Tag: CDP

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Benefits of Moving Hyper-V Disaster Recovery to the Cloud Webinar

Benefits of Moving Hyper-V Disaster Recovery to the Cloud Webinar

Hyper-V Disaster Recovery sddc server storage I/O data infrastructure trends

Benefits of Moving Hyper-V Disaster Recovery to the Cloud and Achieve global cloud data availability from an Always-On approach with Veeam Cloud Connect webinar.

Feb. 28, 2018 at 11am PT / 2pm ET

Windows Server and Hyper-V software defined data center (SDDC) based applications need always on availability and access to data which means enabling cloud based data protection (including backup/recovery) for seamless disaster recovery (DR), business continuance (BC), business resiliency (BR) and high availability (HA). Key to an always on, available and accessible environment is having robust  RTO and RPO aligned to your application workload needs. In other words, time for data protection to work for you and your applications instead of you working for it (e.g. the data protection tools and technologies).

This free data protection webinar (registration required) sponsored by KeepItSafe produced by Virtualization & Cloud Review will be an interactive webinar discussion (not death by power point or Ui Gui product demo ;)) pertaining to enabling always on application (as well as data) availability for Windows Server and Hyper-V environments. Keep in mind with world backup day coming up on March 31 now is a good time to make sure your applications and data are protected as well as recoverable when something bad happens leveraging Hyper-V Disaster Recovery.

Hyper-V Disaster Recovery SDDC Data Infrastructure Data Protection

Join me along with representatives from Veeam and KeepItSafe for an informal conversation including strategies along with how to enable an always on, always available applications data infrastructure for Hyper-V based solutions.

Our conversation will include discussion around:

  • Data protection strategies for Microsoft Windows Server Hyper-V applications
  • Enabling rapid recovery time objectives (RTO) and good recovery point objectives (RPO)
  • Evolving from VM disaster recovery to cloud-based DRaaS
  • Implement 4 3 2 1 data protection availability for Hyper-V with Veeam and KeepItSafe DRaaS

Register for the live event or catch the replay here.

Where to learn more

Learn more about data protection, software defined data center (SDDC), software defined data infrastructures (SDDI), Hyper-V, cloud and related topics via the following links:

SDDC Data Infrastructure

Additional learning experiences along with common questions (and answers), as well as tips can be found in Software Defined Data Infrastructure Essentials book.

Software Defined Data Infrastructure Essentials Book SDDC

What this all means and wrap-up

You can not go forward if you can not go back to a particular point in time (e.g. recovery point objective or RPO). Likewise, if you can not go back to a given RPO, how can you go forward with your business as well as meet your recovery time objective (RTO)? Join us for the live conversation or replay by registering (free) here to learn how to enable robust Hyper-V Disaster Recovery and business resiliency.

Ok, nuff said, for now.

Gs

Greg Schulz – Microsoft MVP Cloud and Data Center Management, VMware vExpert 2010-2017 (vSAN and vCloud). Author of Software Defined Data Infrastructure Essentials (CRC Press), as well as Cloud and Virtual Data Storage Networking (CRC Press), The Green and Virtual Data Center (CRC Press), Resilient Storage Networks (Elsevier) and twitter @storageio. Courteous comments are welcome for consideration. First published on https://storageioblog.com any reproduction in whole, in part, with changes to content, without source attribution under title or without permission is forbidden.

All Comments, (C) and (TM) belong to their owners/posters, Other content (C) Copyright 2006-2024 Server StorageIO and UnlimitedIO. All Rights Reserved. StorageIO is a registered Trade Mark (TM) of Server StorageIO.

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Cloud conversations: confidence, certainty and confidentiality

Here is an interesting article from over at wired about proposed privacy law and court warrants for cloud data, along with this one over at information week. Both got me thinking about some things that I hear when out and about talking with IT professionals and their concerns around clouds.

StorageIO industry trends cloud, virtualization and big data

Common themes at the recent modernizing data protection and new realities of cloud and virtualization event series that I was involved with pertained to cloud concerns. Some organizations are already using clouds to some degree while others are taking a cautious approach. Some are all in, while others will take longer for various reasons. Likewise some are using a mix of public, private and hybrid to compliment their environments for collaboration, shared storage, compute, content distribution, backup, archive or BC and DR among other things. These environments range from SOHO or small SMB to ROBO to workgroup to enterprise, education and government of various size.

