Workplace Recovery Consulting

ProSight Data Protection Services - Altaro VM Backup: Hyper-V and VMware Virtual Server Backup
Hornetsecurity Altaro VM Backup is a managed service designed to provide small and mid-size businesses with a reliable and affordable solution for backing up and restoring Hyper-V and VMware-based virtual machines (VMs). Hornetsecurity Altaro VM Backup can be used for local, offsite, multi-site, and cloud-based environments and also supports cost-effective cloud backup to a Microsoft Azure Block Blob storage account.

Top features of Altaro VM Backup include industry-leading Augmented Inline Deduplication to reduce backup storage requirements, Continuous Data Protection (CDP) with backup intervals as low as five minutes for reducing your exposure to data loss, military-grade encryption, granular restore options for entire virtual machines or for individual files and emails, extensive support for Windows Server Cluster Shared Volumes (CSV) and VMware vCenter, and the ability to leverage Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) technology to back up live virtual machines without downtime.

Progent is a certified Altaro partner and can provide a broad range of services to help you plan, deploy, optimize and troubleshoot a backup/restore solution based on the Altaro VM Backup platform. Progent also offers ProSight Data Protection Services Altaro VM Backup as a managed service to provide end-to-end monitoring and management of your backup ecosystem. Progent's Hyper-V consultants and VMware experts can help you design and manage virtual machine deployments that utilize on-premises or offsite VMs or that use a hybrid architecture that incorporates both local and cloud-based resources. In addition, Progent offers business continuity/disaster recovery (BCDR) planning consulting to help smaller organizations prepare for potentially catastrophic threats to business-critical data such as ransomware, human error, hardware failure and natural disasters.

Key Features of Altaro VM Backup
Altaro VM Backup is designed to handle the backup/restore requirements of most small businesses and combines simplicity of operation with a rich feature set that includes capabilities typically found only in enterprise-grade platforms. Altaro protects the most widely used versions of Hyper-V and VMware and supports popular backup media:

Altaro VM Backup includes powerful features in three crucial areas of data protection: backup/replication, restoration/disaster recovery, plus management and reporting.

Backup and Replication
Altaro VM Backup offers fast, efficient, and secure backup for data protection and archiving plus offsite replication for disaster recovery. Major backup and replication features include:

• Ransomware Protection leveraging Immutable Cloud Storage: Immutability allows tamper-proof data while under the defined immutable policy so that backup data cannot be modified by any user (including administrators or root users). This adds an extra level of security and recoverability in the event of a successful ransomware attack.
• Augmented In-Line Deduplication: In-line variable block size deduplication sends only changed data to the backup device or site, conserving bandwidth, reducing storage requirements, and improving performance.
• Continuous Data Protection (CDP): Rather than run daily backups, you can reduce backup intervals to as short as five minutes to lower your Recovery Point Objective (RPO).
• Concurrency: You can back up multiple virtual machines simultaneously, which makes it possible to conduct backup operations during shorter off-hour time windows when more bandwidth is available and network performance is less critical.
• Live/Hot Backup: Integration with Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service allows you to back up virtual machines without incurring downtime.
• Cluster Shared Volumes & VMware vCenter: The ability to back up virtual machines running in a Hyper-V Failover Cluster (with or without cluster shared volumes) or in a VMware vCenter environment supports larger deployments.
• Offsite Replication: To facilitate disaster recovery, you can set up the Altaro Offsite Server tool on an external server for storing a copy of your backups at a different location.
• Flexible Scheduling and Retention Policies: You can set different backup schedules and retention policies for individual VMs.
  
  Backup scheduling and retention options for Altaro are easy to configure, review and update

• Application Consistent Backups: Altaro VM Backup can use Microsoft Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) and all VSS Writers running inside the protected VM when making a backup. Applications like Microsoft SQL and Exchange will be aware the backup has happened and automatically run the relevant maintenance tasks such as truncating transaction logs.
• Military-Grade Encryption: Prior to saving your data to a backup device, you have the option of encrypting it using 256-Bit AES Encryption.
• Virtual Disk Exclude: You can select which Virtual Disks to include or exclude in your VM backups.
• Grandfather-Father-Son Archiving (GFS): In addition to your continuous and daily backups, you can set up a special backup schedule to create and archive a new backup version every week, month and year.
• Cloud Backup to Azure: Altaro supports backup to an Azure Block Blob storage account, which is the most affordable storage option available on the Azure cloud.
  
  Altaro lets you back up VMs that are hosted on-premises, offsite or in the cloud

• Cloud Backup to Amazon S3 and Wasabi: Altaro supports seamless native backup to Amazon S3 and Wasabi. No additional resources running in the cloud are required to provide backup storage.
• Back up to multiple offsite locations: For enterprise-class resilience, you can take copies of VMs to multiple offsite locations including multiple clouds such as Azure and Amazon S3.

