The cloud offers a variety of options for businesses looking into affordable data recovery. However, not all businesses can afford extensive cloud recovery solutions, or do not have the IT staff to successfully deploy and run one.

According to the news source, Microsoft recently released a report suggesting that local service providers can fill this gap for smaller businesses. The 2012 Microsoft/Edge Strategies SMB Cloud Adoption Study shows that at least half of small businesses are leaning toward improving their cloud computing solutions and are moving more of their systems to the cloud.

Local providers can capitalize on SMB backup and recovery software needs as well, integrating online backup and other services with the solutions they already provide. According to the Microsoft study, 56 percent of businesses prefer getting all of their IT solutions from a single source, giving these providers a leg up and extra opportunity in recovery services as well.

A recent study by Heavy Reading forecasts that mobile cloud solutions will consume regular cloud computing in the next few years – citing the availability of mobile devices, mobile broadband improvements, and the proliferation of cloud applications to support this. If mobile cloud replaces the "fixed" cloud, a major change will take place not only for consumers, but for businesses as well. Access devices will evolve, encouraging more professionals to utilize mobile devices to do their job – a trend that is already growing. As a result, businesses will be able to save money by reducing desktop computer use, and even workspace in the office.

Supporting these ideas, Infiniti Research Limited also recently released a new market forecast for mobile cloud computing. The research firm expects this market to grow by 18 percent in North America by 2015. As the market grows, the need for solid cloud-based data backup software will increase as well.

With the mobile cloud growing in importance, it will be necessary for businesses interested in applying these solutions in their daily operations to invest in reliable cloud backup and recovery software as well. Without this safety net, a business could risk losing valuable information, as even the cloud is prone to security and data loss risks. Regardless of whether a business' computing system processes are based in the cloud, on-premise servers, or new services like the mobile cloud, backup solutions are vital to maintaining steady operations and keeping stress down in the workplace for employees and IT professionals alike.

Of the companies that stated they are not prepared for a potential disaster, 45 percent indicated they lack the resources to implement a backup and recovery strategy. Additionally, 67 percent respondents said their biggest challenge lay in virtualization and migrating data from physical to virtual environments. However, 11 percent said they have no backup plan in place, and 29 percent said their strategy does not include any off-site resources.

Data backup is an important consideration for any business, and any sort of disaster, from a national emergency to power loss, can create problems in even the most well-designed network. However, investing in backup and recovery software or a cloud storage solution isn't enough. A business also needs to implement a rigid backup schedule and plan for if an emergency occurs. According to the survey, only 60 percent of respondents said they secure their data regularly or more than once a month.

Deploying a backup solution will help a company increase its security and tolerance for potential problems, and also boost its confidence and lower stress, as managers and other workers know that their data is safely stored and even a small amount of downtime will not cause a potential catastrophe.

Here’s the scoop.  From now until June 30, you can purchase ShadowProtect Granular Recovery for Exchange at the following discount rates:

-          250 Mailboxes:  $250 (SRP)
-          500 Mailboxes: $500 (SRP)
-          250 Mailboxes with Advanced Search: $350 (SRP)
-          500 Mailboxes with Advanced Search:  $675  (SRP)

You can take advantage of this price through StorageCraft authorized distributors and through our web store. There are a few catches, though, as there are with any good deal.  The discount doesn’t apply to upgrades, additional mailboxes, maintenance or premium support. It’s only available in the U.S. and Canada. Plus, all of the discounted licenses must be activated by December 31, 2012.

Don’t hesitate to call your StorageCraft Channel Representative if you have questions about this offer or contact sales@StorageCraft.com.

The Cloud as It Should Be: Lost Cost, Secure, and Reliable

Image source:  kevin dooley

• Provide customers with backup and recovery solution on a pay-as-you-go basis
• Deliver the stability and confidence of on-premise backup and recovery from Intel, Lenovo®  and StorageCraft
• Offer fast onsite or offsite backup and recovery preventing system downtime and loss of critical data

In the event of a system or disk failure, the Intel Hybrid Cloud BDR appliance features Intel Quick Access Technology enabling near instant virtualization of backup images on the BDR’s Citrix® XenServer™.  With Intel Quick Access Technology, ShadowProtect®  VirtualBoot™ now directly leverages the XenServer Type 1 hypervisor for superior performance and stability.

