Instead of sticking with our normal Backup Exec & LTO Tape system that we've used for production servers in the past, I'm looking at alternatives for our new SQL 2005 server that will go live in about 2 months.
What kind of software and hardware are you guys using to backup a single SQL server? This server will see a moderate amount of usage during normal business hours and little-to-no usage outside of business hours. I expect to have no more than 500GB of data that needs to be backed up on a regular basis. In the past, we've done full SQL and system backups overnight to a tape library, alternating sets of tapes weekly. I'd like to move away from storing 8-10 tapes per week to maybe a removable storage solution like the Dell RD1000. Does anyone have any real-world experience using a RD1000 for nightly backups? Similarly, is Backup Exec still a decent choice or should I be looking elsewhere?
Thank you!