Connectivity to the Internet has emerged as a mission-critical capability for many small businesses. The use of the Internet to distribute information has mushroomed to the point that many organizations are unable to perform day-to-day functions without Internet connectivity.
Traditional applications such as internal email clearly lose much of their value when they can't be used to communicate with customers or vendors, but as organizations increasingly adopt Internet-based information delivery for line-of-business applications, even core functions can grind to a halt when Internet access becomes unavailable.
Until recently, only large organizations could afford to build fully redundant and transparent Internet connections that could survive a failed Internet link or router. Such seamless fault tolerance requires T1-class Internet lines, an option that in the past overstretched the budgets of most small businesses. As T1 prices have dropped to as low as a few $100 per month, and as alternative connections have become available, the opportunity for small businesses to achieve enterprise-class fault tolerance has become economically feasible. But even though the cost for lines has become affordable, the complexity of implementing these solutions has not.
Few small businesses have the in-house expertise required to work effectively with multiple ISPs, coordinate the necessary configuration steps with Internet numbering authority organizations, and implement advanced routing protocols such as Border Gateway Protocol (BGP) and Hot Standby Router Protocol (HSRP). Progent offers Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert (CCIE) consulting to help you apply the latest connectivity technology to implement a cost-effective fault-tolerant solution.
Today multiple options exist for building automatic and semi-automatic failover solutions. These can involve a mix of T1, DSL and wireless Internet connections. The viability of high-speed fixed-wireless links has recently opened up new alternatives for achieving transparent fault tolerance. By establishing diverse physical paths to the Internet, small businesses gain insurance against costly outages caused by events out of their control, such as a construction crew accidentally digging up phone lines.
As companies rush to deploy VoIP solutions, the potential productivity loss that could result from an interruption in Internet access increases dramatically. This creates another strong incentive to configure a fault-tolerant architecture. Current technologies from Cisco and other networking companies make it possible to build high-availability voice and data solution that have even better uptime potential than conventional voice and data services.
For small business with extremely limited budgets, fault-tolerant failover solutions are possible by utilizing redundant, low-cost DSL services. While not providing all the transparency of more complex and expensive solutions, this alternative can provide significant functionality and avoid costly productivity loss in the event of line failure.
As companies have shifted away from dedicated leased T1 and frame relay lines to Internet-based VPN connections, the demand for fault-tolerant Internet connectivity has accelerated. Businesses can apply the cost savings from retiring legacy leased circuits to upgrading their Internet infrastructure so that they will not only protect their connectivity to remote offices but also the Internet connectivity of office users. Absent those cost savings, many small companies are reluctant to invest in fault-tolerant Internet configurations.
Zero-Downtime Technologies Offered by Progent's Consultants
Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-certified engineers can help you to create an efficient, zero-downtime information network that addresses critical issues encompassing a wide array of infrastructure solutions and processes such as:
Disaster Recovery Planning
Progent's disaster recovery engineers can show you how to design a business continuity strategy in order to restore network functionality in the event of an information network catastrophe. Progent can help you to create a complete disaster recovery plan that includes scheduled disaster recovery assessments and drills. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-certified engineers can also show you how to create an affordable, zero-downtime network solution that takes into account availability issues covering a wide array of infrastructure technologies and procedures. To find out more, go to Business Continuity Consulting Services.
CRISC-Certified Network Risk Management
The CRISC program was initiated by ISACA to verify an IT professional's ability to plan, deploy, and maintain IS controls to mitigate network risk. Progent offers the services of a CRISC-certified engineer to help you to develop and execute a business continuity plan based on industry best practices promoted by CRISC and geared to match your company's risk appetite, business goals, and IT budget. To read more, visit CRISC-Premier IT risk management experts.
Microsoft Server 2019 High Availability Failover Clustering
Windows Server 2019 introduced important enhancements in capacity, throughput, manageability, security and compliance, app compatibility, Linux co-existence, container networking, and hybrid integration of on-premises and cloud assets. Top enhancements of Windows Server 2019 include Windows Admin Center for centralizing the management and monitoring of hybrid local/cloud resources, System Insights for utilizing advance predictive analytics to control on-premises environments, Windows Defender ATP (Advanced Threat Protection) Exploit Guard for host-intrusion defense, container orchestration with Kubernetes, Cluster Sets for deploying and managing massive non-stop scale-out clusters, and Storage Migration Service for streamlining the upgrade process from legacy releases of Windows Server. For details, go to Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Fault-tolerant Failover Clustering Consulting.
Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery
Progent's Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery/business continuity experts can assist your organization to plan and deploy a DR system based on Microsoft's latest Failover Clustering technologies including Cluster Operating System Rolling Upgrade for non-intrusive migration to Windows Server 2016, Storage Replica for zero-data-loss recovery, Storage Spaces Direct for high-performance storage clusters using low-cost equipment, Virtual Machine Load Balancing for enhancing the speed 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 details, see 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 allows you to specify, automate and test a repeatable workflow for recovering services quickly after an outage. SRM provides centrally managed and automated disaster recovery, application mobility, and non-intrusive site relocation, failback and re-protect. Site Recovery Manager also supports transparent testing for disaster recovery, updates and fixes and can produce reports to confirm complete service recovery, validate Service Level Agreements and demonstrate disaster recovery compliance. Progent offers the skills of a VCDX certified VMware SRM consulting expert to help your organization to plan, deploy, test and maintain a DR system based on VMware SRM.
NetApp MetroCluster Disaster Recovery Software
NetApp MetroCluster is a disaster recovery platform that combines array-based storage clustering with synchronous replication to deliver rapid, zero data loss disaster recovery (DR) between sites located as far as 185 miles apart from each other. Progent offers access to a NetApp MetroCluster consultant who can help your business to design, deploy, administer, upgrade, test and repair a disaster recovery system built around NetApp MetroCluster. Progent can help you to select an architecture for your MetroCluster deployment that aligns with your functional requirements and budget. Progent can ensure you follow best practices for installing your MetroCluster environment by delivering help with tasks like assigning disk pools and shelf IDs, arranging aggregate and plexes layout, setting up NetApp FlexVol 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 DR solution to show compliance with industry standards and government requirements.
High Availability Load Balancing
Progent offers high availability load balancing support that addresses system load balancing, load balanced programs, LAN/WAN backbone routing, and content dispatching products such as F5 Networks 3DNS. High availability load balancing technologies for which Progent offers consulting services include Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and 2008 Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Metaframe and Access Gateway, Cisco CSS, Cisco Content Engine and Cisco CDN Software, and F5 Networks 3-DNS. For more information, see High Availability Load Balancing.
Fault Tolerant Internet Data Centers
Progent's Data Center consultants can help you select fault-tolerant data centers that meet the specific requirements of your business. High availability colocation sites are particularly appealing to small and mid-size companies due to of their low cost and convenience compared to pursuing a do-it-yourself approach. Trying to create an in-house data center that offers even a basic degree of fault tolerance is financially prohibitive for most small businesses. Progent is ready to help you get all the benefits of high-availability Internet data centers by providing a full range of consulting and support services. To read more, visit Non-stop Data Centers Solutions.
Fault Tolerant Interoffice Connectivity
Progent’s branch office network infrastructure consultants can help companies achieve non-stop interoffice connectivity solutions via redundant system architectures featuring transparent failover. Progent’s Cisco-certified CCIE engineers can design and implement high-availability Inter-office connections based on zero-downtime EIGRP routers or zero-downtime OSPF configurations of Cisco routers. Progent can demonstrate how redundant connections and automatic fail-over offers affordable 24x7 interoffice networking. To read more, see Failsafe Inter-office Networking.
Backup and Recovery Technology Consulting Services
Progent offers affordable remote access to engineers skilled in a broad range of products and technologies that provide solutions for protecting Windows, Mac, and Linux servers and workstations plus laptops and smartphones. Progent offers expertise for all major backup products such as Acronis, Symantec Backup Exec, BackupAssist Software, HP Data Protector, Double-Take, MozyPro, Retrospect, Time Machine, VMware Data Recovery (VDR), and Oracle Solaris FLARs. Progent can help you to design, enhance, or troubleshoot data backup solutions for a range of environments such as on-premises, remote, cloud-based, or a mix. For more information, see Backup and Restore Technology Consulting.
Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) Backup and Recovery Consulting and Support Services
Progent's expert System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) consultants can assist your company to create an effective disaster recovery strategy, implement an affordable fault-tolerante network infrastructure, configure a SCDPM-powered recovery system, comprehensively validate your system, educate your IT personnel or regular consultants how to maintain SCDPM, or provide complete information technology outsourcing such as off-site housing of Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager servers in Progent's data center facility. To find out more, see System Center Data Protection Manager Consulting.
