BEI Blog
We discussed LiveOffice in the August BE Eye, but thought the Continuity aspect was worth reinforcing. If our email server or internet connection to our data center happens to go down, we can send and receive email via our Live Office email archive. How does this work? BEI Email is sent first to Microsoft Forefront Online Protection for Exchange, our hosted email filtering service. The BEI Exchange server is then setup as the primary DNS entry, but the Live Office network is backup. So if email can’t be delivered to our server for any reason, it is sent to Live Office. Sent and received email is automatically flushed back to Exchange when the Exchange server comes back up. want to know more? Give Kurt Duesterdick a call at 703-528-8300
x101 or kurt@beinetworks.com.
BEI’s netEndure is now available in a software-only version (netEndure AA) that lowers the initial price of this business continuity solution. Software is installed on an existing server which backs up server and desktop images to spare disk space (this can be on the local server, another server, network storage or USB drive). The price is approximately $50/server/month. Backed up images can optionally be sent offsite to datacenter storage for about $0.30 per gigabyte/month. Note that this does not include the “instant virtualization” feature that allows you to be back up and running on an alternate device, but it does give you image-based backups at a very attractive price.
Contact Kurt Duesterdick at 703-528-8300 x102, kurt.duesterdick@beinetworks.com for more information.
Friday, March 11, 2011, 7:30 am – 9:30 am
Fairfax County Economic Development Authority
8300 Boone Blvd, Suite 450 Vienna, VA
With apologies to Woody Allen, who better than Mike Jennings to speak about the current state of information technology (IT) as it relates to operating a successful business in today’s always-on and connected world. C-level executives do not need to know what version of Windows or Linux their server are running so this is not a “bits and bytes” chalk talk. It is an interactive education for top managers about what they need to know to ensure their organization’s IT is secure, flexible, responsive and cost effective. (click here if you need help with the reference to Woody Allen…)
Using real-world examples culled from years of supporting hundreds of organizations, the most current IT technologies and implementation models are explained along with tips for evaluating and utilizing them (or not.) Mike will give his unique perspective on hot tech topics such as Security, Business Continuity, Teleworking, Mobile devices, Cost/expense control and Cloud Computing.
To register please click here
(The Executive Exchange Seminar Breakfast Series is a monthly series addressing timely & vital topics challenging today’s business leaders.)
This past summer was very busy for PEPCO and the other utilities in the DC area. On July 16, many of us woke up when a magnitude 3.6 earthquake hit the DC area. A moderate amount of damage occurred with some power outages. In August, several major storms left hundreds of thousands of customers without power for several days at a time. D.C. is not hurricane alley, but in 2003 Hurricane Isabel left many businesses without power for a week or more. And we all remember last winter’s storms! Although we take electric power as a given, it clearly is not. How much will it cost you if you cannot access your computers for a day? Two days? A week? Do you have a plan for how your business will operate in the event of an electric outage? Do you just shut down? Tell employees to work at home? Do you have an alternative location?
If you want employees to work from home or an alternative location, the proper IT configuration must be in place. First of all, if your server(s) are in your office, they will not be operating in the event of lost power. You will most likely want to have your servers located in a datacenter (datacenters will most probably not lose power because they typically are situated at the intersection of two major electric feeds and they have large backup generators that automatically start-up in the event of power loss). You also need to make sure that remote access capabilities are properly set-up and installed. If this is something you would like to discuss, please contact BEI (Jonathan Krasner, 703-528-8300 x105, jonathan.krasner@beinetworks.com) and we will work with you on a Business Continuity plan.
In this seminar we reviewed the latest strategies and technologies for data backup as well as for making sure your business can survive all sorts of disasters – large and small. Some examples of situations to consider are:
- Hardware/software failure on your server – how long can your organization function without all your data and applications while your server is being fixed or rebuilt (which will be at LEAST 1 business day even if you have a spare server sitting around)?
- Fire, flood, etc in your office – is your data offsite and do you have a plan to get back up and running?
- Someone deletes a file, transaction, database, etc. Do you have a copy and are you sure it is usable?
At the seminar we’ll consider options that are available today, review the pros and cons of each, and hopefully leave you with a framework for planning for disaster recovery. A lot has changed since the last time we talked about this and there are amazing things you can do today without breaking the bank!
This webinar was recorded on April 22, 2010.
To watch the recording Click Here.
That Big Proposal is Due but My Street’s Not Plowed!!!
Did you run into this or a similar problem over the last few weeks? Couldn’t get to the office and the ol’ VPN or Go-to-My-PC just wasn’t cutting it? Or maybe you’re really old school and had NO option to work remotely? There are very good and cost effective options for being productive from home (and we mean working just like you do in the office using all the same applications – not just checking email.)
- We can install a terminal server that will let your staff access all your data and applications as if they were in the office and with a very similar user experience/speed/responsiveness – much better than VPN. With terminal server it is easy to control user access and privileges. BEI uses terminal services for its employees when they are not in the office. The price for this starts at about $4,000 for hardware, software and installation services (this price range would provide remote connectivity for 10-20 people, depending on their work load.)
- If you have a Small Business Server, you can be setup for Remote Web Workplace, which lets you remotely work on your desktop at the office.
- A SharePoint intranet site, either on your server or online, lets you share documents and collaborate with ease.
To request information about remote work options, contact Jonathan Krasner at jonathan.krasner@beinetworks.com or 703-528-8300 x105.
