Himag Solutions is first Doyenz UK rCloud user
1 min read
Electronics manufacturer Himag Solutions has become the first firm in the UK to implement Doyenz's recently launched cloud-based disaster recovery system.
Doyenz's service is now protecting Himag's business critical systems, which are required by users on three continents 24/7, via its new Tier 1 data centre facility at Interxion in London.
In brief detail, Gloucestershire-based Himag runs most business operations – email, contacts, product database and remote access – from a Microsoft Small Business 2011 Server in Quedgeley.
However, Himag managing director Dean Curran explains that business continuity – formerly comprising daily backup and re-siting – needed upgrading, and hence the move to the Doyenz rCloud.
"Under the old system, we estimated that if we had a server failure, it would take at least a day to recover. Worse case of maybe several days if we needed to fully rebuild our server," comments Curran.
"We have field staff and manufacturing partners around the world that need constant access to our Microsoft applications, and the prospect of an IT outage for such a length of time was not acceptable."
Late last November (2011), a team from Himag's IT supplier Technos performed a local backup of the critical server, which was then seeded via a removable drive sent to the Doyenz UK. The complete server image was then updated in the rCloud, with an incremental backup sent from Himag via a broadband connection every night.
Now, in the event of an outrage, Himag staff can gain immediate access to business-critical applications through any Internet-connected web browser.
"The yearly cost of business continuity and server monitoring solution from Technos is less than one lost deal or delayed order," states Curran.
"For us, it provides a recovery position for our Microsoft SBS, which can be fully tested and able to deal with even the most severe outage," he adds.
Incidentally, Technos can also test system upgrades and new software on behalf of Himag using a replica IT production environment started in parallel from within the rCloud Virtual Lab.
"If there is a major operating system patch or if we are integrating any new software, we can carry out the development work in the replica production server, test it and then go live in the production environment without impacting the client," explains Mike Gibbs, managing director of Technos.
