ITWeb Cloud Summit 2018 hosts experts from across industry to uncover the evolution of cloud from a disruptive force to next-generation IT. The event guarantees you more than ever before in experts, content, case studies, and relevant local insight, including access to Redstor pre-sales consultant Jason Kotze. If you are wondering whether a hybrid cloud solution could be the answer for your organisation you may find your answer here.
ITWeb: You are presenting on 'An exploration of how state-owned Trans-Caledon Tunnel Authority (TCTA) successfully migrated their back-up to the cloud', please could you elaborate on this?
Kotze: TCTA moved from a tape-based solution to a hybrid solution - comprised of an On-Site Redstor Platform with Cloud Mirror. This configuration provided the benefit of having backed up data available on-LAN, together with the redundancy and security provided by an off-site copy of the backup data. TCTA and Redstor are discussing making use of the Redstor/IS Cloud Solution - with both Primary and Mirror data being offsite. This has become an option due to the release of additional functionality with the Redstor Backup Pro's Local Backup Copy - and being able to use our Instant Data functionality from an on-LAN storage resource, providing the flexibility of an on-site platform without the compute overhead associated. I would mention the limited connectivity as well, with the ability to push back-ups offsite successfully with the minimum of changes.
ITWeb: What challenges/complexities did you experience during this migration journey? How did you overcome them?
Kotze: Restoring a lot of data in a short period of time, within an environment with relatively poor connectivity, will always present a challenge. Fortunately, we are able to deploy our solution with a degree of flexibility - as an On-Site, Cloud only - or Hybrid of these - providing TCTA with the ability to recover their data quickly, from within their LAN, as well as provide a secure offsite copy, even with the existing connectivity. TCTA had a traditional IT environment, and their options were limited due to slow connectivity. This, coupled with their backup requirements forced them to utilise multiple backup tools in order to protect both servers and desktops - thereby introducing complexity to the management of their estate. There was always a requirement for a unified solution, a single pane of glass from which to simply and elegantly manage their estate. New functionality like Full System Recovery and Instant Data from Local Backup Copy provides reduced Recovery Time Objectives and operational flexibility.
ITWeb: If you had to provide a checklist of what you did to make this migration happen - what would the five key check boxes be?
Kotze: Redstor approaches engagements consultatively - endeavouring to gain a holistic view of each client's world before proposing potential solutions to the individual requirements. If I were to put this in point form, it would follow a broad consultation framework:
- Understand the client's requirement and special considerations.
- Understand the client's environment and any limitations.
- Understand the business risk and value of downtime and service interruption in order to provide context.
- Understand the client's desired outcomes and expectations.
- Ensure the proposed solution corresponds with these points - and articulate the benefits, caveats and limitations of the proposed solution.
Typically, there are a few considerations that need to be made when investigating Cloud Backup as an option: the dataset - this includes the amount of data, the type of data and file count - as well as backup windows, connectivity and recovery point and recovery time objectives. TCTA's requirement and the Redstor Backup Solution's feature set at the time favoured a hybrid solution. Redstor Backup Pro is an actively developed product, new feature and functionality releases provide increased operational flexibility. These new features now permit us to present new options that will provide improved recovery options and reduce infrastructure impact.
ITWeb: Why are you presenting at the Cloud Summit in February, what outcomes would you like attendees to leave the event with?
Kotze: As an experienced provider of our Cloud Backup Service, we have both the experience and willingness to assist our clients with the knowledge and guidance to assess their specific backup goals. Our intent is to provide insight into what is typically involved in moving to a cloud solution - what the key drivers are, where mistakes are made, and how to choose the right platform for the required outcome.
For instance, initially, TCTA migrated to a hybrid solution, including an on-site platform and mirroring to the cloud but as their needs changed and through continuous support from Redstor they have since decided to consider a full cloud migration.
We would like attendees to leave with an idea of the options that are available to them, the challenges they might face, and the benefits they would enjoy in using Redstor's cloud-based backup solution.
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