The following table describes features supported by the Microsoft® Windows Server™ 2003 operating system, and illustrates which editions of the operating system support which features. = Feature included = Feature partially supported = Feature not included Category Feature and Description Standard Edition Enterprise Edition Datacenter Edition Web Edition Hardware Specifications 64-bit Support for Intel Itanium-based Computers(1) Support for 64-bit processing delivers far higher scalability than 32-bit file servers by providing a greatly enlarged virtual address space and paged pool area, the ability to handle increased numbers of users and connections, and increased hardware reliability through predictive error checking and notification of failures. Hardware Specifications Hot Add Memory(2, 3) Hot Add Memory allows ranges of memory to be added to a computer and made available to the operating system and applications as part of the normal memory pool. This does not require rebooting the computer and involves no downtime. This feature only operates on servers that have hardware support for adding memory while the server is operating.

1. Windows Server 2003 Std Oem Isopropyl Alcohol

Most existing servers do not have such hardware support and can be damaged if memory is installed while the power is on. It is recommended that you consult your server operator's manual for more information.

Hardware Specifications Non-Uniform Memory Access(3) As processor clock rates continue to increase and put pressure on processor bus architectures, scaling is addressed by implementing multiple processor buses. This can result in an architecture consisting of processors and memory arranged in smaller subsystems called nodes. Processor access time to memory in other nodes is longer than access time to memory in the same node. This results in Non-Uniform Memory Access (NUMA) across the system. The longer access times to other nodes can degrade software performance. The operating system attempts to limit degradation by scheduling threads from the same process on processors that are in the same node, and allocating all memory requests within the same node as the processor making the request. In addition, an API is included to make NUMA architecture information available to application software.

These features ensure that memory accesses are local to a node wherever possible, and limit software degradation caused by the NUMA architecture. Hardware Specifications Datacenter Program The Datacenter Program provides customers with an integrated hardware, software, and service offering, delivered by Microsoft and qualified server vendors such as original equipment manufacturers (OEMs).

Hardware Specifications 2-GB RAM Maximum RAM facilitates improved system scalability and performance. The more RAM added to a server beyond minimum requirements, the more memory available for applications to use. Designed for building and hosting Web applications, Web pages, and XML Web services, Windows Server 2003, Web Edition supports new systems with up to 2 GB of RAM.

Hardware Specifications 4-GB RAM Maximum RAM facilitates improved system scalability and performance. The more RAM added to a server beyond minimum requirements, the more memory available for applications to use. Designed for small organizations and departmental use, Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition supports new systems with up to 4 GB of RAM. Hardware Specifications 32-GB RAM Maximum RAM facilitates improved system scalability and performance. The more RAM added to a server beyond minimum requirements, the more memory available for applications to use.

Designed for demanding enterprise applications, Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition supports new systems with up to 32 GB of RAM. Hardware Specifications 64-GB RAM Maximum(4) RAM facilitates improved system scalability and performance. The more RAM added to a server beyond minimum requirements, the more memory available for applications to use. Designed for mission-critical applications, the 32-bit version of Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition supports up to 64 GB of RAM on x86-based computers. The 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition supports systems with up to 64 GB of RAM. Hardware Specifications 512-GB RAM Maximum(5) RAM facilitates improved system scalability and performance.

The more RAM added to a server beyond minimum requirements, the more memory available for applications to use. The 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition supports systems with up to 512 GB of RAM. Hardware Specifications 2-Way Symmetric Multiprocessing The Windows Server 2003 family supports single or multiple CPUs that conform to the symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) standard.

Using SMP, the operating system can run threads on any available processor, which makes it possible for applications to use multiple processors when additional processing power is required to increase the capability of a system. New features include SMP locking performance, improved registry performance, and increased Terminal Server sessions. Designed for building and hosting Web applications, Web pages, and XML Web services, Windows Server 2003, Web Edition supports new systems with up to two-way SMP.

Hardware Specifications 4-Way Symmetric Multiprocessing The Windows Server 2003 family supports single or multiple CPUs that conform to the symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) standard. Using SMP, the operating system can run threads on any available processor, which makes it possible for applications to use multiple processors when additional processing power is required to increase the capability of a system. New features include SMP locking performance, improved registry performance, and increased Terminal Server sessions. Designed for small organizations and departmental use, Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition supports new systems with up to four-way SMP.

Hardware Specifications 8-Way Symmetric Multiprocessing The Windows Server 2003 family supports single or multiple CPUs that conform to the symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) standard. Using SMP, the operating system can run threads on any available processor, which makes it possible for applications to use multiple processors when additional processing power is required to increase the capability of a system.

New features include SMP locking performance, improved registry performance, and increased Terminal Server sessions. Designed for demanding enterprise applications, Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition supports new systems with up to eight-way SMP. This includes the 64-bit edition of Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. Hardware Specifications 32-Way Symmetric Multiprocessing The Windows Server 2003 family supports single or multiple CPUs that conform to the symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) standard. Using SMP, the operating system can run threads on any available processor, which makes it possible for applications to use multiple processors when additional processing power is required to increase the capability of a system.

New features include SMP locking performance, improved registry performance, and increased Terminal Server sessions. Designed for mission-critical applications, Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition supports new systems with 8-way to 32-way SMP. This includes the 64-bit edition of Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition.

Hardware Specifications 64-Way Symmetric Multiprocessing The Windows Server 2003 family supports single or multiple CPUs that conform to the symmetric multiprocessing (SMP) standard. Using SMP, the operating system can run threads on any available processor, which makes it possible for applications to use multiple processors when additional processing power is required to increase the capability of a system. New features include SMP locking performance, improved registry performance, and increased Terminal Server sessions. Designed for mission-critical applications, Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition supports new systems with up to 64-way SMP. The support for over 32 processors is only available with the 64-bit edition of Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition.

Microsoft also offers a 128-way SKU for Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition so Windows can run on a 128-processor computer. However, the largest partition supported would be 64 processors. Directory Services Active Directory® Directory Service Active Directory is the directory service for Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition; Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition; and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition. It stores information about objects on the network and makes this information easy for administrators and users to find and use. Active Directory uses a structured data store as the basis for a logical, hierarchical organization of directory information. Directory Services Microsoft Identity Integration Server Support Microsoft Identity Integration Server (MIIS) is a centralized service that stores and integrates identity information from multiple directories in an organization. The goal of this metadirectory is to provide an organization with a unified view of all known identity information about users, applications, and network resources.

