management, endpoint data protection, and email archive and compliance. We think that part of the rationale behind the new modules (and pricing structures) is to combat one of the criticisms of CommVault's software: that it's too expensive when purchased as a single platform because some users don't need all of the functionality that CommVault packages under the Simpana umbrella. (To be fair, the 'too expensive' complaint is also consistently leveled at other enterprise-class data protection vendors, including EMC, IBM and Symantec.) Despite the availability of parts of Simpana as more focused modules (solution sets), CommVault is quick to point out that there is still only one management platform across its entire portfolio, a claim that some of its primary competitors cannot make. One interesting aspect of the Simpana for VM Backup, Recovery and Cloud Management module is that it addresses not only VMware and Microsoft Hyper-V platforms, but also Amazon's AWS and Microsoft's Azure cloud platforms from the perspective of cross-environment management and disaster recovery. Another key feature is that it's self-service – in other words, VM administrators and users (rather than storage specialists) can manage VM provisioning, management, backup, recovery and archiving tasks. This is in-line with a general trend in the data protection market to enable application 'owners' to take over data protection tasks, a theme that we've seen CommVault competitors – most notably EMC – emphasize recently. CommVault's software works with Amazon Web Services, Microsoft Azure and Hyper-V, VMware, and Citrix XenServer environments under a single management interface. CommVault also altered its pricing for the VM backup module by adding per-socket options to its per-VM and capacity-based licensing options. Per-socket pricing is the dominant pricing model in the VM backup market, in part because VM administrators are often not involved in storage capacity decisions, even though they are usually involved in data protection decisions. CommVault's software is available in a VM backup/recovery 'foundation' edition, priced at $1,050 per socket or $1,500 for a 10-VM pack. Add-ons are priced separately, including VM provisioning and cloud management at $500 for 10 VMs (VMware, Hyper-V, AWS, Azure), VM archiving at $750 per 10 VMs (VMware), and snapshot management and self service (VMware, Hyper-V) at $550 per Copyright 2014 - The 451 Group

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socket or $800 per 10 VMs. Based on our conversations with VM administrators, there is a lot of discounting going on in the VM data protection market, but, generally speaking, CommVault's pricing is in the same ballpark as competitors such as Veeam. Of course, due to its enterprise heritage, CommVault claims superior functionality over VM-only backup vendors, which, until recently, have been focused primarily on the SMB segment of the market. It's no wonder that CommVault and all of its rivals are focusing on VM backup and recovery. 451 Research predicts a 20% CAGR over the 2013-2018 period for the virtualization backup market. We estimate the 2013 market at $2.9bn, growing to $3.6bn this year and $4.4bn in 2015. CommVault's new Simpana IntelliSnap Recovery – another new 'solution set' – is also indicative of a key trend in the enterprise data protection market: increased use of disk-array-based snapshots as the foundation for data protection strategies. Ongoing studies of IT professionals conducted by TheInfoPro (a 451 Research service) over the last few years have shown that midsize and large enterprises are increasingly relying on snapshots and replication, usually in conjunction with backup software. The primary benefits of using array-based snapshots for data protection are significantly better recovery time and recovery point objectives (RTO/RPO). Using third-party applications such as CommVault's IntelliSnap also eliminates the manual scripting typically associated with using array vendors' snapshot management tools, which are designed only for use with that vendor's arrays. CommVault pioneered the concept of snapshot-based data protection years ago. The company has an OEM relationship with NetApp, which resulted in NetApp's SnapProtect product, and supports virtually all leading disk arrays under its IntelliSnap umbrella. It has also lowered pricing for IntelliSnap Recovery, which is based on primary storage capacity, as opposed to retention capacity. In addition, IntelliSnap Recovery does not require the use of CommVault's Simpana for backup; customers can continue to use their existing backup software while using CommVault's snapshot recovery tools. CommVault also added support for a number of new arrays, including Hitachi Data Systems' G1000, Huawei's S series disk arrays, Oracle's ZFS Storage ZS3-2, DataCore Software's SANsymphony-V software, and EMC's VPLEX. New application support includes Oracle for Windows, DB2 MultiNode and Sybase.

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Another area of recent focus for CommVault that has resulted in another new Simpana module is endpoint data protection. Enhancements here include new features for secure file/folder sharing and collaboration, as well as data loss prevention. Simpana for Endpoint Data Protection is priced per user. Add-ons to the 'foundation' backup package include search (including e-discovery and legal hold) and file sharing (including new collaboration functionality). In this area, CommVault faces increased competition from vendors that focus on endpoint data protection in conjunction with file sync and share, such as Druva and Code 42 Software. The fourth module, or solution set, in CommVault's recent announcement is Simpana for Email Archive, which supports Microsoft Outlook, Office 365 and Exchange, as well as IBM's Lotus Notes. This module is price per mailbox; add-on charges apply to a compliance edition that includes e-discovery, legal hold, custodian hold and email analytics. Competition CommVault competes with all data protection vendors, but historically its most direct rivals have been enterprise-focused players such as EMC, IBM, HP and Symantec (primarily with its NetBackup software). In the midmarket, we would add Dell (AppAssure, NetVault, vRanger) and CA Technologies to CommVault's competition matrix. (CA recently divested its ARCserve product line, which was bought by Marlin Equity Partners and is now under a new company called arcserve.) In the VM data protection space, key competitors for CommVault include Veeam Software, VMware and EMC – primarily with its Avamar product line. (EMC's Avamar is the foundation for VMware's vSphere Data Protection Advanced, or VDP-A, software.) In the array snapshot management space, CommVault has minimal, but growing, competition. For example, Veeam has the ability to back up from snapshots created on arrays from HP and NetApp, and a handful of other vendors have introduced snapshot management for NetApp arrays, including Symantec, Asigra and Catalogic Software (which was formed from the data protection assets of Syncsort). Another vendor that has begun winning accounts from leading backup/recovery vendors is Actifio, which pioneered the market for copy data management and competes directly with virtually all data protection vendors, including CommVault. SWOT Analysis Strengths Copyright 2014 - The 451 Group

Weaknesses 4

CommVault has an end-to-end data protection/management portfolio under a common platform, and offering modules for specific use cases should make Simpana pricing more palatable.

CommVault does not have the software-hardware sales synergies that rivals such as EMC, IBM and (to a lesser degree) Symantec have because it does not (yet) offer its own purpose-built backup appliances.

Opportunities

Threats

CommVault has been steadily adding features for endpoint data protection and file sync/share, which differentiate it from many of its traditional rivals.

Vendors such as Veeam and, at the low end, VMware pose threats in VM backup environments, while smaller vendors such as Druva and Code 42 pose threats in the endpoint data protection and file-sync/share arenas.

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Reproduced by permission of The 451 Group; © 2014. This report was originally published within 451 Research's Market Insight Service. For additional information on 451 Research or to apply for trial access, go to: www.451research.com

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