Data efficiency – the combination of technologies including data deduplication, compression, zero elimination and thin provisioning – transformed the backup storage appliance market in well under a decade. Why has it taken so long for the same changes to occur in the primary storage appliance market? The answer can be found by looking back at the early evolution of the backup appliance market, and understanding why EMC’s Data Domain continues to hold a commanding lead in that market today.
The term “data efficiency” encompasses a variety of different technologies that enable the most effective use of space on a storage device by both reducing wasted space and eliminating redundant information. These technologies include thin provisioning, which is now commonplace in primary storage, as well as less extensively deployed features such as compression and deduplication.