(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.
Non-stop Technologies Offered by Progent
Progent's Microsoft and Cisco consultants can assist your business to implement a sensible, high-availability information network that resolves critical issues encompassing a broad array of networking solutions and operations including:
Business Continuity Planning
Progent's business continuity professionals can show you how to create a business continuity strategy that will allow you to resume network operations in the event of an information network catastrophe. Progent can help you to create a comprehensive disaster recovery plan that incorporates periodic disaster recovery assessments and testing. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-certified professionals can also show you how to build an affordable, fault-tolerant network architecture that addresses reliability issues involving a wide range of infrastructure technologies and processes. To find out more, go to Disaster Recovery Consulting Services.
CRISC-Certified IT Risk Mitigation
The Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) program was established by ISACA to validate a consultant's ability to plan, deploy, and support information system controls to mitigate risk. Progent can provide the expertise of a CRISC-certified consultant to help your company to develop and execute a workplace continuity plan based on industry best practices promoted by CRISC and geared to align with your company's risk tolerance, business goals, and IT budget. To learn more, see CRISC-Certified IT risk mitigation specialists.
Microsoft Server 2019 High Availability Failover Clustering
Windows Server 2019 incorporated significant enhancements in capacity, throughput, manageability, cybersecurity, application compatibility, Linux support, container technology, and hybrid combinations of on-premises and cloud resources. Top enhancements of Windows Server 2019 include Windows Admin Center for centralizing the management of hybrid on-premises/cloud deployments, System Insights for taking advantage of advance predictive intelligence to manage local environments, Windows Defender ATP (Advanced Threat Protection) Exploit Guard for host-intrusion prevention, container networking using Kubernetes, Cluster Sets for deploying and managing large high-availability scale-out clusters, and Microsoft's Storage Migration Service for streamlining the migration from legacy editions of Windows Server. To learn more, go to Microsoft Windows Server 2019 Fault-tolerant Failover Clustering Help.
Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery
Progent's Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery/business continuity experts can help your organization to plan and deploy a disaster recovery system based on Microsoft's most advanced Failover Clustering technologies including Cluster OS 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, 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 failover cluster quorum witness. For details, visit Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery Help.
VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Disaster Recovery Solutions
VMware's Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is an extension to VMware vCenter that lets you specify, automate and verify a consistent process for restoring services quickly after a breakdown. SRM provides centrally managed and automated recovery, application mobility, and transparent site migration, failback and re-protect. Site Recovery Manager also allows non-disruptive testing for disaster recovery, updates and patches and can produce audit reports to verify complete service restoration, validate SLAs and demonstrate DR compliance. Progent can provide the support of a VCDX certified VMware Site Recovery Manager consultant to assist you to plan, configure, test and administer a disaster recovery system powered by VMware Site Recovery Manager.
NetApp MetroCluster High Availability and Disaster Recovery Software
NetApp MetroCluster is a high-availability and disaster recovery software suite that uses failover storage clustering with replication to deliver fast, zero RPO disaster recovery between sites that are up to 185 miles (300km) apart from each other. Progent can provide online or on-premises access to a certified NetApp MetroCluster consultant who can assist you to design, configure, manage, upgrade, test and repair a disaster recovery solution based on NetApp MetroCluster. Progent can help you to select an architecture for your MetroCluster environment that aligns with your technical requirements and IT budget. Progent can make sure you follow leading practices for installing your MetroCluster environment by providing help with procedures such as assigning shelf IDs, determining aggregate and plexes layout, setting up FlexVol volumes, setting up Data ONTAP configuration replication service, installing switches, implementing a tiebreaker mechanism, designing a TCP/IP configuration replication network, and verifying your disaster recovery solution to prove adherence with industry standards and regulatory mandates.
