Disk-to-Disk Backup

 

71% of all tape restores fail! An insurance policy that will never pay out!*

On this Page
> The Challenges
> The Implications
> The Solution
> The Advantages
> Benefits
> The BSG Approach
> Why BSG?

The Challenges

Is your organisation facing one or more of the following challenges?

  • Not enough hours in the day to complete your data backups
  • Problems backing up distributed environments
  • Difficulty in searching and retrieving data in line with compliance regulations
  • Storing mission critical data on unreliable tape media
  • Backup procedures involving manual processes and intervention
  • An unreliable or incomplete Disaster Recovery policy
  • Having to back up ever increasing amounts of data such as large SQL, Exchange or Oracle databases
^ Back up

The Implications

  • Overnight backups fail due to there not being enough time to back up all data
  • Increased risk to the business as a result of lack of a reliable Disaster Recovery policy
  • Businesses fail to meet regulatory requirements in the absence of formal data retrieval processes
  • IT fails to meet business expectation of rapid single file restores
  • Significant IT manpower focused on data back up
  • By relying on tape media for backups, businesses are potentially spending thousands of pounds on an insurance policy that simply doesn't work! According to Gartner Group, 71% of all tape restores fail!*

*Source Microsoft

^ Back up

The Solution

Solutions to all the issues highlighted above can be found through the implementation of a Disk-to-Disk based backup system. You can now automatically save a copy of every change made to your data, compress it, encrypt it and store it in a centralised Vault. This process captures every version of the data that the user saves, allowing the user or administrator to restore data to any point in time. This Vault can be replicated at a second site giving you a full DR solution. The time for relying on slow and unreliable Tape media as your primary backup insurance policy is over!

^ Back up

The Advantages

  • No requirement for full systems backup, as the data is backed up at block level, and only new and changed data is transferred
  • Faster backups and reliable restores, as media used is disk, offering up to 10:1 reduction in your backup window requirement
  • Duplicated data within servers is backed up only once
  • Full Disaster Recover functionality is available through the implementation of a dual Vault strategy
  • Vast reduction in manual processes as there is no need to change tapes, store tapes, ship tapes offsite
  • Automated processes for distributed environments
  • Much improved data security via inbuilt encryption
  • Better ROI due to there being no hardware or media obsolescence issues
  • Near continuous backup throughout the day
^ Back up

The Benefits

  • Reduced cost of ownership:
  • Easier to manage and administer, with fewer manual processes, with scheduled backup procedures and more automated reports, typically reducing back up administration .
  • Reduced management cost overhead, allowing a business to redeploy staff to concentrate on more proactive tasks.
  • Allows a business to report on usage trends across a distributed environment, with the ability to charge divisions based on usage
  • IT can offer and deliver upon its SLA commitments to the business
  • Forms a robust and reliable Disaster Recovery service
  • Eradicates tape as your primary back up media, delivering 100% on every restore
  • This solution is also available as a managed service where no Capex is required
^ Back up

The BSG Approach

The BSG approach provides a framework and a set of deliverables to adapt to inevitable changing requirements throughout any project lifecycle. By adhering to methodologies that it has developed through experience gained from similar engagements, BSG can offer the following benefits:

  • Risks are minimised and made more manageable
  • Focused deliverables are established
  • Realistic results are delivered
  • Flexible adjustments can be made to new or modified requirements
  • High degrees of systems acceptance and knowledge transfer are delivered

BSG has been working closely with organisations across many industries to improve their Business Continuity plans through the implementation of disk-to-disk backup solutions. Therefore, when planning for such a solution BSG have developed a structured approach using the following process:

  • Customer planning workshop
  • Full audit/assessment of your current environment
  • Continuous backup modelling
  • Transition planning
  • Documentation

Data capacity planning and modelling tools are used to collect information to determine the size and scalability for both backup and restore infrastructure needs. This service will assess current server landscapes to help determine potential savings so that backup and restore windows can be significantly improved.

^ Back up

Why BSG?

Incorporated in 1987, BSG is an integrated IT practice, designing, deploying and operating IT solutions for its customers.

As a Managed Services provider for a number of years, BSG is already deriving the benefit from a Disk to Disk backup environment to deliver a managed backup service to customers with a 99.999% SLA. By working with BSG to design and deploy your backup environment, you will enjoy the benefits of working with an organisation that has already embraced this solution and has reaped the rewards of doing so.

By implementing a managed disk-to-disk backup solution, BSG has:

  • Reduced the amount our customers pay each month for BSG�s Managed Backup service
  • Increased the SLA on response to restore requests to 99.999%
  • Redeployed IT personnel to focus on more proactive tasks
  • Given customers the opportunity to self service their managed backups and as such have reduced the amount customers pay each month

^ Back up 

If you are interested in learning more about how BSG can help resolve the issues faced by your business, click here.