“Facebook has become an integral part of our social lives. We upload our own pictures and videos while friends tag us in theirs to remind us of shared memories. Facebook provides a way to download photos and videos, but does not include the ones you are tagged in. What if a friend ‘unfriends’ you, untags you, or deletes their account? Those tagged pictures and videos are gone forever. IDrive’s Facebook Backup provides a secure, encrypted place to store your Facebook data so you don’t have to worry about lost memories. All of your Facebook pictures and videos (including the ones you are tagged in) will always be safely backed up to your IDrive account. Facebook Backup also does incremental backups, which means subsequent backups will only backup the new pictures and videos that have been added since the last backup.”
Month November 2013
Mozy released new solution and revamped website
Mozy released new cloud backup solution and revamped the website at the same time. The new backup solution is designed to protect cloud data from end point to endpoint. This cloud software suite will give administrators the ability to deliver secure, confidential data in a manner that will not impact the day to day workflow.
Mozy has solved the problem of “Accidental Architecture.” The term describes the end result of users taking matters into their own hands and creating processes for moving data that may or may not be compliant. This sometimes happens inside of enterprises and fixing it often requires intervention from the information technology department.
They solve these problems because the platform gives users the functionality they desire while providing administrators the level of security that is needed to pass internal and external audits. Mozy also has a built in component that assists with the challenges of backing up and provisioning devices. This scalable approach allows Mozy administrators to manage entire infrastructures from one clean, easy to use interface.
Check it out: http://mozy.com/
Dropbox released Business Version, and Partnership Program
Dropbox for Business
Keep your work safe
Dropbox protects your work, and lets your team get to their files from any computer, phone, or tablet.
Share securely
Forget email attachments, servers, and FTP — sharing the right files with the right people is fast and simple.
Manage your team
Easily deploy and manage Dropbox for your business with centralized administration, SSO, and more.
Details:
https://www.dropbox.com/business
Dropbox Partnership Program
We like to share everything, including success
200 million users
Partner with the brand that users trust for file sharing and collaboration. Your clients will tell you: Dropbox just works.
2 million businesses
Millions of organizations already use Dropbox. Help them take their productivity to the next level.
Let’s do this together
We see our partners as an extension of our team, and we’re dedicated to helping you grow your business.
Details:
https://www.dropboxpartners.com
Veeam now supports vSphere 5.5 and Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V
Veeam Software announced that its flagship product, Veeam Backup & Replication, is the first data protection solution to support the most recent hypervisor releases from both VMware and Microsoft. This sets Veeam apart as the first vendor to support the latest versions of both platforms.
Now available via Veeam Backup & Replication v7 R2, this update delivers additional features and functionality described below.
For VMware, support for:
- vSphere 5.5, including support for 62TB virtual disks; and
- vCloud Director 5.5.
For Microsoft, support for:
- Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V and free Hyper-V Server 2012 R2, including support for Generation 2 virtual machines;
- Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1 as guest virtual machines (VMs);
- System Center 2012 R2 Virtual Machine Manager (VMM); and
- The installation of Veeam Backup & Replication and its components on Windows Server 2012 R2 and Windows 8.1.
With this update, Veeam now provides enterprises using the latest releases of these leading hypervisors with all the disruptive features and innovations of Veeam Backup and Replication v7, including Built-In WAN Acceleration, Backup from Storage Snapshots for VMware, Virtual Lab for Hyper-V and more than 75 additional enhancements and updates.
NovaStor Announces NovaBACKUP Version 15 – Backup For The Rest of Us
NovaStor announces version 15, the latest release of their flagship backup solution targeting the often overlooked home office and small business market.NovaStor solidifies their #1 position for home office and small business backup software by dramatically increasing product performance, adding high demand features/fixes as well as introducing a whole new level of product related services.
Backup for the Rest of Us:
Small Businesses need to operate efficiently in order to survive. They need to focus on the success of their business and anything that distracts them from this focus cuts deeply into their revenue potential. When it comes to Server Backup and Data Protection, they do not have the same luxuries as larger corporations.