Network Load Balancing
Progent provides fault tolerant load balancing consulting covering network load balancing, load balanced programs, LAN/WAN backbone routing, and content dispatching products including F5 Networks 3DNS. High availability load balancing technologies for which Progent offers consulting expertise include Microsoft Windows 2003 and 2008 Server Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Access Suite and Presentation Server, Cisco CSS, Cisco Content Engine and Cisco CDN Software, and F5 Networks 3-DNS. To read more, go to Fault Tolerant Load Balancing.
Fault Tolerant Internet Data Centers
Progent's Data Center consultants can help you find fault-tolerant data centers that meet the particular needs of your business. Fault tolerant off-site data centers are especially appealing to small and mid-size companies because of their affordability and convenience compared to pursuing a do-it-yourself strategy. Trying to create an on-site data center that offers even a basic level of fault tolerance is financially prohibitive for typical small businesses. Progent can show you how to get all the benefits of 24x7 colocation centers by providing a full array of consulting and maintenance services. To learn more, see High-Availability Data Centers Solutions.
Failsafe Branch Office Connectivity
Progent's branch office connectivity professionals can help businesses create fault tolerant branch office connectivity solutions via redundant system architectures with automatic failover. Progent's Cisco-premier CCIE network engineers can design and deploy ultra-reliable Inter-office connections based on zero-downtime EIGRP routers or fault tolerant OSPF configurations of Cisco routers. Progent can show you how multi-path connections and automatic fail-over can provide affordable 24x7 interoffice connectivity. To read more, see High-Availability Inter-office Networking.
24x7 Internet Connectivity
Progent's Cisco-certified IT experts can show you how to build an economical, fault tolerant Internet configuration solution that can deliver non-stop Internet connectivity via a wide array of high availability Internet network solutions including fault tolerant BGP, transparent fail-over, and redundant Internet Service Providers. Progent offers CCIE professionals to help you apply the most up-to-date techniques for 24x7 Internet connectivity to build an affordable, completely redundant Internet network with automatic failover and other features to deliver zero-downtime Internet access. To find out more, go to Non-stop Internet Connectivity Architecture.
Backup and Restore Technology Consulting
Progent offers economical online access to engineers skilled in a broad array of products and technologies that provide solutions for backing up Windows, Apple Mac, and Linux servers and desktops as well as laptops and smartphones. Progent can provide help for leading backup products such as Acronis Backup and Recovery, Backup Exec, BackupAssist, HP Data Protector, Double-Take Software, MozyPro, Retrospect, Time Machine, VMware vSphere Data Protection (VDP), and FLARs. Progent can help your company to design, enhance, or maintain backup/restore solutions for a variety of topologies such as on-premises, edge to datacenter, cloud, or a mix. To learn more, visit Backup and Recovery Solutions Expertise.
Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager Backup and Restore Consultants
Progent's certified System Center Data Protection Manager consultants can assist your company to develop an effective business continuity plan, implement an affordable fault-tolerante network infrastructure, configure a System Center Data Protection Manager-based backup and restore solution, thoroughly validate your DPM system, educate your IT staff or regular consultants how to maintain Microsoft SCDPM, or provide extensive information technology outsourcing services including off-site hosting of Microsoft SCDPM servers in Progent's world-class data center. To find out more, visit System Center Data Protection Manager Consulting.
Barracuda Backup Cloud and Offsite Backup and Disaster Recovery
Barracuda Backup is an affordable, subscription backup and disaster recovery platform for small and medium-size organizations. A Barracuda Backup solution can include a custom-designed physical storage device manufactured by Barracuda or a virtual appliance with similar functionality but which utilizes your own storage infrastructure. Barracuda Backup safeguards vital business data generated locally, at one or multiple remote locations, or in the cloud. For disaster preparedness, you can replicate data to the Barracuda Cloud, to Amazon AWS, or to any site with a physical or virtual Barracuda appliance. Progent is a certified Barracuda partner and Progent's Barracuda Backup consultants offer a broad array of consulting services to assist you to design, configure, manage and repair a backup and disaster recovery solution based on Barracuda technology. For details, see Barracuda Backup and disaster recovery consulting.
