(Note: Microsoft has terminated support for Windows Server 2003 and it is advisable to consider upgrading from this legacy OS to an up-to-date version of Windows Server. If your organization is considering moving up to Windows Server 2019 or Windows Server 2016, Progent can provide online and onsite Windows Server 2019 planning and configuration consulting services or Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery consulting to ensure your project finishes on time and within budget. In addition, Progent's Windows Server Failover Clustering Consultants can help you a configure and troubleshoot a high-availability clustering solution based on Microsoft's latest technology.
Even with typical fault tolerant feature found in high-end server hardware, such as redundant power supplies and mirrored or RAID 5 disk arrays, failed devices must be identified and replacement components must be procured and installed. These failures can bring down a server for hours, if not days. Furthermore, during regularly scheduled software maintenance functions, servers need to be rebooted or brought off-line for an extended period. For customers who need 100% uptime, the only solution is to deploy a clustered server configuration that provides fully redundant servers for a single application.
A server cluster is a group of independent computers that work together to provide a common set of services. Windows 2003 provides this high-availability solution with the Cluster service. If a cluster node (a computer in a cluster) fails, other nodes in the cluster assume the functions of the failed node. Server clustering is an essential piece of any fault-tolerant architecture, and making large investments in communication infrastructure redundancy without providing for server redundancy defeats the value of that investment.
Progent offers Windows 2003 Server consulting to help your company implement clustered server configurations that can potentially provide 100% uptime, even for normal maintenance functions. This high-availability is possible because a single server in a cluster can be brought off-line for maintenance work without affecting users. Clustering also allows IT personal to perform critical security updates during regular business hours without reducing user productivity.
Microsoft Windows 2003 Server offers mature clustering technology. This is the third major release of Microsoft clustering technology, which was first released in 1997. Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, present a single view of the server to users, applications, and the network and both versions of Windows Server 2003 support up to eight-node clusters. Failover clustering configurations can be built around Microsoft technologies for mission-critical and collaborative applications such as Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL Server file and print services.
Host Clustering with Microsoft Virtual Server
Virtual Server host clustering is a technique for enhancing the capability of Microsoft Virtual Server 2005 with the server cluster support incorporated in Microsoft Windows Server 2003. By means of Virtual Server host clustering, your network can benefit from an array of services via a minimum number of actual hardware servers and, simultaneously, ensure the high availability of the provided services. In case one server requires scheduled or unscheduled downtime, another server can immediately take its place and begin supporting services. As a result, your clients experience minimal service disruption. Progent's Microsoft-certified network engineers have in-depth experience deploying and supporting Microsoft Virtual Server. For more information, refer to Consulting Services for Microsoft Virtual Server.
Server Clustering and Storage Area Networks
A storage area network (SAN) is a set of disks, tapes, and servers connected to a common infrastructure, or storage fabric, such as Fibre Channel. A SAN allows multiple servers to access a common pool of storage. This allows storage to be assigned dynamically from the pool whenever it is required. Storage on a given server can be increased or decreased as needed without complex reconfiguring or re-cabling of devices. SAN technology is a good way to build clusters where shared access to a data set is required. By deploying multiple clusters onto a single storage area network, all of the benefits of SAN technology can be brought to the cluster environment. Progent's Microsoft certified engineers can show you how to combine Microsoft's server cluster technology with storage area networking to make your network more fault tolerant and easier to manage.
Server Clustering with Microsoft Exchange
Messaging systems based on Microsoft Exchange are vital for many businesses. Unfortunately, this crucial function is vulnerable to component failure, power loss, operator errors, and natural disasters. By allowing the failover of resources, server clustering provides fault tolerance for an Exchange environment. Server clusters that use the Microsoft Cluster Service can maintain data integrity and provide failover support and high availability for mission-critical applications and services on your back-end servers, including messaging systems, databases, and file and print services.
This figure shows an example of a four-node Exchange cluster with three active nodes and a passive standby node:
Progent's Microsoft-certified Exchange experts have proven, world-class skills in designing high-availability Exchange environments and can show you how to configure an Exchange Server cluster with shared data access to data and automatic failover capabilities. For details about Exchange consulting services available from Progent, visit Microsoft Exchange Consulting Support.
