Multi-platform, Cloud-based Managed DR Services for SMBs

August 11th, 2010

Disaster Recovery has been a popular topic in the press and on the i365 Blog lately. And even then there’s still confusion in the marketplace about what exactly constitutes DR, especially among SMBs. We’ve advocated for a while now that proper DR goes beyond simply backing up data offsite to include a mechanism to get an organization’s critical servers up and running quickly in the event of a disaster. With that in mind, yesterday we announced enhancements to our Cloud-based managed DR service, EVault Remote Disaster Recovery (RDR).

The press release is here, but in a nutshell, EVault RDR:

  1. has extended platform support beyond Microsoft/Windows to now cover IBM i, IBM AIX, VMware and Linux to deliver a multi-platform, Cloud-based managed DR service for SMBs
  2. now has a new DR site in Canada for Canadian customers to complement our existing U.S. one
  3. is a complete solution and fully integrated with EVault SaaS backup and recovery (as well as for on-premise EVault Software customers using EVault Offsite Replication Service)
  4. offers SMBs guided DR planning, testing and recoveries by i365 DR experts
  5. provides Cloud recovery: if a disaster strikes, customers can access virtualized production applications (and data) via VPN within 24 to 48 hours depending on service level
  6. has economical & flexible service/pricing plans for SMBs

This quote by Forrester Research Analyst Rachel Dines in InformationWeek SMB sums things up nicely why a Cloud-connected DR strategy makes sense for SMBs:

“Backup and recovery has been a big pain point for companies of all types and sizes. Moving to cloud-based not just for backup but also to run recovery servers is making enterprise-class D/R available to companies of all sizes, and making it much faster, easier and less expensive.”

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Flooding Raises Questions for DR Plans

August 6th, 2010

Although not on par with the historic flooding in Nashville and throughout eastern Massachusetts earlier in the year, this article about last night’s water main break in Los Angeles served as a reminder that disasters,  both natural and of the man-made kind, can happen anywhere at any time. While flooding typically causes “only” temporary damage, it can still wreak havoc on your business. Floods can limit access to facilities, interrupt business processes, isolate staff and disrupt supply chains. And, now that digital data is the lifeline of virtually every company, it’s more important than ever to have an IT disaster recovery strategy in place. Is your company prepared in the event of a disaster?

Fortunately, today’s Cloud-based backup and recovery and disaster recovery services can be customized to fill in the gaps of your current DR strategy and help you meet recovery time objectives (RTOs) and recovery point objectives (RPOs) should a flood, or other disaster, strike. For instance, many small-to-medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are now finding it cost-effective to employ a hybrid Cloud-connected strategy that provides both on premise protection of systems and data for short- and intermediate-term needs and off-site protection in the Cloud for DR purposes.

Finding Clouds located outside of your geographical region can provide even greater protection – and that should be a primary consideration if your business places a high priority on business continuity in the event of a disaster. Obviously, flooding can’t be prevented or predicted in the case of the LA water main break. But a comprehensive IT DR plan that includes some level of off-site DR protection (Cloud-based or at a second data center) for critical systems and data can help significantly mitigate a site disaster’s impact on your business objectives.

For more information on DR planning, check out this Disaster Recovery Planning Guide for Beginners from SearchDisasterRecovery.com

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Our Nation’s Capital: A Look Back at Microsoft’s Worldwide Partner Conference

July 28th, 2010

A couple of weeks ago i365 traveled to Washington, D.C. to attend Microsoft’s annual Worldwide Partner Conference.  Although it’s been hot and humid on the East Coast, it was a great time of year to spend in our nation’s capital.  The energy there was unlike any other city I’ve visited.  Combine the force of the one of the world’s most powerful cities along with the liveliness of over 14,000 conference attendees and it’s no surprise we experienced some dynamic storms both inside and outside of the convention center.  There were definitely lots of ‘Clouds’ in the air and the boisterous thunder and lightning storms were entertaining as well.

With such a great turnout this year at the annual Microsoft Partner Conference, this was another great platform for us to showcase our EVault for Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager and also our enhanced Partner Program, which caught the attention of many prospective partners as they were very excited about the potential opportunity to generate significant profits offering both On-Premise and Cloud-Connected Storage Solutions to the SMB and Mid-Market Segments.

I was particularly surprised at the distances people traveled to attend this year.  There were attendees from all over the world and the one thing everyone was talking about was the Cloud.  Microsoft’s message was ‘We’re all in’ which  was represented with a logo of cloud and the words partially in the cloud.  It was very fitting because as many of us experience or at least contemplate a move to the Cloud, most businesses are approaching it as a hybrid solution.  Some parts will be on-site and other parts will be in the Cloud.  There’s no doubt in my mind that the Cloud is transforming how we run our businesses today and the fact that companies such as Microsoft are making it a key part of their strategy only bolsters  the impact it will have.

