Posted by Ted Johnson on Sun, May 30, 2010 @ 12:11 PM
Business continuity planning (BCP) means that a business has a plan to follow when an event occurs that may stop it from operating. This could be anything from a minor interruption to a full blown disaster. The object of the plan is to keep the business safe and secure with a minimized loss of down time.
Most departments inside a business have a BC plan to follow when an event happens. These plans are called checklists, and they must be followed in order. This blog is for the IT department's BCP, to help create a checklist of what to do before and after the storm.
Once your location has become a hurricane watch or warning the threat to a suspension (shutdown) of your business is real. It's time to get out the checklist. Make sure everyone has a current copy and knows their assignments.
Caveat: This checklist is very basic. We know that every business is different. Use this information as a starting point to help create your own IT checklist for shutting down and restarting your business' computers. Once you have a checklist implemented you should run a full trial, making sure nothing has been forgotten and everyone knows what to do. Whenever you update or add any IT device, you should look at your checklist and update as necessary.
Before the Storm: Getting ready to secure your business' IT
- Start with an orderly shutdown of the computers. Typically shutdown all workstations first, servers last.
- Next, disconnect the computers and components from the wall. This is easily accomplished by turning off and unplugging the UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) that the computer and components are plugged into. (The less you disconnect the easer it will be to restart.)
- Disconnect the Ethernet cables attached to the computers.
- Turn off your Internet modem, router, and other Internet components, then turn off and unplug the UPS that protects these items (At this point nothing should be plugged into any electric outlet.)
- Disconnect the Internet connection cable from your modem and disconnect the Ethernet cable from the modem to the router.
If your business is in a flood zone you should move your computers and any components that are on the ground off the ground (at least desk or table top height).After the Storm: Getting ready to restart your business' IT
- Reconnect the Internet connection cable to your modem and the Ethernet cable to the router.
- Plug in the UPS that powers your Internet modem, router, and other Internet components , turn on the UPS then turn on the modem first, router, etc. Once your modem and router lights indicate you have an Internet connection, you are ready to continue.
- Reconnect the Ethernet cables into the computers.
- Starting with servers (last one shutdown is the first one on) plug in the UPS that powers the server. Turn on the UPS, then the monitor and other components. Usually the last thing is the computer.
- Once all the servers are running, you can start powering up the workstations using the same method as the servers.
It's important to only power up one device at a time. Starting more than one at a time could cause a power surge followed by a blackout, especially if the building's power was off because of the storm.
Everyday Continuity: Planning for Data Recovery
How good are your backups? Your business' data is your most important asset. It should go without saying that your data must be backed up every business day, storm or no storm.
Are your backups stored in a safe location? Your backups must be stored off premises in a safe and secure location that offers easy access to recover your information should the occasion occur.
Experts recommend using an automated online backup service. HexiSTOR's online Backup / Restore products will automatically backup your business data using the Internet to a safe and secure location. Your data is available 24/7 to restore anything from a single file to a complete server. Try the HexiSTOR 30-day free backup trial and see the difference a business oriented backup service will make.
Posted by Dick Mulvihill on Mon, May 17, 2010 @ 12:46 PM
Below is the national Institute of standards and technology's defination of Cloud Computing, http://csrc.nist.gov/groups/SNS/cloud-computing/
Authors: Peter Mell and Tim Grance
Version 15, 10-7-09
National Institute of Standards and Technology, Information Technology Laboratory
Note 1: Cloud computing is still an evolving paradigm. Its definitions, use cases, underlying technologies, issues, risks, and benefits will be refined in a spirited debate by the public and private sectors. These definitions, attributes, and characteristics will evolve and change over time.
Note 2: The cloud computing industry represents a large ecosystem of many models, vendors, and market niches. This definition attempts to encompass all of the various cloud approaches.
Definition of Cloud Computing:
Cloud computing is a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications, and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction. This cloud model promotes availability and is composed of five essential characteristics, three service models, and four deployment models.
Essential Characteristics:
On-demand self-service. A consumer can unilaterally provision computing capabilities, such as server time and network storage, as needed automatically without requiring human interaction with each service's provider.
Broad network access. Capabilities are available over the network and accessed through standard mechanisms that promote use by heterogeneous thin or thick client platforms (e.g., mobile phones, laptops, and PDAs).
Resource pooling. The provider's computing resources are pooled to serve multiple consumers using a multi-tenant model, with different physical and virtual resources dynamically assigned and reassigned according to consumer demand. There is a sense of location independence in that the customer generally has no control or knowledge over the exact location of the provided resources but may be able to specify location at a higher level of abstraction (e.g., country, state, or datacenter). Examples of resources include storage, processing, memory, network bandwidth, and virtual machines.
Rapid elasticity. Capabilities can be rapidly and elastically provisioned, in some cases automatically, to quickly scale out and rapidly released to quickly scale in. To the consumer, the capabilities available for provisioning often appear to be unlimited and can be purchased in any quantity at any time.
Measured Service. Cloud systems automatically control and optimize resource use by leveraging a metering capability at some level of abstraction appropriate to the type of service (e.g., storage, processing, bandwidth, and active user accounts). Resource usage can be monitored, controlled, and reported providing transparency for both the provider and consumer of the utilized service.