ProSight Data Protection Services Altaro VM Backup Solutions for Backup and Disaster Recovery
Altaro VM Backup software offers small organizations a reliable and affordable platform for backing up and recovering Hyper-V and VMware-powered virtual machines. Altaro VM Backup can be used for local, offsite, multi-site, and cloud-hosted environments and also supports low-cost backup to Azure Block Blob storage. Progent is a certified Altaro partner and can provide a broad array of online or onsite consulting services to help you to design, deploy, manage and troubleshoot a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery system powered by Altaro VM Backup. With ProSight Data Protection Services Altaro VM Backup, Progent delivers a managed backup/restore service powered by on Altaro VM Backup software. For more information, go to Altaro VM Backup consulting services.
ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup Solutions for Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 provides rudimentary archiving but does not include integrated support for key data protection capabilities such as Exchange Online backups or long-term point-in-time recovery for OneDrive for Business or SharePoint Online. Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup (formerly branded Altaro O365 Backup) provides a full-featured platform for automatic backup and rapid recovery of all your company's M365 mail, Teams Chats, SharePoint documents, OneDrive for Business files, and content on Windows desktops and laptops. Progent is an authorized Hornetsecurity/Altaro partner and offers ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS) 365 Total Backup to deliver comprehensive management services for Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup product. ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup provides a low-cost backup-as-a-service (BaaS) solution that guards M365 components against data loss caused by user or software mistakes, malicious corruption, and cyber assaults like ransomware. To learn more, visit ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup services for Microsoft 365.
Managed Cloud Backup: ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO
ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO from Progent provide small and medium-sized businesses an affordable and fully managed solution for reliable backup/disaster recovery. For a low monthly cost, ProSight DPS ECHO automates your backup processes and allow fast restoration of vital data, apps and virtual machines that have become lost or damaged as a result of component breakdowns, software glitches, disasters, human error, or malicious attacks like ransomware. ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO can help you protect, retrieve and restore files, folders, applications, system images, as well as Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware images. Important data can be protected on the cloud, to an on-promises storage device, or mirrored to both. Progent's cloud backup consultants can deliver advanced expertise to set up ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO to be compliant with government and industry regulatory standards such as HIPAA, FINRA, PCI and Safe Harbor and, when necessary, can assist you to restore your critical information. Learn more about ProSight DPS ECHO managed backup and recovery.
ProSight DPS 360 Backup Services
Progent's data protection experts can help you to create, implement and debug a backup/restore plan built around MSP360 technology. MSP360 offers file or image backup/restore for virtual machines and physical computers, works with all leading public clouds, and permits you to create a backup ecosystem with a minimum Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and a defined RPO. With ProSight DPS 360 Backup, Progent can provide end-to-end monitoring and remote management of your backup environment to prevent data loss resulting from user mistakes, computer errors, malicious users, and external attacks such as ransomware. To read more, visit ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup services.
Consulting for Double-Take Software for Backup and Recovery
Double-Take offers a selection of products designed to deliver small businesses a range of affordable alternatives for replicating and recovering business-critical applications such as Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL Server, Blackberry, and Microsoft SharePoint. Progent's business continuity planning experts have in-depth experience integrating Double-Take Software products into small company information systems to achieve an advanced state of availability and disaster recovery capability at an affordable cost. To read more, see Consulting Services Double-Take Solutions for Data Backup.
Why Choose Progent for Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning Solutions?
Since Progent is a Microsoft Partner and provides specialized application consulting for a wide range of small business applications, Progent is able to help clients to find comprehensive information technology solutions that optimize the productivity of your IT network. As a Registered Partner for Cisco, Progent can provide the support of premier consultants and specialists with expertise in designing, configuring and troubleshooting networking solutions built on Cisco technology. The broad scope of Progent's technical know-how and Progent's appreciation for the requirements of small and midsize companies make Progent the perfect partner for building and maintaining an affordable, fault-tolerant information system.
How You Can Get in Touch with Progent's Engineers for Support for Non-stop Networks
In order to contact Progent about engineering expertise for fault tolerant LAN design, call