Test Drive It!
During the webinar, you’ll discover how easy it is to join the Intel Hybrid Cloud partner program (no fee) and test drive the Intel Hybrid Cloud BDR in the App of the Month sandbox environment.

Thu, May 24
12 pm EDT/9 am PDT
Register Today!

Have a great weekend!

Synnex Canada Show N Tell

When: Tuesday, May  15, 2012
Where:  Montreal,  QC, Canada
Who: Inside Channel  Sales, Jed Hickenlooper

Camera Corner Connecting Point

When: Tuesday, May  15, 2012
Where:  Green Bay, WI
Who: Territory Channel Manager, Shawn Massey, Regional Channel & DMR Sales Manager, Mark Baird and Channel Marketing Manager, Aaron Lee

Come visit us at the StorageCraft  Speakeasy during Camera Corner’s Roaring 20’s event! We’ve got some great prizes including demo CDs of ShadowProtect® and prohibition style flasks!

CompuCom Sales Vendor Fair

When: Tuesday, May 15 – Thursday, May 17, 2012
Where: Dallas, TX
Who: Territory Channel Manager, Jeff Wheeler

PC Connection Software Showcase

When: Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Where: Portsmouth, NH (8:45am-10:45am) & Marlborough, MA (1:00pm-3:00pm)
Who: Territory Channel Manager, Christine Gassman and Inside/DMR Sales Manager, Roger Daley

When: Thursday, May 17, 2012
Where: Keene, NH (8:45am-10:45am) & Merrimack, NH (1:00pm-3:00pm)
Who: Territory Channel Manager, Christine Gassman and Inside/DMR Sales Manager, Roger Daley

Information Technology Disaster Resource Center’s Road Show
When: Monday, May 14, 2012 from 8:30am-11:30am
Where: Birmingham, AL
Who: Territory Channel Manager, Kevin Uttich

When: Tuesday,  May 15, 2012 from 8:30am-11:30am
Where: Tupelo, MS
Who: Territory Channel Manager, Kevin Uttich

When: Wednesday, May 16, 2012 from 8:30am-11:00am
Where: Memphis, TN
Who: Territory Channel Manager, Kevin Uttich

When: Friday, May 18, 2012 from 1:00pm-3:30pm
Where: St Louis, MO

Mmmmmm, the only thing better than bacon is saving it!

We want to hear your stories of how you’ve saved your client’s “bacon” using our ShadowProtect® software, so we’re going to make it worth your while. Post your bacon-saving story on our Facebook contest page, get your friends to like your entry, and you’ll be entered to win a GoPro™ Hero video camera. That’s a $200 value!

Visit us at any of the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center’s Road Show events for details!

According to AMEInfo, the survey found that these problems arise from businesses rushing into virtualization solutions expecting everything to work smoothly. However, not all services are made equal, and server backup can operate very differently with various solutions. These problems can also be compounded by data growth, which adds pressure to already overburdened networks and IT professionals.

Technology is advancing quickly today, and in order to overcome these challenges, according to the news source, a business has to invest in modernized backup and recovery software. Many companies move to virtual solutions because their physical ones are outdated, but without modernizing data management before or during this adoption, those same issues will continue to occur in the new infrastructure as well.

With the proliferation of cloud options, many businesses are making the jump to virtualized computing. However, according to the news source, in order to survive in the cloud, a company needs to back up its data "on the ground," or on disk. This can be especially pertinent for businesses using hosted cloud solutions. If the service is upgraded or undergoes drastic changes, a professional may become confused, unable to find his or her work, or worse, lose that work entirely.

According to the news source, this can be attributed to websites like Dropbox and Google "tinkering" with their interfaces or updating their services. A Google Docs user, for example, might log in one day to find the interface changes and renamed Google Drive – and not know where his or her spreadsheets or text documents are located anymore. But by being prepared for updates and taking advantage of the server backup opportunities, a business can not only avoid these types of issues, but barely even be slowed down by them.

