Start-up shields against Exchange failures

Newcomer Mimosa Systems is readying continuous data protection software with a twist - it specifically supports Microsoft Exchange systems.

The company says its NearPoint software enables speedy recovery of Exchange data and archives messages for compliance purposes.

"Having separate e-mail archiving and CDP packages builds silos of storage and causes management complexity," says T.M. Ravi, CEO and president of Mimosa.

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Newcomer Mimosa Systems is readying continuous data protection software with a twist - it specifically supports Microsoft Exchange systems.

The company says its NearPoint software enables speedy recovery of Exchange data and archives messages for compliance purposes.

"Having separate e-mail archiving and CDP packages builds silos of storage and causes management complexity," says T.M. Ravi, CEO and president of Mimosa.

Mimosa, which is named after a characteristic of the sensitive plant called thigmonasty (the leaves fold up in a self-protective instinct to being touched), is developing software that responds appropriately to the type of failure in Exchange databases and protects them. NearPoint lets administrators create rules regarding the backup of Exchange databases and perform restores of entire databases, mailboxes or individual e-mails.

Mimosa's software differs from other CDP software from Revivio, TimeSpring and Mendocino Software because it is built specifically for the Windows environments. While NearPoint initially protects and archives Exchange data, future versions will protect SQL Server and SharePoint environments, the company says. NearPoint is most similar to XOsoft's Enterprise Rewinder software for Microsoft Exchange, SQL Server and Oracle.

NearPoint also differs from these software packages because it lets end users and auditors search and retrieve e-mail that has been backed up and archived.

"Application integration is always the critical piece to making CDP worthwhile, so e-mail-focused CDP is a no-brainer," says Brad O'Neill, senior analyst with Taneja Group.

The start-up launched in December 2003 and has received $6.5 million in funding from Clearstone Venture Partners, August Capital and DotEdu Ventures. The company was started by Ravi and Roy D'Souza, veterans of Computer Associates, Cheyenne Software, Brocade Communications and Intel.

The Windows server software is expected to be available before the end of March. It will be priced in a manner similar to Microsoft Exchange's client access licenses, which cost $67.

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