Fault Tolerant Solutions Supported by Progent's Experts
Progent's certified engineers can help you to design an efficient, zero-downtime IT architecture that resolves critical issues covering a wide array of networking solutions and operations including:
Business Continuity Planning
Progent's business continuity planning professionals can show you how to create a business continuity plan so you can restore IT functionality in the event of an information system catastrophe. Progent can help you to develop a comprehensive disaster recovery strategy that includes scheduled disaster recovery assessments and drills. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-authorized engineers can also show you how to build an affordable, fault-tolerant network solution that takes into account availability issues involving a broad array of infrastructure technologies and processes. For details, see Workplace Recovery Consulting.
CRISC-Certified Network Risk Management
The CRISC certification program was established by ISACA to verify an IT professional's skills to design, deploy, and maintain information system control mechanisms to mitigate network risk. Progent can provide the services of a CRISC-certified consultant to assist you to develop and execute a business continuity plan that follows industry best practices promoted by CRISC and crafted to align with your organization's risk tolerance, business objectives, and IT budget. To find out more, visit CRISC-Premier network risk management experts.
Windows Server 2019 High Availability Failover Clustering
Windows Server 2019 introduced significant enhancements in scale, throughput, manageability, cybersecurity, app compatibility, Linux support, container technology, and hybrid integration of on-premises and cloud resources. Top enhancements of Microsoft Windows Server 2019 are Windows Admin Center for unifying the management of hybrid on-premises/cloud-hosted deployments, System Insights for taking advantage of advance predictive intelligence to control local networks, Windows Defender ATP (Advanced Threat Protection) Exploit Guard for host-intrusion prevention, container orchestration using Kubernetes, Cluster Sets technology for building and administering massive high-availability scale-out clusters, and Microsoft's Storage Migration Service for simplifying the migration from legacy versions of Windows Server. For more information, visit Microsoft Windows Server 2019 High Availability Failover Clustering Help.
Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery
Progent's Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery/business continuity experts can help you to design a DR system built around Microsoft's cloud-tested Failover Clustering tools including Cluster Operating System Rolling Upgrade for non-intrusive migration to Windows Server 2016, Storage Replica for crash-consistent Recovery Point Objective (RPO), Storage Spaces Direct for high-performance network-attached storage using commodity hardware, VM Load Balancing for enhancing the performance and resilience of Failover Clusters while reducing capital investment and management overhead, and Cloud Witness for easy, affordable deployment of a stretch cluster quorum arbitration point. To learn more, visit Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Expertise.
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 test a repeatable process for recovering services rapidly after a breakdown. Site Recovery Manager supports centrally controlled and automated recovery, application mobility, plus non-intrusive site relocation, failback and site re-protect. Site Recovery Manager also enables transparent testing for disaster recovery, upgrades and fixes and can produce audit reports to confirm complete service restoration, validate Service Level Agreements and prove compliance. Progent can provide the support of a VCDX certified VMware Site Recovery Manager consultant to help your organization to plan, deploy, test and maintain a DR solution powered by VMware Site Recovery Manager.
NetApp MetroCluster High Availability and Disaster Recovery Software
NetApp MetroCluster is a disaster recovery platform that combines array-based storage clustering with synchronous replication to deliver fast, zero data loss disaster recovery between datacenters that are as far as 185 miles (300km) away from one another. Progent offers access to a NetApp MetroCluster expert who can help you to design, deploy, manage, upgrade, test and repair a disaster recovery system based on NetApp MetroCluster. Progent can help you to select an architecture for your MetroCluster environment that aligns with your functional requirements and IT budget. Progent can make sure you adhere to leading practices for configuring your MetroCluster solution by providing help with procedures like assigning disk pools and shelf IDs, determining aggregate layout, provisioning NetApp FlexVol volumes, setting up Data ONTAP configuration replication service, installing switches, designing a tiebreaker, setting up a configuration replication network, and verifying your MetroCluster DR system to show adherence with information assurance standards and regulatory mandates.
