Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Support and Service for
Business Networks:
Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 Failover Cluster Solutions
Failover clustering plays a critical role in serious disaster recovery strategies. Windows Server 2008 R2 failover clustering support introduced enterprise-class fault tolerance and recoverability to Microsoft's server platform. Windows Server 2012 R2 builds on this technology and offers important new and enhanced features that offer more expandability, non-stop storage availability for server applications, easier management, quicker automatic failover, and more options for designing failover clusters.
In addition to offering comprehensive Windows Server 2012 R2 consulting services, Progent's Microsoft-certified failover clustering experts can help optimize your Windows Server 2012 R2 clustering deployment to build a high-availability/disaster recovery solution or assist you to design and deploy a failover cluster environment powered by a modern version of Windows Server. Propgent can provide online or on-premises consulting services and technical support for clustered physical servers or virtual machines, and show you how to streamline the management of clustered servers.
New and Improved Features of Windows Server 2012 R2 Failover Clustering
With failover clustering, if any clustered servers (called nodes) stop working properly, other servers automatically and transparently take up (or failover) their workloads such as Exchange Server or SQL Server. Cluster Shared Volume (CSV) is a refinement of failover clustering that provides a consistent, shared namespace that clustered services and applications (called roles) can use to utilize shared storage regardless of the node that is currently running them. This ability to replace IT resources on the fly can dramatically enhance network availability and facilitate rapid recovery in case of a localized catastrophic event.
The failover clustering enhancements built into Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 include:
Cluster Expandability
Failover clusters in Windows Server 2012 R2 can scale to a greater number of nodes and virtual machines than clusters in Windows Server'2008'R2. Windows Server 2012 R2 scales to 64 nodes and 8,000 virtual machines per cluster. In contrast, Windows Server 2008 R2 supports 16 nodes and 1,000 virtual machines per cluster.
Server Manager and Failover Cluster Manager
Windows Server 2012 R2's Server Manager makes it easy to manage cluster nodes by enabling remote multi-server management as well as the remote installation of roles and features. Server Manager can also start Failover Cluster Manager, which provides a wealth of new features including new search, filtering, and custom views; the ability to select a defined set of VMs for performing desired operations such as live migration; one-click configuration of Cluster Shared Volumes (CSVs); and support for Hyper-V Replica for point-in-time replication of VMs.
Virtual Machine Mobility
Multiple live migrations including VM storage can be initiated at the same time to nodes with adequate resources and failed migrations are automatically retried. In addition, you can add or a virtual machine to a failover cluster while the VM is running.
Cluster Shared Volumes
Improvements to Cluster Shared Volumes (CSVs), which provide clustered VMs with common storage, include storage capabilities for additional clustered roles, the CSV proxy file system (CSVFS), support for BitLocker encryption, Direct I/O for faster access to file data, elimination of external authentication dependencies, integration with SMB Multichannel and SMB Direct for better performance and with Storage Spaces for lower-cost storage, and the ability to scan and fix volumes without service disruption.
Support for Scale-Out File Servers
The new clustered file server makes it possible to store server application data like Hyper-V virtual machine files on scale-out (known as active-active) file shares, offering performance and manageability similar to storage area network (SAN) solutions.
Cluster-Aware Updating (CAU)
This new feature allows the automation of software updates to the host operating system or other system components on clustered servers without downtime.
Monitoring and Managing VM Applications
This new capability enables high-level monitoring of applications hosted on clustered VMs running Windows Server 2012 R2.
Integration with Active Directory Domain Services
Enhanced integration with Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) improves flexibility and resilience by including easy alignment of failover cluster dependencies on AD DS, automated recovery of unintentionally removed cluster virtual computer objects (VCOs), support for cluster deployments in branch office with read-only domain controllers, and the ability for failover clusters to start without AD DS dependencies.
Cluster Quorum Management
Improvements to cluster quorum management that simplify quorum setup and increase the uptime of clusters during the failover process include a revamped quorum configuration wizard, the ability to assign which nodes have quorum votes, and the ability to automate quorum vote assignment depending on the current state of the node.
Enhancements to the Cluster Migration Wizard
The enhanced Migrate a Cluster Wizard in Windows Server 2012 R2 simplifies the tasks of installing, updating, and migrating Windows 2008 failover clusters through improvements that include the ability to export and re-import Hyper-V VMs, migrate to Cluster Shared Volume (CSV) disks, map virtual networks and storage, and reuse current storage.
Task Scheduler Integration
Windows Server 2012 R2 failover clustering features a new integrated Task Scheduler that makes it possible to use Windows PowerShell cmdlets to configure cluster tasks, providing a versatile tool for utilizing cluster resources to run processes or applications at set times. Tasks can be scheduled to run on a single random node, all nodes, or nodes with specified resources.
