There is some discussion around the notion of data dedupe as a feature or a technology and that it will some day be pervasive. People having been saying this for more than five years and it is still not a reality. There are actually only a few vendors that actually have successful solutions in the market supporting this valuable but complex technology. The fact of the matter is that dedupe is complicated - creating dedupe algorithms are only a part of the challenge. Data integrity, performance and scalability are key considerations. If dedupe was easy then it would be pervasive and it is not. It is then critical to manifest dedupe in a product that has been designed from the ground up to support the specific requirements for its use. In the case of Data Domain special attention was paid to the fact that dedupe is CPU-intensive. Additionally, they chose to support NAS for ease of use and transparency. They also focused on the file system and adding technology that ensured data integrity. There are dozens and perhaps hundreds of big and small considerations to be found in this process. There are other things to consider as well that live outside of the appliance. In speaking with a number of Data Domain customers I've heard more than once how good their documentation is. I have rarely heard this type of praise for any IT vendor. Business execution is critical to the process that includes a number of things. It involves putting together a strong team, a powerful and consumable message, an effective and scalable go-to-market strategy, a strong sales and support organization, etc, etc. It is also important that there be strong business fundamentals - meaning that having a product that makes a really good profit for those who sell it while at the same time saves money for those who buy it. And customers should care about this as well because they want healthy vendors to work with that will continue to support, innovate and execute for the long term. It is the combination of Technology + Product + Business execution that results in leadership. The people that discuss dedupe as just a "feature" or a "technology" I believe miss the point - as evidenced by the success of Data Domain.
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