TrueVault™ leverages eFolder technologies to secure Canadian data

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Secure Online Backup hits Canada

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Pool parties are the best not to mention all margaritas and martinis that come with them. A month ago, I was down at the swimming pool on a sunny Sunday and happened to meet a neighbor who is a paralegal. So here I am boozing and socializing with a paralegal and talking to her about her office and my work. Unfortunately she just happened to have a tough week at work, as the building in which her office is located had a fire. The office above her office was caught on fire and it all started with a cigarette butt. Fire went on and did some direct damage to one of the offices. But most of the damage was not from fire it was from something else.

You got it! Most of the damage was from sprinklers and water thrown in by the fire truck. Some offices in the building got flooded and everything from computers to files felt the brunt of H2O. Fire, flood, computers, files….sounds like some uninvited extra work, doesn’t it? Time to buy new office furniture, files and computers, flood control …shopping time! Wait a sec, where can they buy data that was on their old computers and servers? My friend was relieved to know that even though her computers were damaged due to water her data was still secure, as they had a backup server on a different floor in the same building. A NARROW escape! I just wonder how many businesses out there have a backup server in their basement or on another floor in the same building and don’t realize there are data centers (with fire supression technology ) in this world for a reason. Do they know that:

“70 percent of small firms that experience a major data loss go out of business within a year “.*

Even more than that I wonder how adamant are they about their basement backup server when they say “I have backup, it works well, I have it all taken care off and I don’t need offsite backup” I guess will let them live in their ignorant world, after all what do I know I am just a rabbit!

*Source: Contingency Planning, Strategic Research Corp and DTI/Price Waterhouse Coopers (2004) and is widely quoted in places such as: DianaShepstone, National data awareness project launched to help businesses prevent data disasters ( Data Centre Solutions, Jan. 8, 2007)  see: http://www.datacentresols.com/news/articles-full.php?newsid=5455

In recent news headlines, Kelowna’s name comes up with announcements about the new $75 million dollar gigacenter that is being built by IBM and RackForce (a Kelowna company). The 70,000 square foot facility scheduled to open in December 2008, is state of the art, energy efficient, “green” and totally secure. Upon completion it will generate 100 plus new career positions in Kelowna and area.

The gigacenter is purportedly going to be the largest in North America. That raises the question of why would these organizations choose Kelowna as the ideal place to build this very expensive facility?  Well first you have to have a clear understanding of why the facility is needed at all.

The gigacenter fulfills the huge and rapidly increasing need for IT data storage. The continuing explosion of data that is being generated (much of which must be securely stored and instantly retrievable when required for both business needs and legal and governmental requirements) is dramatically taxing data storage capacity worldwide. The gigacenter is designed with “state of the art” security, highest reliability, greatest efficiency, readily accessibility and “green power”.   Huge volumes of data will be transmitted and stored in the Kelowna gigacenter from all over the world.

Kelowna is a unique but also ideal choice as the site for this type of facility due to our moderate climate, earthquake and flood free history, and we are not in a zone normally affected by terrorism or other strife. Our electricity is reliable and “green” hydro electric and we have a very stable economy and a growing IT work force with an excellent work ethic.

All of this makes both the gigacenter and Kelowna the ideal choice for organizations both big and small wanting to avoid the disaster of data loss and have the ability to assure rapid and comprehensive disaster recovery. 

The Okanagan Valley already has a surprising number of high tech organizations with dozens of website design firms, software developers, custom programmers, computer sales and support organizations and manufacturers whose products and services are based on high end technology. On behalf of my employer Toggle Networks Inc. I am now offering to valley businesses our “state of the art”, data protection solutions that fit all enterprises, small, medium or large. 

The movers and shakers in business and community development have created and are solidly behind a “Silicon Vineyard” initiative with support from the Okanagan Science and Technology Council, the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Commission. 

