Key Tasks Performed:

• Support team – Enterprises cloud product support
• Infra support – Private cloud management, VMware support, DRaaS, and BaaS

Key Technologies / Products used:

• Blade hardware servers – Dell, HP, Fujitsu and Egenera
• VMware virtual DC spanned across Dell, super micro and Cisco UCS Hardware
• Hypervisor – VMware
• Cloud computing platform – Private cloud
• Storage – Dell EqualLogic, EMC, Qnap
• Network – Cisco switches/routers, ASA firewall
• Backups – Acronis, Falconstor, Veeam
• Disaster recovery solutions – DRaas – custom private

About our client

About The Client

A US-based major financial company had implemented a Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) solution for their existing Virtual Machines. However, due to the critical nature of the systems contained in the co-located facility, the team recommended a deeper evaluation. Therefore, they advised investigating and pursuing a strategy that would allow for rapid recovery. In addition, this approach would ensure business continuity and minimize downtime during unexpected disruptions. Ultimately, the company aimed to strengthen resilience and maintain uninterrupted access to vital financial systems.

 

Challenge

DR Event:

During the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season, a tropical storm struck the data center and caused multiple power failures. As a result, redundant and backup systems failed to provide sufficient power for the Blade servers. Consequently, critical services were disrupted, leading to significant downtime.

 

How we helped

To minimize downtime, the team initiated the disaster recovery (DR) process with a priority focus on quickly cutting over to the target site. First, recovery jobs for critical machines were executed, and the tool successfully replicated the systems at the target location. Next, new IP addresses were assigned to the target machines, and DNS records were updated to propagate the server information. As a result, the cutover required minimal downtime, and the systems were brought online at the new site without significant disruption.

The primary responsibilities included deploying backup agents across all virtual machines at the source site. In addition, the team established a site-to-site VPN to ensure secure replication and prevent data leakage. Furthermore, they configured off-cloud Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) at the target data center. Moreover, IP addresses and credentials were provided to the client for seamless access. Finally, all disaster recovery activities were governed by a formal Service Level Agreement (SLA), which ensured compliance and accountability.

Results

• RecoveryTrac was setup to automate the fallback process
• DR planning and execution in DR event reduced the downtime upto 90% and there are virtually no production loss
• More than 50% of the companies have no DR plans and so actsupport helped the client setup DRaaS
• 20% DR plans are not effective in disaster events. So our careful study and tests helped the client to overcome DR failure and was able to see positive feedback from the customers
• Occasional testing is done to make sure the DR plan work during the event of a disaster

 

Note: RecoveryTrac^TM is a trade mark tool from Falconstor. Acronis is a leading backup solution provider.