Often the conversations would evolve around gaining confidence with clouds as well as virtualization. In the case of clouds, given that some of the services as well as products, solutions or technologies are still young, there is still a learning and maturing curve. There are also other factors including the amount of hype and FUD around clouds has some people more skeptical or cautious to move forward. Granted there are also the true cynics which tend to be offset by the cloud crowd cheerleaders thus canceling each other out.

For the non cheerleaders and non cynics, hurdles to cloud adoption (in whole or in part, public, private or hybrid) tend to start with the letter C.

My message has and continues to be that of do not be scared of clouds and virtualization, however be ready, informed and decide what your concerns are. By determining your concerns, you can then work on figuring out what to do about those.

Here is a list of common cloud concerns and comments that I hear:
Cloud cheerleader hype
Cloud critics and cynics FUD
Confidence in cloud products or services
Certainty in cloud data protection or security
Cloud certifications and standards
Compatibility and interoperability
Classes and continuing education
Confidentially, privacy and security
Costs of cloud services or products
Country where cloud data is stored

There are many other items that can be added to the list that start with the letter C, however there are also some that start with P. For example, People, Products, Process, Procedures, Practices, Paradigm, Public or Private and Protocols among others.

Its one thing to be scared of something and not know what or why you are scared. It’s another thing to know or figure out what or why you are scared or concerned and then be able to do something about it. For example learn what standards such as SNIA CDMI among others exist and how those could be of help along with other tools or best practices from others.

Thus don’t be scared of clouds or virtualization, however do your homework, decide your concerns and then find what can be done about those. If you need help, drop me a note.

In the meantime, here is some more material:
Cloud and Virtual Data Storage Networking
More modernizing data protection, virtualization and clouds with certainty
Cloud conversations: AWS Government Cloud (GovCloud)
Amazon cloud storage options enhanced with Glacier
Open Data Center Alliance (ODCA) publishes two new cloud usage models
Data protection modernization, more than swapping out media
Amazon Web Services (AWS) and the NetFlix Fix?
What do VARs and Clouds as well as MSPs have in common?
Only you can prevent cloud data loss
The blame game: Does cloud storage result in data loss?
Cloud conversations: Loss of data access vs. data loss
Clouds are like Electricity: Dont be Scared
Poll: What Do You Think of IT Clouds?

Ok, nuff said for now.

Cheers Gs

Greg Schulz – Author Cloud and Virtual Data Storage Networking (CRC Press, 2011), The Green and Virtual Data Center (CRC Press, 2009), and Resilient Storage Networks (Elsevier, 2004)

twitter @storageio

All Comments, (C) and (TM) belong to their owners/posters, Other content (C) Copyright 2006-2012 StorageIO and UnlimitedIO All Rights Reserved

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What records will EMC break in NYC January 18, 2011?

What records will EMC break in NYC January 18, 2011?

In case you have not seen or heard, EMC is doing an event next week in New York City (NYC) at the AXA Equitable Center winter weather snow storm clouds permitting (and adequate tools or technologies to deal with the snow removal), that has a theme around breaking records. If you have yet to see any of the advertisements, blogs, tweets, facebook, friendfeed, twitter, yourtube or other mediums messages, here (and here and here) are a few links to learn more as well as register to view the event.

Click on the above image to see more

There is already speculation along with IT industry wiki leaks of what will be announced or talked about next week that you can google or find at some different venues.

The theme of the event is breaking records.

What might we hear?

In addition to the advisor, author, blogger and consultant hats that I wear, Im also in the EMCs analysts relations program and as such under NDA, consequently, what the actual announcement will be next week, no comment for now. BTW, I also wear other hats including one from Boeing even though I often fly on Airbus products as well.

If its not Boeing Im not going, except I do also fly Airbus, Embrear and Bombardiar products
Other hats I wear

However, how about some fun as to what might be covered at next weeks event with getting into a wiki leak situation?

