HYCU strengthens its case to be perceived as a one-stop shop for data protection within Nutanix environments, by adding an integration with VMware VADP that enhances HYCU’s protection of VMware data in those environments.
Simon Taylor, HYCU’s CEO
NEW ORLEANS – It’s been quite a year for HYCU. A year ago, at the Nutanix .NEXT event in Washington D.C., Comtrade Software launched HYCU, purpose-built data protection software specifically for Nutanix environments, sold exclusively through channel partners. Since then, HYCU has broadened their Nutanix support, moved into support of non-Nutanix backup within Nutanix environments, and earlier this year, spun out of Comtrade as a separate company. This year, they are back at the .NEXT event here with a much higher profile. They are also using that profile to articulate the message that they can handle all backup duties within a Nutanix environment, and pressed that point by adding the ability to back up legacy VMware data with an integration with VMware VADP [VMware vStorage API for Data Protection].
“When we came to the event this year, we wanted to talk about total coverage for the Nutanix data centre – a unified strategy that will make it easier to migrate more workloads to Nutanix,” said Simon Taylor, HYCU’s CEO. “We have always backed up Nutanix data. Now we have extended our ability to back up non-Nutanix data with a VADP integration which lets us back up data on legacy VMware integrations.”
When HYCU launched their initial offering, they initially protected Nutanix AHV, and in the last year, have added support for Nutanix ABS block services, Nutanix ESX, Nutanix Calm, and Nutanix AFS. Earlier this year, recognizing that Nutanix customers still had a significant majority of non-Nutanix hypervisors in their environments, they added support for those non-Nutanix environments with the capability to back up VMware vSphere through the same pane of glass. They have now expanded that VMware support.
“We think this will be a critical way for us to build our business,” Taylor said. “Now as long as you have Nutanix somewhere in your data centre, you can back up any data, whether it is Nutanix data or not. You can now use HYCU everywhere in your data centre.”
Taylor emphasized that single pane of glass is critical in making it easy to administer everything.
“Some people have asked about our ESXi version,” he said. “This IS the ESXi version. It’s a hypervisor- agnostic product.”
Taylor said that while Nutanix has other data protection strategic partners, who are all better-known than HYCU, the fact that they are purpose-built for Nutanix gives them an advantage.
“The core difference between us and the other data protection vendors is that we view Nutanix as THE platform,” he indicated. “Because Nutanix knows our commitment is purely to them, whenever they come to market with something new, we will be the first-to-market with that integration. That gives customers confidence that they will have the same degree of focus around their data protection as around their overall Nutanix deployment.”
Taylor noted that in the eight months since HYCU has had product out to the market, they have expanded into 20 different countries, including ones in EMEA and Asia-Pacific. He stressed that they maintain their 100 per cent channel focus in all geos.
“We will not take deals if they don’t come through a partner,” he said. “Our partners are also people who are committed to Nutanix. We want them to get in there and invest and be part of that process, and you can only do that when you are laser-focused.”
Going forward, Taylor said that customers and partners can expect to see HYCU come up with ways to further simplify their product.
“Simplifying things will be the focus of upcoming changes,” he said.
