TeraMach Helps CIDA Reduce the Time for Backups and Restores

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) selected TeraMach to implement an Enterprise Storage and Backup solution. As a result, CIDA's servers have access to data on a Storage Area Network (SAN) and the backup window has been reduced from 16 hours to less than seven hours, an improvement of over 50 percent.

SUMMARY

The Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) is a Federal Agency whose mandate is to help people in developing countries lift themselves out of poverty by offering support needed to improve their quality of life.

With a truly global mandate and with interests on every continent, CIDA works very closely with similar agencies in other countries.

Decisions that may affect human lives rely on the accessibility and accuracy of the data that is stored on CIDA's corporate computer systems, located in the National Capital Region.

The IT infrastructure required to ensure that these initiatives are delivered on time, every time, is a seldom seen, yet vitally important piece of the CIDA success story.

THE CHALLENGE

With more pressure being exerted on the IT department and its 42 servers, CIDA had to reduce the time spent on backups and restoring the system if and when it went down.

After deciding on EMC disk arrays, StorageTek tape libraries and Veritas NetBackup software, CIDA turned to TeraMach to help with the implementation of this solution.

Working very carefully with Carol Joanisse, CIDA's Director of Engineering and Operations, TeraMach and their team of consultants tackled the challenge head on and were able to ensure a smooth migration from local server backups to an enterprise backup and recovery solution over the network. This resulted in over 2.5TB of data being backed up on a daily basis.

According to Mr. Joanisse, EMC recommended TeraMach as the integrator, based on its intimate knowledge of the hardware and software solutions that CIDA had recently purchased.

CIDA has offices and employees all over the world. It is critical that they have secure access to corporate data at all times, and that the data can be recovered in case of failure.

"The quality of our information was in jeopardy. TeraMach's engineers worked side by side with our IT personnel to ensure a smooth, error free transition. The transition was seamless to the user."

FASTER BACKUPS

Prior to upgrading the storage infrastructure, backups normally took in excess of sixteen hours. That window has now been reduced to less than seven hours.

"The way we do backups has not changed. However, we can now do more full backups and more data is available to us than ever before. Plus we have reduced the need for incremental off-site storage."

"Reducing backup time means more throughput for users in the building. Windows of operation are not impacted by backup, whereas before they were."

Implementing the Storage Area Network (SAN) was the final component in the total solution that TeraMach performed for CIDA. The expertise that TeraMach brought to the table allowed the day-to-day operations to continue with little or no disruption to service.

TRUE TEAMWORK

Working with the TeraMach team was a rewarding experience for Mr. Joanisse and his team of system administrators. TeraMach "creates an atmosphere of trust" that is paramount when critical applications are being upgraded and installed.

Speaking directly about one of the TeraMach consultants, Mr. Joanisse says he "would work tirelessly alongside our people and ensure that all applications were performing above par."

If there was a checklist of things to do correctly, TeraMach answered them all. They had complete knowledge of CIDA's current infrastructure, relationships with the primary software and hardware vendors, and the ability to work within the budget.

One of the most satisfying experiences for CIDA was the continuity within the team of TeraMach consultants. The same group of engineers stayed with the project from vision to implementation.

This superior dedication to customer service, in turn, fosters a feeling of trust.

When asked if he would enjoy the chance to work with TeraMach again, Mr. Joanisse emphatically replied: "We would definitely rehire them!"