Running Computers, a managed IT service provider and value added reseller, provides hardware, software and a full portfolio of managed services and SLA-based support solutions for small, medium and large businesses.
When one of their large clients needed to relocate their office and migrate their IT infrastructure in the process, they required a solution that would ensure data continued to be backed up and secure during the move. Running Computers turned to the WD Sentinel DX4000 12Tb network storage server from distributor Drive Control Corporation (DCC) to provide the solution.
“During the relocation process, the client’s servers were being moved to a temporary location for a 6-month period, during which time Windows Image and File based backups still needed to take place. Duplicating the backup
infrastructure at this temporary site was not cost effective, but we could not afford production downtime during the move.
“We needed an affordable and reliable option and decided to use five WD Sentinel DX4000 storage servers as a temporary solution to this problem. With servers at both the original site and the new location, and a fibre uplink, we were able to use the WD Sentinel DX4000 storage server to ensure that backups continued to be conducted across both sites, until the backup infrastructure could be relocated,” explains David McKenna, technical director of Running Computers.
The WD Sentinel DX4000 running Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2008 R2 Essentials provides secure, centralised storage, complete data protection and remote access to data in a reliable, cost effective and easy to manage
storage server.
It is also the only entry-level Network Attached Storage (NAS) solution that offers redundant power capability, an important consideration when dealing with mission-critical data. The WD Sentinel X series were also selected based on their ability to provide iSCSI Storage Area Network (SAN), powered by StarWind, and native RAID capability, which offers high availability of data.
“The WD Sentinel DX4000 features enterprise-class hard drives for high capacity storage, peak performance and enterprise-class reliability, delivering automated server-based client PC backup, with dual Gigabit Ethernet (GbE)
connectivity for fast data transfer rates.
“It is also compatible with multiple operating systems (OS), and offers excellent value for money, making it the perfect solution to meet the needs of Running Computers during their client’s
relocation,” says Ruben Naicker, WD Product Specialist at DCC.
The solution was quick to implement at the required site, thanks to easy plug and play setup of the WD Sentinel DX4000 devices, and performed according to expectations from the start. System backups were conducted to the WD
Sentinel DX4000 storage server on a daily basis, as well as two-hourly SQL dumps, which were stored on the devices.
One of the core systems was also backed up every hour to a WD Sentinel DX4000, storing mission critical business data for the client. The first servers were migrated at the end of May 2013, with the relocation beginning in June. The remainder of the infrastructure was migrated in October 2013, after which the WD Sentinel DX4000 storage servers were deployed as file storage for the client.
“The WD Sentinel DX4000 storage servers provided reliable, cost effective storage that fulfilled our project requirement, and will also continue to deliver into the future as a storage solution.
“The native Active Directory integration is a big plus point here, as storage can be easily allocated to users based on quotas through the directory. Our client was extremely happy with the cost versus return ratio of the devices, as well as the system reliability,” McKenna concludes.
