News

posted on 18 March 2008 21:19

It's reported that EMC is to start selling products using Quantum de-duplication technology in its virtual tape libraries although it already has its own de-duplication technology courtesy of its Avamar acquisition.

The Quantum de-duplication software was acquired by Quantum when it bought ADIC which had previously bought Rocksoft. Quantum sued de-duplication market leader Data Domain for patent infringement and won its case with Data Domain granting it shares in recompense.

The Quantum de-duplication technology is used by Quantum in its own DXi devices but not elsewhere and an EMC OEM deal would be a coup.

On January 28th Quantum filed an 8K form with the SEC which contained this text: "On January 25th, 2008. Quantum entered into an agreement with a major OEM, under which the OEM will license Quantum's DXi-series data de-duplication and replication enterprise software to deliver its own solution."

The supposition is that EMC is that major OEM - they don't come much more major - and that EMC has rejected its own Avamar technology for use in virtual tape libraries.

Neither Quantum nor EMC will confirm the OEM arrangement.

^{[Chris Mellor.]}