Dell AppAssure Software Keeps Hamilton Port Authority Data Secure at a “Fantastic” Cost
Challenge: Secure data off-site and for reasonable cost
Solution: Dell AppAssure’s server-based, disk imaging solution that automatically and continuously snapshots servers
Results: Smooth testing restores of files and databases and intervals they can choose
To support the significant growth that Hamilton Port Authority had seen recently, IT Administrators, Ross Englefield and Peter Hammerl needed a backup and recovery solution that provided consistent and reliable off-site replication, as well as an archive of all their server-based data and applications.
“We had been working with tape backup for a long time and we kept needing bigger and bigger tapes to handle data growth. We also needed to make sure our data was secure and off-site.” At first, Ross and Pete worked with a backup provider who transferred their data over the web, but it quickly became too expensive for the HPA. “We were performing full daily backups to tape and taking those tapes off-site. The remote backup solution was supplementary and quickly became cost prohibitive to get all our data onto that service like we wanted,” says Ross.
Pete and Ross knew they needed to find another solution.
(Dell AppAssure’s innovative software permits VMware backup, Windows Server backup, Microsoft Exchange backup, Microsoft SQL Server backup which goes beyond protecting your data by protecting your entire application.
“We have around 60 employees, 6 servers, and a network of 3 locations within the port,” notes Pete. “Everything is automated: data management, traffic management and our infrastructure is made more complicated due to security needs post 9-11. So we have to make sure all the cameras and controls are all working correctly and make sure everything is running smoothly.”
They spent a long time testing solutions, vendors, products and soon realized that Dell AppAssure came in at best price with all the features that they needed. “It’s working great,” says Pete. “I’ve tested restoring files and databases, and everything has gone smoothly. The application is pretty granular so we can choose what to backup, at what time intervals, etc. We can get exactly what we want when we want it.”
And Ross and Pete appreciated the whole sales process as well. A bit wary of pushy sales teams who just want to get you to buy, they found out that Dell AppAssure’s sales team was “…really good. They were a responsive team and eager to work together. It was nice to see that they were pretty laid back and not so pushy. Post installation the tech support has been awesome! They are brilliant. You phone them up and they get back to you really quickly. They get things fixed.”
Right now the Hamilton Port Authority IT team rests a bit easier at night. “Dell AppAssure does its thing and I don’t have to touch it,” says Pete. The guys are happy.
About Hamilton Port Authority
The Hamilton Port Authority (HPA), in business since 1912, manages over 613 acres of property. Handling over 12 million metric tonnes of cargo through over 700 vessels each year ranks Hamilton as the busiest of all the Canadian Great Lakes ports and accounts for 28% of all movements on the St. Lawrence Seaway system.