Barracuda Backup On-premises and Cloud Backup and Disaster Recovery
Barracuda Backup is a low-cost, subscription backup/restore service for small and medium-size organizations. A Barracuda Backup deployment can include a custom-designed hardware appliance manufactured by Barracuda or a virtual appliance with similar features but which uses your existing storage infrastructure. Barracuda Backup protects critical business data produced on-premises, at one or multiple 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 site with a physical or virtual Barracuda Backup appliance. Progent is a certified Barracuda partner and Progent's Barracuda Backup consulting experts offer a broad range of consulting services to help you to plan, integrate, operate and repair a backup and disaster recovery system based on Barracuda Backup. For details, go to Barracuda Backup and disaster recovery consultants.
ProSight Data Protection Services Altaro VM Backup Software for Data Protection and Disaster Recovery
Altaro VM Backup provides small businesses a reliable and budget-friendly platform for backing up and recovering Hyper-V and VMware-powered virtual machines. Altaro VM Backup can be used for on-premises, remote, distributed, and cloud-hosted environments and also enables low-cost cloud backup to Microsoft Azure Block Blob storage. Progent is a certified Altaro partner and can provide a broad range of remote or on-premises services to assist you to design, install, manage and troubleshoot a modern backup and disaster recovery system based on Altaro VM Backup software. With ProSight Data Protection Services Altaro VM Backup, Progent offers a managed backup/recovery service powered by on Altaro VM Backup. To read more, see Altaro VM Backup consulting.
ProSight DPS Altaro O365 Backup Solutions
Microsoft 365 (previously named Office 365) provides simple archiving but does not have integrated support for vital data protection capabilities like Exchange Online backups or greater than 30-day point-in-time data recovery for OneDrive or SharePoint Online. Altaro O365 Backup delivers a full-featured platform for automatic backup and rapid recovery of all your organization's O365 mailboxes, Teams Chats, SharePoint documents, and OneDrive for Business data. Progent is a certified Altaro partner and offers ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS) O365 Backup to deliver end-to-end management services for Altaro's O365 back/restore product. ProSight Data Protection Services O365 provides a low-cost backup-as-a-service alternative that defends O365 components against data loss caused by user or system error, malicious deletion, and cyber assaults like ransomware. For details, visit ProSight Data Protection Services Altaro O365 Backup solutions.
Fully Managed Cloud Backup: ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO
ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO provide small and mid-sized businesses a low cost end-to-end solution for reliable backup/disaster recovery (BDR). Available at a low monthly cost, ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO automates and monitors your backup activities and enable fast restoration of vital files, apps and virtual machines that have become lost or damaged due to component breakdowns, software glitches, natural disasters, human mistakes, or malicious attacks such as ransomware. ProSight DPS ECHO can help you back up, retrieve and restore files, folders, apps, system images, plus Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware images. Important data can be protected on the cloud, to a local device, or to both. Progent's backup and recovery specialists can provide advanced expertise to configure ProSight DPS ECHO to to comply with government and industry regulatory requirements such as HIPAA, FIRPA, and PCI and, when necessary, can assist you to recover your business-critical information. Learn more about ProSight DPS ECHO managed cloud backup and recovery.
ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup Solutions
Progent can assist you to create, implement and debug a backup/restore solution based on MSP360 software. MSP360 offers file or image-based backup/recovery for virtual machines and physical computers, works with all leading public clouds, and permits you to build a backup ecosystem with a low Recovery Time Objective and a granular Recovery Point Objective. With ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup, Progent can provide comprehensive monitoring and management of your backup environment to protect against data loss resulting from user miscues, computer errors, ill-intentioned insiders, and malware attacks like ransomware. To read more, visit ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup solutions.
Consulting Services Double-Take Solutions for Backup and Recovery
Double-Take offers a selection of products intended to deliver small companies a variety of cost-effective solutions for backing up and restoring vital applications such as Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SQL, RIM Blackberry, and SharePoint. Progent’s business continuity planning consultants have extensive experience incorporating Double-Take technology into small company IT networks to create a high level of fault tolerance and disaster recovery readiness at an affordable cost. To read more, go to Consulting for Double-Take Solutions for Backup.
Why Choose Progent for Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning Solutions?
Since Progent is a Microsoft Certified Partner and offers specialized application consulting for a wide range of small business applications, Progent can assist customers to arrive at comprehensive IT solutions that maximize the business value of your IT network. As a Registered Partner with Cisco, Progent offers the expertise of premier consultants and specialists with experience in designing, deploying and supporting infrastructure environments built on Cisco technology. The breadth of Progent's technical know-how and Progent's sensitivity to the needs of small companies make Progent the perfect resource for building and running a cost-effective, high-availability network.
How to Get in Touch with Progent's Consultants for Support for Fault Tolerant IT Systems
In order to ask Progent about consulting assistance for fault tolerant LAN design, call