• Restore as Clone: You can restore a VM backup to a new location with a new name, allowing the cloned VM to run side by side with the original VM. This avoids the need to overwrite live VMs.
• Restore to Different Host: You can restore a VM backup to a different host. The VM will be restored to a new location on the new host and will be given a new name.
• Boot from Backup: You can instantly boot any VM version directly from the backup location either for verification purposes or to achieve a significant reduction in RTO (Recovery Time Objectives) in a disaster recovery scenario.
• File Level Restore: You can quickly restore individual files and folders from any VM backup.
• WAN-Optimized Replication: You can make continuous copies of your VMs to a remote site and switch immediately to the copy site in the event that a disaster takes out your primary VMs. This can significantly shrink your recovery time objective (RTO) and get you back in business quickly.
• Microsoft Exchange Item Level Restore: You can restore individual emails from within the Exchange Mailbox database.
  
  Altaro VM Backup allows you to restore individual emails from an Exchange Mailbox

• Restore Different Versions: You can restore from multiple points in time rather than being limited to the latest backup.
• Sandbox Restores and Verification: This features lets you schedule or manually launch test drills to confirm the integrity of your backup data. You can verify backup folders without attaching the VM to your Hyper-V or VMware Host, or you can run a complete test restore to a clone and ensure that the restored VM can boot.
• Backup Health Monitor: Backup storage integrity can be monitored proactively and repaired automatically as part of the next backup process.

Download ProSight Altaro VM Backup Services Datasheet
To view or download a datasheet describing the key features of ProSight Altaro VM Backup Services, click:
Progent's ProSight Hornetsecurity Altaro VM Backup Services Datasheet. (PDF - 310 KB)

How Progent Can Help You Benefit from Hornetsecurity Altaro VM Backup
Progent's Microsoft-certified Windows Server Hyper-V consultants and VMware-certified vSphere and vCenter consultants can help you plan, deploy and manage a backup/restore solution based on Altaro VM Backup. Progent's Exchange consultants can help you integrate Altaro VM Backup with your Exchange environment, and Progent's Azure hybrid cloud consulting specialists can show you how to use your Azure Block Blob storage account with Altaro to protect your VM backups. Progent's business continuity consultants can show you how Altaro VM Backup's replication features and offsite backup capability can help safeguard your mission-critical data and enable you to resume your core services quickly in case of a catastrophic event. Progent's GIAC-certified information assurance consultants can assess the security profile of your backup solution and can help you deploy the latest tools and follow industry best practices for operating safely in the modern threat landscape.

Zero-Downtime Technologies Offered by Progent's Consultants
Progent's Microsoft and Cisco consultants can help your business to create a cost-effective, high-availability system that addresses major issues encompassing a wide array of infrastructure solutions and processes such as:

Business Continuity Planning
Progent's business continuity engineers can show you how to design a disaster recovery plan so you can resume network operations in case of an IT system catastrophe. Progent can help you to develop a complete disaster recovery plan that incorporates scheduled disaster recovery assessments and drills. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-authorized consultants can also help you create an affordable, zero-downtime system solution that takes into account availability issues involving a wide array of infrastructure technologies and procedures. To learn more, see Disaster Recovery Consulting Services.

CRISC-Premier Network Risk Mitigation
The Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) program was initiated by ISACA to validate an IT professional's ability to design, deploy, and support information system controls to mitigate network risk. Progent offers the services of a CRISC-certified engineer to help your company to create and execute a business continuity or disaster recovery strategy that follows leading practices identified by CRISC and geared to align with your organization's risk tolerance, business goals, and budgetary guidelines. For details, go to CRISC-Premier IT risk mitigation specialists.

Microsoft Server 2019 Fault-tolerant Failover Clustering
Microsoft Windows Server 2019 introduced significant improvements in capacity, performance, manageability, cybersecurity, application compatibility, Linux co-existence, container networking, and hybrid integration of on-premises and cloud resources. Headline new features of Windows Server 2019 include Windows Admin Center for centralizing the management of hybrid on-premises/cloud-hosted resources, System Insights for taking advantage of advance predictive analytics to manage local networks, Windows Defender ATP (Advanced Threat Protection) Exploit Guard for host-intrusion prevention, container networking with Kubernetes, Cluster Sets for building and managing large high-availability scale-out clusters, and Microsoft's Storage Migration Service for simplifying the migration from outdated releases of Windows Server. For more information, go to Microsoft Server 2019 Fault-tolerant Failover Clustering Expertise.

