VMware's popular Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is an extension to VMware vCenter that allows you to orchestrate, automate and test a consistent process for restoring services rapidly after an outage. SRM provides centrally managed and automated disaster recovery, application mobility, plus non-disruptive site migration, failback and re-protect. SRM also allows non-disruptive testing for disaster recovery, upgrades and patches and can generate audit reports to confirm complete service restoration, validate SLAs and prove compliance.
Site Recovery Manager works natively with VMware vSphere Replication, can be used with third-party disaster recovery solutions from leading storage vendors like NetApp, and integrates with Microsoft software products for advanced, application-aware data protection. SRM's support for automated, single-click orchestration of failover and failback processes allows you to minimize Recovery Time Objective (RTO). SRM's support for array-based synchronous replication enables zero-data-loss Recovery Point Objective (RPO) at metro distances. Combined with VMware's NSX network virtualization platform, SRM can recover the entire logical network topology at the recovery site.
Progent can provide the support of a certified VMware VCDX consultant to help you plan, deploy, test and manage a disaster recovery solution based on VMware Site Recovery Manager and NSX. Progent's Microsoft-certified Windows Server 2022 integration professionals, Windows Server 2019 integration experts, and Windows Server 2016 consultants can help you set up SRM on Windows Server at the protected site and the recovery site and can also help you configure mission-critical applications by providing services such as Exchange Server 2019 planning and configuration consulting, Exchange Server 2016 migration, SQL Server 2019 migration consulting, SQL Server 2017 upgrade expertise, and SQL Server 2016 integration consulting. Progent's Cisco CCIE consultants can help you design and deploy a robust network infrastructure for Site Recovery Manager, and Progent can provide a NetApp-certified SAN storage expert to help you integrate a NetApp clustered storage solution with SRM.
Key Features of VMware Site Recovery Manager
VMware Site Recovery Manager servers and VMware vCenter servers, running at the protected and recovery sites in conjunction with VMware vSphere and hosted by Microsoft Windows Server, work together to ensure that recovery virtual machines (VMs) are immediately and transparently started up when protected VMs are shut down. The virtual machines at the recovery site use the data replicated from the protected site and are therefore able to continue providing the same services.
SRM's migration of data and services between the protected and recovery sites is controlled by a recovery plan, an automated runbook that defines the order in which VMs are shut down and started up, their allocated resource pools, and the networks the VMs can access. You can configure multiple recovery plans to orchestrate recovery scenarios for specific applications or to handle entire sites. You can centrally manage VMware SRM recovery plans via the vSphere Web Client.
In addition to providing a strong disaster recovery solution to protect against unplanned downtime, VMware SRM also allows non-disruptive execution of planned processes such as disaster avoidance in anticipation of a major storm, moving a datacenter to a new location, testing upgrades and patches, testing a recovery plan to demonstrate compliance, and failback/re-protect after a partial or complete site shutdown. If your protected and recovery sites have a high-bandwidth, low-latency connection within a metro area, you can use array-based storage and synchronous replication with zero data loss (RPO) and rapid recovery time (RTO).
Site Recovery Manager can be configured in a variety of topologies to support different failover scenarios. In an Active-Passive configuration, a production site runs applications and services and a fully-provisioned secondary site waits unused until it is needed for recovery. This traditional topology is quickly falling out of favor because of its low utilization of IT resources. In an Active-Active topology, less urgent workloads such as testing or development are run at the secondary site until the recovery plan calls for them to be shut down to make room for critical workloads following outage. This allows the recovery site to stay productive. In a Bi-directional deployment, production workloads can be run at two sites which Site Recovery Manager will use as mutual protection and recovery sites. If either sites fails, SRM will activate its workloads on the surviving site.
VMware Site Recovery Manager also supports stretched storage clusters that span protected and recovery sites. Stretched clusters allow you to migrate workloads between two geographically proximate sites to balance services without downtime. This combination of technologies delivers the disaster recovery orchestration, automation, and audit reporting capability of SRM plus the ability of stretched clusters to enable fully active datacenters with on-demand, non-disruptive workload balancing.
Additional topologies supported by VMware Site Recovery Manager include shared recovery, where multiple remote sites such as branch offices are protected by the same recovery site, and shared protection, where a single site fails over some applications and VMs to one recovery site and others to one or more other recovery sites. All of the various architectural alternatives for deploying a disaster recovery solution based on VMware SRM have inherent advantages and problems and range in complexity from simple to very challenging. Progent can provide the support of an VMware VCDX-certified expert who can clarify the issues, recommend a topology that fits your organization's technical requirements and IT budget, and provide as-needed guidance and support to help you implement and manage your disaster recovery solution.
