Tag Archives: IBM Tivoli Storage Manager

09.05.14
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Don’t Forget These Things When Data Backup and Recovery Processes are Being Developed

When evaluating data backup and recovery processes, there are several things to consider.

First, and maybe most importantly, recognize this will be the most mission critical activity undertaken when the company’s data needs to be restored. There is often an inclination to assign data backup to the most junior IT staff member because IT staffs are overloaded. This decision could be detrimental when the time arises to get the data back in production and the company back online. Data backup and recovery must be put in the hands of professionals that understand this complex discipline.Planning Technical Processes

There should also be an understanding that data recovery does not only occur in the case of a natural disaster. Data backup and recovery strategies must also meet company policies regarding regulatory requirements, data breaches, ability to respond to court orders, and more. This requires coordinated strategies and testing. Data Backup strategies must be planned and tested to assure all company requirements regarding data retention and recovery are met.

The design of the Data Backup process has multiple dimensions. These multiple dimensions must all be considered when designing the process, handling of exceptions and the physical network to support the backup and restore process. One dimension cannot be discussed without overlaying the other dimensions to develop a complete solution. The analysis must consider the function of the data, the medium the data is on, the physical location of the data in relation to the location of its backup site, to name just a few.

Recovery time requirements are important. The business requirement may require a certain restore time. In other words, if it takes so long to restore the entire environment that the company is no longer able to remain in business, then what’s the point? A regulatory body requirement is not met, then financially damaging fees may be assessed to the company.

A major part of the backup and recovery process is the physical network. To name just a few of the factors that impact the infrastructure design would be the frequency of the backups, the required time for the restore to be completed for effectiveness, the medium the data resides, the proximity of the backup location to the original site, etc. Networks may be under-powered to meet data backup and recovery requirements.

Another dimension of the Data Backup process is the medium the data resides. All considerations must be applied to each type of data that exists in the computer environment. This is true for the backup and the restore processes of the data.

Outsourcing data backup processes is an approach that should be considered. Outsourcing to an American managed service provider is often the preferred choice; especially if the data can remain within the control of the company and only the backup and recovery procedures are performed remotely by the data backup and recovery MSP.

Data backup and recovery is a discipline mastered by those that specialize in it. Data backup/recovery is a mission-critical process that requires the same attention as the most important ERP or CRM application.

For more information on enterprise data backup and recovery, contact Salvus Data Consultants. Salvus uses Tivoli Storage Management (TSM) remotely to manage your Data B/R plan for you while you maintain control of the data.

07.31.14
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Consider an MSP for Data Backup That Knows Tivoli Storage Manager

Outsourcing data backup processes is an approach that should be considered. Outsourcing to an American Managed Service Provider is often the preferred choice; especially if the data can remain within the control of the company and only the backup and recovery procedures are performed remotely by the data backup and recovery MSP.

IT managed servicesA major benefit for a business outsourcing data backup is to free up the time of the IT staff to focus on core business strategies instead of training on the new Backup and Recovery techniques and then spending hours each day looking at logs and emails. The Storage Administrator can be released from the endless cycle of repeating the same tasks over and over again. And, the processes can be designed and performed by experts in the field of data backup.

In the search for an outsourced Data Backup and Recovery provider, a company should look for having direct access to a team of senior certified consultants which utilize top rated backup and recovery processes and software platform.

IBM’s Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) provides a platform to resolve both tactical and strategic backup solutions. Salvus Data Consultants is an MSP that provides IBM’s TSM backup environments. IBM Tivoli Storage Manager is a data protection platform that gives enterprises a single point of control and administration for storage management needs. It is the flagship product in the IBM Tivoli Storage Manager family. As stated by IBM, “TSM enables outstanding efficiency, simplicity and scalability for virtual, physical and cloud backup environments of all sizes.” TSM’s flexible deployment options include cloud services, integrated appliances and capacity-based solution bundles.

So, the data can remain within the customer’s control while the management of backup and recovery processes can be handled remotely by the MSP. The customer’s IT staff is released from becoming data backup and recovery experts.

When considering a new approach to your Data Backup and Restore, consider outsourcing to an American MSP that will partner with you in the design and execution of a proactive strategy. Contact Salvus Data to explore the benefits that an experience data backup and recovery MSP can provide your business.

05.25.14
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Essential Core Data is Better Managed Through Master Data Management Strategies

Master Data is the core data that is essential to all businesses, regardless of size or industry. Recognizing how important master data is to operations, many businesses are moving towards Master Data Management (MDM) models to ensure their master data is persistently healthy. These models include content consolidation, master data harmonization, policies, standards, tools, and more.  Examples of the more commonly governed master data include customers, materials, and vendors.

Master Data Management SupportComputer Weekly states that choosing master data management (MDM) software differs from selecting other technologies for managing enterprise data. “Technology choice in MDM should be governed by a well-structured process.” Andy Hayler, CEO of London-based analyst firm said. Buyers need to look at the technical constraints of their own IT environment and identify their MDM requirements in some depth. “Maybe for your company certain features are really important,” he said. “Maybe you have got very high volumes of data, or maybe hierarchy management is more complex for you.”

IBM, with its InfoSphere MDM, for example, manages master data for single or multiple domains – customers, patients, citizens, suppliers, locations, products, services offerings, accounts & more. However, Microsoft’s entry into the MDM market, though it is likely to take a number of years, could put pricing pressure on its competitors as Microsoft targets mid-sized companies with lower-cost MDM products.

John Radcliffe, an analyst with Gartner said “Most MDM vendors are also more focused on supporting operational and transactional environments – think call centers and warehouse floors – but some are optimized to support business intelligence (BI) and other analytical use cases”. After identifying a clear vision for the master data program, organizations need to create a strategy. This means considering the available resources and understanding the amount of time and money involved in executing an MDM plan. 

Data within your company is critical, as shown by the development of more sophisticated technologies, such as MDM, to manage the second most critical asset in any company – second only to the employees themselves. Backup and Recovery of that Data is also critical to protect this important asset. As the data and its management becomes more sophisticated, so do the backup and recovery procedures.

The IT staff is stretched thin with the design, management and support of data models within the organization. The requirements of the sophisticated data backup design and execution can be outsourced to take that pressure off the IT staff and allow them to focus on internal critical initiatives. Consider Managed Service Providers, such as Salvus Data Consultants, that specialize in all modern Data Backup/Recovery methods for this very critical need.