The lines between data replication and data protection software products are becoming blurred as storage managers wrestle with the familiar trinity of data protection: centralized backup, disaster recovery (DR) and business continuity. With some industry observers predicting a convergence of backup, continuous data protection (CDP) and data replication software in the next few years, choosing a host-level (server-based) data replication product has become much more complicated.

The similarities that host-level replication software products have with backup and CDP products contribute to the difficulty in understanding where one ends and the other begins. For instance, CA XOsoft's WANSync replication software suite includes options that could allow it to fit into all three of these categories. Its WANSync high-availability option (WANSyncHA) provides for automatic failover and DR for Exchange, SQL Server, Oracle and file-serving environments. Its Enterprise Rewinder option includes CDP functionality that provides point-in-time recoveries and lets users consolidate remote-office backup, while its WANSync Assured Recovery feature lets users perform DR testing on standby servers without disrupting their production servers.