Archive for May 2010
Time to Tackle Your Data
New reports show that data storage is growing larger all the time. EMC recently released a report predicting massive increases in the amount of data we’ll be storing in the next 10 years. Forget terabytes and petabytes — even 
exabytes; think zettabytes. How much is a zettabyte? It’s a trillion gigabytes. It’s enough to make your head ache. Even amid the recession, data growth increased phenomenally. That doesn’t mean we’ll see petabyte hard drives this year, but all this data means that it will happen eventually, and probably sooner rather than later.
So what’s an IT admin to do to manage all of that growth? How can you wrap your brain around that much information, let alone protect all of that data? EMC says that we’ll have 44 times the amount of data we have now in 2020, so ignoring the problem won’t make it disappear.
The best thing you can do is find the most elegant solution possible and enjoy the ride. Now is the time to plan for data explosion and figure out how you’re going to protect all of that information. Not just the information you’re using right now, but the information you’ll be using in five years. Plus, there will come a time a few years down the road when you’ll have to have access again to all your current information. Can you trust that your tape archive will cut it?
ShadowProtect Server 4.0 has a pretty cool feature in it called VirtualBoot™. One of the great uses for VirtualBoot is giving you access to legacy systems and data. Think you don’t have to worry about that? In six years, what operating system will you be using? Will all of the applications you’re currently running run on that system? VirtualBoot will allow you open your ShadowProtect backup image files and boot them into a virtual environment, for quick and easy access to all that data. Plus, it only takes one or two minutes to boot a large server volume, even one that’s a couple of terabytes in size. (Yes, that’s one or two minutes. It isn’t a typo.)
With ShadowProtect backups protecting your data, you won’t have to worry about your data getting out of hand. If you haven’t checked out features like VirtualBoot that are in ShadowProtect 4.0, we have all kinds of product information on the ShadowProtect Server page.
ShadowProtect Tutorial
There is a lot of new product information available to help you get to know all of the things that StorageCraft ShadowProtect 4.0 can do. We have a great online tutorial that walks you through the different product features: ShadowProtect Product Tour.
This product tour will help you understand the new whistles and bells, like VirtualBoot™ and the new management tools. But this tutorial also explains some of the features that have been in ShadowProtect all along — and how to use them. So if you know someone who needs to see how to set up a backup job or how to perform a complete system restore, this Webcast will walk them through it. Plus, in case you don’t want to watch the entire tutorial, you can skip to the part you need.
Let us know if there are any more Webcasts you’d like to see.
StorageCraft Sponsors IT Pro Conference 2010
DRAPER, Utah, U.S.A. – May 21, 2010 – StorageCraft Technology Corporation, a provider of innovative disk-based backup, disaster recovery, system migration, data protection and security solutions for servers, desktops and laptops, announced it is sponsoring SBSmigration.com IT Pro Conference 2010. The conference will take place May 28-30 in New Orleans.
In addition to sponsoring the event, StorageCraft will offer a presentation showing resellers how to provide simple and profitable disaster recovery, data protection and system migration services to their customers.
Solution providers will also have the opportunity to join the No-Cost StorageCraft Reseller Partner Program at the StorageCraft exhibitor booth and receive a free StorageCraft Channel Partner Kit which includes NFR copies of StorageCraft ShadowProtect Server ™ and ShadowProtect Desktop ™, a $1,000 value. Additional benefits include: product and sales training, lead sharing, as well as excellent pre-sales and product support.
StorageCraft is also highlighting the release of ShadowProtect™ 4.0, the latest version of its award-winning backup, disaster recovery and system migration solutions for Windows servers, desktops and laptops. ShadowProtect 4.0 includes features that will help solution providers to improve their recovery time objective (RTO), maximize business continuity and simplify backup and disaster recovery management.
SBSmigration.com IT Pro Conference 2010 will take place at the Aster Crowne Plaza Hotel in New Orleans. For more information about the conference, please visit: http://www.conference2010.sbsmigration.com/.
About StorageCraft Technology Corporation
StorageCraft Technology Corporation provides innovative disk-based backup, disaster recovery, system migration, data protection and security solutions for servers, desktops and laptops. StorageCraft delivers software products that reduce downtime, improve security and stability for systems and data and lower the total cost of ownership for servers, desktops and laptops.
www.storagecraft.com
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StorageCraft Sponsors ASCII Success Summit in Chicago
DRAPER, Utah, U.S.A. – May 21, 2010 – StorageCraft Technology Corporation, a provider of innovative disk-based backup, disaster recovery, system migration, data protection and security solutions for servers, desktops and laptops, announced it will sponsor the upcoming ASCII 2010 Reseller Success Summit – Chicago. The conference will take place June 3 in Rosemont, Ill. and is coordinated by The ASCII Group, Inc., a community of independent computer resellers.