Windows PowerShell support
An enhanced Failover Cluster module for Windows PowerShell provides a library of cmdlets for automating support for the Failover Clustering features in Windows Server 2012
R2. New cmdlets support a variety of features such as the ability to manage cluster registry checkpoints, create Scale-Out File Servers, monitor VM applications, change the properties of a Distributed Network Name resource, create and manage clustered tasks, and create a fault-tolerant iSCSI Target Server.
For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V, which provides enhanced support for failover clustering, refer to Progent's Consulting Services for Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V.
How Progent Can Help You Benefit from Microsoft's Failover Clustering
Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can help you evaluate the business benefits of Windows Server 2012 R2 failover clustering, set up test systems to help you optimize performance and ensure compatibility for your critical workloads, design and carry out an efficient roll-out plan, train your administration staff to manage your failover clustering solution, and provide as-needed consulting and technical support either online or onsite to keep your system productive. Progent can also provide comprehensive Help Desk services.
Progent's service professionals can also help you migrate to Windows Server 2012 R2 Failover Clusters from Windows Server 2008 R2 or from Windows Server 2003 clustering technology.
Progent's CISM, CISA, GIAC, CRISC, and CISSP certified security engineers can assess the protection offered by your cluster environment and can recommend and implement affordable improvements. Progent's security experts can also help you design, document, and validate disaster recovery and business continuity and plans.
If you are considering the creation of a hybrid network model that integrates on-premises resources with public cloud services like those offered by Microsoft Azure, Progent can help you evaluate and deploy Windows Server 2019 or Windows Server 2016, which incorporate major elements of Azure technology and are designed to support hybrid networks. See Progent's Windows Server 2019 DR/BC consulting and Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery consulting.
High Availability Technologies Supported by Progent
Progent's Microsoft and Cisco engineers can help you to design a sensible, fault-tolerant system that resolves critical problems covering a wide range of infrastructure solutions and operations including:
Workplace Recovery Planning
Progent's disaster recovery consultants can show you how to create a workplace recovery strategy so you can restore IT functionality in the event of an information system catastrophe. Progent can help you to create a comprehensive disaster recovery strategy that incorporates periodic disaster recovery assessments and testing. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-authorized engineers can also help you create an affordable, high-availability system architecture that takes into account reliability issues involving a broad array of network technologies and procedures. To find out more, visit Workplace Recovery Expertise.
CRISC-Certified Network Risk Control
The Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) program was initiated by ISACA to validate a consultant's skills to plan, implement, and support information system control mechanisms to reduce network risk. Progent can provide the services of a CRISC-certified consultant to help you to create and execute a business continuity strategy based on leading practices identified by CRISC and crafted to align with your organization's risk appetite, business objectives, and IT budget. For details, see CRISC-Certified IT risk management specialists.
Microsoft Windows Server 2019 High Availability Failover Clustering
Microsoft Windows Server 2019 introduced important enhancements in capacity, performance, manageability, cybersecurity, app compatibility, Linux support, Kubernetes technology, and hybrid combinations of on-premises and cloud assets. Headline new features of Microsoft Windows Server 2019 are Windows Admin Center for unifying the management of hybrid local/cloud-hosted deployments, System Insights for taking advantage of advance predictive intelligence to control on-premises networks, Windows Defender ATP Exploit Guard for host-intrusion defense, container orchestration with Kubernetes, Cluster Sets technology for deploying and administering large non-stop scale-out clusters, and Microsoft's Storage Migration Service for simplifying the upgrade process from legacy versions of Windows Server. For more information, visit Microsoft Server 2019 Fault-tolerant Failover Clustering Support.
Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery
Progent's Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery/business continuity consultants can assist you to design a disaster recovery system built around Microsoft's cloud-tested Failover Clustering tools such as Cluster OS 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 industry-standard equipment, Virtual Machine Load Balancing for improving the performance and resilience of Failover Clusters while minimizing TCO and management overhead, and Cloud Witness for easy, affordable creation of a stretch cluster quorum witness. To read more, visit Microsoft Server 2016 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Support.
VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Disaster Recovery Solutions
VMware's Site Recovery Manager is an extension to VMware vCenter that allows you to orchestrate, automate and verify a repeatable process for recovering applications and services rapidly after an outage. Site Recovery Manager supports centrally managed and automated recovery, application mobility, and non-intrusive site migration, failback and site re-protect. Site Recovery Manager also allows non-disruptive testing for disaster recovery, upgrades and patches and can produce audit reports to confirm complete service recovery, validate SLAs and demonstrate compliance. Progent offers the skills of a VCDX certified VMware Site Recovery Manager consultant to assist you to plan, deploy, test and manage a DR system powered by VMware Site Recovery Manager.