A metadirectory solves important business issues that result from having information stored in multiple, disparate data repositories throughout an organization. MIIS is available via Microsoft Consulting Services (MCS) or via an MIIS partner engagement. Security Services Internet Connection Firewall Internet Connection Firewall (ICF) provides Internet security in the form of a firewall.

Designed for use in the home and small business, ICF provides protection on computers directly connected to the Internet. This feature is available for LAN or dial-up networks, virtual private networks (VPNs), and Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet (PPPoE) connections. It also prevents scanning of ports and resources (such as file and printer shares) from external sources. Security Services Public Key Infrastructure, Certificate Services, and Smart Cards By using Certificate Services and certificate management tools, you can deploy your own public key infrastructure (PKI). With a PKI, you can implement standards-based technologies, such as smart card logon capabilities, client authentication through Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) and Transport Layer Security (TLS), secure e-mail, digital signatures, and secure connectivity using Internet Protocol security (IPSec). By using Certificate Services, you can set up and manage certification authorities (CAs) that issue and revoke X.509 v3 certificates.

This means that you do not have to depend on commercial client authentication services, although you can integrate commercial client authentication into your PKI if you choose. Terminal Services Remote Desktop for Administration With Remote Desktop for Administration (formerly known as Terminal Services in Remote Administration mode), you can administer a computer from virtually any computer on your network. Based on Terminal Services technology, Remote Desktop for Administration is specifically designed for server management. Terminal Services Terminal Server Terminal Server lets you deliver Windows-based applications — or the Windows desktop itself — to virtually any computing device, including those that cannot run Windows. For example, a user can access a virtual Windows XP Professional desktop and x86-based Windows applications from hardware that cannot run the software locally. Terminal Server provides this capability for both Windows-based and non–Windows-based client devices. When a user runs an application on Terminal Server, all of the application execution takes place on the server, and only keyboard, mouse, and display information traverses the network.

Note. Terminal Server mode is not included on computers running Microsoft Windows Server 2003, Web Edition; however, Remote Desktop for Administration is available on Windows Server 2003, Web Edition. Terminal Services Terminal Server Session Directory Terminal Server Session Directory allows users to easily reconnect to a disconnected session in a load-balanced Terminal Server farm. Session Directory is compatible with the Windows Server 2003 Network Load Balancing service, and is supported by third-party external load-balancer products from manufacturers such as F5 Networks (formerly F5 Labs) and Radware.

Note. The Session Directory Service runs on all editions of Windows Server 2003; however, to participate in a Session Directory, the server must be running Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition or Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition (including the 64- bit editions of the Windows Server 2003 family). Clustering Technologies Network Load Balancing Previously known as Windows NT Load Balancing Service (WLBS), Network Load Balancing distributes incoming TCP/IP traffic among multiple servers.

Your clustered applications, especially Web server applications, can handle more traffic, provide higher availability, and provide faster response times. Clustering Technologies Cluster Service A cluster is a group of independent computers, called nodes, that work together to run a common set of applications and provide high availability. If one node on the cluster fails, the application can be failed over to the next node. Server clusters of up to eight nodes are available only in Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition. Communications and Networking Services Virtual Private Network Support You can give users ready access to your organization's network even when they are out of the office — and reduce the cost of this access — by implementing a virtual private network (VPN). The VPN connection creates a secure tunnel across the Internet into the private network. There are two types of VPN technologies in the Windows Server 2003 family: Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol (PPTP), which employs user-level Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) authentication methods and Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption (MPEE) for data encryption; and Layer Two Tunneling Protocol (L2TP) with Internet Protocol security (IPSec).

L2TP employs user-level PPP authentication methods and computer-level certificates with IPSec for data encryption. On Windows Server 2003, Web Edition and Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, you can create up to 100 PPTP ports and up to 100 L2TP ports. However, Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, can accept only one VPN connection at a time. Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, can accept up to 1,000 concurrent VPN connections via the ports. If 1,000 VPN clients are connected, further connection attempts are denied until the number of connections falls below 1,000. Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition support unlimited concurrent users. Communications and Networking Services Internet Authentication Service Internet Authentication Service (IAS) is the Microsoft implementation of a Remote Authentication Dial-in User Service (RADIUS) server and proxy.

As a RADIUS server, IAS performs centralized connection authentication, authorization, and accounting for many types of network access including wireless, authenticating switch, and remote access dial-up and virtual private network (VPN) connections. As a RADIUS proxy, IAS forwards authentication and accounting messages to other RADIUS servers.

You can configure IAS in Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, with a maximum of 50 RADIUS clients and a maximum of 2 remote RADIUS server groups. With IAS in Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition, and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, you can configure an unlimited number of RADIUS clients and remote RADIUS server groups. In addition, you can configure RADIUS clients by specifying an IP address range. Communications and Networking Services Network Bridge Network Bridge provides an easy way for you to connect different LAN segments, allowing users to bridge connections between different computers and devices on their network, even when they connect to the network through different methods. Network bridge is supported in Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition and Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition. Communications and Networking Services Internet Connection Sharing By using the Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) feature of Network Connections, you can connect your home network or small office network to the Internet. For example, you might have a home network that connects to the Internet through a dial-up connection.

By enabling ICS on the computer that uses the dial-up connection, you can provide network address translation (NAT), addressing, and name resolution services for all the computers on your network. Communications and Networking Services IPv6 Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is a suite of Internet standard protocols that will become the next generation of network layer protocols for the Internet. IPv6 is designed to solve many of the problems of the current version of IP (known as IPv4) with regard to address depletion, security, autoconfiguration, extensibility, and more. File and Print Services Distributed File System Distributed File System (DFS) is enhanced for Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition by allowing multiple DFS roots on a single server.

You can use this feature to host multiple DFS roots on a single server, reducing administrative and hardware costs of managing multiple namespaces and multiple replicated namespaces. Using Active Directory, DFS shares can be published as volume objects and administration can be delegated.

Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition supports only one DFS root. DFS is partially supported in Windows Server 2003, Web Edition, where it is possible to access DFS files and act as a node in DFS tree, but only 10 concurrent incoming server message block (SMB) connections are permitted. File and Print Services Encrypting File System Encrypting File System (EFS) complements other access controls and provides an additional level of protection for your data. EFS runs as an integrated system service on all disks (including clustered disks), making it easy to manage, difficult to attack, and transparent to the user. File and Print Services Shadow Copies for Shared Folders Shadow Copy Restore (Previous Versions) provides point-in-time copies for network folders. Users can easily access previous versions of their files through Windows Explorer by right-clicking a file or folder. File and Print Services Removable Storage Removable Storage makes it easy to track your removable storage media (tapes and optical discs) and to manage the hardware libraries (such as changers and jukeboxes) that contain them.

