Partner Feature

December 2007 - Veteran Sun Microsystems partner Strategic Technologies, Inc. (STI) (a Consonus Technologies, Inc. company) of Cary, N.C. is developing its Virtual Business Continuity Suite - teaming up with Sun to bring next-generation availability and recovery to mid-sized firms around the nation. The VBC Suite is an "end-to-end, turnkey solution," says Geoff Sinn, STI vice president of Managed Services, that includes services such as the automatic backup or replication of critical data and server images to remote STI data centers. The remote backup and replication services also feature rapid, managed restoration procedures.

Remote Backup as a Managed Service

iBackup Remote, the remote backup component, is a cost-effective element of the VBC Suite; organizations can purchase iBackup Remote separately, if they choose. This remote backup solution is a secure (encrypted), fully automated process that uses the Internet or a WAN link to backup file, application and database servers to an STI data center - from which these data elements can be rapidly restored in response to a disaster or information loss. STI delivers iBackup Remote as a managed service with pre-defined service levels; it is priced on a monthly per-gigabyte basis.

Customers "today want cost-effective [continuity] solutions like iBackup Remote, says STI CEO Mike Shook, "that are easy to implement and manage, that improve their ability to recover quickly in the event of a disaster - and that are better aligned with the increasing value of data."

Remote Replication Goes Virtual

According to Sinn, organizations can implement different "flavors" of the VBC Suite for maximum efficiency. For example, a company could choose to use the remote-replication VBC component for its mission-critical ERP applications and data. Or, for total protection and disaster recovery, the company could employ the Virtual Business Continuity Suite to remotely replicate its entire data center.

STI's remote-replication restoration services rely on a physical-to-virtual model, consisting of VMware, Sun servers, switches, firewalls and a remote data center, to give organizations rapid access to "lost" mission-critical data and host images - coupled with the benefit of an up-to-the-minute recovery point. The remote-replication service also uses a per-gigabyte monthly pricing basis - and is ideal, according to Sinn, for firms with a shortage of IT capital dollars, in-house expertise or the necessary infrastructure.

Sun Partner Advantage

"STI has been working closely with Sun on solutions for 20 years. They're a critical player for us," says Mark Diamond, Sun partner account manager. "Not only does STI excel in the commercial market, but they're a major force in education, as well...plus we [Sun] can rely on STI to do first-call service in key markets throughout the Southeastern United States." Diamond rounds out his praise of STI by pointing out that CEO Mike Shook is the recent past chairman of Sun Microsystems Reseller Advisory Council - "a crucial role in the Sun partner community."

Learn More

A leading provider of best-practice ITIL services, STI is leveraging its two decades of IT experience as it joins with Sun in its bid to bring Enterprise-class infrastructure and services to mid-sized companies. Learn more about STI by visiting www.stratech.com.