- They have limited budgets and can’t afford big name solutions that come from “Magic Quadrants”
- They don’t have or lack adequate IT resources
- They don’t have the time to learn or worry about backup
- They’re not entirely aware of what is needed to properly protect their data
- They need a single product to do everything reliably
NovaStor realizes that there are hundreds of thousands of small businesses stranded out there today, struggling to deal with these obstacles on their own. This contributed heavily to the features and services included with the release of NovaBACKUP 15 and the need for NovaStor to spearhead a campaign offering “Backup for the Rest of Us”.
“I run a small business and I have to admit that it was a rather frustrating process to select the right backup solution to protect my data. I tested the backup solutions of several serious data protection companies that claim to target small businesses and then watched as they entirely missed their mark,” says Mark Freeman of Applied Data.
“They were either way too expensive, far too complex or they provided solutions that only performed part of the job, unless of course I was willing to purchase several separate, high cost applications or feature plug-ins at an additional cost.”
New to NovaBACKUP 15:
- “Backup for the Rest of Us” Pricing – Solutions optimized and built for offices with 1 to 100 employees that range in price from $349 – $1,499. A NovaStor expert will advise one all-inclusive solution for each environment.
- Free Product Installation – An industry First. At the time of purchase, an appointment is scheduled with a NovaStor expert to perform complete installation service, saving the end user time and drastically decreasing the margin of error.
- Latest Operating System Support – NovaBACKUP 15 comes ready with support for Windows 8.1 and Windows Server 2012 R2
- Enhanced Disaster Recovery – Military grade encryption now supports the Disaster Recovery file protection option.
- NovaCare Premium Local Support – Pricing includes one year access to NovaStor’s U.S. based on-staff, expert, technical support team via email or phone as well as upgrade protection covering all product upgrades or updates made available during that term.
- Increased Performance – backup speeds for application files like MS SQL, MS Exchange as well as System State backup have been improved by 400%+.
- Virtual Machine (VM) Optimization – Newly designed engine has been developed with future releases in mind to fully prepare product to be optimized for VMware and Hyper-V VM backup enhancements.
- Improved Logging – Much improved tracking of the success of your backups and allows for better and quicker issue resolution.
“NovaStor has opted to go against the grain at a time when most competitive solutions have already turned toward offering lower cost, offshore, outsourced services or have resorted to separating their feature sets into different products to increase revenues.” says Mike Andrews, Managing Director at NovaStor. “We’re really excited to see the impact NovaBACKUP 15 will have as we shift further towards a customer-focused, service oriented approach to backup. NovaStor refuses to cut corners and what we’re offering will be truly unique all inclusive solution for the Small Business market.
CA Arcserve extends Competitive Upgrade Offer of Unlimited Data Protection for Three Years
Until March 31, 2014, New CA ARCserve Customers who Switch from Symantec, CommVault, Veeam, or Dell Can Receive Discounts and Locked-in Pricing
CA Technologies announced the extension of a competitive upgrade offer for data backup and recovery software targeted at customers seeking simple, affordable data protection and predictable cost-of-ownership.
Until March 31, 2014 eligible businesses who replace a competitor’s backup or disaster recovery software with CA ARCserve can purchase an unlimited-use Managed Capacity license for their business for the next three years at a set price regardless of any organic growth in their storage requirements. At the end of the third year, customers can renew for the amount of data being protected at that time.
In addition, CA Technologies is offering its partners a 25 percent discount off the current standard CA ARCserve MSRP for both new and existing customers who upgrade to CA ARCserve Managed Capacity licensing.
CA ARCserve Managed Capacity licensing allows organizations to more flexibly mix and match functionality, and cost-effectively address their unique data protection requirements, offering one simple license, priced per terabyte of protected data.
CA ARCserve – with support for Linux and Windows Server 2012/Windows 8 – uniquely addresses the growing demand of customers and service providers for simple, comprehensive data protection across both physical and virtual environments. It features simplified solution licensing and pricing that offers greater economy and flexibility to achieve recovery time and recovery point objectives.
