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News Newsletters 2008 Newsletter for July 2008
Filled with relevant information about the rapidly evolving IT landscape, the Simpler-Webb newsletter is a must-read.
Newsletter for July 2008
Release date: 7/1/2008
WELCOME LETTER
Hello Partners in Technology
It is hard to believe the year is already half over! Here in Austin, we’re posting record high temperatures, my eldest son’s baseball team is in the all-star city league tournament trying to stay alive, and my youngest son is redefining the number of ways to express “no”. For many of you, summer’s approach also means it’s also time to start working out your technology budgets for next year.
Simpler-Webb would like to help, and is offering a complementary Budget Review service. Our staff will dedicate as much time as you need to field questions about new technologies, lifecycle planning, and anything else you have in mind for 2009. I hope the Budget Review will help make your job easier and strengthen our service to you.
As part of this process, we’re also presenting a two-part webinar series called, The Top Ten Technologies for 2009. With so many exciting technologies promoting innovative methods of collaboration, flexible business operations, and infrastructure improvements, these webinars should help you narrow in on what’s most relevant to your organization. We hope you’ll join us for the webinars and schedule a QRP Budget Review today.
As always, thank you for your continued business. If we can be of service to you in any way, please don’t hesitate to let us know.
With cool thoughts, my warmest regards…
Jeff Simpler,
CEO and Co-Founder
SWINC NEWS & EVENTS ::
Webinar: Top Ten Technologies for 2009, Part One & Part Two
View Part One online:
www.simplerwebb.com/webinar
Username: webinar
Password: SWweb1nar
Part Two Webinar July 22, 2008 from 1:00-2:00 CST
Register below:
https://www.livemeeting.com/lrs/8000677322/
Registration.aspx?pageName=3g2k4rp30041jd4n
Join us at the core processor conferences:
Symitar Users Group in San Diego, California on August 25-29
Harland Conference Orlando, Florida on Sept 15-18
Would you like to schedule an appointment to meet up with us at one of the above conferences? Email info@swinc.com. Look out for us at the partner expo!
We attended CU Info Tech Conference on June 6th, where Jeff spoke on The Superhero Network.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT LEADERSHIP ::
With the time constraints of modern life, it can be difficult to keep up on current technology news. This month, we’re bringing you a special section where we discuss some of the recent headlines.
“Making the Difference: The 2008 CIO Agenda”, Gartner Magazine online
In this article, Gartner examines a survey of more than 1,400 CIOs regarding the growing necessity to switch focus from generic IT solutions to solutions that make a difference to customers. The article reports that 83% of the CIOs surveyed feel significant change is on the horizon within the next 3 years. Additionally, CIOs identified improving business processes, attracting and retaining new customers, and creating new products or services as top priorities.
With this in mind, CIOs are seeking new ways to exceed market demands by creating unique technology solutions that engage customers and hold their interest. This involves converting a “doing more with less” mindset into strategically thinking beyond technical cost and risk, or “making a difference with what you have”. Additionally, it takes the traditional CIO role of managing and supporting current operations to enhancing the customer experience through IT solutions.
Food for thought:
Don’t spend valuable time managing your IT Infrastructure. With Simpler-Webb Managed Security, Server, Network Device, and Storage you’ll gain the organizational freedom to focus on new solutions that provide a competitive advantage. Want a solution that makes a difference to your customers? How about a Simpler-Webb Secure Wireless Solution?
Email info@swinc.com to get a pdf of the full article, information on Simpler-Webb Managed Services, or a Case Study called, Texas Credit Union Transforms Banking with Wireless Branches.
SERVICE OFFERING ::
Technology Lifecycle Planning Review
Do you have a plan for phasing out and replacing your old, aging network infrastructure hardware? Or, do you wait for hardware to fail and then scramble for resources (time, people and money) to replace it? There’s a better way. Contact Simpler-Webb today to schedule a Technology Lifecycle Planning Review. We’ll take a look at your infrastructure hardware, consider maintenance contracts and equipment life, and work with you to develop an equipment lifecycle plan. The result? Costs are managed and predictable, technology is more available and reliable. Contact us today!
EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT & NEWS ::
Simpler-Webb welcomes Julie Bullerman, Project Manager!
In our recent Customer Satisfaction Survey, Simpler-Webb confirmed a need for increased communication during consulting projects. In response, we’ve hired a Project Management Professional, Julie Bullerman.
With a BA in Finance from Eastern Washington University in Spokane and an MBA from Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, Julie comes to Simpler-Webb after working for six years managing projects at a large credit union. As this position is new to Simpler-Webb, Julie is excited that she “has the opportunity to look at how we manage our projects and see where we can improve, bringing potential value to our customers.”
Julie enjoys outdoor activities such as cycling, kayaking, hiking, and disc golf and while not at work, she has been getting out and exploring Austin since she is new to our city.
