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Storage analysis key to value-added sales

Zycko develop the Backup Analysis Tool to help VARs analyse customers' storage requirements

08th May 2007 - Zycko has developed a unique data investigation software tool, designed to enable its VARs to provide end-users with a more accurate analysis of their backup environment.

The Backup Analysis Tool is a free software tool that can be used by partners at the consultation stage of a sale to collect a rich set of statistics from an organisation's system and application logs.

With this information Zycko can then identify problems (at a per master server analysis cost) in the storage environment and create what-if scenarios to examine, for example, the possible implications of a RAID array or a virtual tape installation. The Backup Analysis Tool is also vendor independent and non-disruptive to the operational environment.

"The channel has been crying out for a tool that enables them to analyse customers' backup environments unobtrusively and with great accuracy, so that they can provide the highest degree of added value to their services," said David Galton Fenzi, group sales director at Zycko. "This tool enables our partners to design a solution that exclusively targets a customer's individual pain points, because that solution would be based on a sound analysis of their individual backup environment."

The Backup Analysis Tool is installed on an organisation's master backup server for a minimum of one month, during which it collects information about storage peripherals and backup application logs to a database.

At the end of the month, the organisation simply sends the database back to Zycko. Our storage experts then analyse the data to create a graphical report of the organisation's backup job statistics, tape utilisation and storage system architecture.

Working in conjunction with their Zycko partner, the organisation is then able to view a highly detailed analysis of their existing backup and identify potentially damaging issues that may include system bottle necks, excessively long backup times and tape reliability levels.

This arms Zycko's partners with unique information about the organisation's storage environment. It enables them to offer a solution that consistently fits that organisation's individual requirements and which optimises their existing data assets.

For example, one financial company has already used Zycko's Backup Analysis Tool to re-engineer its backup solution - resulting in savings of $1.2m.

For Zycko partners whose end-users may suffer from backup performance issues, multiple backup copies, unreliable backups or high operational/management costs, as a result of unreliable or unoptimised backups, the Zycko Backup Analysis Tool is the analysis answer.

For more information please visit Zycko's online Media Office.