Back-up and data recovery software house Syncsort Inc has reworked its Backup Express line so that it can be used to take fast snapshot copies of data running on virtual machines.

The Backup Express line has been going for well over a decade, and the latest version 3.1 is built around a data protection architecture known as BEX that helps reduce the data being transferred to only those blocks that have changed.

This helps reduce storage requirements and can cut backup windows by more than 90%, the Woodcliffe Lake, New Jersey-based vendor said. 

Each copy made using Backup Express 3.1 is a read-writable ‘full’ backup and can be any of a range of database applications from MS Exchange, SQL and SharePoint to Oracle.

A single management platform allows all BEX functions to be controlled with tab-based management console controls, whether they are in a virtual, physical or mixed environment.

Like other earlier versions, the system is good for Windows, Linux, UNIX, Novell and mixed systems.