One of SA`s largest ICT firms is using a new Internet-based remote backup and retrieval system to keep its clients` data safe and secure.
T-Systems is deploying Backup Solutions, a backup, retrieval and data management system, distributed by the country`s largest provider of corporate Internet connectivity, Internet Solutions (IS).
About 50% of the data on computers is unsecured on distributed PCs within organisations instead of being housed securely on a central server.
"Backup Solutions performs automatic backups, at predetermined times, and sends the data to a server either on our premises or, if an organisation prefers, on its own," says Leon Labuschagne, GM of Remote Solutions at IS.
"Companies are working hard at collecting all the intelligence that exists on various devices and storing and organising it better. A typical PC will contain gigabytes of information - from important e-mail and scheduling communications to critical business, financial, customer, and employee documents. Having this properly backed-up is essential," he says.
The global pioneer of ICT convergence, T-Systems looks after the data on around 13 000 PCs. It is using Backup Solutions to backup data on mobile machines as well as at organisations that require better control of their backups.
The company`s Internet services manager, Dewald Botes, says Backup Solutions gets the nod for a number of reasons.
"Firstly it`s automatic - once it has been set up, there`s nothing a PC user has to do - the system backs up the data and sends it to a central, secure server.
"Secondly, because it is Internet-based, it uses bandwidth to send data during quiet times on the network. And thirdly, it`s not expensive - it doesn`t require a huge investment," says Botes.
Solutions OutSource software is set to backup sets of files or folders that the user nominates at a certain time and frequency. It zips up this data which is then sent securely to a server at IS where it is stored. After the initial single-instance backup has taken place, subsequent backups are quick because the system only updates the information that`s changed - for instance alterations to existing files or new files that have been added - via proprietary technology known as binary patching.
The Backup Solutions InSource solution does the same, except files are stored on site at a company`s own network.
"Users can decide exactly what data is backed up and when - then the system takes over and does the rest. There are also several versions of backed up data. If you`re looking for an older version of a document you just backed up, instead of giving you the current version, the software can retrieve versions that are several generations old," says Labuschagne.
"Efficient backup is more important than ever due to the volume of data generated by an increasingly mobile workforce," says Gary Novitzkas, Director of Sales and Marketing at Attix5, the company that supplies IS with the Backup Solutions software.
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Established in 1993 as the country`s first commercial Internet service provider, IS has grown in stature and today attracts 80% of the SA`s top 250 listed companies. IS remains the leading ISP with a market share of over 50%.
Probably one of the country`s most successful post-apartheid companies, IS has expanded from being a pure Internet connectivity provider to an innovative and pioneering business with services that include Internet access, VPNs, hosting, dial-up, security and business gateway solutions. Testimony to its recognition as a market leader IS has earned an impressive collection of awards, which includes eight First National Bank "Most Admired" awards, Professional Management Review silver and golden arrow awards and even a Loerie award for its design work.
In 2002 IS was certified as a Cisco Managed Security Service Provider (MSSP), the first and only company outside of the US to be awarded this accolade. The CPN-MSSP brand associates IS with the worldwide leaders in Internet security.
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