Ultimately, a company must choose the best backup solution for its needs, based on the computing systems that it uses. If the business operates on cloud-based applications, storing data on physical servers may be a better option than a secondary cloud-choice, and vice versa.

Many companies believe that purchasing the least expensive data recovery system available will provide the same level of protection as other higher-end services. Continuity Central was quick to rebuke this misconception, noting that, like with cars, computers, and meals, you get what you pay for.

One of the biggest mistakes a company can make, according to the news source, is to believe that all data service companies operate the same way. Between cloud, disk, and tape backups, there are distinctly different methods for securing data, with varying reliabilities and costs. Ultimately, the difference comes down to company need and how much it is willing to spend, but by ensuring that the service provider is qualified to handle the type of data the client produces and is aware of the client's needs, a company should be successful with its backup  and recovery solution.

Some businesses, especially smaller ones, think that since they've never experienced data loss in the past, it's unlikely they will in the future either. Again, this is a dangerous mindset that could have grave consequences.

"Looks can be deceiving. If your business has never experienced significant network down-time or a data loss, there may be a misconception that a proactive data loss plan is not needed," the report stated.

The news source noted that, while there are many misconceptions regarding data recovery, they can be cleared up with basic communication. Not all solutions are the same, and not all companies provide the same solutions. By analyzing the business' needs and finding a company that can match them, IT decision-makers can, however, be successful when it comes to disaster recovery.

To welcome ShadowControl CMD to the fold, we’re hosting a couple of one-hour webinars to let you know how it will help you see that your backups are working as planned.

Register for a session now by clicking a date below:
Tue, May 15, 2012 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM MDT
Thu, May 17, 2012 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM MDT

Once registered you will receive an email confirming your registration with information you need to join the webinar.

We hope you can join us!

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.5 or newer

For the schools, one of the primary benefits of the shared storage solution is that it reduces the risk of one location losing data due to server loss. According to the news source, the new system can quickly recover if one machine goes down at any of the sites, restoring data and applications swiftly.

Ryan McClay, enterprise project manager for the OECN, told the news source that the organization still uses disk backups as well, and tape as a tertiary safety-net.

"All backups go straight to disk, but we want to be able to disaster recover the DR site," McClay said.

In addition to consolidating data backup, this new endeavor will standardize the various institution's policies as well, ensuring that all schools are dealing with their data with the same, high-quality care.

According to the study's authors, this percentage has increased since it performed its last survey in 2010, when only 85 percent of respondents reported struggling with virtualization data backup. However, many of the top reasons for these issues remain the same, including data growth, high-energy demands, and data bottlenecks – though problems with the latter two did decline in the last 12 months, contrary to the overall results. At 41 percent, increasing data growth due to virtualization was the most cited reason for backup trouble. Virtual machine server sprawl was the least cited issue at 11 percent.

"The benefits of virtualization are well established, and more businesses are looking to extend these benefits to their environments," said Robert Clark, a data protection expert. "However, this survey shows that while organizations are adopting virtualization as part of their data center, they often run into unforeseen challenges with data protection."

In addition to struggling with backing up data on virtualized servers, the majority of respondents stated that implementing virtualization in the first place proved to be at least somewhat difficult.

Ultimately, many companies are focusing on managing data growth and improving their virtualized server backup capabilities. According to the study, data efficiency, data protection, backup and recovery policies, and hardware upgrades were the highest priorities for many respondents, with between 46 and 47 percent planning on doing at least one of these in the next 12 months. Finding the right backup and recovery software for business needs will determine the success of any endeavor to improve these issues and establishing a clear goal will help IT leaders on this path.

For many businesses with large amounts of data, server backup software can be handled in house by IT professionals, but this alone doesn't stop data loss. A report from the Graziadio Business Review shows that 40 percent of data loss is due to hardware failure, so if a company only has a single server backup, it may still take a loss as it can't replace the information.

One innovative business continuity solution that is finding favor in the enterprise is the use of laser technology to more easily pull data from disks and tapes without damaging either medium. It also allows for higher capacities to be stored at once. While not ideal or affordable for all businesses and still somewhat untested, it shows that businesses are considering new computer backup software alternatives to replace outdated file storage.

