Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) offers near-continuous backup and rapid recovery for environments centered on Microsoft technology. SCDPM provides small and mid-size organizations application-aware protection for key workloads such as Microsoft SQL Server, Exchange and SharePoint. SCDPM can be used to back up Windows and Linux virtual machines and supports VMs hosted on Hyper-V and VMware. SCDPM can back up and restore files, folders and volumes and can replicate and restore data between separate localities. For streamlined offsite backup, SCDPM can take advantage of Microsoft Azure Backup for temporary backup and the Azure Recovery Services vault for low-cost, long-term archival backup. (Learn about Progent's Microsoft Azure planning and cloud integration consulting services.)
Current versions of SCDPM include support for Windows Server 2019, SQL Server 2019, Exchange 2019, and SharePoint 2019. Current releases also feature greater storage efficiency, higher performance with tiered storage, support for ReFS volumes, offline Backup using Azure Data Box, and enhanced security.
Progent's Microsoft-certified consulting team can help businesses to plan, deploy, manage, and troubleshoot a backup system built on System Center Data Protection Manager. Progent can assist you to upgrade from prior versions of Data Protection Manager or from a different backup platform, and Progent can tune your SCDPM environment for on-premises, hosted, cloud-based, or hybrid deployment models. Progent offers remote or onsite consulting expertise and can deliver as-needed help in resolving your most challenging issues, or end-to-end project management or co-management services to ensure your Data Protection Manager initiative is successfully completed on schedule and on budget.
Data Protection Manager Architecture
Microsoft designed Data Protection Manager with special attention to protecting Microsoft servers and workloads. By supporting Volume Shadow Copy Services (VSS) and other key protection features built into Microsoft servers and applications, SCDPM can transparently back up and rapidly restore Microsoft-specific entities such as Exchange DAG groups, the distributed components of SharePoint farms, and Windows Hyper-V Clustered Shared Volumes (CSVs). This allows administrators who are not experts in any or all of these technologies to recover data easily and accurately. SCDPM continuously protects the core Microsoft server workloads to a SCDPM server, which then allows disk-based recovery and tape-based, long-term archival storage for a complete backup and recovery solution. A single SCDPM server can support up to 800 virtual machines of 100 GB each and 3,000 Windows client computers.
Using System Center Data Protection Manager with Microsoft SQL Server
SCDPM can protect Microsoft SQL Server including SAP workloads, and handles advanced SQL Server cluster configurations. For enhanced reliability and performance, SCDPM supports the use of clustered SQL Server nodes for its database. DPM supports SQL Server Failover Cluster Instance (FCI) using Cluster Shared Volume (CSV). SCDPM includes the ability to protect an entire instance of SQL Server so all new databases are protected automatically, expanded capacity to handle up to 2,000 databases, and a self-service restore capability that allows administrators to restore their own databases.
SCDPM can back up regular data files as well as the system state of a server, and it also works efficiently with servers that maintain databases/transactional log files. SCDPM is especially efficient as a backup and restore mechanism for Microsoft SQL Server because it intelligently integrates with the SQL Server VSS writers. Since SCDPM uses core VSS services, it will back up all files, open or not, to at least a snapshot recovery level. As a result, you never have to worry about open file issues. SCDPM can also protect SQL Server databases that use the AlwaysOn feature, including database clusters and SharePoint farm databases with SQL Server AlwaysOn enabled.
In between express full copy captures, the standard SQL Server transaction logging mechanism is used to offer up-to-the-minute protection. The log files themselves are replicated by SCDPM. In case a recovery is required, the most recent SCDPM differential backup can be combined with the most recent set of transaction logs to provide rapid restoration.
For information about Progent's Microsoft-certified support services for SQL Server, refer to Microsoft SQL Server Consulting.
Using System Center Data Protection Manager with Microsoft Exchange Server
Current versions of SCDPM support Microsoft Exchange Server 2019 and 2016, and can protect Exchange database availability groups (DAGs). SCDPM includes the ability to provide tailored, application-aware protection for Exchange Server and addresses a granularity problem that has historically been a major headache for Exchange administrators. Exchange backup APIs are designed to back up entire databases. However, if you want to restore an individual mailbox or public folder, you have in the past had two choices: either restore the entire database or switch to third-party mailbox-level backup tools. SCDPM allows you to protect one or more storage groups as a whole, while still giving you the ability to restore individual mailboxes.
SCDPM also offers 'lossless recovery' of Exchange Server data. This means that after SCDPM has restored your email databases to the latest recovery point, and updated all of the synchronized transaction logs, SCDPM can automatically reapply the surviving Exchange transaction logs from the production server to the very last committed email message, bringing the Exchange server completely forward.