Combining Site Recovery Manager and VMware NSX
Because the IP address of a running virtual machine cannot be altered without incurring some downtime, protected sites and recovery sites supported by VMware Site Recovery Manager must have L2 network connectivity to achieve the fastest possible failover time. One way to accomplish this is through VMware's NSX network virtualization platform. The network virtualization provided with VMware NSX makes it possible to preserve L2 and recover the entire logical network topology at the recovery site. NSX also supports APIs for automating recovery at the network layer to optimize RPO and RTO. By combining NSX with a disaster recovery solution based on VMware Site Recovery Manager, you can streamline the recovery of critical networking services at the secondary site including logical switches, distributed logical routers, and distributed firewall (DFW) policies.
For seamless spanning of network and security policies across multiple sites you can use an external replication/synchronization technology like vRO (vRealize Orchestrator, formerly called vCenter Orchestrator), or you can use the Cross-VC feature of VMware NSX. Cross vCenter NSX simplifies the process of deploying Universal Logical Switches, Universal Distributed Logical Router, and Universal Distributed Firewall to create a single unified logical network (L2, L3, DFW) across the protected and recovery site. This permits rapid failover and recovery without requiring you to re-create the network on the recovery site or manually map and remap IP addresses.
Progent can provide the services of a VMware-certified NSX expert to help you integrate VMware Site Recovery Manager with VMware NSX and to configure a disaster recovery solution automated by vRO or Cross vCenter NSX.
How Progent Can Help You with VMware Site Recovery Manager
Progent can provide online or onsite access to a VMware VCDX-certified subject matter expert with world-class knowledge and experience deploying and configuring VMware Site Recovery Manager and VMware's NSX network virtualization platform for disaster recovery and business continuity. Progent offers expert understanding of VMware vCloud Director (vCD), VMware vRealize Automation (vRA), vRealize Orchestrator (vRO) and vCloud Suite used for managing private and hybrid cloud environments that feature high availability, fault tolerance, and application continuity. Progent has expertise with VMware vSAN native-vSphere storage, EMC VNX and VMAX storage systems, Dell EqualLogic storage arrays, NetApp's SAN storage product family, plus storage solutions from Pure Storage and Tintri. Progent also offers advanced consulting for underlying storage technologies including RAID, JBOD, ZFS, VMFS, Fibre Channel (FC), NFS, and iSCSI plus key network technologies including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, LACP, OSPF, and BGP.
Progent's VCDX-certified VMware Site Recovery Manager and NSX subject matter expert has worked with datacenter architects, network engineers and department directors of some of the world's largest technology companies, major financial institutions, and government agencies to design solutions to improve disaster recovery RPO and RTO. Experience with large-scale projects includes working in environments scaling above 1500 ESXi hosts and 45,000 virtual machines.
Zero-Downtime Technologies Provided by Progent
Progent's Microsoft and Cisco consultants can help you to build a sensible, fault-tolerant information network that addresses key challenges covering a broad array of infrastructure technologies and operations including:
Workplace Recovery Planning
Progent's business continuity planning engineers can show you how to create a disaster recovery plan in order to resume network operations in the event of an information system catastrophe. Progent can assist you to create a complete disaster recovery strategy that incorporates periodic disaster recovery evaluations and testing. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-certified consultants can also help you build an affordable, high-availability network architecture that addresses reliability issues involving a broad array of network technologies and processes. For details, go to Disaster Recovery Consulting.
CRISC-Premier IT Risk Control
The CRISC certification program was initiated by ISACA in 2010 to verify a consultant's ability to plan, deploy, and maintain information system control mechanisms to mitigate network risk. Progent can provide the services of a CRISC-certified engineer to help you to create and carry out a business continuity plan that follows industry best practices identified by CRISC and crafted to match your company's risk appetite, business goals, and IT budget. To find out more, go to CRISC-Certified IT risk management specialists.
Windows Server 2019 High Availability Failover Clustering
Windows Server 2019 incorporated important improvements in scale, throughput, management, cybersecurity, application compatibility, Linux support, Kubernetes networking, and hybrid combinations of on-premises and cloud-hosted resources. Headline enhancements of Windows Server 2019 include Windows Admin Center for centralizing the management and monitoring of hybrid local/cloud deployments, System Insights for utilizing modern predictive intelligence to control on-premises environments, Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection Exploit Guard for host-intrusion defense, container orchestration using Kubernetes, Cluster Sets technology for creating and administering massive non-stop scale-out clusters, and Microsoft's Storage Migration Service for streamlining the upgrade process from legacy editions of Windows Server. For more information, visit Windows Server 2019 High Availability Failover Clustering Consulting.
Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery
Progent's Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery/business continuity consultants can help your organization to design a DR solution based on Microsoft's most advanced Failover Clustering tools including Cluster Operating System Rolling Upgrade for non-disruptive migration to Windows Server 2016, Storage Replica for crash-consistent Recovery Point Objective (RPO), Storage Spaces Direct for high-performance network-attached storage using low-cost hardware, Virtual Machine Load Balancing for improving the speed and fault-tolerance of Failover Clusters while minimizing TCO and operational expenses, and Cloud Witness for fast, affordable deployment of a stretch cluster quorum witness. To read more, see Microsoft Server 2016 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Support.
NetApp MetroCluster Disaster Recovery Software
NetApp MetroCluster is a high-availability and disaster recovery software suite that uses failover storage clustering with replication to provide fast, zero data loss disaster recovery (DR) between datacenters located up to 185 miles (300km) apart from each other. Progent can provide 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 based on NetApp MetroCluster. Progent can help you to choose an architecture for your MetroCluster deployment that meets your technical needs and budget. Progent can ensure you adhere to best practices for configuring your MetroCluster environment by providing guidance with tasks such as assigning disk pools, arranging aggregate and plexes layout, setting up volumes, setting up Data ONTAP configuration replication service, provisioning switches, implementing a tiebreaker mechanism, setting up a configuration replication network between your peered clusters, and testing your DR system to prove compliance with industry standards and regulatory mandates.
Network Load Balancing
Progent offers high availability load balancing support that addresses network load balancing, load balanced applications, LAN/WAN infrastructure routing, and content dispatching products including Cisco Content Engine. High availability load balancing products for which Progent offers consulting expertise include Microsoft Windows 2003 and 2008 Server Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Access Suite and Access Gateway, Cisco Content Services Switch, Cisco Distributed Director and ACNS, and F5 Networks 3-DNS. For details, go to Fault Tolerant Load Balancing.
Non-stop Data Centers
Progent's Data Center professionals can show you how to find fault-tolerant data centers that meet the specific requirements of your business. Fault tolerant Internet Data Centers are particularly attractive to small and mid-size businesses due to of their affordability and simplified logistics compared to taking a do-it-yourself strategy. Attempting to build an on-site data center with even a basic level of fault tolerance is too costly for most small companies. Progent can show you how to get all the advantages of non-stop data centers by providing a complete array of consulting and maintenance services. For more information, go to High-Availability Colocation Consulting.
High-Availability Branch Office Networking
Progent's interoffice network infrastructure professionals can help businesses create fault tolerant inter-site connections by means of fully redundant system architectures with automatic failover. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE engineers can design and deploy high-availability Inter-office networks based on non-stop EIGRP routers or non-stop OSPF configurations of Cisco routers. Progent can show you how multi-path connectivity and automatic fail-over offers affordable 24x7 interoffice connectivity. For details, go to Failsafe Inter-office Connectivity.
Non-stop Internet Connections
Progent's Cisco-certified IT consultants can help you create an affordable, fault tolerant Internet connection architecture that can deliver non-stop Internet connectivity via a broad range of high availability Internet network technologies including fault tolerant BGP, transparent fail-over, and multiple Internet Service Providers. Progent offers Cisco Certified Internetwork Expert professionals to help you apply the most up-to-date techniques for high availability Internet connections to create a cost-effective, fully redundant Internet network with automatic failover and other features to deliver fault tolerant Internet connections. For more information, see 24x7 Internet Access Solutions.
Backup and Restore Solutions Consulting
Progent offers affordable remote access to IT engineers with expertise in a broad array of products and services that provide solutions for backing up Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac, and Linux physical and virtual servers and desktops as well as laptops and smartphones. Progent offers help for all major data protection products including Acronis Backup and Recovery, Backup Exec, BackupAssist, HP Data Protector, Double-Take, Mozy, Retrospect, Apple Time Machine, vSphere Data Protection, and FLARs. Progent's consultants can assist your company to design, upgrade, or troubleshoot data backup solutions for a variety of architectures including on-premises, remote, cloud, or a mix. To read more, visit Backup and Restore Technology Expertise.
Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager Backup and Restore Consultants
Progent's certified System Center Data Protection Manager consultants can help you to develop a practical workplace recovery strategy, design a cost-effective fault-tolerante IT infrastructure, deploy a Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager-based backup and recovery solution, thoroughly test your system, educate your administrative staff or regular service providers how to maintain System Center Data Protection Manager, or provide complete information technology support outsourcing such as off-site housing of System Center Data Protection Manager servers in Progent's data center facility. For more information, visit System Center Data Protection Manager Consulting and Support Services.