Shulman said in the interview that while he saw the tapes as reliable security, the time it takes to process returns, especially those submitted via the Magnetic Tape Program in large batches by professional tax preparers, makes the turnover take in excess of two weeks in some cases, during which time there is no data showing a return has even been submitted.

A report issued by the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that, despite its use of data backup software, the IRS does not properly encrypt all the data it transmits and may be vulnerable to a number of security risks. The report stated that because so few of the security gafs it identified in its last review were resolved, the IRS is at high risk of a data breach both from internal and external sources.

President Barack Obama has requested additional $2.1 billion be allocated to the IRS for IT improvements in next year's budget, according to Federal News Radio.

Leviathan Security Groups' Paul Brodeur created a test program that he sent to several Android phones and found that he was successfully able to harvest personal data from the smartphones' memory cards without ever asking the owner to give his program permission to do so. Brodeur found that allowing trusted applications to store information like passwords or account numbers, even if they appear encrypted to the user, may still create vulnerabilities if the device suffers a data breach. This highlights the need for smartphone users to move their sensitive data to secure online backup platforms or find a different data backup solution.

Applications willingly installed on a phone by a user may not ask for any permissions to begin with, but a University of California case study 'A Survey of Mobile Malware in the Wild' discovered that, once downloaded, these programs will rewrite and gain access to root applications and can potentially hijack the device. The study found malware exploits were available nearly three-quarters of the time in Android applications, so online backups of data and removal of sensitive information from mobile devices is encouraged.

Last March, Google announced it had removed 58 applications from Android phones and its online marketplace, saying about 260,000 users were affected. More recently, a Trojan was detected in a cracked version of an Angry Birds Space application, according to mobile security firm Sophos. Downloading the game gives permission to a third party to put malware on the infected smartphone. Any data on the phone that hasn't been backed up or is available on the phone is then compromised.

Google announced last year it had created a "remote kill" function to remove detected malware from phones without the user's permission,but if phone owners don't take the initiative and conduct data backups regularly, their information could be lost or stolen. While only allowing information from trusted sources may be a step in the right direction, the less downloading a smartphone has to do, the less permission it potentially has to lose.

I seem to have the conversation every few months about the importance of events. We have become so computer-centric in our everyday lives and every so often I have people question the relevance of events. They’re expensive and take people out of the office for travel – all things that seemingly make little sense. While technology continues to make our lives better and creates efficiencies we only dreamed about 50 years ago, there is nothing like a face-to-face meeting. It works on a day-to-day scale (think about how much more you get done in a meeting  with people than through email) and on a grand scale (trade shows)!

We hope you’ll come meet our team members in person at one of the events we’re at this week or in the future!

***

HTG Summit

When: May 7-10, 2012
Where: Hilton Anatole, Dallas, TX
Who: Territory Channel Manager, Jeff Wheeler; Territory Channel Manager, Kevin Uttich; and Channel Marketing Manager, Aaron Lee
Booth Number: 321
Group Dinner: Tuesday, May 8 at 7pm. HTG6 Group.
Lunch and Learn: Thursday, May 10 from 12-1pm. HTG23 Group.

Heartland Technology Group (HTG) is a great organization and we are thrilled to be Gold Sponsors with them this year! Come visit our team at booth 321 and enter to win a $100 American Express gift card!

***

Information Technology Disaster Resource Center’s Road Show
When: Monday, May 7, 2012 from 9am-11:45am
Where: Raleigh, NC
Who: Regional  Channel & DMR Sales Manager East, Matt Rutter

When: Tuesday,  May 8, 2012 from 6pm-8:30pm
Where: Charlotte, NC
Who: Regional  Channel & DMR Sales Manager East, Matt Rutter

When: Wednesday, May 9, 2012 from 1:30pm-4:00pm
Where: Greenville, SC

When: Thursday, May 10, 2012 from 2:00pm-4:30pm
Where: Atlanta, GA
Who: Sales Engineer, Sean Rich

When: Friday, May 11, 2012 from 1:00pm-4:00pm
Where: Marietta, GA

Mmmmmm, the only thing better than bacon is saving it!