The combination of the development of the Gigacenter whose primary function is the secure storage of back up data, the burgeoning growth of IT enterprises in the valley and the “Silicon Vineyard” initiative, has attracted the interest of IT Disaster Recovery and Avoidance experts.

As an example, on October 7, 2008 Toggle Networks Inc. is sponsoring a seminar  “Avoiding a Business Disaster” (naturally being in the Okanagan Valley the no charge format is a Wine & Cheese).

For further information contact ;

Bob Keeling
 Roberts.keeling@togglenetworks.com
(250) 769.9159

I was recently asked, “How effective is your daily data backup in your practice?” I had no idea so I retorted, “Very effective… I think.” With over twenty-five years of experience in the dental industry, I have amassed extensive clinical and administrative knowledge. However, I confess that technical issues still perplex me.

My paths first crossed with data backup before the days of computers. A fire broke out in the building where my dental practice was located. As I hauled my A/R ledgers and appointment book outside to safety, it dawned on me how fragile data and our data storage were. As the firemen extinguished the fire, I reasoned I could not expect our staff to carry the heavy and cumbersome records home everyday. What preventative measures could be taken in the event of an after-hour disaster? I crossed my fingers and prayed disaster would never strike again.

As computers manifested into the workplace, my love-hate relationship with tape backups emerged. Each of five tapes, beautifully labeled with the days of the week, accompanied an “advanced” procedure: remove the previous day’s tape at the end of the day, tuck it into your purse and store it at home; insert today’s tape into the tape drive for immediate data storage. My colleagues and I were awestruck by our flawless practice; that is until disaster #2 struck. Our computer crashed. With tape backups in hand, we boldly approached our software vendor to recover our data. “What do you mean the data on the tapes is incomplete or missing? You can only recover 10% of our data?” I begged. One agonizing year later of recruiting help and sifting through day end sheets (which luckily we had printed beforehand), we recovered our lost data. Our misfortune was perplexing; we had done everything we were told to do. Our software company conceded, “Your tapes are old, but can be maintained current by purchasing new ones monthly for a mere $150/month.” Can we say robbery? Oh yes, and there was no guarantee with the tapes.

Data loss can be catastrophic when it strikes home. Cognizant that my most precious data is personal pictures, I burned all of my photos to CD. The peril of this simple and affordable approach was exposed when my home computer crashed. I loaded the first of thirteen CD’s onto my fixed computer only to find nothing. I lost all of my pictures of my children, holidays and special occasions; even my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. The sting of that moment will forever haunt me.

May the age of automation have mercy on me? There must be a bright side to technology. I settled into the world of “automatic timely back-ups” (too good to be true), data encryption (say what?) and 100% restoration (right, I have heard that before). My software vendor was annoyed by my skepticism proclaiming I should be “thankful for technology.” Forgive my doubt but his artificial words did not deliver peaceful slumber.

I will be the first to admit it is easier to believe the plethora of lies out there about data protection, than to uncover the truth and establish proper protection. However I cannot disregard the anguish of data loss or the vast ignorance that surrounds it. While the dental software I most recently used was best in class, it was non-compliant with provincial dental association’s data retention requirements; we did not maintain or protect ten years of our patient files. If we ever had to restore our data, we would have been shocked by the sticker price that we thought was included in our monthly fee.

One thing I am certain, you will be threatened by data loss. Computers fail. Make sure you are protecting what you could not afford to lose. No matter how great software affects your bottom line, or how gorgeous that picture is of your newborn, it is worth nothing when it is gone and will cost you more than you could ever imagine. I encourage you to avoid the pain I experienced by taking the time to discuss the importance of this matter with someone who specializes in IT data backup. Ensure that your system will allow for complete disaster recovery. Ignorance is not bliss, at least not when we are talking computers.

Nelle Pedersen currently serves on the executive team of Toggle Networks, Inc, a Calgary firm committed to data protection.

