Seagate Unit Partners with Microsoft on Cloud Backup

Under terms of a deal between Microsoft and i365, the cloud computing arm of Seagate, Microsoft is allowing i365 to back up and recover third-party software using Microsoft’s Data Protection Manager 2010 software. IT organizations can now back up and recover any application by storing it on an i365 appliance running the company’s EVault software alongside Microsoft’s Data Protection Manager software on a standard Dell server.

The alliance between Microsoft and Seagate may not signal a wholesale change in attitude toward competing platforms, but it does show that Microsoft is aware of the practical issues associated with enterprise computing.

Terry Cunningham, senior vice president and general manager of i365, said the ability to use Microsoft’s Data Protection Manager software in conjunction with the i365 cloud computing service is a natural extension of an ongoing partnership between the companies that creates a single-box solution to all backup and recovery issues.

This approach not only allows IT organizations to save money by leveraging cloud computing services for backup and recovery; they can also start consolidating backup and recovery applications because of the heterogeneous nature of the EVault platform.

Pricing for eVault packaged with Microsoft’s Data Protection Manager software starts at $9,995