And StorageCraft® wants to hear your stories of how you’ve saved your client’s “bacon” using our ShadowProtect® software.  So we’re going to make it worth your while. Post your bacon-saving story on our Facebook contest page, and get your friends to like your entry, you’ll be entered to win a GoPro™ Hero video camera. That’s a $200 value!

Visit us at any of the Information Technology Disaster Resource Center’s Road Show events for details!

***

Synnex Canada Show N Tell

When: Tuesday, May 8, 2012
Where: Toronto, ON, Canada
Who: Territory Channel  Manager, Shawn Massey

When: Thursday, May 10, 2012
Where: Guelph, ON, Canada
Who: Territory Channel  Manager, Chris Harrison

The Trojan was able to take the ministry's websites offline and access data on some of its users. After a similar attack in 2010 – stemming from the now-infamous Stuxnet worm – an official from the organization, Hamdollah Nejad, told news agency Mehr that they've kept their operational servers disconnected from public access and regularly utilize backup hard drives to protect against disruptions. Nejad said the ministry had learned from the previous attack, which helped it prepare so well for the most recent Trojan. He said that server backup existed for all affected files.

The Telegraph also reported that the ministry set up a team to deal with any possible fallout from the attacks, but that the Iranian government is downplaying the attack. There have been no reported changes in oil production or exporting due to the hack, and the country still says the ministry went offline voluntarily and not due to a forced outage.

The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act, or CISPA, is a voluntary disclosure program and will not require businesses to give out user information. If voted into law, the bill would give online security vendors more support in protecting user data and online backup software and provide two-way communication between federal agencies and the public on web security. According to the Los Angeles Times, CISPA was originally fueled by reports that the Chinese were hacking U.S. websites to monitor business activity and user accounts.

The Washington Post reported that some civil liberties groups were afraid CISPA would give the National Security Agency access to private online communication or could grant it access to private files stored on online backup platforms. In a statement from the White House, President Obama agreed that the scope of the bill was too far reaching and unless concessions and amendments were made, the legislation would never make it to law.

I just got finished working on our most recent case study, which spotlights the efforts of John Motazedi and his MSP, SNC Squared during and after the Joplin, Missouri tornado in 2011. John’s story is pretty amazing (you can find more at the SNC Squared website and you can expect more about it from us in the coming days), but what struck me the most was his willingness to help others, not only during the disaster, but after as well. He and his company came away from that tornado with a whole new appreciation for disaster recovery plans and what needs to go into it and he’s not afraid to share what he’s learned.

Beyond the nuts and bolts of the recovery, disasters provide us with two complementary opportunities that are demonstrated by John and SNC Squared:

1. Learn from the experiences of others

After slapping ourselves on the head, my wife and I went out immediately after we received that email and bought the things that made sense for us, including a couple of headlamps. And let me say, those headlamps have come in handy, even without a disaster.

There are always going to be things we don’t think about. Even the most well-thought-out, detailed disaster recovery plan is going to have a few blind spots in it. That’s just the nature of living in a world of limited perception. We can all benefit from the experiences of others, and when it comes to disasters, those experiences may mean the difference between life and death.

2. Offer your experiences to others

After a disaster, there’s obviously a lot to do, but as the dust settles, it’s probably not a bad idea to do what my friend and John Motazedi did and take the time to analyze your experience and share it with others. For one thing, it will probably help you prepare more comprehensively for the next disaster, but at the same time, it will give you the chance to contribute to the IT community at large and the well-being of your fellow humans (which I think is never a bad thing).

Right now I’m working on a project that examines those things we didn’t think about, so I’m hip deep in it, but what’s your experience been? Regardless of the disaster, what things did you wish you’d thought of before a disaster and how did the disaster change your plan going forward?

The NARA RMSA report designates four major areas that each federal group is measured in: activities (training), oversight and compliance, records disposition, and electronic records. Most organizations show some flaws in at least one of the four areas, either from lack of training initiatives, poor compliance monitoring, a lack of backup scheduling, or a reliance on poor electronic backup methods.

