October 05, 2006
Web Hosting Pioneer Develops Solution for Continuous Data Protection
Groundbreaking Technology from Righteous Software Leverages 100-Fold Decrease in Storage Pricing

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Houston, Texas | October 4, 2006 –David Wartell, CEO of Righteous Software (http://www.r1soft.com), ran a web hosting business on the side while he was a student at Michigan State University. Back in 1997, tape backups were the most common means for data protection. Because of the high cost of tape systems, David began considering the much more economical possibility of a disk-based solution for backing up customer websites. At the time, a 7GB hard drive was available for $500.

David sold his hosting company in 2003. By then, a market had emerged for sub-$100, “self-managed” dedicated servers. These low-cost web hosting plans typically did not include any form of backup. David decided to develop the disk-based backup solution he had envisioned. When Righteous Software was formed, five 80 GB hard drivers were available for $500.

Earlier this year, EV1Servers (http://www.ev1servers.net), the world’s largest dedicated server provider, became Righteous Software’s first customer. According to Senior Systems Administrator Kevin Landreth, EV1 uses Righteous Backup for its high capacity virtual hosting servers. “It feels good having quality backups,” he says.

Righteous Backup is a fully-automated solution. Web servers are fully operational during incremental backups with minimal impact. Because of the low overhead and short backup window, it is possible to perform nearly-continuous backups. In EV1’s case, backups are made every 10 minutes.

Righteous Backup captures consistent point-in-time images, even on open files. Data is continuously encrypted during the backup process and while in storage. Restores can be performed directly from backup, with no need for an OS reinstall on the replacement hard drive. “It’s super convenient,” says Carlos Carluccio, co-founder of Total Server Solutions (http://www.totalserversolutions.com), a company that provides outsourced server management on behalf of SaaS and Web 2.0 businesses.

As of October 2006, 750 GB hard drives are available for $500 – and the cost of disk storage is continuing to fall. In addition, because Righteous Backup copies only changed sectors during incremental backups, the amount of storage space it consumes is up to 90% less than traditional system-wide, file-by-file backup. “My goal is to make backup a no brainer in terms of both cost and convenience,” says David.

About Righteous Software
Founded in 2003, Houston-based Righteous Software provides automated disk-based backup solutions for web servers. For more information, please visit us at booth #1108 during ISPCON, or go to http://www.r1soft.com.