Because removable optical discs and tapes are less expensive per megabyte than hard disks, Removable Storage and Remote Storage can decrease your costs. File and Print Services Remote Storage Remote Storage uses criteria that you specify to automatically copy little-used files to removable media. If hard disk space drops below specified levels, Remote Storage removes the cached file content from the disk.

If the file is needed later, the content is automatically recalled from storage. Remote Storage now supports migration to magneto-optical media.

Remote Storage is not available in Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition or Windows Server 2003, Web Edition. File and Print Services Fax Service Fax Service lets users send and receive faxes by using a modem or a fax board. You can also send faxes by using your network. You can print to fax from any application, send a cover page, and track and monitor fax activity. New wizards simplify configuration and fax sending. Also, developers can write applications using the new fax APIs to automatically send faxes from their applications.

File and Print Services Services for Macintosh Services for Macintosh provides Macintosh users with access to files stored on a computer running Windows Server 2003. The file server is accessible over TCP/IP networks and over AppleTalk networks. Print services allow Macintosh clients to print to Windows NT or Windows 2000–based print shares via the AppleTalk protocol. In addition to the print server, there is a 300 dpi PostScript RIP engine that allows Macintosh-generated PostScript print jobs to be sent to non-PostScript printers, such as inkjet printers. Management Services IntelliMirror® Management Technologies To help reduce costs, administrators need high levels of control over portable and desktop systems.

IntelliMirror management technologies provide this control on client systems running Windows 2000 Professional or Windows XP Professional. You can use IntelliMirror to define policies based on business roles, group memberships, and locations.

With these policies, Windows 2000 Professional desktops and Windows XP Professional desktops are automatically reconfigured to meet a specific user's requirements each time that user logs on to the network, regardless of where the user logs on. Management Services Group Policy Results Group Policy Results allows administrators to see the effect a Group Policy setting has on a targeted user or computer. Included in the Group Policy Management Console, Group Policy Results provides administrators with a powerful and flexible base-level tool to plan, monitor, and troubleshoot Group Policy. Group Policy Results uses Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI), making the information available to administrators via the console and directly to other management applications via WMI. Management Services Windows Management Instrumentation Command Line Windows Management Instrumentation (WMI) provides unified access to the management functions of local and remote systems. By adding command-line access to WMI, administrators can directly access these management functions and create queries based on this data.

You can monitor local and remote Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP systems directly, to view results through the command line or to retrieve the management data in XML format and processed into built-in or custom XSL output formats. WMI follows the specifications of the industry-standard Common Information Model (CIM) defined by the Distributed Management Task Force (DMTF). Management Services Remote OS Installation Remote OS Installation uses Group Policy, Remote Installation Services, and Pre-Boot eXecution Environment (PXE) server hardware to re-image a server with a clean install of a Windows Server 2003–based environment.

This feature can also be used to re-image Windows 2000 and Windows XP desktops. Administrators can use Remote OS Installation and IntelliMirror together to simplify the task of exchanging or bringing new computers into the network environment:.

Remote OS Installation can establish a full initial working set image directly to the computer hardware. IntelliMirror can restore policy-based settings for data, settings, and software use. Used together with IntelliMirror or on its own, Remote OS Installation can increase the efficiency of computer management in your organization while simplifying the task of maintaining corporate-standard environments on Windows-based servers and desktops. Management Services Remote Installation Services You can use Remote Installation Services (RIS) to create automated installation images of operating systems or of complete computer configurations. You can then make these installation images available to users at client computers.

You can also specify which RIS server will provide installations to a given client computer. The client computers must support remote booting with the Pre-Boot eXecution Environment (PXE) ROM, or they must be started with a remote-startup floppy disk.

Management Services Windows System Resource Manager Windows System Resource Manager (WSRM) provides resource management and enables the allocation of resources, including processor and memory resources, among multiple processes based on business priorities. An administrator sets targets for the amount of hardware resources that running applications or users (typically in a Terminal Server environment) are allowed to consume. It also creates utilization accounting records for management, service level agreement (SLA) tracking, and enabling charge-backs.NET Application Services.NET Framework(2) The.NET Framework enables your developers to create great Web applications with the help of ASP.NET and other technologies. It also helps them build the same type of applications they design and develop today. The.NET Framework is language-neutral; virtually any programming language can target it.

Developers can build.NET-based applications and services in a number of languages, including Visual C, Visual Basic.NET, JScript, and Visual C#. Integrated into the Windows Server 2003 family, the.NET Framework is the infrastructure for.NET. The.NET Framework incorporates the common language runtime and a unified set of class libraries that include Windows Forms, ADO.NET, ASP.NET, and other capabilities. The.NET Framework provides a fully managed, protected, and feature-rich application execution environment, simplified development and deployment, and seamless integration with a wide variety of programming languages.NET Application Services Internet Information Services 6.0 Internet Information Services (IIS) 6.0 is a full-featured Web server that provides the foundation for the Windows Server 2003 family and existing Web-based applications and XML Web services. IIS 6.0 offers dedicated application mode, which runs all application code in an isolated environment. IIS 6.0 also supports Web gardens, in which a set of equivalent processes on a computer each receive a share of the requests normally served by a single process, achieving better multiprocessor scalability.NET Application Services ASP.NET(2) ASP.NET is the engine for Web-based applications and XML Web services. It brings rapid application development to the server.

Part of the class library in the.NET Framework, ASP.NET pages use a compiled, event-driven programming model that improves performance and enables the separation of application logic and user interface.NET Application Services Enterprise UDDI Services Universal Description, Discovery, and Integration (UDDI) is an industry specification for publishing and locating information about Web services. Some products in the Windows Server 2003 family include UDDI Services, a Web service that provides UDDI capabilities for use within an enterprise or across organizations.

UDDI Services is not included with Windows Server 2003, Web Edition. In addition, Windows Server 2003, Standard Edition, supports only stand-alone installations of UDDI Services.

Distributed installation support is available with Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition. In a stand-alone installation of UDDI Services, both the UDDI Web server component and the UDDI database component are installed on a single server. In a distributed installation, UDDI components are distributed across multiple servers.

Multimedia Services Windows Media® Services Windows Media Services provide streaming audio and video over corporate intranets and the Internet. In Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition and Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition, Windows Media Services delivers advanced streaming functionality such as multicasting, wireless network support, Internet authentication, server plug-ins, and cache/proxy APIs. ( 1) Applies to 64-bit versions only.

