HP launched new software for its StoreOnce data backup system that allows for deduplication of a block of data to happen only once before it is replicated anywhere on Monday at HP’s annual Discover event in Las Vegas.

This is different from other deduplication solutions on the market, which, unlike the latest StoreOnce technology, require already deduplicated data to be “rehydrated”, or restored back to its pre-deduplication state, before it goes to a data center or into an archive, David Scott, senior VP and general manager at HP Storage, said.

HP also launched the latest version of StoreOnce. Used together with the new StoreOnce Catalyst software, the system delivers backup speeds of 100 Terabytes per hour, comparable to transferring the entire US Library of Congress three times overnight, Scott said.

“It is three times faster than EMC Data Domain’s highest performing platform,” he said, referring to the leading storage firm’s DD990 deduplication and backup solution, launched in May.

Without Catalyst, StoreOnce 6200 (the newest model of the backup system) provides 40 Terabytes per hour for backup and restore functions.

Catalyst deduplicates data on application servers or backup servers before sending it to a centralized StoreOnce backup system, making sure data reside “where it’s most useful to you in the enterprise, not where deduplication data technology actually dictates,” Scott said.

This also reduces the use of network bandwidth. “You no longer have to consume this excessive network bandwidth with deduplicated data, [which] effectively allows you to drive down cost,” Scott said.

Dave Donatelli, executive VP and general manager of HP’s Enterprise Group, said backup systems were a major focus for HP strategically. Citing forecasts by IDC analysts, he called information protection “the next battleground” for storage vendors.

Market-research firm IDC calls systems like StoreOnce and EMC’s DD990 “purpose-built backup appliances”, or PBBAs. Revenue in this market totaled $2.4bn in 2011 – a 43% increase year over year.

EMC had the most market share in the space at the end of 2011, taking in 65.5% of the total revenue the market had to offer. IBM had 15.3% market share, and HP had 4.1%.

IDC expects the market to reach about US$5.9bn by the end of 2016.

While HP’s backup storage product is StoreOnce, 3Par is its primary backup product. On Monday, Scott and Donatelli also unveiled updates to 3Par.

They announced 3Par and Virtual Connect for 3Par with Flat SAN technology. This new firmware comes with the latest 3Par storage arrays and HP’s latest Virtual Connect appliance, which connects storage systems to physical and virtual servers.

The Flat SAN technology does away with the SAN switch layer and the fabric-interconnect layer in storage area networks that connect 3Par arrays and HP BladeSystem blade-server chassis, collapsing them into one layer.

Watch www.DatacenterDynamics.com for live coverage of HP Discover 2012 in Las Vegas this week.