Asigra Introduces Cloud Backup Installation and Configuration Services to Speed Deployments
Asigra announced world-class installation and configuration support to help service providers and the enterprises they serve to deploy Asigra Cloud Backup quickly and with minimal IT impact. The tiered professional service allows customers to select from basic setup to full deployment of all Asigra software suite components to ensure end-to-end data recovery services and solution enablement.
The Asigra Installation and Configuration Services (ICS) team complements partner/user IT resources with highly trained professionals who are available to help enterprises and service providers increase the efficiency and optimization of their backup environments. With experienced engineering and development service professionals focused on helping organizations overcome hardware/software installation and configuration complexities, Asigra ICS customers are able to more quickly realize their backup infrastructure objectives.
The Asigra Professional Services Suite provides flexibility in how the company supports its partners. Customers or partners may choose from one of Asigra’s standard offerings or select a fully customized service based on an hourly rate. Below are key selections from the Professional Services Suite:
Design Service:
Asigra’s Design Service is suited to service providers who need assistance with the design of a new installation or need to redesign an existing installation. Working closely with the service provider, Asigra Professional Services will design a solution to meet the business requirements to ensure stability, redundancy and performance, within the parameters of the requirements.
Upgrade/Migration Platform Service:
Asigra’s Platform Migration Service option offers the capability to quickly and efficiently migrate from a Windows platform to a Linux platform or vice-versa. This service is ideal for customers that wish to expand their current infrastructure to accommodate greater business demands or who are using an older version of software that needs to be upgraded.
Health Check Service:
Asigra’s Health Check Service is designed for those customers who are concerned they are not maximizing their backup solution. The service provides 3 days of onsite Asigra architectural and environmental review culminating in a report outlining recommendations to meet strategic backup requirements.
Architecture Configuration Service:
Asigra’s Architecture Configuration Service option is designed to assist customers that have Asigra software which needs to be configured into a grid or cluster configuration. Upon completion, computing performance will be improved with tasks being distributed across multiple nodes, allowing more data to be processed quicker, thereby shortening the backup window. The service is especially useful in ensuring that the architecture supporting Asigra is in a High Availability (HA) configuration for greater business continuity and confidence.
RFP Proposal Creation/Review Service
For those service providers who need Asigra’s assistance with the Asigra portion of their proposal response to an RFP, Asigra offers the RFP Proposal Creation/Review Service. The level of engagement is determined by the service provider, from “Review” to “Creation” of the Asigra portion of the proposal.
Managed POC Service:
For those service providers who may have a gap in resource or skill set, to carry out a proof of concept, Asigra offers the Managed POC Service. While the service provider remains engaged at all times, Asigra Professional Services will be the lead technical resource in the POC and manage the POC to the specifications of the test plan outlined by the end user.
Custom Report Creation Service:
Having visibility of the correct reporting data in a format that fits user requirements is critical for monitoring. Asigra’s custom report creation option leverages senior-level engineers and developers to assist in developing a database script that generates consistent reports with the same user-defined parameters as required.
API Custom Integration:
In order to improve business processes, operational efficiencies and easier integration between Web services and applications, Asigra assists with the development of custom APIs for integration with existing user application(s). In this level of support, Asigra configures and tweaks “Out-of-the-Box” APIs to enable interoperability.
The Asigra ICS portfolio is tiered into three service options with selections based on the volume and class of capabilities to be installed and configured*. These include:
- Bronze: New Vault Setup & Basic Configuration – DS-System, billing, Backup Lifecycle Management (BLM) and Autonomic Healing setup.
- Silver: New Vault Setup & Basic Configuration – DS-System, billing & BLM, Autonomic Healing, creation & configuration of 3 backup sets & retention rules, schedules + install & configure the NOC (DS-System, License Server, DS-Billing Server and BLM Archiver).