Network Load Balancing
Progent provides fault tolerant load balancing support that addresses network load balancing, load balanced programs, network backbone routing, and content delivery technology such as Cisco Content Engine. Non-stop load balancing technologies for which Progent offers consulting services include Microsoft Windows 2003 and 2008 Server Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Metaframe and Access Gateway, Cisco Content Services Switch, Cisco Distributed Director and Cisco CDN Software, and F5 Networks 3-DNS. To learn more, see High Availability Load Balancing.
Non-stop Internet Data Centers
Progent's Data Center consultants can show you how to select fault-tolerant data centers that match the particular needs of your business. Fault tolerant Internet Data Centers are especially appealing to small and mid-size businesses due to of their affordability and convenience in comparison to taking a do-it-yourself strategy. Trying to design an on-site data center that offers even a basic level of fault tolerance is too costly for the majority of small businesses. Progent can show you how to get all the advantages of non-stop colo centers by providing a full range of engineering and maintenance services. To find out more, go to Fault Tolerant Colocation Consulting.
Failsafe Interoffice Networking
Progent's interoffice connectivity consultants can help organizations achieve zero-downtime interoffice connectivity through fully redundant system architectures featuring transparent failover. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE engineers can design and deploy high-availability Inter-office connections supported by fault tolerant EIGRP network routers or non-stop OSPF configurations of Cisco routers. Progent can demonstrate how redundant connectivity and automatic fail-over offers affordable 24x7 interoffice connectivity. To learn more, go to 24x7 Inter-office Networking.
Non-stop Internet Access
Progent's Cisco-certified IT professionals can show you how to create an affordable, fault tolerant Internet connection architecture that can achieve non-stop Internet connectivity through a wide range of high availability Internet network technologies including non-stop BGP, automatic fail-over, and multiple ISPs. Progent can provide CCIE consultants to show you how to apply the latest techniques for 24x7 Internet connections to build an affordable, fully redundant Internet interface with automatic failover and other capabilities to create fault tolerant Internet access. To read more, see High Availability Internet Access Solutions.
Backup and Restore Solutions Consulting Experts
Progent offers affordable remote support from IT engineers skilled in a broad array of utilities and services that provide solutions for backing up Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac, and Linux/UNIX physical and virtual servers and workstations plus notebooks and handhelds. Progent offers help for leading backup products including Acronis Backup and Recovery, Backup Exec, BackupAssist, CrashPlan, Double-Take Software, MozyPro, Retrospect, Time Machine, VMware Data Recovery, and FLARs. Progent can help you to deploy, upgrade, or troubleshoot backup/restore solutions for a range of architectures such as on-premises, edge to datacenter, cloud-based, or a mix. For details, see Backup and Recovery Technology Consulting and Support Services.
Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) Data Recovery Consulting and Support Services
Progent's certified System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) engineers can help your company to develop an effective workplace recovery plan, design an affordable high-availability network infrastructure, install a System Center Data Protection Manager-based backup and recovery solution, thoroughly validate your DPM system, educate your administrative personnel or regular service providers how to manage System Center Data Protection Manager, or provide extensive IT support outsourcing such as remote housing of Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager servers in Progent's world-class data center facility. For more information, go to System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) Expertise.
Barracuda Backup On-premises and Cloud Data Backup and Disaster Recovery
Barracuda Backup is a low-cost, subscription backup and disaster recovery service for small and mid-size businesses. A Barracuda Backup deployment can incorporate a purpose-built physical storage device manufactured by Barracuda or a software-based appliance with comparable features but which utilizes your existing storage infrastructure. Barracuda Backup safeguards critical company data generated locally, at one or multiple remote sites, or in the cloud. For disaster recovery, you can replicate data to the Barracuda Cloud, to Amazon AWS, or to any location with a Barracuda appliance. Progent is a Barracuda partner and Progent's Barracuda Backup consultants offer a broad array of consulting support services to help you to design, configure, manage and troubleshoot a BDR solution built on Barracuda Backup. For more information, visit Barracuda Backup and disaster recovery consulting and management.
