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disaster recovery Archives - Page 2 of 2 - thinkCSC

Oct 11
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Run Windows on Mac with Virtualization

By | MAC for Business | No Comments

csc_virtualizationVirtualization got its start on the PC side, but did you know the same functionality works with Macs? Running a Windows application on your Mac allows you to access features on a number of products not available to Macs. Parallels Desktop is just one of several solutions available for running Windows on Macintosh hardware. Depending on your business needs, virtualization can open up the best of both Mac and PC worlds in a simple, efficient way.

Setting up virtualization isn’t complicated, but you’ll still need to install Windows with a disk. With this method, you install it in an application – a kind of shell inside of your computer. People with virtualization sometimes have the false impression that they are protected from viruses or that viruses are less prevalent. Virtualized Windows can still get attacked. From the moment you put Windows on your computer, your Windows environment can become infected just as easily as if you were using a PC. When you run Windows on Mac, you also have to do maintenance and software updates on both sides separately.

At thinkCSC, we use Parallels or Fusion to run Windows-only business applications, so we have to keep them open all day. The same goes for Act! contact databases and any number of products that don’t have a Mac client. Another reason to use virtualization on a Mac is that sometimes the Windows version is better. For instance, QuickBooks for Mac has yet to receive feature parity with QuickBooks for PC. Many people prefer to go ahead and run QuickBooks inside their virtual machine (VM), so they get all the features and functionality that the Windows version has.

Boot Camp is another viable, but imperfect, option for running Windows on Mac hardware. Essentially, it entails holding the alt key down to boot off of a Windows CD, installing it directly onto the hard drive. Macs even allow you to partition your drive, so half can be allocated for Mac and the other half can be for PC. To do this, you hold down the alt key and hit ‘Okay’ to boot into either Windows or Mac. The problem with doing this is that Apple doesn’t optimize their Windows driver. The battery in a MacBook would last two hours using Boot Camp, whereas it lasts up to five hours when running virtualization with Windows inside of it.

Companies today don’t operate in cookie-cutter environments; every business needs customization. So,the more versatility available, the better. While the technology for PCs and Macs often runs parallel, performance is not always equal. Virtualization makes it fast and easy to run a Windows application on your Mac whenever you want to.

If you’re wondering whether or not Mac is right for your business, contact thinkCSC today for a free consultation.

Aug 11
0

Disaster Recovery That Works in the Real World

By | BDR | No Comments

Sometimes the best way to address solutions for business continuity of computer network systems is by example. Picture this recent real-life situation: a local school district learns a back-to-school lesson involving safe storage of vital network data under the secured services of thinkCSC’s disaster recovery software. Fortunately, the lesson had a good outcome.

In this teachable moment, the virtualization software environment operating the school system’s multiple servers ran out of data storage space, essentially crashing all the servers. The data wasn’t actually lost; the servers were just basically offline and inaccessible, creating a major roadblock for teachers, administrators and students to accomplish much of anything. Normally the downtime for restoring multiple-server functionality would be several days. However, the school district had thinkCSC defending its network, and the solution for backup and disaster recovery — commonly known as BDR — was fairly simple.

thinkCSC’s BDR solution, bundled into a rack-mount box that can be conveniently placed in any room, only requires power and a network connection for initial startup. In an emergency situation, one that requires image-based backup and a timely solution to restore business continuity, this BDR system can actually activate incapacitated servers in a virtual environment until the original server platform can be repaired or replaced.

For the school system, it was just a matter of activating and turning on two or three of its 10 servers in what’s called a “virtual boot,” which expedited the backup process in just a few hours without having to engage in full data recovery or restoring, something that usually takes days to complete. Consequently, everyone was up and running in less than a day, without any further interruption to their daily routines; all the while, the more extensive server reconfiguration was being addressed. After all, education must go on!

It is important to note that we offer several levels of backup from which to choose. You can back up only files, and you can also select image-based backup or full BDR. There are certain levels of restoring, too. You can simply restore files and images, or you can choose to restore the entire network. You can also temporarily turn on the system, which mirrors a premiere level of disaster recovery, because you don’t have to wait around for the full restore time to be functional.

From a business continuity angle, here’s another teachable application of BDR. A small business of nearly 20 employees had recently contracted managed services for IT support. A week after installing a BDR system, the company’s one server completely crashed. Prior to that protective installation, though, replacement of the server was recommended, but due to budgetary constraints, the decision was delayed. Nevertheless, the deployment of thinkCSC’s BDR a week earlier safeguarded the company’s data storage in a virtual environment for more than week following the server crash, while new equipment was on order.

Both of these disaster recovery examples point to the importance of having both basic file and image-based backup systems in place 24/7. Equally important, the value of having multiple levels of BDR protection cannot be overstated, either, including off-site data storage solutions. Off-site data replication provides ultimate data protection for clients and serves as valued assurance that data losses will not occur.

May 11
0
BDR

Can You Take Care of Customers if Disaster Strikes?

By | Managed IT Services | No Comments

Can you take care of customers if disaster strikes? Downtime can equate to death for business owners whose customers rely on them to be available and accessible. Those same business owners spend a considerable amount of money on hardware to protect their businesses. Redundant backups and server upgrades are designed to offer some protection. But what do you do when the server or system goes down? Backups are not going to keep you running.

Emergency Preparedness

thinkCSC recommends that every company develop an emergency preparedness plan. Preparing for disaster means reducing or eliminating downtime to ensure that you are able to provide uninterrupted service to your clients. During a disaster, significant repairing and reconfiguring may be required. That’s going to turn into lost money and lost opportunities, unless you have a hardware-independent restore option.

You Need More than Backups

Most company executives operate under the assumption that their backups will protect them, and they don’t discover the risk until the first time they’ve experienced a significant outage and their customers are left stranded. Because of the time it takes to access and re-install your files on the new or repaired hardware, the only way to ensure continuous service to your customers is by having a hardware-independent restore.

thinkCSC can help you take the hassle out of recovery, so you can get back to doing business if disaster strikes.

We offer a suite of tools dedicated to disaster recovery that goes above and beyond simple backups. StorageCraft is a set of technology tools that builds a chain of backups that can be consolidated and replicated to an off-site destination. When disaster strikes, this solution ensures that there is a back-up chain that you can work from virtually while you start repairing the failed equipment, without shutting down the virtual machine that’s operating as your temporary server. The virtual machine can be housed locally or in the cloud. You can continue operating as normal during the repair period; once the problem is fixed, simply shut down your virtual machines, and boot the last incremental back-up chain to the new environment.

The advantages of thinkCSC’s StorageCraft solution include:

  • Drastically reduced downtime
  • Better business availability during emergencies
  • Cost effective and scalable solution
  • Need-based pricing
  • Enterprise class recovery for every business

When you’re not being tied to one piece of hardware or one piece of virtual infrastructure, you can be responsive and flexible during any kind of disaster, meeting the needs of your clients without delay. While your competition is struggling to bring their computers online, thinkCSC can help you develop a plan that ensures a seamless recovery. Ready to get started? Get in touch.