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StoreOnce is a compelling backup storage platform
May 01, 2017

StoreOnce is a compelling backup storage platform

Philip Sellers | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with HP StoreOnce

HPE StoreOnce was used to transition from tape backups to disk backups. IT in the organization is centralized, so the StoreOnce provides the backup storage for the entire enterprise backups. It allowed extended online retention periods, cut down on the restore time and decreased the time windows for backup. The Catalyst deduplication technology allows cost-effective and extended retention periods by consuming less disk space, along with accelerating the backups by utilizing the same deduplication technology at the endpoint or on the storage device. It requires compatible software which can talk over the proprietary Catalyst protocol.

  • Catalyst deduplication technology is very effective.
  • Catalyst protocol maximizes backup speeds.
  • Design with disk shelves provides dense storage and minimizes the rack units required to deploy.
  • Offers NFS, CIFS/SMB, and virtual tape library functionality for compatibility (in addition to Catalyst stores).
  • For fastest performance and best dedupe, ISV software supporting Catalyst required
  • VTL capability requires more overhead and space due to aging policies, etc.
  • Use of CIFS/SMB for backups is significantly slower than Catalyst.
  • While not completely eliminating tape, it has relegated the use of tape to monthly and annual backups for compliance. It has reduced the recurring expense of tape media.
  • It has increased the length of the retention period because of its efficiency in storing backups.
  • The online backup repositories are now replicated to the secondary datacenter, a capability not possible with tapes.
There are two scenarios where StoreOnce plays extremely well. First, coupled with Recovery Manager Central from HPE, StoreOnce is a tightly integrated, snapshot based backup solution for HPE's primary storage platforms. This offers line of business app protection and virtualization backups with better efficiency and windows than traditional ISV backup software.

Secondly, coupled with ISV software that supports Catalyst, this is a great purpose built storage platform for backup repositories; however, the list of ISV software supporting Catalyst is short - Veeam, Symantec NetBackup, and Data Protector (formerly HPE's, now owned by MicroFocus). Other third party software can work with the hardware, but the best performance and best efficiencies are offered when using Catalyst protocol and Catalyst stores on the StoreOnce. If you're a Veeam user, StoreOnce definitely deserves a look - it is a compelling alternative to DataDomain or SMB shares.

HPE StoreOnce Feature Ratings

Data Center Backup
8.6
Business application protection
8
Multiple backup destinations
6
Incremental backup identification
10
Deduplication and file compression
10
Snapshots
9