Simpler Webb Grows!
Help us welcome Simpler-Webb’s latest additions:
Bill MacKenzie, Managed Ser vices
Kelly Traut, Account Executive
Jason Augustine, Account Manager
Sarah Wingfield, Office Assistant
Matt Bastek, Service Engineer
Case Study ::
USF Federal Credit Union Establishes Airtight DR with EVault and Simpler-Webb
Executive Summary
USF Federal Credit Union
Banking/Finance
Tampa, Florida Business Challenge
Risky, unencrypted tape backup process
Overly long recovery time objective (RTO) for disasters
Insufficient plans for out-of-region disaster recovery Solution
Encrypted, automated disk backups with EVault InfoStage. Fast restores now possible from both local vault in Tampa and remote vault at Simpler-Webb facility (an EVault Platinum partner) in Austin, Texas. Results
Security, compliance, fast restores, and peace of mind.
Through a successful implementation of a solution from EVault by Austin-based, Simpler-Webb, Inc., USF Federal Credit Union is now comforted with increased security and redundancy.
Business Challenge
USF FCU regularly encountered the typical shortcomings of tape-based backup: tapes wearing out and becoming less reliable, the growing complexity and backup times as the amount of data and the number of servers increased, and the hassle of taking tapes off-site and bringing back the right ones to do a restore.
Although Simpler-Webb and the credit union began their search by exploring in-line solutions that could encrypt backup data as it went to tape, it wasn’t long before their exploration expanded to encompass solutions that could enable USF FCU to improve its DR process. “They wanted to make their backup process more efficient without taking tapes off-site. They also wanted to be able to recover and have the backup data available not only at their local Tampa facility but also at their co-location site,” said Cooper.
That’s when Simpler-Webb raised the option of automated, disk-based backup with EVault InfoStage™. Chris Cooper described how an EVault InfoStage DualVault solution would let USF FCU host a primary backup vault locally in Tampa while Simpler-Webb hosted a secondary off-site vault for USF FCU at its Austin, Texas headquarters. Billy and his team quickly warmed to the idea. “The EVault solution was perfect,” said Billy, noting it offered both the redundancy and multipoint accessibility USF FCU wanted.
Solution
Working closely with USF FCU’s co-location facility, Simpler-Webb was able to arrange a rapid connection to the facility that would be made available if USF FCU declared an emergency. This provided more assured restore capabilities in case of a disaster. Backed up data would stream “over the wire” to the co-location facility site from either the credit union’s Tampa facility or Simpler-Webb’s Austin site. Simpler-Webb could also stream backup data to USF FCU’s Tampa site.
Recalls Cooper, “In this situation, EVault offered a lot of benefits that competitors in the space couldn’t match.” He especially liked how easy the system was to manage and its ability to backup and restore multiple “retentions” in a compact data store. Citing EVault’s Delta Pro™ technology, which sends only block-level changes over the wire, Cooper lauded the fact that the changes-only approach made backups faster while maintaining a fully backed-up data set at all times.
USF FCU also liked EVault’s end-to-end encryption process: Data is encrypted as it is being backed up, and remains that way during transmission and in storage. Said Billy, “The encryption process has been pretty seamless. You couldn’t really tell it’s being encrypted, but it is.”
As part of its service, Simpler-Webb now oversees the EVault InfoStage backup process for USF FCU, manages the two vaults, helps perform restores where needed, and performs two annual DR tests.
Results
Since implementing EVault InfoStage, things have gotten a lot easier — and a lot more comfortable — for USF FCU. “Our nightly backup routine’s a lot easier. We don’t have to worry about switching tape out anymore,” said Billy, also noting that backup speeds are faster, especially with the help of EVault Delta Pro. Restores are also a simpler proposition. “Since we no longer have to search for a particular tape, the restore process has been a lot quicker as well.”
Computer Support Specialist Jeff Wiles doesn’t miss tape, either. “You don’t have to figure out which tape has the data on it that you want. With the EVault servers, you have everything right there on a list. You just go find the date and data you want and start the restore from there,” he said.
The credit union also feels better about its regulatory compliance. “From an auditing standpoint and a federal requirements standpoint, it definitely helps solidify our position in disaster recovery. EVault has given us the ability to encrypt backups and store them in a location that’s far enough [away] in the event of a disaster,” said Billy. Encrypting backups from the credit union’s IBM AIX UNIX system used to be a challenge, but no longer. “That’s been a great addition with our EVault system.”
“We knew we needed something better than tape, especially with the push for encryption. EVault came along and it was a good solution for us,” said Billy. “Our experience with EVault has been very positive.” Billy reiterates the sentiment. “It looked promising when we first saw it and it’s done everything it claimed it would do.”
USEFUL LINKS ::
Simpler-Webb: http://www.simplerwebb.com
Webinar Series: www.simplerwebb.com/webinar
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Password: SWweb1nar