How to navigate between the trenches
Hybrid IT has moved from buzzword status to reality and organizations are realizing its potential impact. Some aspects of your infrastructure may remain in a traditional setting, while another part runs on cloud infrastructure—causing great complexity. So, what does this mean for you? “A Journey Through Hybrid IT and the Cloud” provides insight on:
The primary goal of a multi-cloud data management strategy is to supply data, either via copying or moving data to the various multi-cloud use cases. A key enabler of this movement is the data management software applications. In theory, data protection applications can perform both of the copy and move functions. A key consideration is how the multi-cloud data management experience is unified. In most cases, data protection applications ignore the user experience of each cloud and use their proprietary interface as the unifying entity, which increases complexity.
There are a variety of reasons organizations may want to leverage multiple clouds. The first use case is to use public cloud storage as a backup mirror to an on-premises data protection process. Using public cloud storage as a backup mirror enables the organization to automatically off-site data. It also sets up many of the more advanced use cases.
Another use case is using the cloud for disaster recovery.
Another use case is “Lift and Shift,” which means the organization wants to run the application in the cloud natively. Initial steps in the “lift and shift” use case are similar to Dev/Test, but now the workload is storing unique data in the cloud.
Multi-cloud is a reality now for most organizations and managing the movement of data between these clouds is critical.
Managing Windows user profiles can be a complex and challenging process. Better profile management is usually sought by organizations looking to reduce Windows login times, accommodate applications that do not adhere to best practice application data storage, and to give users the flexibility to login to any Windows Operating System (OS) and have their profile follow them.
Note that additional profile challenges and solutions are covered in a related ProfileUnity whitepaper entitled “User Profile and Environment Management with ProfileUnity.” To efficiently manage the complex challenges of today’s diverse Windows profile environments, Liquidware ProfileUnity exclusively features two user profile technologies that can be used together or separately depending on the use case. These include:
1. ProfileDisk™, a virtual disk based profile that delivers the entire profile as a layer from an attached user VHD or VMDK, and
2. Profile Portability, a file and registry based profile solution that restores files at login, post login, or based on environment triggers.
Ransomware is a growing threat to every organization on the planet; it seems we cannot go a day without seeing another high-profile ransomware attack being detailed in mainstream media.
Cyber-criminals are innovating at a phenomenal pace in this growing ‘industry’ because they have the funds to do so. In fact many cyber-criminal groups have more funds than most enterprises.
The disruption these attacks are causing to businesses is huge with billions of dollars’ worth of revenue being lost due to system outages caused via ransomware attacks.
Research has shown that a 41% increase in attacks has occurred since the beginning of 2021 with a staggering 93% increase year over year.
Companies are getting hit via ransomware every day, but how does it get in? Some of the most common ways ransomware is getting in is via the following methods:
1. Phishing emails that launch ransomware attacks via inline links, links in attachments, or fake attachments.2. Browsing unknown links and websites.3. Downloading and accidentally running infected software.4. Inserting or connecting an infected disk, disc, or drive.5. Operating system based vulnerabilities if the OS is not patched to the latest levels.6. Plugin based vulnerabilities if plugins are not patched to the latest levels.7. Infrastructure vulnerabilities (network, storage etc.) if not patched to the latest levels.
How Backup Breaks Hyperconvergence
Backup creates several separate architectures outside of the HCI architecture. Each of these architectures need independent management. First, the backup process will often require a dedicated backup server. That server will run on a stand-alone system and then connect to the HCI solution to perform a backup. Second, the dedicated backup server will almost always have its own storage system to store data backed up from the HCI. Third, there are some features, like instant recovery and off-site replication, that require production quality storage to function effectively.The answer for IT is to find a backup solution that fully integrates with the HCI solution, eliminating the need to create these additional silos.