ProSight Data Protection Services Altaro VM Backup Solutions for Backup and Disaster Recovery
Altaro VM Backup software provides small organizations a dependable and budget-friendly platform for backing up and restoring Hyper-V and VMware-based virtual machines. Altaro VM Backup can be used for on-premises, offsite, distributed, and cloud architectures and also enables low-cost cloud backup to Azure Block Blob storage. Altaro VM Backup includes high-end features such as Immutable Cloud Storage for enhanced protection from ransomware. Progent is a certified Altaro partner and offers a broad range of remote or on-premises services to help you to plan, deploy, optimize and troubleshoot a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery system powered by Altaro VM Backup. With ProSight Data Protection Services Altaro VM Backup, Progent offers a fully managed backup/restore service powered by on Altaro VM Backup technology. For details, visit Altaro VM Backup certified consultants.
ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup Solutions for Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 provides rudimentary archiving but does not have native support for vital data protection services like Exchange Online backups or long-term point-in-time data recovery for OneDrive for Business or SharePoint. Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup delivers a feature-rich BDR solution for automatic backup and quick restoration of all your organization's M365 mail, Teams Chats, SharePoint sites, OneDrive for Business files, and content on Windows endpoints. Progent is a certified Hornetsecurity/Altaro partner and offers ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup to deliver comprehensive management services for Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup suite. ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup delivers an affordable backup-as-a-service (BaaS) alternative that guards M365 components against data loss caused by human or system mistakes, malicious corruption, and malware attacks like ransomware. For more information, see ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup solutions for Microsoft 365.
Managed Cloud Backup: ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO
ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO provide small and medium-sized organizations an affordable end-to-end service for reliable backup/disaster recovery (BDR). For a low monthly rate, ProSight DPS ECHO automates and monitors your backup processes and allow rapid restoration of critical data, applications and VMs that have become unavailable or corrupted as a result of hardware failures, software glitches, natural disasters, human mistakes, or malicious attacks such as ransomware. ProSight DPS ECHO can help you protect, recover and restore files, folders, apps, system images, as well as Hyper-V and VMware images. Critical data can be backed up on the cloud, to a local storage device, or to both. Progent's backup and recovery specialists can provide advanced support to configure ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO to be compliant with regulatory requirements such as HIPAA, FINRA, PCI and Safe Harbor and, whenever necessary, can help you to recover your business-critical data. Find out more about ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO managed cloud backup and recovery.
ProSight DPS 360 Backup Services
Progent can help your company to design, deploy and debug a backup plan built around MSP360 technology. MSP360 offers file/folder or image backup/restore for VMs and physical machines, supports all popular public clouds, and allows you to build a data protection solution with a low RTO and a granular RPO. With ProSight DPS 360 Backup, Progent can provide end-to-end monitoring and management of your backup environment to prevent data loss resulting from user mistakes, computer errors, ill-intentioned users, and external attacks such as ransomware. For details, see ProSight DPS 360 Backup solutions.
Consulting for Double-Take Solutions for Backup/Restore
Double-Take offers a selection of tools designed to deliver small companies a variety of affordable solutions for backing up and recovering vital applications such as Exchange, SQL, RIM Blackberry, and Microsoft Office SharePoint. Progent's disaster recovery planning consultants have extensive experience integrating Double-Take Software products into small business IT systems to create an advanced level of availability and disaster recovery capability at a budget-friendly cost. For details, go to Consulting for Double-Take Software for Data Backup.
Why Choose Progent for Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning Solutions?
Since Progent is a Microsoft Partner and provides high-level application support for a wide variety of business software programs, Progent can help clients to find efficient IT solutions that optimize the productivity of your network. As a Registered Partner with Cisco, Progent can provide the services of certified consultants and specialists with experience in architecting, installing and supporting infrastructure environments built on Cisco products. The depth and breadth of Progent's IT know-how and Progent's familiarity with the requirements of small and midsize businesses make Progent the ideal partner for creating and running an affordable, fault-tolerant information system.
How to Get Help from Progent's Experts for Help with High Availability Computing
If you wish to get in touch with Progent about technical support for fault tolerant IT design, phone