Workplace Recovery Support for

(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 2012 R2 or Windows Server 2016, Progent can provide online and onsite Windows Server 2012 R2 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.

Other Zero-Downtime Technologies Provided by Progent's Experts
Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-certified engineers can help you to build a cost-effective, zero-downtime IT architecture that addresses critical problems encompassing a broad array of networking solutions and operations such as:

Disaster Recovery Planning
Progent's disaster recovery engineers can help you create a workplace recovery plan that will allow you to resume network functionality in the event of an information network disaster. Progent can assist you to define a comprehensive disaster recovery strategy that incorporates periodic disaster recovery evaluations and drills. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-authorized professionals can also show you how to build an affordable, zero-downtime system architecture that takes into account reliability issues covering a broad array of infrastructure technologies and procedures. For more information, visit Disaster Recovery Expertise.

Managed Cloud Backup: ProSight Data Protection Services
ProSight Data Protection Services offer small and mid-sized businesses an affordable end-to-end service for secure backup/disaster recovery (BDR). For a low monthly rate, ProSight Data Protection Services automates your backup processes and enables fast recovery of critical data, apps and VMs that have become unavailable or corrupted as a result of hardware breakdowns, software glitches, disasters, human mistakes, or malware attacks such as ransomware. ProSight Data Protection Services can help you protect, recover and restore files, folders, applications, system images, as well as Hyper-V and VMware images/. Critical data can be protected on the cloud, to a local device, or mirrored to both. Progent's cloud backup specialists can deliver world-class support to configure ProSight DPS to to comply with government and industry regulatory requirements like HIPAA, FIRPA, and PCI and, whenever necessary, can help you to restore your critical information. Read more about ProSight Data Protection Services Managed Cloud Backup.

Microsoft Server 2016 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Progent's Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery/business continuity experts can help you to design a DR system based on Microsoft's most advanced 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 storage clusters using commodity equipment, Virtual Machine Load Balancing for improving the performance and fault-tolerance of Failover Clusters while minimizing TCO and operational expenses, and Cloud Witness for fast, economical deployment of a stretch cluster quorum arbitration point. To read more, visit Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery Help.

Windows Server 2012 Failover Clustering
Microsoft Windows Server 2008 R2 introduced enterprise-class fault tolerance and system recovery to Microsoft's clustering solution. Windows Server 2012 R2 builds on this technology and delivers important new and enhanced features that offer increased expandability, non-stop storage availability for server applications, easier administration, quicker failover, and additional flexibility for designing clusters. For details, visit Windows Server 2012 Clustering Consulting and Support.

VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Disaster Recovery Solutions
VMware's Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is a component of VMware vCenter that allows you to orchestrate, automate and test a consistent workflow for recovering applications and services rapidly after a breakdown. SRM supports centrally controlled and automated disaster recovery, application mobility, and non-disruptive site migration, failback and re-protect. SRM also allows transparent testing for disaster recovery, updates and patches and can generate audit reports to verify full service recovery, validate SLAs and demonstrate disaster recovery compliance. Progent can provide the support of a VCDX certified VMware SRM consultant to assist your organization to design, configure, test and maintain a DR solution powered by VMware Site Recovery Manager.

NetApp MetroCluster Disaster Recovery Technology
NetApp MetroCluster is a high-availability and disaster recovery platform that uses array-based storage clustering with synchronous replication to deliver rapid, zero data loss disaster recovery between sites located as far as 185 miles (300km) away from one another. Progent can provide the skills of a certified NetApp MetroCluster expert who can help your business to design, deploy, manage, update, test and troubleshoot a disaster recovery system based on NetApp MetroCluster. Progent can help you to select a topology for your MetroCluster environment that aligns with your technical needs and budget. Progent can make sure you follow leading practices for installing your MetroCluster solution by delivering guidance with tasks like assigning disk pools, arranging plexes layout, setting up FlexVol volumes, setting up NetApp Snapshot, installing switches, implementing a tiebreaker, setting up a TCP/IP configuration replication network between your peered clusters, and testing your MetroCluster disaster recovery solution to show compliance with industry standards and regulatory requirements.

High Availability Load Balancing
Progent offers fault tolerant load balancing support that addresses system load balancing, load balanced programs, network backbone routing, and content delivery products such as F5 Networks 3DNS. Fault tolerant load balancing products for which Progent offers consulting services include Windows Server 2003 and 2008 Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Metaframe and Presentation Server, Cisco Content Services Switch, Cisco Content Engine and ACNS, and F5 Networks BIG-IP. For more information, see Fault Tolerant Load Balancing.

Zero Downtime Colocation
Progent's Data Center consultants can show you how to select zero-downtime data centers that match the particular requirements of your business. Fault tolerant co-location sites are especially attractive to small and mid-size organizations because of their low cost and convenience compared to taking a do-it-yourself strategy. Attempting to build an on-site data center that offers even a basic degree of fault tolerance is too costly for most small organizations. Progent can show you how to get all the advantages of high-availability colocation facilities by offering a complete array of consulting and maintenance services. For details, go to High-Availability Colocation Solutions.