( 2) Not supported in 64-bit versions of Windows Server 2003. ( 3) Might be limited by lack of support by OEM hardware.

( 4) Both the 32-bit version of Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition and the 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003, Enterprise Edition support up to 64 GB of RAM. ( 5) The 64-bit version of Windows Server 2003, Datacenter Edition supports up to 512 GB of RAM.

Whether your business is large or small, there is always the question of whether or not you should outsource your information technology (IT) systems and servers. When making this choice, it is important to look into both the benefits and risks that come along with outsourcing. This article will focus on some of the benefits.

The success of your business depends on your ability to reach your goals and objectives. Many managers and company owners feel torn from the work that enables them to engage with customers, improve their products, and follow up with concerns because of the time demands of their IT systems. This causes particular problems when they are not particularly tech savvy.

When a business manager makes the choice to outsource the IT system, he is alleviating the need to split his focus. By turning over the IT to an outside company, he has the peace of mind that it is running efficiently while having the freedom to focus on the other needs of the business.

Another benefit to outsourcing your IT systems is the cost. Companies who choose to handle their IT systems in house must carry the fixed cost of paying for the necessary staff to keep the system running. Outsourced IT has a variable cost depending on the needs of the company.

This change can help free up capital that the company can then funnel into different aspects of the business. The reduction of cost has an additional benefit for your customers. Instead of needing to incorporate the cost of an in-house IT department into the prices of your goods or services, the decrease in expenses can help lower your prices. These lower prices can help give your business a competitive edge in your market. Any computer owner has heard of all the many potential dangers that can crash your system.

The words “malware,” “adware,” “spyware,” and “viruses” are used to describe the potential dangers that come from connecting your computer to the Internet. By understanding the differences between these malicious programs, you can better identify potential problems with your computer. Here’s a quick guide to help you know the distinctions between these individual threats. Malware is defined as a software program that is intentionally designed to cause harm. Malware can infect a computer either through accidental installation by the user or by sneaking through other programs. Malware only describes programs that are deliberately designed to damage a computer’s hardware. Adware is a type of malware that contains advertising that automatically displays without the user’s consent.

Adware is usually connected to and downloaded with other programs. Adware often works together with Spyware, allowing it to target its adverting to your specific interests. Spyware is another type of malware that is designed to spy on the computer user. Spyware is often used by hackers to collect keystrokes and other information, which allows them to steal passwords and other personal information. Spyware can also be used to record a user’s actions and browsing habits to help adware.

A virus is a program that is created with the intention to cause havoc with your computer. A virus infects your computer and can cause errors, crashes, and even destroy your hardware. Viruses tend to keep a low profile at first, allowing them to spread more completely through your computer before causing its full harm. A virus is unique due to the fact that it can grow and replicate itself.

Viruses are dangerous as they can travel through an Internet connection, enabling them to travel from one computer to another. Viruses can also be transported through infected files and webpages. Email has become one of the leading methods of communication in the business world, used to manage projects, serve customers, secure new business, and correspond with fellow employees. You and your employees probably use email on a daily basis. The amount of information passing through your company’s email servers creates several different challenges and risks, making it essential to have a trustworthy email management to keep your computers and information safe and secure.

Companies should keep copies of all email correspondence for several years, in case they are required to provide them during litigation or investigation. However, most servers are not equipped to handle the vast amounts of emails held in inboxes, sent, and deleted folders. The mass quantities of emails held in the server can negatively impact its performance, leading to slow speeds or crashes. Email management services work to take the pressure off your email server, increasing its performance and decreasing your risk of losing valuable information. Email management systems capture and copy all emails that are created and received by your employees.

The system uses a classification scheme to assign proper controls and to manage content. It then creates an archive of every email correspondence, usually by creating a copy of the email and storing it in a separate location.

A good email management system gives you peace of mind that your email system will always be available, running at full speed, secure, and fully backed-up. Many will also help make your email available from any location through mobile applications or web access. The system makes sure that all email, calendars, and contact are available and in sync no matter where your employee is accessing them. Whatever the demands and uses of your email server, an email management system can help your business run efficiently and effectively. We’ve all been there. That moment when you have just finished a huge project and before you can hit save, your computer crashes. The frustration that hits when all that work and all those hours are lost is extreme and can often spawn the regret of “if only I had saved my work along the way.” This regret is multiplied to the nth degree when you lose not just one file but all the information contained on your computer.

In today’s society, when the average person keeps the vast majority of their personal information, photos, files, and documents on their computers, it is essential to back up your computer. While no one wants to believe that it could happen to them, the data and memory on your computer can be lost, deleted or damaged without any warning. Hard drives fail, power failures and spikes can damage your hardware, and viruses can erase or damage everything on your machine. Having your computer properly backed up can bring you the peace of mind that all your information is safe no matter what may happen. It is not necessary to back up everything on your computer. The most important thing to do is go through the files and information that is most important to you.

Most people do not realize the amount or importance of these files until they are lost. A few of the most common files to back up are:.

Photos. Home Videos. Music purchased from the Internet. Important work and school projects. Important family documents.

Software purchased from the Internet. Internet bookmark lists. Email contact list There are many different programs, software and hardware available to back-up your computer. Most of them are quick and easy, leaving you with the confidence that you, and your computer, are prepared for anything that may happen.

If you are not sure which program is right for you, and we will be happy to help you set up the right back up program for your business. Have you ever been on the Internet at work and run into a message declaring that you cannot access a site due to your firewall?

What exactly is that firewall? And how is it ultimately helping you? Firewalls, in a nutshell, are barriers designed to protect your computer from being accessed by other computers or systems that could cause your computer harm. Just as a physical firewall is built to keep fires from spreading from one area to another, a firewall helps prevent dangerous material from spreading from the Internet to your computer. A proper firewall allows your computer to access the vast amounts of good and helpful information available on the Internet while keeping it safe from any dangerous material embedded into websites or from any malicious hacker attack.

Your firewall is located at the gateway or junction point between your private network (your computer or your company’s network) and a public network (the Internet). Firewalls can be located on a secure host computer or installed through a software program. Firewalls are established with certain standards and criteria and are tasked with examining all traffic between the two networks to make sure that the material being transmitted meets those standards. When the firewall senses that material does not meet its standards, it blocks that material from getting through. Depending on your firewall, you may receive a notice when your firewall has been activated and you may be given a choice in whether or not you want to proceed. Firewalls will also keep track of any attempts to access your private network from hostile or unauthorized users.

Firewalls are an important precaution for anyone who has a private network connected to a public one. Anyone who connects a computer to the Internet, whether through broadband or wireless, is vulnerable to malicious attacks and pranksters.