I am headed off to “Sin City” next week with 4 of my girlfriends. It has been a long time since I was there last. The year was 1978 and my family drove from Calgary, AB to Scottsdale, AZ for a winter break. We had planned to spend a night one Las Vegas. I was a minor at this time, so there was no gambling done by me. This certainly didn’t minimize my view of Vegas. It was not a vacation spot for children in 1978, but my parents attempted to let us take in what we could. As we drove downtown, I can recall being totally mesmerized by the lights. My brothers on the other hand were all giggles whenever they spotted the exotic dancer bars, and there were LOTS of them. I can recall my mother trying to distract my brother’s views by recommending other sites to look at.

“The Strip” was certainly there, and not like it is now. Most of the hotels that were on “The Strip” in 1978 have been bulldozed and rebuilt into magical palaces. I am not a gambler, but am anxious to try it. I have my allotted amount of gambling money, that I view as my “throwing away” money. If I do win anything, it will just be a bonus. Beating the Casinos is not impossible but I need to be realistic. It is unlikely that I will win with the odds stacked against me. Here are the approximate odds on some of the games in Las Vegas:

Keno - 30%. Slot Machines - 3%-25%
Roulette - 5.25% Video Poker - 0% to 5%
Craps - 1.4%
BlackJack - 0%-3%

I am just looking forward to seeing the shows, hotels, and chillin’ with my girlfriends. There will be no further comments from me on this posting, because “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas!” Wish me luck.

I had forgotten all about my friend’s fate.  For those of you not familiar with the Kokanee Ranger, he is the much talked about (and much hated), beer protector.  His job is to protect mankind from the stealing Sasquatch of Southern BC.  He has been the topic of discussion as of late, as Kokanee Beer was deciding his future.  It was decided that a vote would take place.  The people of Canada’s voice would be heard as to whether he should live or die.  Well the votes are in, and it is not good for my “Sweet Prince”.  It was a close one: 

• Live:  303,311
• Die:   304,672

Well Ranger, I am sorry for your fate.  What a close vote, only a difference of 1361 votes.  I demand a recount.  How could my “Sweet Prince” be voted off?  This isn’t reality TV, this is advertising.  What really got to me was the video that Sasquatch entered entitled “I am Sasquatch“, which was totally biased and not reflective of a great man.  Although I am sad for your fate, I have to say I did enjoy the live or die videos.  I guess we won’t know your true outcome, until your new commercial airs.  Good Luck!

I discovered a wasp nest in my yard yesterday.  As usual, it comes as a shock when you come across and disturb a wasp nest.  There were wasps’ flying everywhere, and me running into the house in record speed.  The nest that I discovered is actually underground.  I have battled many wasp nest’s in my day, but this is my first underground nest.  I pondered how to begin my “total annihilation” of this species from my yard.  My first attempt was not well thought out.  I decided to soak a towel, and lay it over the wasp area.  I then decided that I could drown the wasps, by turning on the hose over the towel, and soak the area.  What I didn’t count on was the number of wasps which were out of the nest at the time.  Within minutes, I had about 20 wasps in my area, trying to get into their blocked nest.  Time for a new plan.  I went and got some nest foam which I have used with great success in the past.  The problem for me is I don’t know if I will be able to access the entrance for the wasps.  I have tried to make my yard easy to maintain.  No grass at all in the backyard, and most of my gardens are covered in rock with plants interspersed throughout.  Under my rocks, I have placed a landscaping cloth.  My plan was to wait until either dusk or dawn, and pull on the landscape cloth, to expose the nest, and then hopefully see an entrance hole, and blast it with foam.  I attempted this procedure both last night and this morning, but as soon as I touched the cloth, the wasps came out.  I thought they were supposed to be dormant in the dark.  Perhaps it is because they are experiencing flood damage, that they have stayed awake all night.  My next attempt will be fire.  I have also burned many nests in the past also with great success.  I am hopeful that I can just burn right through my landscaping cloth.  I will have to test this first however.  I don’t want my whole back yard to go up in flames.  If all else fails, there is a frost in our near future.  I can always wait for Mother Nature to take care of the problem for me.