Failsafe Inter-office Connectivity
Progent’s multi-site connection consultants can help companies achieve zero-downtime multi-site connections via redundant networks featuring transparent failover. Progent’s Cisco-certified CCIE network engineers can design and implement fault-tolerant Inter-office connections supported by non-stop EIGRP network routers or zero-downtime OSPF deployment of Cisco routers. Progent can demonstrate how multi-path connectivity and automatic fail-over can provide affordable 24x7 interoffice networking. To find out more, see Failsafe Inter-office Networking.

Non-stop Internet Connectivity
Progent's Cisco-certified IT consultants can help you create an economical, fault tolerant Internet configuration solution that can deliver non-stop Internet connectivity via a broad range of high availability Internet network solutions including fault tolerant BGP, transparent fail-over, and redundant ISPs. Progent can provide CCIE professionals to show you how to apply the most advanced technology for 24x7 Internet connectivity to build a cost-effective, fully redundant Internet network with automatic failover and other features to deliver fault tolerant Internet availability. To learn more, see High Availability Internet Connectivity Solutions.

Backup and Restore Solutions Consulting Services
Progent offers economical online access to engineers skilled in a wide range of products and services that deliver solutions for protecting Microsoft Windows, Mac, and Linux/UNIX servers and workstations as well as laptops and handhelds. Progent can provide consulting support for all major data protection platforms including Acronis, Symantec Backup Exec, BackupAssist Software, HP Data Protector, Double-Take Backup, Mozy, Retrospect for Macintosh, Apple Time Machine, VMware Data Recovery (VDR), and FLARs. Progent can assist your company to implement, enhance, or maintain backup/restore systems for a variety of environments such as on-premises, remote, cloud-based, or a mix. To learn more, see Backup and Restore Technology Expertise.

Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager (SCDPM) Backup and Recovery Consultants
Progent's expert Microsoft SCDPM engineers can assist your company to create a practical workplace recovery strategy, implement a cost-effective fault-tolerante IT architecture, deploy a Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager-powered recovery system, thoroughly validate your DPM system, train your administrative staff or local consultants how to maintain SCDPM, or provide extensive information technology support outsourcing including off-site housing of virtual or physical SCDPM servers in Progent's data center. For more information, visit Microsoft SCDPM Consulting.

Barracuda Backup Multi-site and Cloud Backup and Disaster Recovery
Barracuda Backup is a low-cost, subscription-based backup and disaster recovery service for small and mid-size organizations. A Barracuda Backup solution can incorporate a purpose-built physical appliance built by Barracuda or a software-based appliance with similar features but which utilizes your existing storage hardware. Barracuda Backup protects critical company data generated on-premises, at one or more remote locations, or in the cloud. For disaster protection, 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 Barracuda partner and Progent's Barracuda Backup consultants offer a broad array of consulting services to assist you to design, integrate, operate and troubleshoot a backup and disaster recovery solution based on Barracuda Backup. For details, go to Barracuda Backup and disaster recovery consulting and management.

Altaro VM Backup Solutions for Data Protection and Disaster Recovery
Altaro VM Backup offers small and mid-size organizations a reliable and affordable solution for backing up and restoring Hyper-V and VMware-based VMs. Altaro VM Backup can be deployed in local, remote, multi-site, and cloud-hosted architectures and also enables low-cost cloud backup to Microsoft Azure Block Blob storage. Top capabilities include state-of-the-art inline deduplication to cut backup storage requirements, Continuous Data Protection with backup spacing as low as five minutes for reducing your exposure to data loss, military-grade encryption, item-level restore capability for specific files and emails, extensive support for Windows Cluster Shared Volumes and for vCenter for managing larger environments, and support for Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) to back up online VMs with zero downtime. Progent is a certified Altaro partner and can provide a broad range of services to help you to plan, install, manage and troubleshoot a backup and disaster recovery solution based on Altaro VM Backup. To read more, go to Altaro VM Backup Consulting.

Consulting for Double-Take Software for Data Backup
Double-Take publishes a selection of products intended to provide small businesses a range of affordable alternatives for backing up and recovering business-critical workloads such as Exchange, SQL, Blackberry, and Microsoft Office SharePoint. Progent’s disaster recovery planning consultants have extensive experience integrating Double-Take products into small business information networks to create a high level of fault tolerance and business continuity readiness at a budget-friendly price. To learn more, visit Consulting for Double-Take Software for Backup.

CRISC-Certified Network Risk Control
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 control mechanisms to reduce network risk. Progent offers the services of a CRISC-certified engineer to assist your company 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. For details, see CRISC-Premier IT risk management specialists.

Why Pick Progent for Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning Solutions?
Because Progent is a Microsoft Partner and offers professional application expertise for a broad variety of small business applications, Progent can help customers to arrive at efficient IT solutions that optimize the business value of your information system. As a Registered Partner for Cisco, Progent can provide the support of certified consultants and specialists with expertise in architecting, deploying and supporting networking solutions built on Cisco products. The broad scope of Progent's technical know-how and Progent's sensitivity to the needs of small companies make Progent the ideal resource for creating and running a cost-effective, dependable information system.

How You Can Get Help from Progent's Consultants for Fault Tolerant System Services
In order to get in touch with Progent about technical expertise for high availability networking, phone 1-800-993-9400 or see Contact Progent.