  • A no brainier would be product (hardware, software, services) related as it is mid January and if you have been in the industry for more than a year or two, you might recall that EMC tends to a mid winter launch around this time of year along with sometimes an early summer refresh. Guess what time of the year it is.
  • Im guessing lots of superlatives, perhaps at a record breaking pace (e.g. revolutionary first, explosive growth, exponential explosive growth, perfect storm among others that could be candidates for the Storagebrain wall of fame or shame)
  • Maybe we will even hear that EMC has set a new record of number of members in Chads army aka the vspecialists focused on vSphere related topics along with a growing (quietly) number of Microsoft HyperV specialist.
  • That EMC has a record number of twitter tweeps engaged in conversations (or debates) with different audiences, collectives, communities, competitors, customers, individuals, organizations, partners or venues among others.
  • Possibly that their involvement in the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) has resulted in enough savings to offset the impact of hosting the event making it carbon and environment neutral. After all, we already know that EMC has been in the CDP as in Continual or Constant Data Protection as well as Complete or Comprehensive Data Protection along with Cloud Data Protection not to mention Common Sense Data Protection (CSDP) for sometime now.
  • Perhaps something around the number of acquisitions, patents, products, platforms, products and partners they have amassed recently.
  • For investors, wishful thinking that they will be moving their stock into record territories.
  • Im also guessing we will hear or see a record number of tweets, posts, videos and stories.
  • To be fair and balanced, Im also expecting a record number of counter tweets, counter posts, counter videos and counter stories coming out of the event.

Some records I would like to see EMC break however Im not going to hold my breath at least for next week include:

  • Announcement of upping the game in performance benchmarking battles with record setting or breaking various SPC benchmark results submitted on their own (instead of via a competitor or here) in different categories of block storage devices along with entries for SSD based, clustered and virtualized. Of course we would expect to hear how those benchmarks and workload simulations really do not matter which would be fine, at least they would have broken some records.
  • Announcement of having shipped more hard disk drives (HDD) than anyone else in conjunction with shipping more storage than anyone else. Despite being continually declared dead (its not) and SSD gaining traction, EMC would have a record breaking leg to stand on if the qualify amount of storage shipped as external or shared or networked (SAN or NAS) as opposed to collective (e.g. HP with servers and storage among others).
  • Announcement that they are buying Cisco, or Cisco is buying them, or that they and Cisco are buying Microsoft and Oracle.
  • Announcement of being proud of the record setting season of the Patriots, devastated to losing a close and questionable game to the NY Jets, wishing them well in the 2010 NFL Playoffs (Im just sayin…).
  • Announcement of being the first vendor and solution provider to establish SaaS, PaaS, IaaS, DaaS and many other XaaS offerings via their out of this world new moon base (plans underway for Mars as part of a federated offering).
  • Announcement that Fenway park will be rebranded as the house that EMC built (or rebuilt).

Disclosure: I will be in NYC on Tuesday the 18th as one of EMCs many guests that they have picked up airfare and lodging, thanks to Len Devanna and the EMC social media crew for reaching out and extending the invitation.

Other guests of the event will include analysts, advisors, authors, bloggers, beat writers, consultants, columnist, customers, editors, media, paparazzi, partners, press, protesters (hopefully polite ones), publishers, pundits, twitter tweepps and writers among others.

I wonder if there will also be a record number of disclosures made by others attending the event as guests of EMC?

More after (or maybe during) the event.

Ok, nuff said.

Cheers gs

Greg Schulz – Author Cloud and Virtual Data Storage Networking (CRC Press), The Green and Virtual Data Center (CRC Press) and Resilient Storage Networks (Elsevier)
twitter @storageio

All Comments, (C) and (TM) belong to their owners/posters, Other content (C) Copyright 2006-2024 Server StorageIO and UnlimitedIO LLC All Rights Reserved

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Another StorageIO Appearance on Storage Monkeys InfoSmack

Following up from a previous appearance, I recently had another opportunity to participate in another Storage Monkeys InfoSmack podcast episode.

In the most recent podcast, discussions were centered on the recent service disruption at Microsoft/T-Mobile Side-Kick cloud services, FTC blogger disclosure guidelines, is Brocade up for sale and who should buy them, SNIA and SNW among other topics.

Here are a couple of relevant links pertaining to topics discussed in this InfoSmack session.

If you are involved with servers, storage, I/O networking, virtualization and other related data infrastructure topics, check out Storage Monkeys and InfoSmack.

Cheers – gs

Greg Schulz – StorageIO, Author “The Green and Virtual Data Center” (CRC)

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Clouds and Data Loss: Time for CDP (Commonsense Data Protection)?

Today SNIA released a press release pertaining to cloud storage timed to coincide with SNW where we can only presume vendors are talking about their cloud storage stories.

Yet chatter on the coconut wire along with various news (here and here and here) and social media sites is how could cloud storage and information service provider T-Mobile/Microsoft/Side-Kick loose customers data?