Firewalls help protect your equipment, your network, your company, and your personal security. By Phil Robinson, Owner and Founder at i.t.NOW 1. Pay a Flat Monthly Rate One of the best ways to control I.T. Costs is to partner with a service provider that charges a flat monthly fee to maintain your I.T. This performance-based approach motivates your I.T. Provider to prevent problems and keep your systems running smoothly because if your system goes down they have to do more work and incur more costs.

On the other hand, paying for I.T. Repairs on an hourly basis rewards your service provider for letting things go and could tempt you to postpone preventive service calls.

With a flat monthly rate, you can budget for most I.T. Don’t work with someone who earns more when things break; reverse the game so you both feel the pain if your system goes down. Back Up Your Data Offsite Most businesses know that they should back up their data on a regular basis, but they may not realize that they can save thousands of dollars by hiring a trusted partner to manage their backups for them offsite instead of using onsite hardware, software, tapes, and storage. Offsite backups also increase data security and reduce data restoration times.

Even when you outsource your data management, offsite backup solutions have the lowest total cost of ownership because they reduce overhead and do a better job of protecting and restoring valuable data, come what may. It’s easy to forget to check your backups to make sure they are working correctly. Find a partner to whom you can entrust this mission-critical task so you don’t have to wonder whether you’re really backed up.

Consider Subscribing to Software as a Service (SaaS) You can either buy software one time and install and maintain it on every computer or you can subscribe to it as a hosted online service and do away with installs, maintenance and support. Subscribing to Software as a Service (SaaS) can help lighten your I.T.

Load and has the potential to reduce software start-up expenses through flexible on-demand pricing. However, it’s important to weigh the comparative cost of a continuous expense rather than a one-time purchase.

You should also be aware that hosting configurations can vary. Some SaaS software vendors host applications on their own web servers while others may outsource their hosting needs to a third-party (ASP), which can help to further reduce server hardware costs. Conduct Routine Maintenance Nothing enhances the reliability and performance of a computer network more cost effectively than routine maintenance. Without it, your network’s performance can become sluggish and unstable over time and can ultimately jeopardize your company’s productivity, network security, and workflow. Preventive service and timely upgrades help to minimize downtime and reduce your exposure to ever-changing viruses and security threats. In today’s real-time world, even short-lived delays in responsiveness can erode hard-won customer confidence and loyalty, causing short-term savings from I.T. Shortcuts to morph into long-term losses when inevitable I.T.

Incidents hit. Proactively Manage and Filter Your Internet Bandwidth and Content The line between personal time and work time continues to blur in unprecedented ways. According to, here’s a quick recap of how current usage patterns break down:.

Research. 61% of workers use the Internet for non-work-related research and activities while they are at work.

Among these workers, 37% said they spend an average of more than 30 minutes of their workday on non-work-related online activities, and 18% said they spend an average of an hour or more. When it comes to digital correspondence, 20% of workers send six or more non-work-related e-mails per day. Among this group, 22% spend more than 30 minutes during the typical workday doing so. 9% of workers surveyed have a personal blog, and while nearly a quarter (23%) of them spend time blogging at work, only 9% of them spend 15 minutes or more blogging during the typical workday. Social networking.

41% of workers surveyed have a MySpace, Facebook or other social-networking page. More than one-third (35%) of them spend time on their social-networking page during the workday, with 8% spending 30 minutes or more. It’s one thing to allow employees to receive some personal e-mails or look at the latest news headlines, and quite another to suffer employees who spend their days downloading music, installing free applications, or perusing adult Web sites. Even if employees manage to surf and download without infecting their machines, such usage can still negatively affect business networks. Streaming audio or video requires a lot of bandwidth and if too many employees spend their days watching news clips or listening to a radio stream online, it could significantly slow down your business’s mission-critical network applications. Controlling and monitoring this access can increase employees’ capacity and productivity.

The good news is that affordable Internet filtering and bandwidth management solutions are readily available, including some, like the, that combine both functions in one box. Kill the Kilowatts If you have multiple servers, all requiring proper cooling and electricity, you may be able to consolidate them onto less hardware.

“Virtualizing” servers allows one server to act as many, sometimes with a ratio as high as 15:1. This is made possible by using products like VMWare and Microsoft’s Server 2008 products. With a virtualized server, a company can add new servers into their environment without purchasing new hardware.

This lowers energy and maintenance costs, and reduces upgrade expenses. Even consolidating two servers into one can save more than $600 per year in energy costs. VMWare has a free starter edition, so server consolidation is easier and more cost effective than you think. Beware of the “Accidental Techie”: Focus on what you Do Best A lot of small- to medium-sized companies have an unofficial “accidental techie,” who has somehow become the go-to person when computer problems come up. Maybe they made the mistake of being too curious or too helpful in tracking down answers to computer questions online, or they may just have had more technical experience than anyone else in the office.

The problem with this approach is that it dilutes the contribution this individual can make by not allowing them to do the job they were hired to do—and it could compromise the security and productivity of your entire operation by not knowing what you don’t know. If your car has a problem, you take it to a mechanic. If the drain is clogged, you call a plumber. If your computer has a problem, why try to fix it yourself? You, and each of your employees have a job to do that you alone are uniquely qualified to do. You have a company to build, sales to close and clients to serve. Let someone who specializes in computers make sure that all of your data is backed up, that all of your antivirus software is licensed and up to date, and that all of your critical I.T.

Services are being monitored and maintained properly. And if one of your employees has a computer problem, have her speak directly to the person that will fix the problem, not an office manager or a co-worker. That way, you can rest easy knowing that the problem will be correctly diagnosed and fixed right the first time. Conduct Regular Disaster Recovery Drills An estimated 70% of small companies go out of business within one year of a major data loss. Disasters can happen, servers can crash, and data can be forever lost. Here are some interesting statistics reported by the:.

A hard drive crashes every 15 seconds. 60% of all data is held on PC desktops and laptops. 2,000 laptops are stolen or lost every day.

32% of data loss is caused by human error. 31% of PC users have lost all of their PC files to events beyond their control. 25% of lost data is due to the failure of a portable drive. 44% of data loss is caused by mechanical failures. 15% or more of laptops are stolen or suffer hard drive failures. 1 in 5 computers suffer a fatal hard drive crash during their lifetime. 40% of small and medium sized businesses don’t back up their data at all.

A disaster recovery plan is only as good as its execution. If you are one of the few companies that have a DR plan, put it to the test by conducting regular disaster recovery drills.

