Data replication in computing is the process of sharing information in a way that ensures consistency between the source and target destination.
Businesses and organizations rely on data replication in hardware and software to improve reliability, accessibility, and overall fault tolerance.
Read more to learn about the data replication market.
The Market of Data Replication
In 2019, the global data replication and protection software market was valued at $9.4 billion and has a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.6%.
The majority of the global data replication market was dominated by three regions as of 2022:
- The U.S. held over 36% of the global market.
- The EU held 16% of the global market.
- China alone held 12% of the global market.
Industry-wise, data replication is used by companies that rely heavily on data and digital assets in sectors such as retail and e-commerce, finance, media and entertainment, health care, and education.
Data Replication Features
There are six data replication methods and processes when it comes to replicating from databases:
- Log-based incremental replication
- Key-based incremental replication
- Full table replication
- Transactional replication
- Snapshot replication
- Merge replication
The data replication approaches can be further broken down into two categories, depending on the source and target of the data into cloud-based and on-premises data replication.
Data replication warehousing often uses a three-tier architecture. The bottom tier is the storage layer; this is the warehouse that hosts the database servers.
The middle tier is the computing and processing layer, or the online analytical processing (OLAP) server. It’s suitable for data mining, analytics, business intelligence (BI), and processing queries.
The final and top tier is the services layer. It’s the layer where users get to interact with the data and access the data mining, analytics, and business intelligence tools.
Benefits of Data Replications
Data replication allows companies to get all of their data into a second location without compromising the first. This leaves the door open to countless possibilities, experimentation, and recovery options.
Data replication benefits include:
- Improving data durability
- Improving reading performance
- Simplifying access to data
- Improving transactional commit performance
- Improving application and database reliability
- Robust data recovery
- Room for experimentation for data analysts and engineers
“Reusing production data that’s stored in backups and replicas is an effective way to make better decisions about your business,” says Danny Allan, a member of the Forbes Technology Council.
“Information in these backups can be used to classify data, scan for security threats or accelerate the delivery of new business services. If this expertise is not internally available, you can provide copies of your backup data access to third-party experts to scout out patterns or discover anomalies that generate valuable insights.”
Data Replication Use Cases
Data replication is an incredibly important step for every business and organization with large amounts of data in a high number of locations. The concept itself isn’t new, and companies specializing in data replication services have helped many companies over the years replicate their data efficiently.
Petrosoft
Petrosoft provides internet-based back-office software solutions for gas stations and convenience stores. Founded in 2002, Petrosoft helps retailers better manage their forecourt, in-store, and back-store operations over the cloud.
Looking to better serve its clients, Petrosoft wanted to develop a new generation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices that will grant retailers faster and deeper insight into their operations. Working with IBM, Petrosoft embedded IBM Informix databases into its devices to better manage the incoming stream of data.
The results were ultra-fast and simplified business operations. To ensure its clients maintain around-the-clock access to data, Petrosoft used Informix High Availability Data Replication (HDR) to continuously replicate data from the primary to the secondary Informix databases.
“We were looking for an enterprise-class database that was truly tailored for use in an IoT environment, and IBM Informix fit the bill perfectly,” says Vladimir Peregoncev, CTO at Petrosoft.
“With Informix, we get excellent scalability and strong security, and can manage both structured and unstructured data effectively. What’s more, the platform has a very small footprint, making it ideal as an embedded database.”
Ideal Standard
Ideal Standard is a leader in providing innovative and design-driven bathroom and restroom solutions, including ceramic tiles, taps, and fittings as well as accessories and furniture.
With just under 10,000 employees and serving in over 60 countries, Ideal Standard was no longer able to maintain its tape-based backup strategies. It suffered from a lack of central management and the rising costs of tape-centric solutions.
Steven Tomney, ITS infrastructure team leader at Ideal Standard, discovered NAKIVO Backup & Replication solution while looking online for an upgrade to their backup system.
“Our users got used to being able to retrieve historical data, so when we decided to virtualize our environment, we needed a VM backup solution that we could manage centrally and still receive the level of backup and recovery that our user base was accustomed to,” Tomney says.
“With NAKIVO Backup & Replication, we not only managed to save a significant number of hours on operating and managing backups, but also saved thousands on maintenance and moving from a traditional backup method to virtual backup.”
Data Replication Providers
Some of the leading service providers in the data replication market include:
- Hevo Data
- Alooma
- IBM
- Bacula Enterprise
- Carbonite
- PoINT Data Replicator
- NAKIVO
- SAP
- Veeam
- NetApp