In addition to sponsoring the event, StorageCraft will offer a presentation showing resellers how to provide simple and profitable disaster recovery, data protection and system migration services to their customers.
Solutions providers will also have the opportunity to join the No-Cost StorageCraft Reseller Partner Program at the StorageCraft exhibitor booth and receive a free StorageCraft Channel Partner Kit which includes NFR copies of StorageCraft ShadowProtect Server ™ and ShadowProtect Desktop™, a $1,000 value. Additional benefits include: product and sales training, lead sharing, as well as excellent pre-sales and product support.
StorageCraft is also highlighting the release of ShadowProtect™ 4.0, the latest version of its award-winning backup, disaster recovery and system migration solutions for Windows servers, desktops and laptops. ShadowProtect 4.0 includes features that will help solution providers to improve their recovery time objective (RTO), maximize business continuity and simplify backup and disaster recovery management.
The ASCII Reseller Success Summit will take place at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare from 7:30 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. You may register for the event online.
About StorageCraft Technology Corporation
StorageCraft Technology Corporation provides innovative disk-based backup, disaster recovery, system migration, data protection and security solutions for servers, desktops and laptops. StorageCraft delivers software products that reduce downtime, improve security and stability for systems and data and lower the total cost of ownership for servers, desktops and laptops.
www.storagecraft.com
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StorageCraft Events
The SMBmigration.com IT Pro Conference is next weekend in New Orleans, and we’ll be there. If you’re heading to the conference May 27th -30th, check out a few things StorageCraft will be offering there.
First of all, we’ll be making a presentation at the conference showing resellers how to offer simple and profitable disaster recovery, data protection and migration services to their customers. In a tough economy, it’s always great to learn how you can simplify services and make a profit, too.
We’ll also be giving solution providers the opportunity to join the StorageCraft Reseller Partner Program. This program is easy to join because it doesn’t cost you anything, and we give you NFR copies of StorageCraft ShadowProtect Server and ShadowProtect Desktop just for joining. There are lots of other benefits, too.
Plus, we”ll be highlighting all of the cool features in ShadowProtect 4.0 – features that help solution providers improve their recovery time objectives while simplifying backup and disaster recovery management.
The following week, we’ll be presenting at the ASCII Reseller Success Summit in Chicago. So if you’re planning to attend either of these events, make sure you stop by our booth and say hello.
For more information about these two conferences, or to register, you can check them out online.
Don’t Upgrade that Server Without ShadowProtect
If a server upgrade is in your future, Tech Republic has a great list of DOs and DON’Ts when you’re upgrading your server. Check out this video:
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/itdojo/?p=1732
We can’t stress the first two items enough. Always, always, always verify your backup first. And if you’re using ShadowProtect, it’s very easy to get that server back up again if something goes wrong. Plus the Hardware Independent Restore tools in ShadowProtect will help you if you need to migrate to brand new hardware.
You may want to read the Tech Republic article that gives the full list of things to remember when you’re upgrading a server. The article also recommends using an imaging solution, like ShadowProtect, when you’re tackling that upgrade. Short version: Don’t upgrade without it.
Virtual Backup
Many SMBs are flirting with virtualization these days. It isn’t just for large enterprises any more. That’s because it can help you maximize storage or give you a way to keep that server running while you’re repairing your physical hardware. In any case, a lot of people are looking into the ways virtualized storage can be a lifesaver. Fortunately, as a ShadowProtect user, you won’t have to change your backup solution if you decide to make the switch to the virtual world. That’s because ShadowProtect not only backs up physical systems, it backs up virtual systems as well.
In addition, ShadowProtect has the added advantage of allowing you to migrate from physical environments to virtual ones, and from virtual to physical — or any combination of the two (P2P, P2V, V2V or V2P). The cool Hardware Independent Restore™ technology in ShadowProtect allows you to change your environment no matter what kind of hardware you’re switching to. So upgrade that server without fear.
Plus, you’ll want to check out the new virtualization tools in ShadowProtect 4.0. The newest version of ShadowProtect has two really cool new features. The first is VirtualBoot™, which lets you right-click on a ShadowProtect backup image file and boot it as a virtual machine, usually in about two minutes (no matter how large the server). Another feature is the new Virtual Converter in the Backup Image tool, which lets you convert a ShadowProtect backup image into a VM — either .VHD or .VMDK.
If you’re exploring how to make the most of virtual technology to maximize your storage, be sure to see how ShadowProtect will help you get all your data into the virtual world — and to continue to protect it once you’re there.