This IDC study discusses some of the results of a survey on continuous data protection (CDP) that was completed in April 2006. Since June 2005, when the first IDC survey on CDP was completed, the dynamics of the CDP market have been affected by the entrance of large vendors offering CDP solutions as well as by merger/consolidation activities among market players. These changes boosted CDP awareness among end users, creating new opportunities and challenges for both vendor and end-user communities.

"There is a greater awareness among end users of CDP technology," according to Rhoda Phillips, research manager, IDC Storage Software. "The challenge for vendors is to capitalize on this and educate end users on the benefits of CDP and the fit into a comprehensive data protection plan."

"On the other hand, end users should do their homework, estimating ROI on integrating the CDP technology into their datacenters," adds Natalya Yezhkova, research manager, IDC Storage Systems. "The following questions are important to consider: What are the requirements to storage systems? How much disk capacity is consumed by CDP products? What changes in the storage infrastructure are needed to leverage the benefits of CDP technology most effectively?"