Do a test restore of some key data. If possible, do a complete server restore to new hardware at least once a year or have someone do it for you. Imagine what would happen if your server completely died, or your building burned to the ground. Conducting this simple test on a regular basis could save your business. Lose Some Weight with Thin Clients Remember the days of the dumb terminal: a computer that consisted of just a monitor and a keyboard?

Well dumb terminals are back, only this time, they aren’t so dumb. Now they’re called “thin clients,” and they’re a lot less expensive to buy and maintain than putting a full-blown PC at every desk. The thin client approach allows you to virtualize the desktop and move it to a central server, so all a worker needs on their desk is an inexpensive box that connects them to a keyboard, mouse and monitor. You then store all data and programs on a central server that workers access through the network by way of the thin client, so you’ll have no more desktops to buy operating system licenses for, no more hardware upgrades to coordinate, no more hard drive crashes, and no more data to migrate when a user needs a new machine.

Thin clients also create continuity for each user; whether they are working from home or someone else’s desk, they always connect to the same virtual desktop. Combine Your Phone Lines and Internet Access Every business needs phone lines and Internet access. An integrated T1, also known as a Flex T1, combines local calling, long distance, and Internet service in one efficient package that could save you money.

Ask your I.T. Partner to find out what packages are available in your area. In 2008 IndustryPro, an international mergers and acquisitions advisory firm, was looking for ways to streamline its business and cut overall operating costs. When the economy was hitting so many business, CEO Fred Zirkle was looking at ways he could trim back. He decided that if he could get everyone to work from home, he could move out of their expensive professional space and significantly reduce overhead – no more rent, electric bills, etc.

With the rise of remote business solutions like cloud computing, the company saw an opportunity that needed to be exploited. But IndustryPro didn’t know how to best implement these cloud-based solutions. Enter i.t.NOW. I.t.NOW is a Utah-based provider of I.T. Solutions including cloud computing, data backup and recovery, desktop virtualization, and more.

The company’s i.t.CLOUD offering gives small businesses the ability to decrease in-house operating and hardware costs, and access vital company data on any device in a majority of locations. To implement IndustryPro’s transition to a cloud-based company, i.t.NOW developed a custom plan of action. First, IndustryPro needed to give its employees the ability to work from home on any device, to eliminate the need for expensive office real estate and maintenance costs. I.t.NOW migrated all of IndustryPro’s data to its secure, off-site data centers, and configured remote access for each of its employees. This allowed the company to shut down the physical office.

Server hosting fees were a lot less than his rent. Second, IndustryPro was looking for a way to rapidly expand its business. I.t.NOW’s cloud computing solutions allowed the company to add additional employees in different states, and even overseas.

With i.t.CLOUD, IndustryPro employees could access company files and e-mail from their homes or on the go, on any device. Fred and other employees are able to travel with more flexibility as they never have to be ‘in the office’ to work, and still has full functionality. “We had employees working on PCs, iPads, Macs, and other various hardware and software systems. With i.t.NOW, our transition to a cloud-based company was seamless. Our data and connections were secure and we also saw a substantial increase in productivity without increasing our business I.T. I.t.NOW has helped our company grow from one expensive office to four virtual offices and one smaller brick-and-mortar location in Georgia. This has allowed us to expand our customer base and increase our bottom line.

The staff at i.t.NOW was very professional, and I would recommend i.t.NOW to any business looking to cut costs and expand its business.” – Fred Zirikle, founder and CEO of IndustryPro. Network solutions for a mobile workforce We’ve all had this beautiful dream at one time or another. You’re sitting on a beach somewhere working on your tan, and simultaneously able to actually be productive like you were in the office with just your trusty laptop. It’s not really a dream anymore, but you will need a good IT guy on your side and some gear to make it a reality. If the beach isn’t your scene you can swap that for a nice mountain scene or basically anyplace else you can get cell phone reception. Here’s what you’ll need. The one crucial piece to all of the connectivity solutions I’ll discuss briefly is that you have to be able to get on the internet.

There are a range of solutions for this of course. The simplest solution is a basic wireless or hardwire connection at your hotel. If you have to be (or want to be) in a location where wireless isn’t readily available you can go with a 4G card built into your laptop, or a wireless 4G USB dongle. You can even tether the 4G connection from your cell phone if you’re savvy. Once you’re online, the question becomes how to connect back to your office network securely so that you can access company files and applications.

The answer will depend a little bit on what work you’re doing and what you need access to. I’ll run through a couple of scenarios that will help to illustrate. Say you have a job where most of the work you do is on documents. All of the documents are saved on the company server, and you want to get to them from your comfy reclining chair on the beach. If all you need is network access to get to the documents on the server and the capability to work on those and then save them back, then an SSL VPN (Virtual Private Network – SSL is a level of encryption) is probably a great solution for you.

The SSL VPN is a secure way that you can access your work network from your laptop or any other machine with a web browser. It basically securely connects your machine to your work network through the internet and allows you to download any documents saved on the network at work. You can make any revisions or adjustments that you need, and then save them either on your local machine or back on the server.

SSL VPN is generally just some additional software licensing that you can add to the firewall your office likely already has in place. It’s relatively inexpensive to purchase and if you have an IT guy that knows what he’s doing it can be set up in an hour. Once its set up you can get signed in with just a username and password and you’re off to the races. Let’s take the next step now, and say that you’re an accountant that works on tax applications all of the time. Part of what you do is documents, but you live and die in QuickBooks or another accounting suite.

The database for the accounting software is on your server at work. A VPN connection like we mentioned above would connect your machine back to the office network, but QuickBooks just doesn’t seem to want to work over the VPN. The reason behind that is that QuickBooks is a database program.

Every time you click a button within the program QuickBooks is asking the database in the server at work for the info. There is so much data going back and forth over the internet connect that it gets bogged down and won’t perform well. QuickBooks and any other database program is not designed to work this way. So how do we overcome that? Well the answer lies in working directly on the server that houses the database instead of asking the server to send data back and forth over the internet.

This idea is called a Terminal Server. Here’s the concept.

Sitting in your reclining chair on the beach you click on a shortcut on your desktop. This opens a new window where you sign in and get connected to the server that your QuickBooks database is on.

What you see is the desktop of the server, but there is no lag or performance problem because QuickBooks is running locally on the server. The only thing being transmitted over the internet are the screenshots of what’s happening which happen fast enough that you don’t really notice much difference than when you run applications locally. Terminal servers are usually created to give multiple people from an organization external access to applications and data. To get set up you’ll need a server and the appropriate software licensing from Microsoft. This is a little more involved than setting up a simple VPN, so you’ll definitely need an IT guy that knows what he’s doing. This solution also does not work with every application so we’ll need to confirm compatibility.

