IT Strategy
Server backup and recovery isn’t rocket surgery, but you would be surprised
by the number of IT organizations that can’t get it right. Here are five of
the most common mistakes that I have seen.
1. “Don’t worry, it’s Backed Up”
Famous last words! Is it really? Prove it! Just because you have run a backup
procedure, throw in a fresh tape into the drive doesn’t necessarily mean
that the server(s) are protected. Over confidence or misconceptions about
backup are common mistakes. It’s like having a plan without ever testing.
So, test it. If you have data backed up when was the last time you tried to
restore it, is the data any good? How long did the process take? Don’t
leave anything to chance. Make sure that your backup and recovery procedures
are exercised ... (more)
There are several challenges when attempting a data center move or even just
consolidation. Availability is the number one priority. All the systems
during the move need to be available so production operations are not
interrupted. Depending on the technology you use some solutions will require
more downtime than others. If you are consolidating to a blade or virtual
machine infrastructu... (more)
I attended a pandemic exercise at Northeastern University last year that was
really enlightening and timely considering the latest information about the
“swine flu”. Although far from a pandemic at this time, the CDC is taking
preventative measures by communicating with the general public what they can
do to avoid becoming ill. Here are a few tips that can help spread the
transmission.
... (more)
Server, storage and site migrations have always been the elephant in the
room. IT managers know that it is necessary to reduce costs and improve
workload management but cringe over the potential impact to production. In
the past, migrations have usually required significant planning, design and
downtime, which is no longer acceptable. Now flexible, more efficient
workload infrastructure ... (more)
The need for moving, provisioning and migrating workloads in real-time for
server and storage consolidation is necessary to help IT organizations deploy
more efficient and flexible technology, as well as consolidate other site
locations for centralized facility management. Many organizations have been
reluctant to embrace migration projects because of downtime and interruption
to product... (more)