Microsoft Server 2016 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Progent's Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery/business continuity consultants can assist your organization to plan and deploy a disaster recovery system built around Microsoft's cloud-tested Failover Clustering technologies such as Cluster OS Rolling Upgrade for non-disruptive migration to Windows Server 2016, Storage Replica for crash-consistent Recovery Point Objective (RPO), Storage Spaces Direct for enterprise-class network-attached storage using low-cost equipment, Virtual Machine Load Balancing for enhancing the performance and fault-tolerance of Failover Clusters while minimizing capital investment and management overhead, and Cloud Witness for fast, economical deployment of a stretch cluster quorum witness. For more information, see Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Consulting.

VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Disaster Recovery Solutions
VMware's Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is a component of VMware vCenter that lets you define, automate and test a repeatable process for recovering applications and services rapidly after a breakdown. SRM supports centrally controlled and automated recovery, application mobility, and non-intrusive site migration, failback and site re-protect. SRM also allows non-intrusive testing for site recovery, updates and patches and can generate audit reports to verify complete service recovery, validate Service Level Agreements and prove disaster recovery compliance. Progent offers the skills of a VCDX certified VMware SRM consulting expert to assist your organization to plan, deploy, test and manage a DR solution powered by VMware Site Recovery Manager.

NetApp MetroCluster Disaster Recovery Platform
NetApp MetroCluster is a disaster recovery platform that uses failover storage clustering along with synchronous replication to provide fast, zero data loss disaster recovery (DR) between datacenters located as far as 300km apart from each other. Progent can provide access to a NetApp MetroCluster consultant who can assist your business to design, deploy, administer, upgrade, test and troubleshoot a disaster recovery solution built around NetApp MetroCluster. Progent can help you to select a topology for your MetroCluster environment that meets your functional needs and budget. Progent can make sure you adhere to best practices for installing your MetroCluster solution by delivering help with tasks such as assigning shelf IDs, determining aggregate and plexes layout, provisioning volumes, setting up NetApp Snapshot, installing Cisco and Brocade switches, designing a tiebreaker mechanism, setting up a configuration replication network, and verifying your MetroCluster disaster recovery solution to prove compliance with industry standards and government requirements.

Fault Tolerant Load Balancing
Progent provides high availability load balancing support covering system load balancing, load balanced programs, LAN/WAN infrastructure routing, and content delivery technology such as Cisco Content Engine. Fault tolerant load balancing solutions for which Progent can provide consulting services include Windows 2003 and 2008 Server Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Metaframe and Access Gateway, Cisco Content Services Switch, Cisco Content Distribution Manager and LocalDirector 400 series, and F5 Networks BIG-IP. For more information, go to Fault Tolerant Load Balancing.

High-Availability Colocation
Progent's Data Center consultants can show you how to find fault-tolerant data centers that meet the specific needs of your company. Fault tolerant co-location sites are particularly attractive to small and mid-size companies due to of their affordability and simplified logistics compared to taking a do-it-yourself approach. Attempting to design an on-site data center that offers even a basic level of fault tolerance is too costly for most small companies. Progent can help you get all the benefits of high-availability colo sites by providing a full range of consulting and support services. For details, go to Fault Tolerant Colocation Consulting.

High-Availability Interoffice Networking
Progent's branch office connection engineers can help organizations create non-stop branch office connections through redundant networks featuring transparent failover. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE network engineers can design and deploy high-availability Inter-office connections based on zero-downtime EIGRP routers or non-stop OSPF configurations of Cisco routers. Progent can show you how redundant connections and transparent fail-over can provide economical 24x7 interoffice connectivity. For more information, visit Non-stop Inter-office Networking.

High Availability Internet Access
Progent's Cisco-certified network consultants can show you how to build an economical, fault tolerant Internet configuration solution that can deliver 24x7 Internet access via a broad array of high availability Internet network technologies including fault tolerant BGP, automatic fail-over, and multiple Internet Service Providers. Progent offers Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert consultants to show you how to utilize the latest technology for fault tolerant Internet connections to create an economical, completely redundant Internet network with automatic failover and other capabilities to create zero-downtime Internet access. To learn more, go to Non-stop Internet Access Solutions.

Backup and Restore Solutions Consulting and Support Services
Progent offers economical online support from engineers skilled in a wide range of utilities and services that deliver solutions for protecting Windows, Apple Mac, and Linux/UNIX servers and workstations as well as notebooks and handhelds. Progent can provide consulting support for all major backup products such as Acronis Backup and Recovery, Symantec Backup Exec, BackupAssist, CrashPlan PRO, Double-Take Software, MozyPro, Retrospect, Apple Time Machine, VMware Data Recovery, and Oracle Solaris FLARs. Progent's consultants can help you to deploy, upgrade, or maintain backup systems for a range of architectures including local, remote, cloud, or a mix. To learn more, go to Backup and Recovery Technology Expertise.

Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager Backup and Recovery Consulting
Progent's expert System Center Data Protection Manager consultants can assist you to develop an effective business continuity strategy, design an affordable high-availability IT architecture, deploy a System Center Data Protection Manager-based backup and restore system, comprehensively validate your system, educate your administrative staff or local service providers how to manage System Center Data Protection Manager, or provide complete IT support outsourcing such as off-site hosting of virtual or physical SCDPM machines in Progent's world-class data center. To learn more, go to System Center Data Protection Manager Consulting.

Barracuda Backup Local, Offsite and Cloud Backup and Disaster Recovery
Barracuda Backup is an affordable, subscription backup/restore platform for small and mid-size businesses. A Barracuda Backup deployment can include a custom-designed physical storage device manufactured by Barracuda or a virtual appliance with similar features but which uses your own storage infrastructure. Barracuda Backup safeguards critical company data generated locally, at one or more remote sites, or in the cloud. For disaster recovery, you can replicate data to the Barracuda Cloud, to Amazon Web Services (AWS), or to any location with a physical or virtual Barracuda Backup appliance. Progent is a certified Barracuda partner and Progent's Barracuda Backup consultants offer a wide range of consulting services to assist you to plan, integrate, manage and repair a BDR system based on Barracuda technology. For details, go to Barracuda Backup and disaster recovery consulting and management.

ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup Solutions for Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 provides rudimentary archiving but does not have native support for key data protection services such as Exchange backups or long-term point-in-time data recovery for OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online. Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup (formerly branded Altaro O365 Backup) delivers a feature-rich platform for programmable backup and rapid recovery of all your company's M365 mailboxes, Teams Chats, SharePoint documents, OneDrive for Business data, and content on Windows desktops and laptops. Progent is an authorized Hornetsecurity/Altaro partner and has designed ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup to provide end-to-end managed services for Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup suite. ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup delivers a budget-friendly backup-as-a-service solution that defends M365 components against data loss resulting from user or software mistakes, malevolent deletion, and cyber assaults such as ransomware. For more information, go to ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup solutions for Microsoft 365.

Fully Managed Cloud Backup: ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO
ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO offer small and mid-sized businesses an affordable and fully managed solution for secure backup/disaster recovery (BDR). For a fixed monthly rate, ProSight DPS ECHO automates your backup activities and allow fast recovery of critical data, apps and virtual machines that have become lost or corrupted due to hardware failures, software bugs, natural disasters, human mistakes, or malicious attacks such as ransomware. ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO can help you protect, recover and restore files, folders, apps, system images, as well as Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware images. Critical data can be backed up on the cloud, to an on-promises device, or to both. Progent's backup and recovery specialists can deliver world-class support to configure ProSight DPS ECHO to be compliant with government and industry regulatory standards such as HIPAA, FIRPA, and PCI and, whenever necessary, can assist you to recover your critical information. Find out more about ProSight DPS ECHO managed backup and recovery.

ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup Services
Progent can assist you to design, implement and debug a backup/restore solution built around MSP360 software. MSP360 offers file or image-based backup/recovery for VMs and physical machines, works with all leading public clouds, and allows businesses to build a data protection solution with a minimum Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and a granular Recovery Point Objective (RPO). With ProSight DPS 360 Backup, Progent can provide end-to-end monitoring and remote management of your backup system to prevent data loss caused by user mistakes, computer errors, ill-intentioned insiders, and malware assaults such as ransomware. To read more, see ProSight DPS 360 Backup services.

Consulting Services Double-Take Software for Data Backup
Double-Take publishes a family of products intended to provide small and midsize businesses a variety of affordable alternatives for backing up and recovering vital workloads such as Microsoft Exchange, SQL, Blackberry, and Microsoft SharePoint. Progent's business continuity planning consultants have in-depth experience incorporating Double-Take technology into small business IT systems to create an advanced level of availability and business continuity capability at a budget-friendly price. To read more, visit Consulting Services Double-Take Solutions for Backup.

Why Pick Progent for Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning?
Since Progent is a Microsoft Certified Partner and offers high-level application consulting for a broad range of small business software programs, Progent can assist clients to find efficient IT solutions that substantially enhance the productivity of your information system. As a Registered Partner for Cisco, Progent can provide the services of certified engineers and specialists with expertise in architecting, configuring and supporting infrastructure environments built on Cisco technology. The broad scope of Progent's IT know-how and Progent's appreciation for the requirements of small companies make Progent the perfect partner for building and running a cost-effective, high-availability network.

How You Can Contact Progent's Experts for Disaster Recovery Planning Support
In order to ask Progent about technical support for business continuity planning, call 1-800-993-9400 or see Contact Progent.