The co-founder of Dantz has dismissed Internet rumors that the company that now makes the Retrospect backup software created by Dantz plans to kill off the product.
Larry Zulch, who co-founded Dantz Development in 1984 with his brother Richard before selling the company to EMC in 2004, posted his response to Retrospect’s reported demise on the Retro-list, a mailing list for system administrators.
“For the last couple of years, we’ve used the Dantz / Retrospect team’s expertise to broaden EMC’s presence in small and medium business,” wrote Zulch, who remains vice president and general manager at EMC Insignia. “We’ve helped develop and sell storage array hardware and storage resource management, replication, and collaboration software. … Pulled out of that much larger team is a core group that has recently been assembled to focus exclusively on Retrospect.”
Zulch’s comments came in response to a report in The Register that EMC planned to drop development of Retrospect, leaving only a skeleton crew to oversee development of a point upgrade to the latest version of the backup software.
Zulch didn’t deny that EMC has made significant cuts in its workforce. EMC recently stated that 40 people in marketing, sales and other spots had been let go. However, Zulch’s post notes that a group of Retrospect veterans featuring “some of the very best people we had at Dantz” has been assembled to focus on that product.
“These people, this team, is highly motivated and completely dedicated to your and Retrospect’s success,” said Zulch. “They have something to prove, and I hope you’ll give them a chance to do so. Out of that could come their and my fondest wish, which is a revitalized Retrospect setting the agenda for data protection software.”
Zulch encouraged Retrospect users to not “take any comments about offices changing for more than they are,” and said the Retrospect team is moving to existing facilities in Pleasanton, Calif. “and have kept a great attitude through disruption and change.”