- Gold: New Vault Setup & Basic Configuration – DS-System, billing & BLM, Autonomic Healing, creation & configuration of 3 backup sets & retention rules, schedules + install & configure the NOC (DS-System, License Server, DS-Billing Server, BLM Archiver) + environment optimization (Advance parameters of the DS-Clients, DS-System, NOC, BLM Archiver, Billing Server and Performance Tuning) LAN storage discovery and Virtual Disaster Recovery (VDR) setup.
“The IT landscape and organizational requirements differ substantially from one enterprise to the next as does the complexity of certain environments,” said Bruce Hall, Director of Managed Services, Daymark Solutions Inc. “Asigra Professional Services provides assurance in knowing that regardless of the deployment scenario, they can configure or customize the environment for ease of management, proving rapid return on investment and validating Asigra’s value beyond software.”
“The professional services suite allows us to better support our customers and partners by providing engineer- and developer-driven guidance to ensure that new or enhanced installations are calibrated to their specific needs,” said Stephen Lee, Vice President, Technical Services, Asigra. “Asigra Professional Services speeds time-to-revenue for service providers while expediting business continuity for the enterprise customers they serve, expediting the financial and operational advantages of cloud-based data recovery.”
Pricing and Availability
Asigra Professional Services are available immediately with pricing based on the options selected.
IT Pros Getting Options with Microsoft’s Cloud Backup Service
Redmond: “With its Windows Azure Backup Service, Microsoft is giving enterprises yet another choice when it comes to data backup in the cloud. Microsoft released its Windows Azure Backup Service in October, joining a crowded field of service providers and adding to a roster of backup options for IT pros to consider. The rollout marked Microsoft as a newcomer to the cloud backup-as-a-service market. However, veteran software and services companies that offer their own backup and disaster recovery solutions have already partnered with Microsoft, in some cases, to add Windows Azure’s storage capabilities to their offerings.”
Read it:
http://redmondmag.com/articles/2013/11/08/microsoft-cloud-backup-service.aspx
How to Use Amazon Glacier as a Dirt Cheap Backup Solution
Lifehacker: “Not too long ago, Amazon introduced Glacier, an online storage/archiving solution that starts at just a penny per GB per month. Depending on your storage needs, Amazon Glacier could be the most cost-efficient way to back up your data for a lifetime. Here’s what you need to know about it and how to set it up.”
Read it:
http://lifehacker.com/how-to-use-amazon-glacier-as-a-dirt-cheap-backup-solut-1460814873
Asigra released 2TB Cloud Backup Connector Appliance
The new Cisco Integrated Service Router Generation 2 with Asigra Cloud Backup™ software preinstalled provides globally distributed organizations with the opportunity to maximize their technology investments. Protect all the data locally on the LAN or backup securely to your service provider’s offsite data center. Experience the freedom to explore data protection in any one of the cloud deployment models – Private, public, or hybrid.
Organizations looking to maximize their technology investments can now benefit from the new Asigra Cloud Backup Connector Appliance. The Cisco 3900 and 2900 family of routers are pre-installed with Asigra Cloud Backup providing enterprises with a simple, cost effective, and ready to use data protection infrastructure avoiding the need for separate IT investments for backup and recovery.
Enterprises can protect all the data on their LAN using the appliance storing up to 2TB of compressed and deduplicated backup data in the device’s internal storage with the ability to scale to 10TB of local data storage per device. Alternatively, organizations can choose to protect data offsite at a managed service provider’s cloud data center in a private or public cloud model or replicate the locally stored data to the service provider’s data center in a hybrid cloud model.
The Asigra Cloud Backup Connector Appliance provides enterprises with all the data protection benefits traditionally associated with Asigra Cloud Backup – agentless backup and restore, recovery and restore assurance through autonomic healing and restorability validation, global deduplication and compression, NIST FIPS 140-2 certified encryption and comprehensive support for all leading physical and virtual operating platforms.
Details:
http://www.asigra.com/solutions/cisco-cloud-backup-connector-appliance
Storage and Backup News 