One of the main problems IT administrators face in managing data is trying to use and maintain several pieces of software, each with a unique look and feel. Often several IT teams are necessary—an archiving team, a backup and recovery team, a compliance team, etc. Overseeing all this software and associated personnel can be time consuming and overwhelming.

            CommVault’s enterprise data management product suite, called Simpana (previously called Kinetics), helps solve these problems. The product provides heterogeneous application and data management, including managing Microsoft data and applications. CommVault’s close partnership with Microsoft is evident in that the latest release, Simpana 7.0, includes optimized 64-bit integration that will help customers upgrade to newer Microsoft products, such as Exchange Server 2007.

            A key feature of the software is that you can restore from previous versions. For example, you can restore from Windows 2000 Server or Windows NT 4.0 into Windows Server 2003 or even Windows Vista. You can also restore from Exchange Server 2000 or Exchange Server 5.5 into Exchange 2007.

            Although Simpana competes with other companies’ single solutions, Randy DeMeno, CommVault’s chief evangelist for Windows technologies and Microsoft partnership, says that the product is unique in its single solution approach. “There’s no competition that provides one product with one consistent look and feel across the interface.”