AmeriVault Launches Accelerated Disaster Recovery Service For iSeries (AS400, System i) Servers

AmeriVault – a recognized leader in data protection managed services, including remote online data backup, offsite recovery services, email archiving, and data lifecycle solutions –recently announced the availability of an advanced, hardware-free, hosted disaster recovery service for iSeries servers (also known as AS400 or System i) that allows remote access to a virtualized recovery environment following a disaster.

Since iSeries is known for being an extremely stable and reliable system, many organizations use it for mission-critical applications that cannot withstand downtime or reboots. However, despite the importance of the data on iSeries servers, they are often neglected when it comes to data protection – particularly from a disaster recovery standpoint.

Challenges to Fast iSeries Disaster Recovery
A cornerstone of disaster recovery planning is to ensure that backup data is stored securely offsite, geographically separated from the primary systems in case of a regional disaster like a hurricane. Many SMBs, however, simply do not have the time, budget, or personnel to manage offsite data protection or to ensure proper safeguards are in place.

The most common solution for offsite data protection involves an employee transporting backup tapes to an offsite location. In this scenario, data is often unencrypted and subject to loss, theft, or damage. In addition, an employee's home is almost never far enough away from the primary data to provide adequate data protection in the event of a regional disaster.

The second challenge for iSeries data protection is fast recovery. Even when courier services are employed to transport backup tapes to an offsite datacenter (a process that is still at risk of loss or theft), it may take several days to receive backup tapes if requested after a real disaster.

Another roadblock preventing fast recovery is the process of sourcing, purchasing, and deploying replacement iSeries servers following a disaster or server failure. This process could take a week or more because the administrator must ensure the replacement server is patched and upgraded to precisely duplicate the configuration of the primary server before recovery can begin.

Accelerated iSeries Disaster Recovery – Removing the Roadblocks
But what if all of these roadblocks were removed by a service that also improves security and reliability? AmeriVault's new Virtual Disaster Recovery service for iSeries servers, RestartIT-VDR iSeries, does just that – while providing an offsite failover site so administrators and end users can remotely access AmeriVault's managed, virtualized iSeries recovery environment while the primary site and systems are rebuilt.

When a server houses mission-critical data – as is often the case with iSeries servers – three, four, or more days is just too long for most businesses to wait for system availability. RestartIT-VDR for iSeries is an advanced recovery service that allows iSeries server recovery within a day. RestartIT-VDR for iSeries allows clients to remotely access AmeriVault's virtualized iSeries environment for up to 30 days following the declaration of a disaster – for no additional charge – providing plenty of time for a company to rebuild its primary systems following a disaster.

The foundation of RestartIT-VDR for iSeries consists of online backup and virtualized standby recovery servers hosted at one of AmeriVault's secure, world-class datacenters.

Should a client encounter an outage or suffer a disaster, rapid recovery commences: the backup data is recovered to AmeriVault's standby iSeries server – all achieved remotely for the client. With iSeries' excellent compression and with Gig-E connectivity in AmeriVault's datacenters, the recovery process to AmeriVault's recovery servers can take just a few hours. End users can then VPN-in to resume operations while the primary systems are rebuilt. Full recovery is typically achieved in 10 hours or less.

Practical & Testable Disaster Recovery for iSeries Servers
Most importantly, RestartIT-VDR for iSeries is a testable disaster recovery service. Many disaster recovery plans lack true testability or are not completely practical when a real disaster occurs.

After helping several clients recover from 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, AmeriVault realized that IT professionals - not just the businesses for which they work - needed a better solution. Protecting data safe distances offsite is the best practice – but when a real disaster strikes, it is just not feasible to ask an administrator to leave his or her family to begin recovery at the remote site. The practicality of their disaster recovery solution, then, goes right out the window.

RestartIT-VDR for iSeries not only provides remote recovery so administrators can stay with their families during a disaster, but it is also a fully testable solution. With annual testing included with the service, RestartIT-VDR for iSeries provides advanced, cost-effective disaster recovery readiness for iSeries servers.

Virtual Disaster Recovery for iSeries: Benefits

• Virtual, Warm Recovery Servers
• Rapid, Economical Recovery
• No Capital Expense for Recovery Servers
• Remote Recovery Initialization Capability
• Avoid Travel to Datacenter for Recovery & Skip a Time-Consuming Step
• Remote User Access to Virtual Recovery Environment following Disaster
• World-Class Datacenters
• Easy Recovery Testing
• Technical Support
• Training Included

Learn More About Virtual Disaster Recovery for iSeries
AmeriVault has partnered with iSeries specialist SafeData to provide Virtual Disaster Recovery services for iSeries. Learn more about iSeries Virtual Disaster Recovery by visiting AmeriVault and SafeData at Disaster Recovery Journal's "Fall World 2008" tradeshow (Sep. 14 – 16, booth 52).

Please visit AmeriVault's Website for more information about RestartIT-VDR for iSeries: www.amerivault.com/replication_services/iseries_virtual_disaster_recovery.html

To learn more about how AmeriVault can help ensure expedient recovery, reduce costs, automate processes, and improve security; visit www.amerivault.com.

About AmeriVault
Founded in 1998 and a subsidiary of PHNS, AmeriVault is a recognized leader in managed data protection and offsite storage services, including online backup, disk-based recovery, high availability, email archiving, and data lifecycle solutions. Backed by a SAS 70 (Type II) certification, AmeriVault's solutions employ aggressive security and redundancy safeguards while ensuring business continuity, seamless disaster recovery, and regulatory compliance.

Whether data requires continuous data protection or data archiving, AmeriVault's solutions are tailored according to data value, lifecycle, regulated attributes, and recovery objectives, as well as desired redundancies and price points.

AmeriVault combines the highest levels of customer service, premium solutions, award-winning software, and secure world-class datacenters to deliver Excellence in Data Protection.

SOURCE: AmeriVault