DataFort - Offsite Backup Case Studies for Government, Small and Mid Sized Business

DataFort services meet the security needs for a broad range of companies. The examples below show some of the ways in which our services are used by customers.

	Local Government Authority Tape drives bought over the previous five years were beginning to show signs of wear. Some were breaking down. The challenge: Was it possible to improve data security without the expense of purchasing new equipment? Action: The DataFort Deluxe Backup Service provided the required data security including customer support and a regular rotation of hardware all included in the service price. Result: The IT manager was able to meet budgetary requirements, could rely on support if needed and met the new security goals suggested by the council.
	Four Person Consultancy This small agency has four consultants under near constant time pressure all working on high powered laptops. The challenge: The consultants were so rarely in the office, that sporadic backup to tape provided little security against the loss of critical data gathered in the field. The mid-project loss of a computer in an airport made it clear that the current backup strategy was putting the company at risk. Action: A DataFort account was created for each consultant. Backups take place daily while consultant logs in to check emails. Their IT advisor monitors accounts through the DataFort Client Admin Tool, calling the consultant directly if backup activity does not occur as expected. Result: A satisfied and properly protected customer.Now, if a laptop is lost or stolen, a new one can be loaded with the necessary data and couriered to wherever the consultant is working.
	FSA Regulated Asset Management Company Twenty workstations, one file server, one Exchange Server, all in a high pressure trading environment. The challenge: Change in FSA regulations motivated the IT manager to re-evaluate backup procedures. Given recent failures in tape rotation strategy, it was necessary to consider what improvements could be made. Action: The Vtape Backup Service was brought online to backup the file server and data base systems. This had the added benefit of creating a verifiable archive that met new FSA guidelines. One month later Exchange Server backup was brought online, which integrated seamlessly with Vtape. This provided the added flexibility to restore either local mailboxes or the full Exchange Server if equipment failed or was stolen. Result: A new strategy was put in place that removed tape rotation shortcomings from the mix. FSA requirements were met and all data was now easily accessible to the compliance officer, without taking up the IT department’s valuable time. Finally, upfront costs were minimised as there was no equipment purchase. Yearly backup charges could be budgeted for with a fair degree of accuracy for the full seven years of the FSA archive requirement.
	One Company/ Multiple Offices Company with 8 regional factories, each with a local file server. IT staff works daily in head office. The challenge: Backups performed by non-IT staff in the local factories were a constant headache. Restoring files if corrupted or accidentally deleted took days to organise and frequently yielded poor results. Action: Each site was provided was a unique DataFort account. Head office monitors backups from the Remote Admin Tool and manages restores remotely through terminal services. Result: The regional offices are running more smoothly and the IT department is considering implementing hosted exchange server to streamline the company’s unwieldy email services.