There is a lot of talk these days about sports being added and deleted to the Olympic games.  The sports which are on the chopping block for the 2012 games in London are softball, baseball and the modern pentathlon.  The IOC President Jacques Rogge, has stipulated on a go forward basis if any new sports are to be added to the games, the same number of sports have to be removed.  Some of the sports that are being considered as additions for 2012 include golf, rugby, karate, squash and “roller sports.”  I don’t even want to begin a discussion on “Roller Sports”, because I have visions of “roller derby” being entered as an Olympic Sport.  What I am interested in blogging, is what sports do you think should be removed?  I think I live in the greatest country in the world, Canada.  Our summer Olympic medal tally is however quite weak.  We didn’t have our first medal until Day 8 in Beijing, but this 2nd week of competition has been much better for the Canadian Athletes.  My first choice for removal from the Olympics has changed.  It initially was Trampoline, but Canada has now received 2 medals for this sport, so it is now my favorite sport.  I say keep Trampoline, but let’s turf Ping Pong or Table Tennis.  Let’s remember that this is a game that is best played with friends and beer.  My next choice would be Rhythmic Gymnastics.  I may have to change my mind about this one too, because Canada has done well with this sport in the past, and we may get a coveted medal in this sport.    I would have even said Equestrian events last week, but now it is another favorite sport of mine due to the shiny silver medal we got.  I just don’t understand why we don’t give the medals to the horses.  Don’t they do all the work?  We need to find a sport where Canada has little chance of winning.  It is pitiful that I have to think along these terms to get a sport removed, but we are truly not a threat in the summer games.  My final choice would be to remove Tennis.  Some of these players make a “gazillion” dollars a year, and do not fit my idea of an Olympian, plus, what chance has Canada of ever getting a medal in this sport.  Let’s bring back to the Olympics the sport of Lacrosse.  It was in 4 past Olympics, 1904,1928, 1932 and 1948.  I know we would do well in this sport again.  Can you believe that even Tug-Of-War was in 6 Olympic games.  In the end all I can do is cheer “Go Canada Go”, and wait for the winter games to come to Vancouver.  As the home team, I am hopeful for our best medal count to date.  Go Canada Go!

Most of us have some form of data backup in place. Unfortunately, this tends to lull us into a false sense of security and that keeps us from addressing how well it is doing the job or from upgrading or changing to better, more reliable, automated systems such as TrueVault the “state of the art” solution from the company I work for Toggle Networks Inc.

(This is not a sales pitch, however I do want you to understand that I am totally committed to the belief that TrueVault is the best data protection system in the world and that bias affects the degree of passion that I bring to this subject.)

Here is the problem:

Any data backup system that relies on human action is automatically less reliable and more expensive than a 100% automated “set it and forget it” solution such as TrueVault.

What happens if one of the dozens of possible disasters occur that causes the loss your data and:

• You attempt to reinstall from tape and the data isn’t there?
• Only part of your data is there?
• You find out that the data recovery will take days or perhaps weeks to accomplish?

These are the hidden dangers. What can they do to you?

What are the hidden costs?

 
 Labour is expensive and the typical tape backup systems that is currently the most common method of backup is way too labour intensive. “Someone” (usually a fairly expensive “someone”) has to change the tape and check the logs daily. They usually then have to transport the tape to an offsite location, swap it for the next rotation and bring the next tape back. Occasionally they should test that the data is there and that the  reinstall does work. In the typical installation the total labour involved averages 23 minutes a day. At today’s cost of labour for “someone” , including fringe benefits labor costs $39 per hour so that amounts to $14.82 a day or over $315 a month plus tapes and depreciation of the tape backup system. We are talking over $4,000 dollars a year in hidden costs!     

Maybe it is time to reconsider how you are backing up your data.

Roberts G. Keeling