Barracuda Backup 5.2 Features Cloud LiveBoot for VMware

Barracuda Networks is enabling customers to boot VMware (VMW) images they have replicated to the cloud by pulling data directly from deduplicated storage as needed. The new VMware-based feature is included in the latest version of Barracuda Backup.

Barracuda Backup 5.2 extends the company’s Backup LiveBoot recovery technology to the cloud. The new functionality is available at no additional to customers with Instant Replacement subscription.

“Very few backup products offer cloud storage and a method to recover VMware backups in the cloud, and those that do typically require specialized or dedicated storage for each customer in the cloud, significantly driving up the cost of the service,” said Guy Suter, general manager for storage at Barracuda Networks, in a prepared statement. “Barracuda Backup’s Cloud LiveBoot functionality removes that barrier, and offers an easy way to get a VMware source up and running in the cloud and easily boot a server from their deduplicated storage with no configuration needed.”

The announcement of the Backup LiveBoot for VMware feature follows only a few weeks after Barracuda acquired SignNow to continue its cloud data storage expansion. This incremental expansion Barracuda Backup’s capabilities expands even more on its cloud storage initiatives.

Designed as a redundant data storage for on-site and cloud deployment, Barracuda Backup is meant to be easy to deploy in two different flavors—on-site backups with cloud storage ($50 per month per 200GB of storage space) or private cloud disc-based replication to store data in multiple offsite locations.

The new VMware feature offers customers the ability to get additional utility from replicating and storing their backup data in the cloud. According to the company, it can be accessed through the restore browser’s interface and can be activated on the fly in a matter of minutes.