There are costs involved in setting this up that vary widely based on what’s housed on the terminal server and how many people will be accessing it, but hey, can you really put a price on freedom? Okay, last scenario. Say that you’re an accountant that is a little bit eccentric and you just love apple products. They couldn’t pry that MacBook from your cold dead hands if they tried. Or say that you work in an organization that has a hodgepodge of different devices that all need to use the same applications that may or may not be able to run it natively. We’ll you’re in luck. There is a product called Citrix that will save the day for you and allow you to run just about any application on your Mac or any other device for that fact.

Citrix is purchased in conjunction with a terminal server and is basically that same concept on steroids. Citrix allows you to publish applications from your server and access them on virtually any device with a web browser. The great part is that all you have to do is click on the shortcut on your desktop.

It looks just like it’s installed on your machine, and performs great. In addition if you need a full desktop you can do published desktop with Citrix to give you additional remote flexibility in your work. Citrix is complicated to set up, and expensive to implement. You’ll want to do a business analysis to see if it is the best fit for your business needs.

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I’ve really only just barely scraped the surface here describing what it can do, and there are actually several other business cases that are good reasons to invest. Probably best to talk with a Citrix solutions architect to see what would be the best fit for your business. There you go, you’re beach dreams come true! If you have questions about how to get this set up for your business,. Service Highlights:. A complete solution that is designed to reduce any server down time with the use of a specialized back up and virtual server appliance. Allows near real-time backups – as frequent as every 15 minutes.

Offers offsite storage at an affordable cost. Provides a low cost, speedy disaster recovery process. Data is encrypted so it is not accessible to anyone without the passkey, either on the NAS or at the remote storage facility. Eliminates the cost and time of managing on-site tape backup.

We monitor and manage the entire process. All costs are bundled at a price that is comparable to the overall cost of buying and managing tape backup. This includes frequent on site backups, on site virtual server, remote storage, disaster recovery in the event of disaster, and 24×7 management of the entire process.

Executive Summary A discovered that, of companies experiencing a “major loss” of computer records, 43% never reopened, 51% closed within two years of the loss, and a mere 6% survived over the long term. For small and medium-sized businesses in particular, these statistics suggest the necessity of crafting a Business Continuity Planning (BCP) strategy grounded in a robust data backup and recovery solution.

Unlike large enterprises, many smaller companies cannot afford optimal in-house strategies and solutions in service of BCP. These companies are consequently at an elevated risk of being put out of business due to any major loss of data. Loss of data could mean emails lost, accounting data lost, patient or client files lost, company records lost, client legal records or orders lost and so on. This white paper evaluates the scope of BCP for smaller companies, by examining their challenges, range of existing solutions and their drawbacks. We’ll also discuss how our solution overcomes commonly faced challenges to offer the most comprehensive solution out in the marketplace. Business Continuity Planning for Small and Medium Size Businesses BCP is the blueprint for how businesses plan to survive everything from local equipment failure to global disaster.

Data-oriented BCP, an indispensable component of business planning regardless of organization size, poses the following challenges. Smaller businesses generally lack the in-house IT resources to achieve these demanding planning, technical and process requirements. Therefore, many SMBs either neglect to implement any data-oriented business continuity plan or else approach data backup and recovery in a sporadic, rudimentary fashion that fails to conform to the best practices of BCP. Risks of not having a plan in place:. Understanding regulatory compliance requirements in your industry. Regulations such as the Healthcare Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA) and other laws, both state and federal. Understanding how to mitigate the risk of losing vital business data, such as customer records.

Being aware of the environmental hazards that the business infrastructure is exposed to due to your geographical location. Estimating time it would take to build the business back if disaster strikes without having any BCP in place. Understanding ROI for having a BCP in place. Technical Challenges:. Identify the lowest-cost, highest-performance data backup medium (tape or disk) based solution and keeping abreast with the latest and greatest in the industry. Ensure that all backed-up data is encrypted and otherwise safeguarded from theft.

O Ensure that backed-up data can be restored to different kinds of hardware. Ensure that data backup continues even during active recovery phases. Operational Challenges:.

Identifying what data to back up. Identifying how frequently to back up and related costs and ROI. Retain the ability to recover not only the most recent data, but also data from oldertime horizons, such as past quarters and years.

Retain the ability to monitor and manage the integrity of ongoing data backupprocesses so that backup failures can be diagnosed and remedied before adversely impacting the BCP lifecycle. The need to hire staff who can understand, design, implement and keep a BCP running 24/7 and be available to get business back in action after disaster strikes. Traditional Solution vs. Emerging Technology Implementing a data-oriented BCP strategy first requires designation of a specific data storage medium. Magnetic tape and disks are the two leading media for data backup storage. While magnetic tape is currently dominant, analyst Dave Russell of believes that: “Recovery will move to online disk-based storage in the future.

This will cause a major shift in the backup market during the next four to five years.” Smaller companies in particular will benefit from the shift, as recent advances in design and manufacturing lower the total cost of disk-based storage in terms of storage per bit. Falling prices, combined with the various performance advantages that storage industry analysts cite, render disk increasingly attractive. Highlights the suitability of disk for these organizations by explaining that: “The need for high-performance online recovery of data, combined with the availability of low-cost disk arrays, has influenced enterprises and small and midsize businesses to adopt a disk-based approach for backup and recovery.” Tape, in contrast to disk, is physically delicate and easily compromised by environmental factors such as heat, humidity, and magnetic interference.

Moreover, tape cartridges must be replaced frequently (every 6-12 months). Tape’s innate sensitivity contributes to high failure rates, with analysts estimating that anywhere from 42 to 71 percent of tape restores fail.

Even when magnetic tape backups are successful, tapes themselves are subject to loss or theft, and may be in the possession of an employee or vendor unable to reach a recovery site. Thus, even when physical backup and restoration processes succeed, tape may not prove to be as timely and appropriate a medium for data storage as disk. Time is a crucial consideration because each hour of server, application, and network downtime endured until data restoration comes at a high cost, especially to smaller businesses. Analyst Jon Oltsik of Enterprise Strategy Group also points out that tape is seldom encrypted, compounding the destructive impact of tape theft: “Very few people encrypt backup tapes, which means that they rely on the security of the backup and off-site rotation process.” (source: ) Disk offers not only lower cost encryption but also other advantages.