SCDPM improves the performance of your Exchange Server by offloading the typical ESEUTIL operations that most backup applications impose on the production server. The SCDPM server takes car of this on the redundant data, conserving the bandwidth on the production Exchange Server.
To learn more about Progent's support for Microsoft Exchange Server, see Microsoft Exchange Server Consulting.
Using Data Protection Manager with Virtual Servers
SCDPM offers continuous protection for virtual machines (VMs) powered by Windows Server Hyper-V and through integration with System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) can provide consistent protection even during a Hyper-V Live Migration process. For users of VMware, a way to reduce disaster recovery time drastically is to build an SCDPM server with enough CPU and RAM resources to create a system that allows you quick recovery from a failed virtual machine host server. Since the SCDPM server always has an exact replica of all the virtual machine guest files, in the event the virtual machine host fails, and by having a virtual server installed on the SCDPM server, you can choose to boot those replica images as running machines and take your time in restoring the original failed virtual machine host server. This means you could be up in minutes with all your virtual machine guests even with a complete failure of the original virtual machine host. Adding to the time savings, the entire operation can be accomplished remotely.
How Progent Can Help You Benefit from Microsoft Data Protection Manager
Progent's Microsoft-certified Data Protection Manager consultants can help you create practical recovery plans, design an affordable fault-tolerant network infrastructure, deploy a SCDPM-based backup and restore solution, thoroughly test your system, show your IT staff how to manage Microsoft SCDPM, or handle complete IT outsourcing services including off-site hosting of virtual or physical SCDPM servers in Progent's datacenter.
Progent's consultants can use industry best practices to help you:
Progent's cybersecurity experts have earned prestigious certifications from internationally recognized network security institutions. Progent can provide the support of CISA-certified security audit consultants, CISM-certified security management experts, CISSP-certified cybersecurity professionals, GIAC-certified information assurance consultants, and CISSP-ISSAP certified security architecture experts. To be awarded credentials from these organizations, security consultants must have both proven experience and demonstrated knowledge of industry best practices for business continuity planning and disaster recovery. For more information about Progent's security engineers and their services, visit Network Security Services.
High Availability Solutions Supported by Progent's Consultants
Progent's certified consulting experts can help your company to implement an efficient, high-availability IT architecture that addresses major challenges encompassing a wide array of infrastructure solutions and processes such as:
Workplace Recovery Planning
Progent's business continuity professionals can show you how to design a disaster recovery strategy that will allow you to restore network functionality in the event of an information system disaster. Progent can assist you to develop a comprehensive disaster recovery strategy that incorporates periodic disaster recovery assessments and testing. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-certified consultants can also help you build an affordable, zero-downtime system solution that takes into account availability issues covering a wide array of network technologies and procedures. For details, see Disaster Recovery Consulting and Support Services.
CRISC-Premier IT Risk Control
The Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) program was established by ISACA to verify an IT professional's skills to design, deploy, and support information system control mechanisms to reduce network risk. Progent can provide the services of a CRISC-certified consultant to help you to create and execute a workplace continuity or disaster recovery strategy based on leading practices identified by CRISC and crafted to match your company's risk tolerance, business objectives, and budgetary guidelines. To learn more, visit CRISC-Premier IT risk mitigation specialists.
Windows Server 2019 Fault-tolerant Failover Clustering
Windows Server 2019 introduced significant enhancements in scale, throughput, management, security and compliance, application compatibility, Linux co-existence, Kubernetes technology, and hybrid integration of on-premises and cloud-hosted assets. Headline new features of Microsoft Windows Server 2019 are Windows Admin Center for centralizing the management of hybrid local/cloud resources, System Insights for utilizing advance predictive intelligence to manage on-premises environments, Windows Defender ATP (Advanced Threat Protection) Exploit Guard for host-intrusion defense, container orchestration with Kubernetes, Cluster Sets technology for creating and administering massive non-stop scale-out clusters, and Storage Migration Service for simplifying the migration from legacy releases of Windows Server. To learn more, see Microsoft Server 2019 Fault-tolerant Failover Clustering Help.
Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery
Progent's Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery consultants can assist you to design a disaster recovery system based on Microsoft's latest Failover Clustering technologies including Cluster Operating System Rolling Upgrade for non-disruptive migration to Windows Server 2016, Storage Replica for crash-consistent recovery, Storage Spaces Direct for enterprise-class storage clusters using commodity hardware, VM Load Balancing for improving the performance and fault-tolerance of Failover Clusters while reducing TCO and operational expenses, and Cloud Witness for easy, economical deployment of a stretch cluster quorum witness. To read more, go to Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Consulting.
VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Disaster Recovery Solutions
VMware's Site Recovery Manager is an extension to VMware vCenter that lets you specify, automate and verify a consistent process for recovering services quickly following a breakdown. Site Recovery Manager supports centrally managed and automated disaster recovery, application mobility, plus transparent site migration, failback and site re-protect. SRM also enables non-disruptive testing for disaster recovery, upgrades and fixes and can produce audit reports to confirm complete service recovery, validate Service Level Agreements and demonstrate disaster recovery compliance. Progent offers the skills of a VCDX certified VMware Site Recovery Manager consulting expert to help you to plan, configure, test and maintain a disaster recovery solution powered by VMware Site Recovery Manager.
NetApp MetroCluster Disaster Recovery Platform
NetApp MetroCluster is a high-availability and disaster recovery software suite that combines array-based storage clustering with continual replication to deliver rapid, zero RPO disaster recovery (DR) between datacenters that are up to 300km apart from each other. Progent offers the skills of a certified NetApp MetroCluster consultant who can assist your business to plan, configure, administer, update, test and repair a disaster recovery solution built around NetApp MetroCluster. Progent can help you to choose a topology for your MetroCluster environment that meets your technical requirements and budget. Progent can ensure you follow best practices for installing your MetroCluster solution by providing help with tasks like assigning disk pools and shelf IDs, determining aggregate layout, provisioning volumes, setting up Data ONTAP configuration replication service, provisioning Cisco and Brocade switches, implementing a tiebreaker mechanism, designing a configuration replication network, and verifying your disaster recovery solution to verify adherence with information assurance standards and regulatory requirements.
High Availability Load Balancing
Progent offers fault tolerant load balancing support covering network load balancing, load balanced programs, network infrastructure routing, and content delivery technology including Cisco Content Engine. Fault tolerant load balancing technologies for which Progent offers consulting expertise include Windows 2003 and 2008 Server Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Access Suite and Presentation Server, Cisco Content Services Switch, Cisco Distributed Director and Cisco CDN Software, and F5 Networks 3-DNS. For details, go to Fault Tolerant Load Balancing.
Zero Downtime Colocation
Progent's Data Center engineers can show you how to select zero-downtime data centers that match the particular requirements of your company. High availability off-site data centers are particularly appealing to small and mid-size companies due to of their affordability and simplified logistics in comparison to taking a do-it-yourself approach. Trying to create an on-site data center that offers even a basic level of fault tolerance is too expensive for the majority of small organizations. Progent is ready to help you reap all the benefits of high-availability colo centers by providing a full array of engineering and maintenance services. To read more, see Non-stop Data Centers Expertise.
Non-stop Interoffice Networking
Progent's multi-site network infrastructure consultants can help companies create fault tolerant multi-site connectivity via fully redundant networks featuring transparent failover. Progent's Cisco-premier CCIE engineers can plan and implement high-availability Inter-office connections supported by fault tolerant EIGRP routers or fault tolerant OSPF configurations of Cisco routers. Progent can show you how multi-path connections and automatic fail-over offers affordable 24x7 interoffice connectivity. For more information, go to High-Availability Interoffice Connectivity.
Fault Tolerant Internet Connections
Progent's Cisco-authorized IT engineers can help you create an economical, high availability Internet connection solution that can achieve non-stop Internet access through a wide range of fault tolerant Internet access solutions including high availability BGP, automatic fail-over, and redundant ISPs. Progent offers Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert consultants to show you how to apply the most up-to-date techniques for 24x7 Internet connections to implement an economical, completely redundant Internet interface with automatic failover and other capabilities to create zero-downtime Internet availability. To find out more, see Fault Tolerant Internet Access Solutions.
Backup and Restore Solutions Consulting Experts
Progent offers affordable online support from consultants skilled in a broad range of products and services that provide solutions for protecting Windows, Mac, and Linux/UNIX servers and desktops as well as laptops and smartphones. Progent can provide help for leading data protection platforms such as Acronis Backup and Recovery, Backup Exec, BackupAssist Software, HP Data Protector, Double-Take, MozyPro, Retrospect for Macintosh, Time Machine, VMware Data Recovery (VDR), and Oracle Solaris FLARs. Progent's consultants can help your company to deploy, enhance, or troubleshoot backup solutions for a variety of architectures including local, edge to datacenter, cloud, or a mix. To read more, go to Backup and Restore Technology Consulting Services.
