On 11 August 2009, Nexsan Technologies and FalconStor Software jointly launched a deduplication system product line, the Nexsan DeDupe SG (DDSG). DDSG combines FalconStor's File-interface Deduplication System (FDS) software and Nexsan's SATABoy and SATABeast disk systems in an integrated product.

Nexsan DDSG targets small and midsize businesses with six models, offering usable capacity from four terabytes at $49,000 to 52 terabytes at $300,000.

Nexsan and FalconStor have positioned DDSG as a competitor to market-leading Data Domain's DD500 and DD600 series.

DDSG differs from its competitors in five major ways:

• Automatic Massive Array of Idle Disks (AutoMAID): This technology transparently places disk drives into an idle state to reduce power and cooling costs and to extend the life of the drives. Compared to other MAID vendors, such as Copan Systems and other “all or nothing” options, AutoMAID offers three levels of energy savings for one or a group of disk drives: unload the drive heads, slow down spinning or sleep (stop spinning). Users can determine the right level to balance response time and energy savings. AutoMAID helps DDSG save energy, as a backup device can be set in sleep mode for most of the day.
• High density: DDSG's six models require less rack space than most competitors'.
• Hosted backup option: Users can install third-party backup software directly onto the DDSG node, to eliminate the need for a backup media server.
• Concurrent deduplication: Two deduplication methods prevail in the industry: post-processing and in-line. Many vendors, including Data Domain, IBM and Quantum, use an in-line method. DDSG offers standard post-processing along with a unique "concurrent" method, in-between post-processing and in-line. In concurrent mode, the system starts deduplication after a portion of backup (a file, a stream or a backup job) is done, instead of waiting until the entire backup is completed, thereby reducing disk capacity requirements.
• Global deduplication and replication: This helps improve the deduplication ratio and is useful for remote office backup.

As a newcomer, DDSG needs to prove its performance, reliability, service and support capabilities. Since it is a joint product, single-point service and support capabilities could be challenging for Nexsan and FalconStor.

Users:

• Consider DDSG if you seek turnkey, high-performance, high-density midrange post-processing deduplication with low power and cooling consumption.
• Evaluate the "concurrent" deduplication method to balance performance and disk capacity requirements.
• Seek other options if you need real in-line deduplication or tape simulation.

• "Use Data Deduplication to Improve Availability and Lower Cost” — This research discusses the ways that data deduplication can help reduce energy and storage costs. By Stanley Zaffos and Dave Russell
• "Data Deduplication Is Poised to Transform Backup and Recovery” — This research discusses the different approaches to data deduplication to help buyers shortlist applicable products. By Dave Russell

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