In a perfect world, servers would never fail, malware and crypto-viruses wouldn’t exist, and everyone would have Internet connections so fast that massive amounts of data can be transferred almost instantly.
Unfortunately, we live in the real world, where servers do fail, software updates crash, viruses exist, and Internet connections are never as fast as we would like.
You might be thinking that this doesn’t apply to you because you already save everything to the cloud, but the Achilles heel of any cloud system is the amount of data that can be transferred and the time it will take. Having to restore a 10TB or 20TB set of files over even the fastest Internet connection will take anywhere from hours to days, depending on the connection that you have.
Nimble Storage
To help solve this problem, the Handy Networks private cloud platform uses a technology called Nimble Storage, which combines snapshot technology with more traditional backup tools to minimize the amount of data that needs to be transferred. This results in the ability to:
- Streamline both snapshots and disaster recovery: The Nimble Storage SmartSnap allows us to take instant snapshots as well as make restores equally quickly. SmartSnap snapshots are engineered to consume a lot less space than competitor counterparts, enabling your business to retain snapshots for longer periods and meet intense recovery point objectives more easily. SmartReplicate supports efficient and rapid replication on a per-volume or volume collection basis, making it easier to quickly set up operations at another location in the event of a disaster.
- Perform backups instantly: SmartSnap performs instant backups that are consistent with both application and VM activities. To ensure quality data protection, Nimble Storage integrates with both the Microsoft VSS framework and VMWare by using templates with preset storage parameters.
- Simplify data protection management: Nimble Storage greatly simplifies data protection management because it dispenses with the need for primary and backup storage tiers. The technology integrates seamlessly with tools such as VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager and Commvault Simpana security software to make data protection management much simpler.
The Nimble Storage InfoSight cloud-connected tool uses intuitive dashboards to help us show businesses how their data protection strategies affect application performance and resource utilization.
But what if you're primary production environment is hosted on-prem? Well, if you are using Nimble Storage at your location, you can easily replicate your LUNs to our Nimble SANs. If you aren't using Nimble, other software such as Veeam and Zerto can be used to securely and cost effectively replicate your data to the cloud. If you are not replicating your data off site, it is probably time to rethink your data protection strategy!
Bottom Line
To plan the perfect data protection system, opt for solutions from Handy Networks like Nimble Storage, which are fully integrated, reduce complexity, and minimize both overhead and risk. Such a system will enable your enterprise to improve its responsiveness and maintain business continuity, both of which are essential in the digital marketplace.
What has your company done to plan the perfect data protection system? Please share your thoughts with us in the section for Comments below.
To learn more about creating the perfect data protection system, download your copy of our eBook: “Backup and Disaster Recovery Planning Guide for CIOs.”
