ProtecTIER® is the first virtual tape product to contain patented data deduplication technology that IBM® calls HyperFactor. This technology detects recurring data in multiple backups. The common data is merged into a single instance store, saving disk space needed to store multiple backups without sacrificing performance or the availability of backups.
HyperFactor is a breakthrough on several fronts:
HyperFactor saves space by taking advantage of the fact that only a small percentage of data actually changes from backup to backup. Incremental backups include all files with modification dates that have changed since the last full or incremental backup. Full backups store all the data, changed or not.
The amount of space saved depends on many factors, mostly of the backup policies and retention periods and the variance of the data between them. The more full backups retained on ProtecTIER, and the more intervening incremental backups, the more overall space saved.