Next year the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Conference is going to be held in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world!  It will be interesting to see where we are at with the evolution of the Cloud and what kind of powerful forces will emerge then.  Stay tuned…

Posted by Bonni-Jo Salazar

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Tips for VARs Venturing Into the Cloud

July 22nd, 2010

Last month, InformationWeek ran a two-part series loaded with valuable advice for VARs looking to take advantage of new opportunities now available in Cloud computing. It’s a hot topic in the channel because, as Michele Pepe-Warren, who penned the series, points out:

“Channel experts and advisors have been encouraging VARs to move from product sales to solution and services selling for quite some time now. Cloud computing is just another impetus for change.”

But, how should VARs pick and choose among the variety of Cloud computing options offered today? Are there specific guidelines that can help you evaluate Cloud vendors so you can zero-in on the ones that will best enable you to capitalize on the Cloud computing trend? To help answer those questions, Michele offers six useful tips, presented here in bold:

  • Think in terms of solutions, not products. Or, in other words, embrace the ways in which the channel is changing. Michele recommends steering towards services and consultation, rather than licensing and subscription sales.
  • Think “and” and not “or.” These days, VARs can offer customers a wide range of solutions, including both hosted (Cloud) and in-house infrastructure and applications. Hybrid models, in particular, provide customers adaptability while often offering peace-of-mind, too. Remember: Not everyone wants all services hosted; many are looking for solutions that combine on-site and off-premise options.
  • Extend the solution. VARs can provide customers with the flexibility that most Cloud vendors lack, so use that to your advantage. Meet your customers’ current needs, but plan to integrate additional functionality down the road. Again, place the emphasis on solutions, not products.
  • Capitalize on economies of scale. Michele cautions that business conducted “in the Cloud” is bound to be a bit different than the business you’ve grown accustomed to over the years. That means you may need to shift your thinking to accommodate faster deployments, smaller deals but recurring revenue and new collaborative partnerships.
  • Look for a channel-friendly vendor. This is a great tip because it underscores the importance of a robust relationship between VAR and vendor. The Cloud vendor you choose will become one of your most critical suppliers, so be sure to thoroughly vet all candidates. Look for a proven leader with superior technology, experience and a winning track record. In addition, be certain the Cloud vendor you choose is ready, willing and able to develop a healthy working relationship with you –one that will include not only technical expertise, but business support, as well.
  • Adjust your business model. In order to optimize your opportunities in the Cloud, Michele says you may have to make some changes to your business plan, such as preparing for a different cash flow or even creating a separate organization dedicated to your Cloud business.

That’s a great list, and I highly recommend that you read both parts of the series (available here and here). But, speaking from my perspective, I can’t resist adding one more piece of advice that I think is critically important:

  • Take advantage of Cloud solutions that exist outside of your region. These days, many VARs are considering options to offer customers Cloud and/or hybrid data backup and storage services. Finding Clouds that reside beyond your regional service area can provide even greater protection –and that’s a big plus for clients that place a high priority on data security. For some problems, regional services are the optimal solution. But, backup and storage concerns require a different mindset. When there’s a hurricane, flooding, or other catastrophic event in your area, your customers will be able to rest easier knowing their data is secure in another region.

Now that there are such a wide variety of Cloud computing options available, it’s no wonder that some VARS are overwhelmed with finding the solutions that work best for them. If you’re one of those who’s feeling somewhat beleaguered by all the noise in the channel these days, here’s one additional tip: Keep it simple. First, focus on your customers’ specific needs, and then build from there. Taking it step-by-step can go a long way to relieving the confusion –and stress – often associated with changing a business model.

And for VARs looking to take the next step into the Cloud, watch this space as we have some exciting programs for our partners in the works…

Posted by Matt Hutchinson

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A Customer Speaks – The Importance of DR Testing and Planning

July 6th, 2010

The i365 Blog oftentimes expounds on the importance of disaster recovery planning, DR testing and protecting IT systems and data from disaster. However, these pearls of wisdom always resonate best when they come from someone who is actually practicing what we’re always preaching. Fortunately at i365, we have great customers and when they speak up, we definitely listen.

Recently, one such customer, Luellen H. Lockwood, MBA, CPA, Chief Operating Officer at Retirement Asset Management, LLC, told us how her company was using our EVault Remote Disaster Recovery Service (RDR) to protect their critical systems and data from disaster as well as to test the company’s DR plan. Here is the note she wrote us:

Since my company is regulated by the SEC, we are mandated to have a business continuity/disaster recovery plan in place and to test the plan periodically.  I was quite pleased when Michelle at i365 offered me the opportunity to test our RDR system and data backup during the complimentary introduction period of the EVault RDR service.