Data loss is a dangerous phrase, after all, your data may still be intact somewhere, however if you cannot get to it when needed, that may seem like data loss to you.

There are many types of data loss including loss of accessibility or availability along with flat out loss. Let me clarify, loss of data availability or accessibility means that somewhere, your data is still intact, perhaps off-line on a removable disk, optical, tape or at another site on-line, near-line or off-line, its just that you cannot get to it yet. There is also real data loss where both your primary copy and backup as well as archive data are lost, stolen, corrupted or never actually protected.

Clouds or managed service providers in general are getting beat up due to some loss of access, availability or actual data loss, however before jumping on that bandwagon and pointing fingers at the service, how about a step back for a minute. Granted, given all of the cloud hype and proliferation of managed service offerings on the web (excuse me cloud), there is a bit of a lightning rod backlash or see I told you so approach.

Whats different about this story compared to prior disruptions with Amazon, Google, Blackberry among others is that unlike where access to information or services ranging from calendar, emails, contacts or other documents is disrupted for a period of time, it sounds as those data may have been lost.

Lost data you should say? How can you lose data after all there are copies of copies of data that have been snapshot, replicated and deduplicated storage across different tiered storage right?

Certainly anyone involved in data management or data protection is asking the question; why not go back to a snapshot copy, replicated volute, backup copy on disk or tape?

Needless to say, finger pointing aerobics are or will be in full swing. Instead, lets ask the question, is it time for CDP as in Commonsense Data Protection?

However, rather than point blame or spout off about how bad clouds are, or, that they are getting an un-fair shake and un-due coverage, and that just because there might be a few bad ones, not all clouds are bad particularly with recent outages.

I can think of many ways on how to actually lose data, however, to totally lose data requires not a technology failure, it can be something much simpler and is equally applicable to cloud, virtual and physical data centers and storage environments from the largest to the smallest to the consumer. Its simple, common sense, best practices, making copies of all data and keeping extra copies around somewhere, with more frequent or recent data having copies readily available.

Some trends Im seeing include among others:

  • Low cost craze leveraging free or near free services and products
  • Cloud hype and cloud bashing and need to discuss wide area in between those extremes
  • Renewed need for basic data protection including BC/DR, HA, backup and security
  • Opportunity to re-architect data protection in conjunction with other initiatives
  • Lack of adequate funding for continued and proactive data protection

Just to be safe, lets revisit some common data protection best practices:

  • Learn from mistakes, preferable during testing with aim to avoid repeating them again
  • Most disasters in IT and elsewhere are the result of a chain of events not being contained
  • RAID is not a replacement for backup, it simply provides availability or accessibility
  • Likewise, mirroring or replication by themselves is not a replacement for backup.
  • Use point in time RPO based data protection such as snapshots or backup with replication
  • Maintain a master backup or gold copy that can be used to restore to a given point of time
  • Keep backup on another medium, also protect backup catalog or other configuration data
  • If using deduplication, make sure that indexes/dictionary or Meta data is also protected.
  • Moving your data into the cloud is not a replacement for a data protection strategy
  • Test restoration of backed data both locally, as well as from cloud services
  • Employ data protection management (DPM) tools for event correlation and analysis
  • Data stored in clouds need to be part of a BC/DR and overall data protection strategy
  • Have extra copy of data placed in clouds kept in alternate location as part of BC/DR
  • Ask yourself, what will do you when your cloud data goes away (note its not if, its when)
  • Combine multiple layers or rings of defines and assume what can break will break

Clouds should not be scary; Clouds do not magically solve all IT or consumer issues. However they can be an effective tool when of high caliber as part of a total data protection strategy.

Perhaps this will be a wake up call, a reminder, that it is time to think beyond cost savings and a shift back to basic data protection best practices. What good is the best or most advanced technology if you have less than adequate practices or polices? Bottom line, time for Commonsense Data Protection (CDP).

Ok, nuff said for now, I need to go and make sure I have a good removable backup in case my other local copies fail or Im not able to get to my cloud copies!

Ok, nuff said.

Cheers gs

Greg Schulz – Author Cloud and Virtual Data Storage Networking (CRC Press), The Green and Virtual Data Center (CRC Press) and Resilient Storage Networks (Elsevier)
twitter @storageio

All Comments, (C) and (TM) belong to their owners/posters, Other content (C) Copyright 2006-2024 Server StorageIO and UnlimitedIO LLC All Rights Reserved