NetApp MetroCluster Disaster Recovery Software
NetApp MetroCluster is a high-availability and disaster recovery software suite that uses array-based storage clustering with replication to provide rapid, zero data loss disaster recovery between datacenters that are as far as 185 miles apart from each other. Progent can provide online or on-premises access to a certified NetApp MetroCluster consultant who can assist your business to design, configure, administer, update, test and troubleshoot a disaster recovery system built around NetApp MetroCluster. Progent can help you to choose an architecture for your MetroCluster environment that aligns with your functional needs and IT budget. Progent can ensure you adhere to leading practices for configuring your MetroCluster solution by delivering guidance with procedures like assigning disk pools, determining aggregate layout, setting up volumes, setting up NetApp Snapshot, installing Cisco and Brocade switches, designing a tiebreaker mechanism, setting up a configuration replication network, and testing your disaster recovery system to show compliance with information assurance standards and government mandates.
Network Load Balancing
Progent provides fault tolerant load balancing support covering system load balancing, load balanced applications, network backbone routing, and content delivery products such as Cisco Content Engine. High availability load balancing technologies for which Progent offers consulting services include Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and 2008 Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Access Suite and Access Gateway, Cisco CSS, Cisco Content Distribution Manager and LocalDirector 400 series, and F5 Networks 3-DNS. To learn more, see Non-stop Load Balancing.
Fault Tolerant Data Centers
Progent's Data Center professionals can help you identify zero-downtime data centers that meet the specific requirements of your business. High availability colocation sites are especially attractive to small and mid-size organizations because of their affordability and convenience compared to pursuing a do-it-yourself approach. Trying to design an on-site data center with even a minimum degree of fault tolerance is too expensive for the majority of small organizations. Progent can help you reap all the benefits of non-stop colocation facilities by offering a complete range of consulting and maintenance services. For more information, see High-Availability Colocation Solutions.
Fault Tolerant Branch Office Connectivity
Progent's branch office network infrastructure engineers can help companies achieve fault tolerant branch office connections by means of fully redundant system architectures with transparent failover. Progent's Cisco-premier CCIE engineers can plan and implement fault-tolerant Inter-office networks supported by non-stop EIGRP network routers or zero-downtime OSPF deployment of Cisco routers. Progent can demonstrate how multi-path connectivity and transparent fail-over can provide economical non-stop interoffice connectivity. For details, see Non-stop Interoffice Networking.
High Availability Internet Connections
Progent's Cisco-certified network professionals can help you create an affordable, high availability Internet connection solution that can achieve non-stop Internet connectivity through a wide array of fault tolerant Internet network solutions including high availability BGP, transparent fail-over, and multiple Internet Service Providers. Progent can provide CCIE consultants to help you utilize the most up-to-date technology for fault tolerant Internet access to create an economical, fully redundant Internet network with automatic failover and other features to create zero-downtime Internet availability. To read more, go to Fault Tolerant Internet Access Architecture.
Backup and Restore Solutions Consultants
Progent can provide economical remote support from engineers skilled in a wide range of products and technologies that deliver solutions for protecting Windows, Apple Mac, and Linux physical and virtual servers and desktops plus laptops and handhelds. Progent can provide expertise for all major data protection products such as Acronis Backup and Recovery, Backup Exec, BackupAssist Software, CrashPlan, Double-Take Software, MozyPro, Retrospect for Macintosh, Time Machine, VMware Data Recovery, and Oracle Solaris FLARs. Progent can help you to deploy, enhance, or troubleshoot data backup solutions for a variety of architectures such as on-premises, remote, cloud, or a mix. For details, visit Backup and Recovery Solutions Expertise.
System Center Data Protection Manager Backup and Restore Consulting Services
Progent's expert Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager engineers can assist your company to create a practical disaster recovery plan, implement a cost-effective high-availability IT infrastructure, deploy a Microsoft SCDPM-powered backup and recovery solution, thoroughly validate your DPM system, educate your administrative personnel or regular service providers how to maintain Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager, or provide complete IT outsourcing services including off-site hosting of Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager machines in Progent's world-class data center. To read more, go to System Center Data Protection Manager Consulting Services.