I worked with Gus Moreno and Carlos Gomez at i365, and they did a full restoration of our RDR backup jobs, thus simulating exactly how the entire process would work in the event of an actual disaster.  We found some issues and made modifications and adjustments to the backups.  Then, we did a new restoration and additional testing.  Everything worked without a hitch.  I also received full documentation of the test results, which I have incorporated as part of our DR plan. While it’s great to have RDR backups, the “proof in the pudding” is the testing of those backups, especially before an actual disaster occurs.  I have a new level of comfort knowing that we have done the appropriate due diligence and testing on our RDR backups.

Just another example where the customer is always right :-)

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Days at the Beach: Thoughts from LegalTech West 2010

June 30th, 2010

The day after the Los Angeles Lakers celebrated their 16th NBA championship with a parade down Figueroa Street, the Los Angeles Convention Center prepared itself for an event we at i365 got even more excited about – LegalTech West 2010. This show touts itself as the largest and most important legal technology event of the year, and in celebration of  the first day of summer from the day before, i365 went with a beach theme and signs reading ‘The Beach is calling – EVault takes care of the backups so you can relax.’

EVault Beach Poster

This sign provoked a lot of comments from attendees stating how they wished their backup solution was that easy. Cloud-based backup and recovery through i365 is simple, bureaucracy isn’t. In regards to data security, there were many similarities between sole-practitioners and the veterans who walked around as if Legal Tech was fulfilling their ABA pro bono service requirements. Both have the obvious need and desire to have all their documents backed up, but who can they trust? What makes one online backup company different from another? Why would they change what has worked (or hasn’t) for years?

It was exciting being in the i365 booth with documented proof to answer all these legal-related questions. Of great interest was information about our EVault SaaS and EVault Software, which highlighted common legal trigger points like end-to-end encryption, advanced levels of security with easy-to-access restores. Our “Data Backup for Dummies” book was a real hit with the sole-practitioners and smaller law firms.  After thumbing through one of our legal customer case studies, one guy waved it to me and said, “This thing answers all my questions!”

It’s no 16th world championship, but it was definitely a nice victory for us at the i365 booth.

Posted by Lee Bergs

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Protecting IT Systems and Data During Hurricane Season

June 24th, 2010

With hurricane season now upon us in the U.S. and forecast to be a potentially severe one to boot, it’s a great time to remind organizations, both large and small, about the importance of preparing their IT systems and data for a hurricane (or natural or man-made disaster). This article in EHS Today “outlines the top seven habits of highly resilient organizations that state and local government officials can adopt to best prepare for hurricane season.” Businesses need to take heed too, especially regarding these four points:

  • Assess your current plan. Conduct a business impact assessment that prioritizes critical processes for the entire organization. For example, processes that need to resume within 24 hours to prevent serious mission impact, such as essential citizen services, could receive an “A” rating.
  • Take steps to protect data. Agencies should back up data frequently to ensure that data integrity and applications are not jeopardized. Agencies also should store multiple copies of data off site, at a remote location, a long distance from the primary data center.
  • Document, test and update. The disaster preparedness plan should include logistical details, including travel to backup sites, and even who has spending authority for emergency needs. The plan should be tested in an environment that simulates an actual emergency.
  • Form tight relationships with vendors. Hardware, software, network and service vendors can help expedite recovery, can often ensure priority replacement of telecommunications equipment, personal computers, servers and network hardware in the event of a disaster.

One important habit missing from an otherwise great list of advice is that organizations need to protect their critical systems as well as their data by arranging for a remote failover recovery site. This will allow them to continue to have access to their important systems and data even if their primary site is inaccessible in the event of a disaster.

Here’s a great case study about one of  our customers, Triad Resources, who decided to go this route via our EVault Remote Disaster Recovery Service after experiencing the effects of Hurricane Ike in September 2008. While their data was safely protected offsite during and after the hurricane, resulting power outages limited the company’s full operations for more than two weeks. This made them realize the importance of having a remote failover site in case they were hit with another disaster…

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The Big Easy: Thoughts from TechEd

June 21st, 2010

Recently i365 attended TechEd, one of Microsoft’s annual conferences held this year in New Orleans.  A lot of people stopped by our exhibit and I found that there were some common themes and content that surfaced in our conversations with the attendees.

  1. Lots of companies are struggling with their data protection strategies.  I spoke with numerous people who still rely on tape backups and/or had incomplete DR plans. They knew it was a potential problem but were having trouble trying to fix it.
  2. Since we were in the Big Easy, protection in the event of a hurricane (not the Bourbon Street kind!) was a natural discussion topic. So I was shocked by two conversations I had relating to a public agency in Texas and a university in Florida, whose disaster recovery plans amounted to storing backups tapes across town or “in another building”. And this was in Texas and Florida – hurricane country?!?! One guy said “yeah, I know, crazy isn’t it?”
  3. People are increasingly thinking about System Center and DPM.  I spoke with a few people who were using DPM 2007 and others that are looking at DPM 2010.  They like the fact that Microsoft DPM is always going to be current with other MSFT applications.  Some were 100% Microsoft shops but most were not.  A number of them have a majority of their data on Microsoft systems but still had “a handful” or “20 or so” VMware instances or “some Linux boxes that we really don’t ever back up”.

