Dell is taking a common architecture approach to its de-duplication strategy. By developing a single de-duplication architecture across the company's PowerVault, EqualLogic, and Dell/EMC product families, Dell will deliver the compatibility customers require to simply replicate and de-duplicate data across multiple sites - for example from departments or branch offices to the data centre.

Dell is working with industry leaders EMC and Quantum to provide compatibility across brand and product lines. By driving de-duplication, replication and management commonality, Dell, EMC and Quantum are working to provide compatibility and choice in a technology area that is proprietary from other vendors. Dell customers will have the freedom to deploy Dell solutions and replicate data to and from other Dell, EMC or Quantum-based offerings.

By providing compatibility and a common de-duplication architecture, Dell will enable customers to simplify their storage operations by providing a robust disk-based disaster recovery (DR) solution. Dell solutions will provide LAN or WAN efficient DR solutions by only replicating and maintaining unique block level data from back-up or archive operations within or across sites.

Dell will also offer a full range of services to help customers assess, design and implement a comprehensive de-duplication solution. Dell’s Data Management consulting assessment can rapidly indentify how much data is stored, its age, and whether it is duplicated in multiple locations. Dell is then able to help customers reclaim storage through use of technologies such as de-duplication, optimizing costs and ensuring their infrastructure can meet the ongoing growth in the storage of data.

De-duplication, or "de-dupe", removes duplicate or multiple copies of information as it is backed up or archived.

By eliminating redundant data in the back-up process, de-duplication helps users retain significantly more data on disk for quick recovery and reduces the bandwidth needed to replicate data between sites for disaster recovery.

Additionally, de-duplication helps lower the cost of disk-based back-up by allowing customers to increase the realized capacity of disk based storage.

"We're going to do de-dupe differently - by putting the customers' need for simplification up front. Storage has been too complicated for too long", stated Darren Thomas, vice president and general manager, Dell's storage business. "To simplify de-duplication, we're working with industry leaders such as EMC and Quantum to provide a single architecture that spans not only our portfolio, but can work with others as well. That is a very innovative approach to helping customers manage their explosive data growth."