Case Study: University of Northern Iowa achieves faster backups, improved disaster protection and scalability with ExaGrid

University Saves Time, Increases Disaster Protection and Gains Scalability by Dumping Tape

The University of Northern Iowa (UNI), a public university of about 13,000 students, was relying on an onsite LTO tape library and Symantec NetBackup for file, Oracle RMAN and SQL backups but needed better offsite protection, more frequent replication, and a scalable solution to handle roughly 40–50% annual data growth. UNI evaluated Data Domain, Symantec appliances and ExaGrid, and sought a solution that would support RMAN, preserve their NetBackup workflows, and be cost-effective.

UNI deployed ExaGrid appliances—keeping NetBackup in place—and partnered with a sister university 90 miles away to replicate backups daily instead of weekly. Post-process data deduplication (typically 10:1 to 50:1) reduced storage and WAN use, shortened backup windows, eliminated manual tape handling, made administration easier, and provided scalable, lower-cost disk-based disaster protection.

University of Northern Iowa

Seth Bokelman

Senior Systems Administrator