Traditional VMware virtual machine (VM) backup methods have been available for many years but struggled to keep up with the growing scale and complexity of modern virtualized environments. To address this growing issue, Dell Technologies developed Transparent Snapshots, an innovation for VM backup and recovery, available with PowerProtect Data Manager.
Transparent Snapshots offer unique benefits and capabilities that not only improve performance and efficiency but also deliver operational simplicity and significant cost savings, according to an ESG analyst report titled “Protecting VM Backup at Scale with Dell Technologies.”
The Challenges of Traditional VM Backup Methods
Traditional VM backup methods, while functional, have long presented challenges. According to ESG, as the number of VMs has surged, enterprises have faced significant hurdles in maintaining performance and meeting service-level agreements (SLAs). The complexity of IT environments has only worsened these issues, with many companies managing thousands of mission-critical VMs. Historically, VM backups relied on agent-based approaches, which evolved with VMware vSphere Storage APIs, traditionally known as VMware APIs for Data Protection (VADP) and used for image-level protection for the last 15 years. Despite this advancement, the explosion of data and the critical nature of VM workloads have outpaced these traditional methods. Organizations had to choose between compromising production performance or failing to meet backup windows, an unacceptable trade-off as the environments grew larger and more complex.
Transparent Snapshots: A Transformative Approach for Virtualized Environments
Dell Technologies addressed these challenges head-on with Transparent Snapshots, available with PowerProtect Data Manager. This innovation leverages an ESX VMware installable Bundle (VIB), certified by VMware by Broadcom, to offer a no-compromise solution for VM backup and recovery.
Transparent Snapshots deliver up to 5x faster backups compared to traditional methods,1 ensuring that even large-scale VM environments can be protected without any downtime. Recovery times are reduced by up to 6x as well,2 enabling organizations to quickly restore operations after an incident. By capturing deltas directly within the ESX layer, Transparent Snapshots minimize the impact on VM performance, reducing VM latency by up to 5x.3
PowerProtect Data Manager simplifies backup management by bringing everything under one platform, reducing the complexity of using multiple tools and cutting down on infrastructure costs. Data Manager also eliminates the need for proxies and agents, allowing IT teams to manage VMs on an ESX host without worrying about the number and the cost of proxies they need to deploy. The ESX VIB plugin can be automatically deployed, allowing IT teams to focus on more strategic tasks without worrying about manual configuration.
Real-World Impact
According to an ESG report titled “Protecting VM Backup at Scale with Dell Technologies,” Transparent Snapshots also offer significant benefits by reclaiming up to 10% of VMware storage, freeing up crucial resources for other IT needs. For small to medium enterprises with 240 TB of data, Transparent Snapshots freed up a significant amount of memory and storage resources. In this particular example, showcased in the image below, it reduced the number of VMs required by 78 and one ESX server, resulting in a cost savings of $60,000.
For large enterprises with 1.5 PB of data, this can result in saving the resources of 12 ESX hosts, which equates to $720,000 in cost savings. These efficiencies reduce server hardware, floor space and power consumption, leading to lower costs and more sustainable operations. With Transparent Snapshots, you can scale your IT environment with confidence, knowing you are optimizing both performance and budget.
With the ability to perform backups as frequently as every hour, Transparent Snapshots enable tighter SLAs, ensuring quick recovery for applications and ensuring that data protection keeps pace with business needs. The solution supports granular-level recoveries, allowing specific VMs to be restored without impacting the entire environment.
Transparent Snapshots: The Future of VM Backup and Recovery
Transparent Snapshots transforms VM backup by delivering significant cost savings. It simplifies backup operations and recovers valuable resources, all without compromise.
This integration between Dell and VMware by Broadcom fundamentally changes how VM backups are performed. With Transparent Snapshots, you can enhance your IT operations and focus on driving growth, knowing that your backup technology is optimized for your needs. By delivering unmatched performance, simplified operations and significant cost savings, this unique innovation is the optimal way to protect your VMs and maximize the value of your IT investments.
To learn more, please visit PowerProtect Data Manager and the Enterprise Strategy Group on Protecting VM Backup at Scale Analyst report.
1 When comparing PowerProtect Data Manager 19.16 with Transparent Snapshots backup performance to PowerProtect Data Manager 19.16 with VADP backup performance. Based on Dell internal testing and analysis, June 2024.
2 When comparing PowerProtect Data Manager 19.16 with Transparent Snapshots restore performance to PowerProtect Data Manager 19.16 with VADP restore performance. Based on Dell internal testing and analysis, June 2024.
3 When comparing PowerProtect Data Manager 19.16 with Transparent Snapshots VM latency performance to PowerProtect Data Manger 19.16 with VADP VM latency performance. Based on Dell internal testing and analysis, June 2024.
