Arkeia Software

About Arkeia Software

Originally established as Knox Software in France in 1996, Arkeia Software was founded by a team of French engineers including Michel Gouget, Michel Colzi, Nordine Kherif, and Arnaud Spicht, along with marketing executive Philippe Roussel. The company carved a niche by launching the first commercial network backup solution specifically for the Linux market. Arkeia's business model initially involved direct software sales to end-users but pivoted in 2008 to a one-tier reseller network to broaden its market reach. The company primarily served small to midsize businesses (SMBs) requiring robust data protection.

Arkeia's core offering was its Network Backup software, designed to support over 200 platforms, including major operating systems and virtual environments. This solution provided secure backups to various targets such as disk, tape, and cloud storage. A key technological differentiator was its "Progressive Deduplication" capability, acquired through the purchase of Kadena Systems in 2009. This feature utilized a sliding window approach to identify and eliminate redundant data, significantly reducing storage and bandwidth requirements for backups. In 2007, the firm expanded from software into hardware with the introduction of backup appliances, and in 2009, it became the first to offer a VMware virtual appliance for backup servers, providing deployment flexibility.

After securing venture funding in 2004 and 2007, Arkeia was acquired by Western Digital (WD) in December 2012. The acquisition was a strategic move by WD to bolster its SMB storage offerings and integrate data protection capabilities with its NAS products. Arkeia was merged into WD's Branded Products division, with its team and technology becoming part of WD. However, by 2015, WD phased out the Arkeia Network Backup product line, ceasing new sales and halting further development.