Barracuda Backup Multi-site and Cloud Data Backup and Disaster Recovery
Barracuda Backup is a low-cost, subscription-based backup and disaster recovery platform for small and medium-size organizations. A Barracuda Backup solution can include a purpose-built physical storage device manufactured by Barracuda or a virtual appliance with comparable functionality but which uses your own storage infrastructure. Barracuda Backup protects critical company data generated on-premises, at one or multiple remote locations, or in the cloud. For disaster preparedness, you can replicate data to the Barracuda Cloud, to Amazon Web Services (AWS), or to any location with a physical or virtual Barracuda appliance. Progent is a certified Barracuda partner and Progent's Barracuda Backup consulting experts offer a broad array of consulting support services to help you to plan, configure, manage and troubleshoot a backup and disaster recovery solution based on Barracuda technology. For details, see Barracuda Backup and disaster recovery consulting.
ProSight DPS Altaro VM Backup Solutions for Data Protection and Disaster Recovery
Altaro VM Backup provides small businesses a reliable and budget-friendly platform for backing up and restoring Hyper-V and VMware-based VMs. Altaro VM Backup can be deployed in local, offsite, multi-site, and cloud-hosted architectures and also enables low-cost cloud backup to Microsoft Azure Block Blob storage. Progent is an Altaro partner and can provide a broad array of remote or onsite services to assist you to design, install, optimize and troubleshoot a comprehensive backup/restore solution powered by Altaro VM Backup. With ProSight DPS Altaro VM Backup, Progent offers a fully managed backup/restore service based on Altaro VM Backup software. For details, go to Altaro VM Backup consulting.
ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup Solutions for Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 offers simple archiving but does not have integrated support for vital data protection services like Exchange Online backups or greater than 30-day point-in-time recovery for OneDrive or SharePoint Online. Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup (formerly branded Altaro O365 Backup) provides a full-featured platform for programmable backup and quick restoration of all your organization's M365 mailboxes, Microsoft Teams Chats, SharePoint documents, OneDrive for Business data, and content on Windows desktops and laptops. Progent is a certified Hornetsecurity/Altaro partner and has designed ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS) 365 Total Backup to deliver end-to-end management services for Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup product. ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup provides a low-cost backup-as-a-service solution that defends M365 components against data loss or corruption resulting from human or software mistakes, malicious corruption, and cyber attacks like ransomware. To learn more, go to ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup solutions for Microsoft 365.
Managed Cloud Backup: ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO
ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO from Progent offer small and mid-sized businesses an affordable end-to-end solution for secure backup/disaster recovery (BDR). For a fixed monthly price, ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO automates and monitors your backup processes and enable fast restoration of vital files, applications and virtual machines that have become unavailable or corrupted as a result of hardware breakdowns, software bugs, natural disasters, human error, or malware attacks such as ransomware. ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO can help you protect, retrieve 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 an on-promises device, or mirrored to both. Progent's cloud backup specialists can provide advanced expertise to set up ProSight DPS ECHO to be compliant with regulatory standards like HIPAA, FIRPA, and PCI and, whenever needed, can assist you to restore your business-critical data. Find out more about ProSight DPS ECHO managed cloud backup and recovery.
ProSight DPS 360 Backup Services
Progent can help you to design, implement and debug a backup plan built around MSP360 technology. MSP360 enables file or image backup/restore for virtual machines and physical computers, supports all popular public clouds, and allows businesses to build a data protection solution with a minimum RTO and a granular RPO. With ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup, Progent offers end-to-end monitoring and remote management of your backup environment to prevent data loss caused by human mistakes, system glitches, malicious insiders, and external attacks like ransomware. For more information, go to ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup solutions.
Consulting for Double-Take Solutions for Data Backup and Recovery
Double-Take publishes a family of tools intended to deliver small and midsize companies a variety of cost-effective solutions for replicating and recovering business-critical applications including Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SQL, Blackberry, and SharePoint. Progent's business continuity planning experts have in-depth backgrounds integrating Double-Take Software technology into small business IT networks to achieve an advanced state of availability and disaster recovery capability at a budget-friendly price. For more information, go to Consulting Services Double-Take Solutions for Data Backup.
Why Choose Progent for Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning?
Because Progent is a Microsoft Certified Partner and offers high-level application expertise for a wide variety of business applications, Progent is able to assist clients to arrive at comprehensive IT solutions that maximize the productivity of your IT network. As a Registered Partner with Cisco, Progent offers the support of premier consultants and specialists with experience in designing, configuring and troubleshooting networking solutions based on Cisco products. The breadth of Progent's technical experience and Progent's appreciation for the needs of small and midsize companies make Progent the perfect partner for creating and running an affordable, fault-tolerant network.
Contact Progent for Help with VMware SRM Disaster Recovery Solutions
For more information about Progent's consulting services for VMware Site Recovery Manager, call