I think DPM 2010 will cause a lot of Microsoft users to rethink their data protection strategy.  Microsoft certainly wants people to use DPM 2010 but is cognizant that there are other platforms that people need to back up.  That’s why we introduced EVault for DPM. At TechEd, many people understood the value of having their backup and recovery solution  for all platforms in a single hardware/software appliance and were impressed with the EVault for DPM  demo we had at the exhibition.  And, the random sampling, however unscientific, of people without a proper DR strategy indicates that the value of the Cloud is quite real as offsite replication can often meet their needs a lot easier and more effectively than what they current have (or do not have) in place.

Posted by Kevin Payne

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Hammer Time

June 17th, 2010

With EVault for Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (EVault for DPM) shipping imminently, momentum and interest is really picking up steam especially on the European and partner fronts. Last month we announced in Europe that Hammer and Inovativ signed on as early members of the EVault for DPM program, and were already taking orders for the only heterogeneous disk-based data protection solution that allows IT managers to extend Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager 2010 across non-Microsoft platforms and into the Cloud.

This week the partner momentum continued with two more announcements. First, i365 joined the Microsoft System Center Alliance, a network of technology partners supporting Microsoft System Center. This membership reinforces our commitment to helping customers meet the challenges of maintaining business continuity in cross-platform, multi-site environments.

The second piece of exciting news went out yesterday when we announced that Hammer, Europe’s leading distributor dedicated solely to storage, will not only distribute EVault for DPM in Europe but our entire EVault® product portfolio, which includes EVault Software and our award-winning EVault Plug-n-Protect storage appliances. This is great news as EVault data protection solutions will be immediately available from Hammer’s extensive network of resellers throughout Europe that specialize in storage, backup and disaster recovery solutions.

So with Summer rapidly approaching look for us to heat things up even further…

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Five Steps to Bring Backup Out of the Dark Ages

June 3rd, 2010

For many small and medium businesses (SMBs), data backup remains a significant challenge. And yet, in our increasingly digital world, data backup (and recovery) has never been more important – nor more integral to business function –than it is today.

Combine the traditional roadblocks and resistance to backup with the growing need, and you end up with what Stephanie Balaouras, a principal analyst from Forrester Research, calls “The Backup Conundrum.” Stephanie, one of the guest speakers at the i365 webinar earlier this month, explained that companies are caught in a bind thanks to mushrooming data volumes and inadequate backup and recovery functions. Simply stated, she said, the question that every SMB is asking is:

How can we backup more data in less time, more frequently, and for the same amount of money?

It’s a thorny problem to be sure. But, it’s one that every SMB needs to solve. Ever-increasing recovery demands, shrinking or stagnant budgets, an evolving regulatory/compliance environment and the diversity of modern IT systems and networks mean that backup concerns at many SMBs are reaching a boiling point, Stephanie explained.

And yet, when it comes to backup, it seems like many SMBs are stuck in a time machine.

“We’re still stuck in the Dark Ages,” she said. “Things must change.”

But, how? What can you do to improve backup functions at your company?

Fortunately, Stephanie used the webinar to tackle that question head on, and she outlined these Five Steps to Bring Backup Out of the Dark Ages:

1. Move to a disk-based solution today. A disk-based solution improves backup and restore performance and enables you to take advantage of advanced backup functionality. In turn, you’ll decrease downtime and most likely, you’ll cut costs, too.

2. Avoid multiple point products to solve individual backup challenges. Use comprehensive backup solutions that can be integrated throughout your IT network.

3. Select a backup application that supports your entire IT environment. Today’s IT ecosystems are complex and heterogeneous. Be sure to choose a backup system that covers all of these various moving parts.

4. Stay current with backup application updates and use the advanced agents with application awareness. “I’m always surprised that a lot of companies don’t take advantage of upgrades, even when they’re entitled to one,” Stephanie said.

5. Use Cloud recovery/storage services to fill in the gaps of your current DR strategy and for long-term data retention. “Normally, where you would vault to tape, that’s where you want to go to the Cloud,” Stephanie advised.

So, don’t keep your SMB locked in the Dark Ages. Instead, start your own Renaissance by taking advantage of today’s innovative backup and storage solutions. Hybrid strategies that combine on-site storage with off-site applications in the Cloud can significantly advance IT function and enhance overall business performance – and that’s a huge improvement over entrusting your tapes to the Knights of the Round Table.

Posted by Kevin Payne

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