NARA cited several specific trouble areas that most of these agencies share, including poor training standards, a lack of training for senior officials, and a reliance on unreliable backup methods. However, not all of the results are negative. The report shows an overall increase of the percentage of organizations that scored in the "low risk" area and many agencies are beginning to recognize a need for performance metrics. There are still not enough agencies with good disaster recovery practices though, and too many are still relying on physical storage or tape backups, according to the report.

NARA stated that tape is not an effective solution when compared to disk or online backup for electronic data. However, 50 percent of agencies still use tape for their data backup, a metric that pushes them into the moderate risk category. Tape does not provide the same reliability or control that disk or cloud backups do, as agencies cannot easily search for data when it is stored on tape. While 50 percent of agencies are still relying on tape, according to the report, about 40 percent have begun to explore cloud backup, with 25 percent already using it.

One major issue cited as a problem related to electronic records is social media use. Approximately 70 percent of the agencies reported maintaining a presence on social media websites, but only half of those organizations have developed policies for managing the data created by those endeavors and are able to back up that data.

Ultimately, NARA recommends most federal agencies reevaluate their data backup and recovery situations and improve practices and planning in this area.

Dell and ITWorks found that about half of all businesses use backup tape to more closely manage their data portfolios. On top of that, 1 in 10 didn't know what if any data backup solutions were in place for their company. The survey found most commonly that businesses used disk backups for data they may need more quickly and put archived information on tape, rather than put any of it in the cloud.

In light of recent events affecting Google's and Apple's cloud-based services, many businesses are hesitant to embrace host solutions. Both cloud services experienced outages within days of each other, and while the companies involved claimed only 1 or 2 percent went without service, that actually breaks down to a couple million users without access to their data.

Despite such headline-grabbing events, cloud outages are actually rare, and businesses should not be dissuaded from putting some of their less-mission-critical data in the cloud. According to Kobus De Beer, a marketing manager with Dell, many businesses have in-house IT departments that manually handle their backup and recovery software and business continuity needs in order to keep closer watch on their data.

A study by InformationWeek found that about 75 percent of businesses aren't using the cloud now but 44 percent are considering it. Some consider it a cost-saving measure, allowing them to do away with a physical server room and having to pay staff to maintain it. But businesses must still be mindful that cloud outages do occur, which should factor into their decisions of which information to store in house and which to send to the cloud.

We want to easily and quickly assist you with deactivation and re-installation steps, but it’s often difficult (and sometimes even impossible!) to provide support without this information.

To track your installations/licenses, please use the following fields in a database/spreadsheet:

• Date of Activation, Serial Number, Customer Name /Organization (where license is installed), Computer Name (if available), Computer Role, Machine ID (v4.1.5 or prior), Hardware ID (v4.1.5 or prior)

If you’d like more details or need any help, leave us a comment or contact your friendly StorageCraft Account Manager.

The study looked at the total cost of breaches last year and the one prior and found the average cost of each compromised file went up around $2 dollars, even though the real number of attacks dropped by more than 100. While Ponemon found fewer breaches occurred due to user negligence and more businesses were encrypting data than before, third-party hacks have seen little change in frequency.

Hacking incidents like that recently suffered by the Utah Department of Health highlight how important backup data can be. An attack on the agency resulted in the private information of nearly 200,000 Utah residents being stolen by a group apparently operating somewhere in Eastern Europe. Boyd Webb of the Utah Department of Technology Services, the group in charge of maintaining the compromised server, said it was a matter of making the data available on the web without proper online backup security. The data lost contained Social Security numbers and medical records.

Nationwide Insurance currently has more than 6,000 employee-owned BlackBerry smartphones integrated with its business operations. Pharmaceutical manufacturer Cardinal Health has 10,000 personal devices in use, saving it about $8 million in just three years according to the report by Law.com. In order to service all these personal devices, online licensing and use of the cloud make data backup and security more difficult.

Every outside access point is a risk to security so vendors are stepping up to help these businesses. Some vendors provide software to safeguard system access and verification of devices while others support firewall and network security software. Other companies like Johnson & Johnson simply try to keep their critical data offline and come up with multiple failsafes to promote business continuity with their information infrastructure.