Symantec currently offers two solutions to customers looking to centrally manage Backup Exec System Recovery.  One option is Backup Exec System Recovery Manager 8.5, and the other is Backup Exec System Recovery Solution 8.5 (based on the Symantec Management Platform, formerly known as the Altiris Notification Server).  Moving forward, Symantec will offer a single centralized management solution for Backup Exec System Recovery which will be built upon the Symantec Management Platform technology.  This results in the end of life of Backup Exec System Recovery Manager.  Please note that the core Backup Exec System Recovery product is not affected.  Symantec fully supports the Backup Exec System Recovery product line, and will continue to provide tools that allow for centralized management.

Customers currently using Backup Exec System Recovery Manager will be eligible to receive and use the new management solution based on the Symantec Management Platform at no charge.  

The Backup Exec System Recovery Manager 8.5 product can still be purchased through your Symantec reseller or directly from Symantec through November 1, 2010.  The Backup Exec System Recovery Manager 8.5 product will no longer be sold through any channel after November 1, 2010.

Sales of the Backup Exec System Recovery Manager product will enter end of life phase effective November 2, 2009.  However, Technical Support for Backup Exec System Recovery Manager 8.5 will continue to be available until May 2, 2012.   For full information on Technical Support policies and timelines, please visit  http://www.symantec.com/business/support/all_products.jsp .

Impact to you:
If you currently use Backup Exec System Recovery Manager 8.5, it's important to note that the new Backup Exec System Recovery Management Solution 2010 will be offered at no charge.  Backup Exec System Recovery Management Solution 2010 fully supports the centralized management of current and previous versions of Backup Exec System Recovery, including version 2010, version 8.5, and version 8.0.  Customers that transition from Backup Exec System Recovery Manager 8.5 to Backup Exec System Recovery Management Solution 2010 will not need to 'start over' from a backup perspective; they will still be able to use and recover data from existing backups (recovery points).  This new management solution combines the features of Backup Exec System Recovery Manager with the power of the Symantec Management Platform to provide functionality beyond what was available in Backup Exec System Recovery Manager, including:

o Powered by the Symantec Management Platform

o Manage thousands of clients from a single management instance

o Remote client discovery

o 'Push' distribution of management and protection agents

o Policy-oriented design

o Usability enhancements (Microsoft Silverlight)

o Support for management of the Windows edition of Backup Exec System Recovery

o Support for management of the Linux edition of Backup Exec System Recovery

o Created, edit, delete backup, offsite, and P2V destinations

o Backup destination usage and trends monitoring

o Offsite copy operations now schedulable separately

o 'Dedicated' offsite support removes processing overhead from protected resources

o Express recovery task

o 'Dedicated' P2V support removes processing overhead from protected resources

Additional information on Backup Exec System Recovery Management Solution 2010 features and capabilities, along with details on how to download the product immediately, can be found here:  http://www.symantec.com/business/theme.jsp?themeid=backup-exec-system-recovery-solution  

Backup Exec System Recovery Management Solution 2010 is available to all Backup Exec System Recovery customers at no charge.  

Note: License fees for the client Backup Exec System Recovery product still apply.