Symantec has released the latest version of its Veritas NetBackup system at the firm's Vision 2007 conference in Las Vegas. 

NetBackup allows large enterprises to manage the process of backing up data across a large number of different storage systems, such as tape drives and disk-based systems.

The software will allow administrators to manage storage systems from a single location, and includes support for HP-UX, Solaris, Windows and Linux, among other major server operating systems.

Symantec chairman and chief executive John Thompson told attendees at the conference that NetBackup will provide "a single platform to manage all storage media as well as new technologies".

One of these new technologies is a de-duplication feature which removes duplicate files from storage servers.

Kris Hagerman, data centre management group president at Symantec, said that this had led to as much as a 500-fold decrease in data for some customers.

NetBackup 6.5 will also support back-up on virtualisation software, and forms part of Symantec's larger Storage United campaign.  

The company hopes that the platform will allow enterprises to link multiple storage units and manage them through a single portal, increasing the overall efficiency of storage systems.

Three editions of NetBackup will be available, along with an option to license the software by the terabyte.

Hagerman said that this was inspired by a customer noting the discrepancies between software, which is paid for per server, and storage hardware, which is priced by the terabyte.

Although Veritas is no longer a separate brand, the name will remain on the NetBackup product.

Hagerman, who was with Veritas before it was acquired by Symantec, told reporters that the brand still carries weight among enterprise customers two years after the acquisition.