Barracuda Networks Inc. has updated the LiveBoot virtual server functionality in its Barracuda Backup appliances.
The most significant change in LiveBoot 2.0, now in general availability worldwide, is the ability to launch temporary cloud-based virtual servers based on Microsoft’s Hyper-V hypervisor when primary systems are unavailable. Until now, VMware vSphere has been the only hypervisor Campbell, Calif.-based Barracuda supported, and it remains the sole deployment option for virtual backup machines hosted on local infrastructure.
The addition of Hyper-V support responds to increased use of that platform by Barracuda resellers and their customers, according to Chris Crellin, senior director of product management at Barracuda’s Chelmsford, Mass.-based Intronis MSP Solutions division.
“We’re seeing more and more of the lower end of the market, especially, moving into Hyper-V versus VMware,” he says.
LiveBoot 2.0 arms Barracuda partners to offer cloud-based recovery capabilities to those businesses for the first time, adds Tony Liau, senior product marketing manager for Barracuda’s data protection group.
“It opens up a bigger addressable market of customers,” he says.
At present, Barracuda has no plans to make the third leading hypervisor, Citrix XenServer, an additional deployment choice.
“I don’t see right now the market share to justify that sort of support,” Crellin says.
Other changes in the new edition of LiveBoot include performance upgrades that enable users to spin up virtual servers significantly faster. The upshot can be significant savings for end users, Crellin notes, citing industry estimates that downtime costs the average company $8,662 per minute.
“Having functionality like this can save businesses a lot of money,” he says.
Interface enhancements and new VM preview functionality also announced today let technicians pre-configure virtual machines quickly and confirm that they’re properly setup, Crellin adds. New “bulk action” capabilities, meanwhile, enable companies to launch multiple virtual servers simultaneously during larger service interruptions.
“It can be hard to spin up multiple VMs in a case where maybe the whole site goes down due to a disaster or a power outage,” Crellin observes.
LiveBoot 2.0 is available free of charge to partners with a subscription to Barracuda’s Instant Replacement service. An optional add-on for Barracuda Backup, Instant Replacement also provides next-day shipping of replacement hardware when existing systems fail and automatic appliance refreshes every four years.
Users of Barracuda Backup—Intronis MSP Edition get LiveBoot 2.0 at no additional cost as well. Introduced a year ago, that product features subscription-based pricing that lets MSPs pay for the system via same monthly payments they charge customers. It has been available in both physical and virtual form factors since August.
New standard edition Barracuda Backup appliances with more storage capacity and faster performance reached market last month. Earlier this week, Barracuda announced the availability of a new cloud-hosted web security gateway solution based on technology from Zscaler Inc., of San Jose, Calif.