Barracuda Backup Cloud and Offsite Data Backup and Disaster Recovery
Barracuda Backup is a low-cost, subscription-based backup/restore platform for small and mid-size businesses. A Barracuda Backup deployment can incorporate a custom-designed hardware appliance manufactured by Barracuda or a virtual appliance with similar features but which utilizes your own storage hardware. Barracuda Backup protects critical business data produced 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 location with a physical or virtual Barracuda Backup appliance. Progent is a certified Barracuda partner and Progent's Barracuda Backup consulting experts can provide a broad range of consulting support services to help you to design, configure, operate and troubleshoot a BDR solution based on Barracuda Backup. For details, see Barracuda Backup and disaster recovery consultants.
ProSight Data Protection Services Altaro VM Backup Software for Backup and Disaster Recovery
Altaro VM Backup offers small organizations a reliable and budget-friendly platform for backing up and restoring Hyper-V and VMware-powered virtual machines. Altaro VM Backup can be used for on-premises, remote, multi-site, and cloud-hosted architectures and also enables low-cost backup to Azure Block Blob storage. Altaro VM Backup supports high-end capabilities such as Immutable Cloud Storage for enhanced protection from ransomware. Progent is a certified Altaro partner and offers a broad array of remote or onsite consulting services to help you to design, deploy, manage and troubleshoot a comprehensive backup and disaster recovery solution based on Altaro VM Backup. With ProSight DPS Altaro VM Backup, Progent offers a fully managed backup/restore service powered by on Altaro VM Backup software. For more information, see Altaro VM Backup certified consultants.
ProSight Data Protection Services 365 Total Backup Services for Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 offers rudimentary archiving but does not include integrated support for crucial data protection capabilities like Exchange backups or greater than 30-day point-in-time data recovery for OneDrive or SharePoint Online. Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup (formerly branded Altaro O365 Backup) provides a full-featured BDR solution for automatic backup and quick recovery of all your organization's M365 mail, Microsoft Teams Chats, SharePoint documents, OneDrive for Business files, and content on Windows desktops and laptops. Progent is a certified Hornetsecurity/Altaro partner and offers ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS) 365 Total Backup to deliver end-to-end managed services for Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup suite. ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup provides an affordable backup-as-a-service solution that guards M365 components against data loss resulting from human or system error, malevolent sabotage, and malware attacks such as ransomware. For more information, go to ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup services for Microsoft 365.
Fully Managed Cloud Backup: ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO
ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO from Progent offer small and mid-sized organizations an affordable and fully managed solution for secure backup/disaster recovery (BDR). Available at a fixed monthly cost, ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO automates your backup processes and enable fast recovery of critical data, apps and VMs that have become unavailable or damaged due to hardware failures, software glitches, natural disasters, human mistakes, or malicious attacks like ransomware. ProSight DPS ECHO can help you back up, recover and restore files, folders, applications, system images, as well as Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware images. Important data can be backed up on the cloud, to an on-promises 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 government and industry regulatory standards such as HIPAA, FIRPA, PCI and Safe Harbor and, when needed, can help you to recover your critical information. Read more about ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO managed backup.
ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup Solutions
Progent's data protection experts can assist your company to create, deploy and debug a backup/restore plan based on MSP360 technology. MSP360 enables file/folder or image-based backup/restore for virtual machines and physical machines, supports all leading public clouds, and allows businesses to build a backup solution with a minimum Recovery Time Objective and a granular Recovery Point Objective. With ProSight DPS 360 Backup, Progent can provide comprehensive monitoring and remote management of your backup system to prevent data loss caused by user miscues, system errors, ill-intentioned insiders, and external assaults such as ransomware. For details, visit ProSight Data Protection Services 360 Backup services.
Consulting Services Double-Take Software for Backup and Recovery
Double-Take Software publishes a family of products designed to provide small and midsize companies a variety of cost-effective alternatives for replicating and recovering vital applications including Exchange, Microsoft SQL, Blackberry, and Microsoft SharePoint. Progent's disaster recovery planning consultants have in-depth backgrounds integrating Double-Take Software products into small business information networks to achieve an advanced level of fault tolerance and disaster recovery capability at a budget-friendly cost. To find out more, see Consulting Services Double-Take Solutions for Data Backup.
Why Pick Progent for Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning?
Since Progent is a Microsoft Partner and provides professional application consulting for a wide variety of business software programs, Progent can assist customers to find comprehensive IT solutions that optimize the business value of your information system. As a Registered Partner for Cisco, Progent offers the services of certified consultants and specialists with experience in designing, installing and managing networking solutions based on Cisco products. The broad scope of Progent's technical experience and Progent's appreciation for the needs of small and midsize companies make Progent a great partner for creating and maintaining an affordable, fault-tolerant information system.
