Bakbone Software Incorporated

Type	Public (NASDAQ: BKBO)
Founded	2000
Headquarters	San Diego, California, USA
Key people	James R Johnson, President and Chief Executive Officer
Industry	Computer software
Products	NetVault
Revenue	around 50 million USD (2007)
Employees	230+
Website	www.bakbone.com

BakBone Software (NASDAQ: BKBO) is an international storage management software company that develops and globally distributes software solutions to the network storage and open systems markets. BakBone's suite of near-line archival, continuous real-time data replication and backup/restore software provides scalable data protection from the workgroup to the enterprise. BakBone's products are utilized by companies for clients such as Shell, Sony, Bellsouth, Mitsubishi Motors, AT&T, IBM, Daimler Chrysler, Toyota and Los Alamos Laboratories. The products are distributed through a worldwide network of OEMs and solution providers.

Contents 1 History 2 Products 3 References 4 External links

[edit] History

The company in its present form was founded in March 2000. The NetVault product was originally an AT&T product and part of the CommVault department within AT&T.^[1] In 1993 a small software company Willow Ltd managed by Harry Brayne and Andrew Unsworth took on some development work on behalf of AT&T.^[2] Willow Ltd had expertise in storage products and specifically the ability to control tape robotic libraries for which NetVault at the time didn't support.

Around 1997 several things happened. Firstly, AT&T split its non-telephony divisions and CommVault division became its own entity through a management buyout.^[3] But the future of the NetVault product could not be agreed between Willow and the newly formed CommVault Inc. NetVault at the time needed a major overhaul. In fact, Fabrice Helliker, the development manager at Willow, had a blueprint for a new product. Eventually an agreement was reached with CommVault and Willow Ltd parting ways leaving Willow Ltd in sole ownership of NetVault.

Willow Ltd was then split from its parent group and was renamed NetVault Ltd. Andrew Unsworth stayed with the parent group and was no longer involved with NetVault until 2000 when he joined BakBone as the managing director for Europe.^[4] Fabrice Helliker and his team re-designed the NetVault 6 product from the ground up, completely discarding the old product, then at version 5.0.4.^[5] Two years later in January 1999, NetVault 6.0 was released.^[6]

Pat Barcus, who was responsible for the creation of the NetVault Japan office^[7], and Anthony Cerqueira, organized a buy out of NetVault Ltd. with a Canadian shell corporation, Net Resources Inc., together with Archie Nesbitt. The action was completed in March 2000 and the company was renamed BakBone Software, and headquartered in San Diego, CA.^[8] Anthony Cerqueira and Pat Barcus stayed in the company for a few years until Keith Rickard joined as CEO.^[9] Andrew Unsworth, as Managing Director for Europe, stayed with BakBone until 2005. Fabrice Helliker, as the VP Engineering and later CTO, stayed with BakBone until 2006.^[10]

In 2000, BakBone acquired Tracer Technologies based in Washington D.C.^[11] Tracer was an optical archival company.

In late 2005, the company acquired Minneapolis-based Constant Data Inc., a developer of continuous real-time data replication solutions for heterogeneous enterprise environments.^[12]

In mid 2006, the company was delisted from the Toronto stock exchange for failing to make SEC filings.^[13]

[edit] Products

Bakbone offers an enterprise level integrated data protection software suite called NetVault that comprises archiving, backup and restore, reporting and continuous real-time data replication for heterogeneous server environments. It also has products that span the following feature areas:

• Application Data Protection
• Backup and Restore
• Device Integration
• Disaster Recovery
• Disk-to-Disk
• Network Attached Storage
• Open File Protection
• Replication
• Reporting and Monitoring

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Bakbone official website
• HotStocked.com description of company.
• Article comparing different backup software, including NetVault.
• Partner, Sun Microsystems, describes the Bakbone products they resell.
• List of major backup software companies, with descriptions.
• Story of Carnegie Mellon Robotics Institute's use of Bakbone products.
• An external corporate fact sheet