Overview:
Business Continuum addresses all 3 "IT Severity Levels" of Disaster:
| Severity Level | Examples |
|---|
| 1 File loss | Loss of individual files through user error, deletion, incorrect data loaded |
| 2 System loss | Loss of server (theft, flood, fire, hardware failure) |
| 3 Displacement | Loss of Office infrastructure |
At the heart of Business Continuum is a uniquely designed and custom-built unit called the Local Data Manager (LDM). The LDM is a significantly powerful unit that is plugged anywhere on your local network (away from your servers!) where it backs up every nominated server, every night, in a format that is restorable onto dissimilar server hardware. It then makes a second copy to a removable hard-drive (256AES encrypted) for off-site storage.
Test Restores of any server can be performed on-demand which run on the LDM under VMWare. These allow you to review changes made last night (e.g. emails, account transactions) for your own verification. No need to find the right tape, attend DR sites - it's all done for you. On confirmation, we then re-issue you a certificate confirming your back-up status.
Each LDM can look after up to 8 servers. The maximum data volume depends on the number of days of on-line roll-backs you want to keep. As an indication, the LDM can keep a total of 250Gb server data on-line for approximately 1 month.
In the event that you lost a server (theft, fire, flood etc) or had a hardware failure (so now it's repaired you have a blank system), we can recover your entire server(s) onto new or repaired hardware without fuss and generally within 4-6 hours of starting (depends on data volumes).
Ultimately, if you lost your offices (see also "FAQs"), we would perform the same restore onto new server(s) and either ship them to your new temporary offices or host them at our DataCentre in Canary Wharf (100Mb access). Your users can then work from home, Serviced offices anywhere with Internet access - using Terminal Services whilst you sort out whatever has happened to your offices.
The LDM:
The LDM is the cornerstone of our Business Continuum solution. Through this topology design you have:
- Instant individual file recovery (no popping home for the last tape, cataloging it and restore) it's a simple drag and drop via the LDM's web interface, all at LAN speeds,
- Even if you lose an entire server (e.g. disk failure/corruption, theft etc), with the LDM in place a complete 100Gb server would be recovered within 2-3 hours, even onto completely different hardware. If you've ever had to try to do that with a tape (even assuming media compatabiliy and a good back-up), you'll know what a relief that is.
- In the event you lose your entire office (and hence the LDM too), then we only require the removable disk which is itself a perfect copy of the LDM. We can restore your servers equally fast off this disk as the original LDM.
- The removable drive (additional available) also allows you to keep "archive copies". These are cheaper per Gb than tapes and a lot more reliable and easier to catalogue.