Copy data refers to data in an organization that has been copied and retained for backup, archival and/or Governance, Risk and Compliance (GRC) preservation purposes. Copy data stands in contrast to production data, which is the data consumed, manipulated and/or managed in the daily operations of a business and its applications.
Data storage repositories for copy data include backup and disaster recovery software and services, business continuity, testing and development and more. These repositories frequently operate independent of other copy data operations in enterprises, resulting in multiple copies of files and other data in disparate locations, which can place considerable strain on a company s data storage resources and budget.
The Emerging Copy Data Storage and Virtualization Market
The exponential proliferation of copy data in enterprises and the need to better manage and access it for both efficiency and cost savings has resulted in new categories of software and services such as copy data storage and copy data virtualization solutions. Examples of copy data solutions include Actifio’s Copy Data Storage and Copy Data Virtualization as well as the Delphix Virtual Data Platform.