Service Models:
Cloud Software as a Service (SaaS). The capability provided to the consumer is to use the provider's applications running on a cloud infrastructure. The applications are accessible from various client devices through a thin client interface such as a web browser (e.g., web-based email). The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, storage, or even individual application capabilities, with the possible exception of limited user-specific application configuration settings.
Cloud Platform as a Service (PaaS). The capability provided to the consumer is to deploy onto the cloud infrastructure consumer-created or acquired applications created using programming languages and tools supported by the provider. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure including network, servers, operating systems, or storage, but has control over the deployed applications and possibly application hosting environment configurations.
Cloud Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS). The capability provided to the consumer is to provision processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing resources where the consumer is able to deploy and run arbitrary software, which can include operating systems and applications. The consumer does not manage or control the underlying cloud infrastructure but has control over operating systems, storage, deployed applications, and possibly limited control of select networking components (e.g., host firewalls).
Deployment Models:
Private cloud. The cloud infrastructure is operated solely for an organization. It may be managed by the organization or a third party and may exist on premise or off premise.
Community cloud. The cloud infrastructure is shared by several organizations and supports a specific community that has shared concerns (e.g., mission, security requirements, policy, and compliance considerations). It may be managed by the organizations or a third party and may exist on premise or off premise.
Public cloud. The cloud infrastructure is made available to the general public or a large industry group and is owned by an organization selling cloud services.
Hybrid cloud. The cloud infrastructure is a composition of two or more clouds (private, community, or public) that remain unique entities but are bound together by standardized or proprietary technology that enables data and application portability (e.g., cloud bursting for load-balancing between clouds).
Note: Cloud software takes full advantage of the cloud paradigm by being service oriented with a focus on statelessness, low coupling, modularity, and semantic interoperability.
Posted by Dick Mulvihill on Mon, May 17, 2010 @ 12:41 PM
Hexistor has upgraded our resilient infrastructure with the addition of SAS 70 Type II/Tier III disaster recovery centers in four North American locations. The data centers are designed and constructed to deliver world-class physical security, power availability, and infrastructure flexibility and growth capacity.
The 100,000 square foot Tier III+ 2N+1, NEBS Level-3 building standards data center in Chicago's western suburbs is engineered with the highest level of redundant systems to deliver a 99.999% uptime service level agreement.
The SAS 70 audit independently verifies the validity and functionality of a data Center's control activities and processes. These control activities and processes are important to customers within the financial, healthcare, and insurance sectors, as well as to publicly traded companies who must validate the security of their financial and sensitive information controls. A yearly audit is performed to not only verify that procedures are in place and effective, but that they are maintained.
In addition to state-of-the-art data centers, customer data is stored on EMC/Avamar VMware Virtual Edition Data Stores. Avamar Data Store utilizes grid architecture, enabling linear performance and capacity increases by simply adding servers. To ensure a high availability, Avamar Data Store employs patented redundant array independent nodes (RAIN) technology to provide fault tolerance across the an Avamar grid -eliminating single points of failure.
Using EMC/Avamar data de-duplication technology Hexistor's utility base Hybrid Cloud Data Protection eliminates backup CAPEX and provides:
- 10x reduction in backup windows
- 500 x reduction in bandwidth resources and cost
- 10x reduction in restore times
- Elimination of backup secondary storage costs
- Servers
- Disks
- Data Center
- Reduction in technical support
- Save 1.6 full-time equivalents (FTEs) over three years
- Refocus staff on revenue-producing applications
- Virtualization migration path
To minimize lost revenue due to downtime and eliminate capital expenditure for backups and ongoing maintenance, sign up for free 30-day trial of Hexistor's Hybrid Cloud Data Protection Service. Backup test results are immediate - day 1 backups are automated, day 2 daily full backups are 10 X faster, day 30 backup costs are cut in half.
Posted by Ted Johnson on Mon, Apr 12, 2010 @ 09:25 AM
HexiSTOR will be an exhibitor at the 2010 Hospitality Industry Technology Exposition and Conference or HITEC. This year the event is in Orlando, Florida at the Orange County Convention Center, we will be at booth #340 on June 22 through the 24. Stop by and meet our experts, we can show you how your business will increases it's bottom line by using our 'Online Backup / Restore Systems'.
During the event HexiSTOR will be giving away an Apple iPad to a lucky HITEC 2010
attendee. To be eligible to win, you must register at our booth #340 before noon June 24. The iPad drawing will take place at our booth on June 24, 1:00PM . You do not need to be present to win! The winner's name will be posted at our booth, on our website, Facebook page, and Twitter.
To qualify you must be an HITEC attendee, or a member of HFTP (Hospitality Financial and Technology Professionals), you can only register at our booth (#340). One registration per attendee. Other rules and regulations may apply, our booth will have all the details.
The iPad is a 16GB WiFi only model. If the winner is unable to take the iPad with them, it will be shipped to the address that was provided.
See You At Booth 340
Posted by Dick Mulvihill on Tue, Mar 16, 2010 @ 02:39 PM
The real to real challenge is not backup, but restoring your data for continuous business operations.
How long does it take you to restore data from your tapes system? - an hour - a day - a week
How long does it take you to recover from a failed server or all of your servers? -days -weeks
With Hexistor, Hybrid Cloud Data Protection
- File level restores are in seconds on demand over the Internet from data stored on disks offsite at secured disaster recovery sites.
- With bare metal restore servers are recovered in minutes from full disk images stored on onsite disks.