It is essential for companies to employ a backup storage solution as a precautionary step to enable data recovery after a cyberattack or disaster.
See below for five case studies on how organizations in different industries are using backup storage solutions to solve their data backup challenges:
DTC
Baltimore-based DTC is a managed service provider (MSP) with a centralized assistive platform for dentists and doctors throughout the mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. The company covers over 450 doctors and 500 servers spanning 10 geographic locations.
DTC previously realized the value of deploying backup storage after its conventional backup system failed and no other copy of a file was created beforehand.
“We’re taking care of people’s livelihoods. Reliability is extremely important to us. And there was a time when we lost an important file, because of the backup fiasco,” says Nate Smith, CTO, DTC.Â
“The application we were using said they had it backed up, but we couldn’t pull it down. In the end, it was gone.”
After integrating Backblaze with their systems, DTC started verifying backups without extracting on-premises data and doing away with the hectic manual authentication process. The move to using a backup storage solution resulted in DTC offering infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) to their long-term clients.
“We didn’t have to re-seed backups. The data pulled over at an average 6 Gb per second,” Smith says. “Once it was there, we just did another incremental from the client side — and done.”
Industry: IT and consultancy
Backup storage provider: Backblaze and MSP360
Outcomes:
- Cost saving of up to $68,000
- 55% improvement in backup implementation
- Backing up over 500 servers and 6,000 endpoints within half a day; previously having a track record of a minimum of two days
- Seamless migration of 575 TB of backup within weeks
The Center for Sales Strategy
Steve Marx founded The Center for Sales Strategy (CSS) to help enterprises with their sales and marketing needs, engaging old customers while converting random visitors into potential clients.
For a long time, CSS dealt with connectivity issues with their consumers. These users were distributed across the globe. Some were based in Canada, and others were located in Australia and Malaysia. CSS’s policy asks consultants to be in the same city as the client, creating the need for backup storage for remote work requirements.
“We use a combination of desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones, and most of us have a MiFi hub,” says Matt Sunshine, EVP, CSS.Â
“We have a business-driven need to stay on top of client requests — that means having the files we need at our fingertips.”
Previously, CSS relied on emails to store important files. However, frequent email and drive crashes forced the team to rethink its storage solutions. SugarSync came with a storage app compatible across devices, so consultants can remote access the app without having to go through emails.
“I can be at lunch with a client who references a presentation I delivered last time I was in town, and I can pull out my phone right then and there and send it over to them,” Sunshine says. “It sets us apart.
“I can share documents, even large files, with clients while I’m boarding a plane. I simply go to my backup storage account and have my stuff available to me. The ability to serve customers wherever, whenever is terrific.”
Industry: Sales and marketing
Backup storage provider: SugarSync
Outcomes:
- Implementing an easy backup storage process, especially for a non-tech audience
- Creating automated file backups with access across multiple devices
- Remote access to files without any PC requirements
- Size-agnostic backup process, reducing the need for multiple service providers
Viessmann
The German manufacturer Viessmann serves over 13,000 employees across 22 production companies.
Viessmann frequently faced inter-departmental security risks and on-premises leaks of confidential information. Moreover, the data sharing process across divisions was inconsistent, leading to pressure on information and communications technology (ICT) resources and the use of complex tooling. Ensuring uniform collaboration between in-office and remote teams posed another challenge for the Viessmann team.
“Understandably, our R&D and procurement departments had become extremely cautious when it came to collaborating with external partners, suppliers, and internal colleagues,” says Felix Nolte, solution manager workspace, Viessmann.
“We needed a storage and security solution to run smoothly for all parties involved.”
Viessmann started using Tresorit for their backup and security. Tresorit created an encrypted file sharing and backup storage system for all Viessmann departments with special access control for R&D, CAD models, and product designs. The approach ensured no confidential information goes out of the system without traces.
Industry: Manufacturing
Backup storage provider: Tresorit
Outcomes:
- Activating licenses hassle-free across units for easy and sensitive data sharing
- A unified system offering remote access, version control, and document sharing across devices
- End-to-end backup storage encryption and carefully crafted usage policy for third parties
- Streamlining the file tracking system in case of accidents and an overwhelmed system
7 Layer IT Solutions
7 Layer provides critical IT services to over 250 private equity firms.Â
Michael Luehr, IT manager at 7 Layer, frequently encountered end-user errors leading to data losses. Moreover, 50% of the clients had a mobile life; meaning easy thefts and hard retrievals.
“If a computer is lost or stolen and if the data is kept only locally on it or network storage, when that computer dies, so does the data,” Luehr says. “Nothing protects those in-progress files that hours of work generate and could easily be lost on a flight, commute on a train, or taken out of a backpack when no one is looking.
“That’s where a backup storage provider comes into the picture.”
With CrashPlan, Luehr and his team create internal backup storage policies for each client, so all stakeholders can access the data copy during a disaster. Every 7 Layer client has a backup storage account tied to 7 Layer and CrashPlan’s global admin infrastructure. These backups are now protected irrespective of a user’s independent devices.Â
So even if a client loses their data, they can always come back to 7 Layer, log in to their account, and access every required information. Moreover, the backup storage comes with additional protection from ransomware and online cyber threats.
“It’s so much easier to have software on a computer that backs up to the cloud and doesn’t need a VM connection to it,” Luehr says.
Industry: Fintech
Backup storage provider: CrashPlan
Outcomes:
- Shift from backing servers to individual end-user devices
- Easy monthly backups with minimal (around 2%) transfer corruption
- Simultaneous backup in the cloud and a physical storage space
- Weekly backup reports and set up alerts for managing a client’s data needs
- SEC-compliant storage and management practices
Alchemy Communications
Alchemy Communications offers data center services to Southern California customers, including large companies and government agencies.
Alchemy needed a backup storage provider that met both HIPAA and Sarbanes-Oxley requirements while offering an online access option for the stored data.
Since its inception, Alchemy relied on tapes to store sensitive user data; however, the process turned out to be resource-intensive and unreliable for clients’ demands.
IDrive converted all tape backups into cloud storage by extending access to not only Alchemy employees, but to remote clients. Stakeholders need login credentials enabled with end-user access.
The backup storage solution has also made disaster recovery simple for Alchemy. In case an attack strikes, Alchemy can shut off its data centers and control cloud backup access on a need basis.
Industry: Cloud and data center provider
Backup storage provider: IDrive
Outcomes:
- Shift from tape backups to remote, cloud backups
- Reducing CapEx requirements and taking them down to the OpEx levels
- Zero upfront hardware costs and reduction in maintenance requirements