How You Can Get in Touch with Progent's Engineers for Help with Fault Tolerant Computing
If you wish to get in touch with Progent about engineering expertise for fault tolerant LAN design, phone
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Online Consulting Catalyst 802.11ax AP
Integration Support Catalyst Wi-Fi 6 AP Planning
Progent's Cisco Catalyst 9100 Series Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E Wireless Access Point consultants offer economical online and on-premises help for Catalyst Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6E wireless access points (WAPs).
Windows Server 2016 VM Load Balancing Computer Consulting
Windows Server 2016 Load Balancing Computer Consultant
Progent's certified IT experts offer Windows Server 2016 integration consulting services to help businesses of all sizes to design and implement a smooth upgrade to Windows Server 2016 and Windows Hyper-V 2016 based on a local, cloud, or hybrid architecture. Progent can help your company to evaluate the benefits of Windows Server 2016 for your enterprise and can help you with any aspect of designing, deploying, administering or troubleshooting your Windows Server 2016 and Hyper-V 2016 ecosystem. Progent can assist you to take advantage of the many innovative high-availability and information assurance features of Windows Server 2016 and Hyper-V 2016 like Windows Containers, Shielded Virtual Machines to protect against compromised administrators, Credential Guard and Remote Credential Guard, Just In Time Privileged Access Management, VM load balancing, Storage Replica, plus workgroup and multi-domain failover clusters.
SentinelOne Malware Forensics Experts Configuration
SentinelOne Vigilance Respond MDR Reseller Support
Progent is a reseller and integrator for SentinelOne's Singularity product family, a subscription-based, cloud-centric cyberthreat management platform that includes machine learning technology and expert services to deliver comprehensive endpoint detection and response.
Managed IT Services Specialist
Immediate ProSight Managed IT Services Consultancy
Progent's ProSight portfolio of managed IT services are geared to offer businesses who have minimal internal IT support teams with low-cost access to enterprise-class management tools and consulting expertise. Benefits of the ProSight line of managed IT services include flat-rate IT management costs, automation of routine administrative processes, continual absorption of the latest information technology, smooth migration from legacy technology to current solutions, improved alignment of information technology with strategic objectives, guidance from seasoned network consultants, and allowing management to concentrate on business issues instead of fast-evolving computer technology.
Windows 2003 Technical Consultant
Windows 2003 Server Technical Support
The service background of Progent's certified Microsoft Windows Server 2003 consulting team, with an average of over 10 years of work in Microsoft technology, assures you success in selecting the version and configuration of Windows 2003 Server that matches best with your company's strategy. Progent can also help you with planning, installing, managing and troubleshooting sophisticated information technology solutions based on Windows Server, and can streamline your upgrade from Windows 2000 or Windows NT.
Independent Web Contractor Jobs Available
Freelance Microsoft Consultant Part Time Jobs
Progent's Experts Team offers support in important areas such as Apple OS integration and applications; Expertise for Linux-based, UNIX, and Sun Solaris systems; MRP, Enterprise Resource Planning, or Customer Relationship Management expertise; Strategic and specialized application support; Chief Information Officer, business analyst, and project management services; Special applications development and deployment; Web, eCommerce, Electronic Data Interchange, and customer information portal design and deployment; DBM support and performance help; Management information expertise; and Telecommunications systems consulting.
Solaris with Windows Consultant
24/7/365 Windows and UNIX Consulting
If your company computer system combines UNIX, Linux or Sun Solaris platforms with Windows, Progent can show you how to integrate your computers into a unified network that permits all your operating systems to coexist for simple administration, transparent dataflow, high availability, enhanced performance, and strong security. Progent's UNIX and Microsoft Windows coexistence support offerings feature network architecture configuration and support, consulting for Microsoft Windows services for UNIX (SFU), online network monitoring and administration, online network help and troubleshooting, in-person technical support, and Contact Center support.
Microsoft Certified Expert Azure Active Directory Domain Services Remote Troubleshooting
Azure AD DS On-site Support
Progent's consultants can assist you to design and implement a smooth migration from onsite Active Directory to cloud-based Azure AD or to a hybrid system that deploys Azure AD DS and AD Connect to unify identity management across on-premises and Azure resources.
Ekahau Wi-Fi Site Survey Network Consulting
Ekahau Wi-Fi RF Spectrum Analysis Network Consultants
Progent's Ekahau-certified Wi-Fi experts can help you to plan, implement, enhance, manage and troubleshoot a Wi-Fi solution optimized for your environment. Progent offers online or on-premises expertise for Ekahau Pro for predictive Wi-Fi design and Ekahau Sidekick for on-premises RF signal analysis.
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