Barracuda Backup Cloud and Offsite Data Backup and Disaster Recovery
Barracuda Backup is an affordable, subscription backup/restore platform for small and medium-size businesses. A Barracuda Backup deployment can incorporate a custom-designed hardware appliance built by Barracuda or a software-based appliance with comparable functionality but which utilizes your own storage infrastructure. Barracuda Backup safeguards critical company data generated on-premises, at one or multiple remote locations, or in the cloud. For disaster recovery, you can replicate data to the Barracuda Cloud, to Amazon AWS, or to any site with a physical or virtual Barracuda Backup appliance. Progent is a Barracuda partner and Progent's Barracuda Backup consulting experts can provide a broad array of consulting services to help your business to design, integrate, manage and troubleshoot a backup and disaster recovery solution built on Barracuda Backup. For additional information, visit Barracuda Backup and disaster recovery consulting.
ProSight DPS Altaro VM Backup Solutions for Backup and Disaster Recovery
Hornetsecurity's Altaro VM Backup software offers small and mid-size organizations a dependable and affordable solution for backing up and restoring Hyper-V and VMware-based VMs. Altaro VM Backup can be used for local, offsite, distributed, and cloud environments and also enables cost-effective cloud backup to Azure storage. Altaro VM Backup supports advanced features like Immutable Cloud Storage for an extra layer of recoverability from ransomware. Progent is a certified Hornetsecurity Altaro partner and can provide a wide array of online or onsite services to help you to plan, install, manage and troubleshoot a comprehensive backup/restore system powered by Altaro VM Backup software. With ProSight Data Protection Services Altaro VM Backup, Progent offers a managed backup/restore service based on Altaro VM Backup technology. To read more, go to Altaro VM Backup consulting services.
ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup Solutions for Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 offers simple archiving but does not include native support for key data protection capabilities such as Exchange Online backups or greater than 30-day point-in-time data recovery for OneDrive for Business or SharePoint. Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup provides a feature-rich BDR solution for automatic backup and rapid recovery of all your company's M365 mail, Microsoft Teams Chats, SharePoint documents, OneDrive files, and content on Windows endpoints. Progent is a certified Hornetsecurity/Altaro partner and offers ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup to provide end-to-end management services for Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup suite. ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup delivers an affordable backup-as-a-service (BaaS) alternative that guards M365 apps against data loss or corruption caused by user or system error, malicious sabotage, and cyber attacks like ransomware. For more information, visit ProSight DPS 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 organizations an affordable end-to-end solution for reliable backup/disaster recovery (BDR). For a low monthly price, ProSight DPS ECHO automates your backup processes and allow rapid recovery of critical files, apps and virtual machines that have become unavailable or damaged due to hardware failures, software bugs, disasters, human error, or malicious attacks like ransomware. ProSight DPS ECHO can help you back up, recover and restore files, folders, apps, system images, plus Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware virtual machine images. Important data can be backed up on the cloud, to a local device, or to both. Progent's backup and recovery specialists can provide world-class support to configure ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO to be compliant with regulatory standards such as HIPAA, FINRA, and PCI and, when needed, can help you to restore your business-critical data. Read more about ProSight DPS ECHO managed backup.
ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup Solutions
Progent's data protection experts can help you to create, implement and debug a backup/restore solution built around MSP360 software. MSP360 enables file/folder or image-based backup/recovery for virtual machines and physical computers, works with all popular public clouds, and permits you to create a data protection solution with a low Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and a granular Recovery Point Objective. With ProSight DPS 360 Backup, Progent can provide end-to-end monitoring and management of your backup environment to protect against data loss resulting from user mistakes, system glitches, ill-intentioned insiders, and external attacks like ransomware. For more information, go to ProSight DPS 360 Backup solutions.
Consulting Services Double-Take Software for Backup/Restore
Double-Take publishes a family of tools intended to provide small companies a range of cost-effective solutions for replicating and restoring vital applications such as Exchange, SQL Server, Blackberry, and Microsoft Office SharePoint. Progent's disaster recovery planning experts have extensive experience integrating Double-Take Software technology into small company information networks to achieve an advanced level of fault tolerance and disaster recovery readiness at a budget-friendly cost. To find out more, visit Consulting for Double-Take Software for Backup.
Why Pick Progent for Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning Solutions?
Since Progent is a Microsoft Certified Partner and provides professional application support for a wide range of business software programs, Progent can assist clients to find complete IT solutions that optimize the productivity of your network. As a Registered Partner with Cisco, Progent can provide the expertise of premier consultants and specialists with expertise in architecting, implementing and supporting infrastructure solutions based on Cisco technology. The breadth of Progent's technical experience and Progent's sensitivity to the requirements of small businesses make Progent a great resource for creating and maintaining an affordable, high-availability information system.
How You Can Access Progent's Experts for Support for High Availability Computer Networks
In order to get in touch with Progent about engineering assistance for non-stop computing, call