Data de-duplication specialist Data Domain has brought out a compact version of its storage appliance, called the DD120. Data Domain's technology is designed to reduce the amount of data that has to be backed-up or replicated, by eliminating redundancy.

The DD120 can be managed remotely, and is specifically designed to replicate data from remote locations to a data center hub for consolidated tape operations and off-site disaster recovery, the company said. It provides up to 150GB/hour of in-line storage throughput, and up to 18TB of logical capacity in a 1U chassis.

As well as automated data replication, the $12,500 device can support backup and nearline software by emulating a CIFS or NFS file-server, or via the Symantec/Veritas NetBackup OpenStorage (OST) interface. It runs the same operating system as Data Domain's bigger appliances (Compare Data Backup and Replication products).

"This is a great option for distributed enterprise sites who would normally consider a tape autoloader but hate the hassle," claimed Brian Biles, Data Domain's product management VP. "They no longer have to make sure they have an administrator to replace the tapes and get them on a truck on time. With the DD120, storage and transport are automated, and management can be centralized."

Biles added that Data Domain's replication and de-duplication technologies work together to greatly increase network bandwidth efficiency. That makes it cost-effective to replicate the data across a WAN, he said.

De-duplication has mainly been seen as a data center technology, thanks to the amount of storage and processing involved. Smaller devices such as the DD120 could allow the technology to be applied much more widely, said Steve Duplessie, senior analyst at the Enterprise Strategy Group.

"Data Domain is extending its reach, enabling customers to put this technology out at remote offices and consolidate corporate data back to a central location," he commented.