Case Study: GlobalSpec achieves faster backups, reliable restores, and scalable retention with ExaGrid

GlobalSpec Engineers Better Backups and Restores with ExaGrid

GlobalSpec, a New York–based vertical search and e‑publishing company serving engineers and technical professionals, faced rapid data growth after virtualizing its environment and was struggling to back up nearly 20 TB with an aging tape library. Retention had fallen to about two weeks, tapes were running constantly and failing, and restores were unreliable—prompting a redesign of their backup approach.

After evaluating vendors, GlobalSpec deployed ExaGrid (three EX5000 systems in their primary datacenter plus a fourth offsite) and moved to Symantec Backup Exec. ExaGrid’s post‑process deduplication and nightly replication to the offsite appliance eliminated most tape use, enabled tailored retention policies, and greatly sped operations: nightly backups now complete in under seven hours, weekly fulls in under 48 hours, and restores are fast and reliable, with scalable capacity and dedicated support for future growth.

GlobalSpec

Bar Wiegman

Vice President, Information Technology