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DATA PROTECTION FOR DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING ENVIRONMENTS
Media Xpress from Arcus Data Security
By Ted Gulley
As today’s computing environment becomes more decentralized,
the amount of critical data being processed at remote sites and on remote
LANs is growing exponentially. The responsibility of backing up the data
at these remote sites is becoming a growing challenge for IS managers.
KEY CHALLENGES
In a distributed computing environment, IS managers
need to decide what remote servers require back up and with what frequency.
Additionally, it is necessary for managers to monitor the backup process
to make sure that all of sites comply with the backup schedule and that
data is stored in a secure off-site facility in the event of an on-site
disaster. These challenges can become enormous since many organizations
now have hundreds or even thousands of remote locations. To respond to
the need for a complete remote location backup solution, Arcus Data Security
has developed Media Xpress, a media backup system that provides comprehensive
management, discipline and control of remote backup functions.
A NEW SOLUTION
An organization faced with the challenge of
backing up remote sites will realize the numerous benefits offered by
Media Xpress. First and foremost, the burden of managing, coordinating
and controlling remote site backups is completely transferred to Arcus.
Once backup tapes are sent to the Arcus facility, the media is stored
in a secure, climate controlled vault to ensure the integrity of the media.
Tape inventories are tracked using Arcus’ Media Link 2000 tape management
software. In addition to monitoring the media, this software can also
be used to produce status, compliance and activity reports. In the event
of non-compliance by one of the remote locations, an escalation process
is employed to notify both the location and corporate IT management. The
Media Xpress service uses overnight carriers (Airborne, FedEx, UPS) to
send tapes between the remote locations and the Arcus facility. This results
in an extremely cost effective process since the transportation costs
are far less than truck delivery. If a disaster does occur, tapes can
be returned to the customer overnight using the same carriers and sometimes
even faster by truck depending on distance limitations.
THE PROCESS
Establishing a backup process is relatively simple.
First, a backup scenario for the remote sites is determined by the customer’s
IT management. Two days prior to the scheduled backup, Arcus ships an
empty transport container, containing backup and return shipping instructions,
to each remote location. The backup is completed, packaged in the shipping
container and sent via overnight carrier to the Arcus vault facility.
Should a site fail to send Arcus their backup on the day mandated, a reminder
fax, e-mail or telephone message is sent. If the backup is still not performed
following the initial reminder, the corporation’s IT manager is notified
of the non-compliance. All backup tapes are stored in an Arcus vault facility
and returned to the customer as scheduled or, in case of an emergency,
as needed.
Arcus has offered Media Xpress to their customers
since 1998 and today, more than 2000 remote locations across the country
use Media Xpress to manage the backup of their remote servers. Media Xpress
from Arcus Data Security is the safest, most cost effective way to protect
critical data in a distributed computing environment.
About the Author
Ted Gulley is Marketing Communications Manager
for Arcus Data Security, the leader in data security services. For more
information on Media Xpress please call 800-GO-ARCUS or visit www.arcusds.com
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