In contrast to tape, “disks are more durable, last longer, withstand more overwriting and you don’t need to clean any heads,” according to. He also pointed out, “When it comes to backing up using disks, they are easier to manage. Disk backup systems include management tools, often browser-based, for you to easily configure settings and check status from anywhere.” HP enumerates of disk storage, noting that: “Data is backed up to disk much faster than tape, which translates to less impact on production server availability.

Disk is also a more reliable media than tape and less prone to error, which translates to less failed recoveries.” While disk offers advantages over tape, it is not a panacea. After installing disk technology, Companies will still be responsible for monitoring and managing backup processes, encrypting and safeguarding backed up onsite and offsite data, restoring data to new hardware, and other functions. Without implementing a layer of governance over disk-based data backup, these Companies court the danger of failed backups and delayed restoration of data, thereby jeopardizing their chances of successful recovery from major data loss. Smaller Companies unable or unwilling to invest in the human expertise and infrastructure support systems necessary for data-oriented BCP can leverage our data backup and recovery solution, which removes cost and complexity burdens from your staff. A Complete Solution that addresses all of your BCP Needs Near Real-Time Backups: Our “Incremental Forever” methodology captures all changes to the initial image in increments of 15 minutes.

The Incremental Forever technology not only backs up recent datasets but also allows end users to reconstruct the state of their data as it stood at the end of various 15-minute restoration points. This level of forensic and auditable data recovery may satisfy various regulatory requirements (such as HIPAA and GLBA) for data retention and data record reconstruction, and also serves stakeholders such as supply chain planners, warehouse analysts, auditors, and legal counsel. On-site Virtual Server: If any of your servers fail, our server virtualization technology embedded in the Network Attached Storage (NAS) allows customer servers and applications to be restored and rebooted in minutes. As you may sometimes endure a wait of several days in order to receive replacement servers from vendors, your NAS can have your business up and running.

The NAS multitasks so that, even while functioning as a virtual server, it can continue to back up data from other devices plugged into the NAS. Our technology thus allows you to remain in business without any significant loss of data backup, server functionality, or application downtime. A Complete Image: We generate an image of all hard drive partitions via an agent, which is warehoused on the NAS device physically located at your location. The data is stored using AES- 256 bit encryption and compressed. We employ a block-level, not file-level, backup, which means that data is captured at the level of 1’s and 0’s.

Block level data is raw data which does not have a file structure imposed on it. Database applications such as Microsoft SQL Server and Microsoft Exchange Server transfer data in blocks. Block transfer is the most efficient way to write to disk and is much less prone to errors such as those that result from file-level backups. Additionally, block level backups are not affected by open files or open databases. The block- level image is an exact digital duplicate of the on-site server Intuitive and Flexible Restoration: A good backup system should allow for quick and flexible restores. Our solution allows for recovery of files, folders, partitions, mailboxes/messages, databases/tables using a quick and intuitive process. In case of a complete server failure we do support a bare metal restore to new hardware which has a different configuration, hardware and drivers as compared to the failed server.

Our 15-minute incremental based backup allows restores to be done from any point in time, allowing for multiple versions of files, folders, messages/mailboxes, database/tables to be restored. Secure Remote Storage: After imaging the servers to which it is attached, the NAS device then creates an independent 256-bit encrypted tunnel and transmits the imaged data to a secure offsite location where it resides in an encrypted, compressed format. That remote site then replicates again to an alternate data center, creating a total of three copies of the data in three geographically distinct regions. Since the data is encrypted and only you have the key, no one has access at any of the remote storage facilities. Transmitting data to a remote site is a key component of BCP.

It guarantees that, in case of physical damage to the client’s network or NAS, or even regional disaster, the data is safe in uncompromised locations. Encryption is an important step in the process of transmitting data between the NAS and the remote sites, because it greatly reduces the risk of data loss incidents that plague magnetic tape and prevents man-in-the-middle attacks during transmission. We employ the 256-bit Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) algorithm because it has never been broken and is currently considered the gold standard of encryption techniques and render transmitted data immune to theft. Secure, Bandwidth Throttling Transfer: Transmission itself occurs over your Internet connection, and can easily be configured to minimize bandwidth consumption. Our NAS leverages Adaptive Bandwidth Throttling, which only utilizes unused bandwidth or allows us to set an outbound limit. Our UDP based smart transfer technology utilizes a host of innovative algorithms to speed up data transport and resume from failure.

We can therefore exercise fine control over the data imaging and transmission processes. 24×7 Completely Managed Solution: A 500-person Network Operations Center (NOC) monitors your NAS units and the attached servers 24/7. Failed processes generate immediate alerts to our engineers, who often remotely correct errors within minutes of receiving notification.

In case of more serious NAS issues, we will conduct repairs at your site. If any NAS units are irreparably damaged or destroyed, at an additional cost we will overnight ship replacements— pre-loaded with all stored data—directly to your location.

Affordable Cost: We offer a pricing packaged that is all inclusive of the complete backup and disaster recovery service-with no hidden costs. All your costs are bundled and include the NAS, the Incremental Forever Methodology, file restorations, file integrity checks, secure data transmission and remote storage. Some questions that have been prompted by the recent move to Server 2012 concern downgrade rights. Many companies are put in a situation where they need to purchase a new server license(s), but their business applications are not yet fully compatible with Server 2012. Since Server 2008R2 volume licensing is no longer available for purchase, what can be done?

The answer lies with downgrade rights. Server 2012 volume licensing comes with rights to downgrade to Server 2008R2. This is advantageous for a couple of reasons. One is that it allows you to accommodate any applications that are not ready for Server 2012. Another is that at some future date you can use the same license to move to 2012 at no additional cost.

Server 2012 OEM licensing also offers downgrade rights, but with one small caveat. Microsoft reports that: “The OEM license terms for most OEM versions released with or after the Windows Server 2003 R2 operating system allow for the user to downgrade to an earlier version.” That’s good news for all of us that have purchased OEM licenses. It’s been confirmed that both Dell and HP OEM licenses will allow for downgrade rights with 2012.

If you happen to have an OEM license from another manufacturer you’ll have to check their specific OEM License terms to confirm that you have downgrade rights. Windows 8 Pro OEM and Volume versions will also have downgrade rights to Window 7 Pro.

If you have a copy of Windows 8 OEM(non pro) your downgrade rights would be limited to Windows 7 home. It’s important to note that if you have legacy applications that will only run on XP, Windows 8 will not come with downgrade rights to XP. You’ll have to update the app or find a replacement if you want to upgrade your OS. If you have questions about Microsoft Licensing or downgrade rights an expert at i.t.NOW for assistance. There is also some great information available online.