JetStream launches disaster recovery software, with support for Azure
JetStream Software has released its disaster recovery software, JetStream DR, which will support Microsoft Azure VMware Solution.
JetStream will integrate its offerings with Microsoft to deliver new DR capabilities for Microsoft Azure VMware Solution, employing JetStream DR software along with Azure Blob Storage.
The ins and outs of the collaboration
Microsoft announced its collaboration with JetStream Software during this year's virtual Microsoft Ignite and VMworld 2020 conferences.
Now, the company's disaster recovery software, JetStream DR, is available for Azure VMware Solution customers and can be accessed through the Microsoft Azure Marketplace.
JetStream DR can be used to protect VMware virtual machines (VMs) in the customers on-premises data center with failover and VM recovery in Azure VMware Solution.
Additionally, VMware VMs already deployed to and running in Azure VMware Solution can be protected with VM failover and recovery to an alternate Azure VMware Solution data center.
Because the protected VMs data is maintained entirely in Azure Blob Storage during normal operation, customers realise the benefits of continuous data protection (CDP) in a DR-as-a-service (DRaaS) offering with lower infrastructure costs, according to a statement.
Specific benefits of the DR software
JetStream DR provides continuous data protection for VMware vSphere environments. The cloud-native software platform is specifically designed to provide the software infrastructure for a DR service offering for the enterprise or from a managed service provider (MSP) and cloud service provider (CSP).
JetStream DR is validated for Azure VMware Solution and is VMware-Ready, offering various capabilities including:
Cost-Effective DR: Maintains VMs and their data in Azure Blob Storage, enabling enterprise-grade DR at a lower cost of operation.
Agentless CDP: Captures and replicates data continuously via VMware IO Filters for continuous data protection without VM agents.
vSphere to vSphere Recovery: Supports Azure VMware Solution, so customers no longer need to maintain a failover site. They can failover to Azure VMware Solution and failback as needed when the original protected data center is restored.
Storage-Independent: Protects VMs in all VMware-compatible datastore types: block, file, vSAN, VVOL and third-party HCI.
Live Failback: Returns VMs to the protected site from Azure VMware Solution without interruption to VMs operation or protection.
Decoupled Design: Azure Blob Storage is more than just a journal or cold data tier it is the sole repository for all VMs, data, configuration metadata, and recovery policies.
Availability and release
Availability and Specifications JetStream DR is available now for Technology Preview through the Azure Marketplace, with general availability in early 2021.
To participate in the Technology Preview Program, contact JetStream Software directly.
License subscription pricing is based on the number of virtual machines protected.
Participants will need an Azure Blob Storage subscription and a VMware vSphere cluster in Azure VMware Solution in order to perform a full evaluation.
JetStream DR can protect environments running VMware vSphere 6.5 and 6.7. Within Azure VMware Solution, virtual machines currently run vSphere 6.7.
A changing market, a greater need
Despite the current economic downturn, enterprise spending on cloud infrastructure is the one sector in the IT market that is seeing increased demand.
Gartner forecasts overall IT spending in 2020 to decline by 5.4% ($207.6 billion) versus 2019, but it projects that surging cloud adoption in 2020 will drive an 18.4% increase in end-user spending for public cloud services in 2021.
Under pressure to do more with less, sectors such as financial services, manufacturing, transportation and retail are accelerating their planned move of IT operations and services to the cloud for greater flexibility and cost-efficiency.
Demand for disaster recovery delivered as a cloud-based service is growing rapidly as public cloud technology and the service provider ecosystem have matured considerably, enabling enterprise-grade business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) capabilities with the efficiency of cloud multitenancy and economies of scale, the companies state.
Cloud-native DR services have become even more essential in today's environment as new threat vectors have magnified risk. With the massive, sudden shift to remote work due to COVID-19, there is heightened sensitivity around security worldwide.
Effective BCDR strategies and operating plans enable organisations to maintain or resume functions as rapidly as possible, while safeguarding valuable data.
Leadership team comments on the collaboration
JetStream Software co-founder and CEO Tom Critser says, "Collaborating with Microsoft Azure enables us to provide a robust and cost-effective solution for disaster recovery and business continuity.
"It's an ideal combination: The JetStream DR software brings continuous data protection to enterprise VMware environments; Azure Blob Storage provides a cost-effective means of maintaining recovery assets; and Azure VMware Solution provides a highly available, reliable VMware on Azure environment that can scale to meet customers recovery and failover requirements."
Azure Dedicated corporate vice president Eric Lockard says, "Microsoft Azure collaborates with third-party data protection vendors in the VMware ecosystem with the objective of offering our customers greater choice in how they employ the Azure VMware Solution for backup and disaster recovery.
"JetStream DRs use of cost-effective Azure Blob resources for ongoing data storage, combined with the ability to expand VMware recovery resources on demand, introduces an exciting new model for disaster recovery."
