Online Backup by Redstor overview - YouTube video

The video below gives an overview of some of the functionality of our cloud based, Online Backup service. Areas covered include how to perform the initial setup of the backup client, an overview of the storage platform and how the client connects to the storage platform. Also featured is the backup process, data restoration and the difference between server backups and Desktop/Laptop backups.

Online Backup by Redstor has been delivered to a variety of industries since 2005 by our community of channel partners. During this time, we have amassed in excess of 1PB of data under protection across our resilient Data Centres and through our 85 Education service providers, we have an addressable 14,000 schools in the UK backing up to our Data Centres each night.

If you'd like to find out more about Redstor's cloud services including Online Backup then please call our Reading office on +44 118 951 5200.

Universities to share cloud services

According to an article on information-age.com, The Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE) has allocated £12.5million to a new cloud computing shared services initiative for universities in order to ensure they're saving money and resources.

This move could see Universities using Online Backup by Redstor, Cloud Storage and CentraStage to reduce costs but retain enterprise class IT services in line with their business requirements.

City University of London's CIO, Andrew Abboud, said "We all have Data Centre requirements, so we've agreed to sit down to understand what those needs are and see if we can work together, whether it is to build our own facility or use our procurement power to get a cheaper price from someone else's facility".

Access to the cloud, whatever the weather

Redstor Cloud Storage is an easy to use online storage solution providing business-grade storage over the internet or a secure dedicated link that scales up and down to any capacity and allows you to pay only for the storage you use. It offers elastic capacity on demand and allows access to your stored data at any time and from anywhere.

Typically suited to data that doesn't requite high performance access such as user data, file based archives, infrequently accessed files or backup data. You no longer need to purchase, implement and manage physical storage systems in your own data centre thus you can avoid capital outlays, purchasing delays and reduce your IT costs. Instead, you pay as a monthly operating expense much in the same way you would any other utilities.

Redstor Cloud Storage is always available and so it only takes minutes to setup and expands as you use it. Storage maintenance tasks such as backup, data replication and expansion become Redstor's responsibility allowing you to mitigate risks and focus on your core business.

US Government moves to the Cloud

At the tail end of last week, the US Government announced plans to reduce it's number of Data Centres by 38% over the next 5 years as they move to the cloud.

The key driver behind their adoption of the cloud is the ability to rapidly scale their IT requirements with increased flexibility in the face of quickly changing business needs. Just as key however, is being able to operate on a pay as you go model with no up front investment and further investment only required as the service scales. Additionally, the move will straighten out lengthy procurement cycles and certification processes meaning that further efficiencies can be made on a business level as well as a technology level.

Redstor have been providing cloud services for the past 5 years to help organisations achieve goals which are similar to those of the world's largest and most powerful Government. Through using our Online Backup, Redstor Protector and Online Backup Plus services; organisations have been able to scale their IT requirements to match those of the business and reduce capital expenditure as well as mitigating risks associated with managing internal solutions. We're just 22 days away from the next chapter of our Cloud Services story when we launch Cloud Storage in conjunction with EMC which will offer elastic capacity on demand.

If it's the right time for the US Government to look to the cloud, is it the right time for your organisation to look to the cloud with us? Call Redstor on 0118 9515 200 if you wish to find out more.

ICO takes action against Google

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) have written to the world's leading search engine Google to advise them their recent Google Street View project significantly breached the Data Protection Act.

Since April 2010, The ICO have had the power to impose fines of up to £500,000 on organisations who breach the Data Protection Act. Within this legislation includes specific reference to the encryption of data.

"Organisations can minimise the risks of security breaches involving personal information by ensuring that all portable media devices containing personal information are encrypted. Staff must be adequately trained and organisations should give proper consideration to restricting staff from downloading large volumes of data onto memory sticks and other portable devices. All personal information held within buildings and offices should be protected by adequate security arrangements to prevent theft or the loss of the data."

The full legislation is available on the ICO website.

Google's breach is so far the highest profile case and has resulted in Christopher Graham, who is appointed as Information Commissioner by HM The Queen writing directly to Google, who will now have to sign an indemnity to appear on the ICO's website as well as be subject to a full ICO audit. Christopher Graham said, "It is my view that the collection of this information was not fair or lawful and constitutes a significant breach of the first principle of the Data Protection Act."

"The most appropriate and proportionate regulatory action in these circumstances is to get written legal assurance from Google that this will not happen again - and to follow this up with an ICO audit."

2 of Redstor's leading cloud services include full end to end encryption. Redstor Protector combines laptop encryption, device trace, remote data deletion, automatic backup and port access control. This enables organisations to fully lockdown their laptops in the event of them being lost or stolen. You can find out more about how Redstor Protector can help you protect your data by downloading our whitepaper here.

Redstor Online Backup is an automated backup service, your data is sent over your existing internet connection to one of our secure Data Centres before mirroring to our secondary Data Centre for Disaster Recovery purposes. From the moment the data leaves your site, whilst in transit and right the way through until it resides in our Data Centres; it's fully encrypted to give you that peace of mind your data is secure and protected off-site.

If you're unsure of the current level of protection for your data then you should call the Data Protection specialists Redstor on 0118 9515 200.

Accelerate your journey to the Cloud

Information makes the world go round.
That’s why it’s vital to be able to offer your
customers a range of secure cloud services.
But if developing your own cloud offering
isn’t feasible, why not use ours. We can
give you all of the benefits, under your own
brand—without the capital investment. By
partnering with us, you’ll get the advantages
of world-class solutions, a broader product
portfolio, and recurring revenues. You’ll also
get full sales and technical training, marketing
collateral, ROI tools, and more.

Join us in the cloud.

Accelerate Journey To The Cloud

View more presentations from jami3butl3r.

Tape is dead, long live the cloud

Sony announced yesterday that after 30 glorious years, they will no longer be producing their iconic Walkman which plays cassette tapes.

This is further vindication that "The Digital age" is setting in and transforming the way in which data and media is consumed and used. Long gone are the days when people would listen to their cassette tapes and watch their Betamax when they got home from work. Now, people want their Beatles album or their television in crystal clear quality.

The same is becoming increasingly apparent for the majority of organisations when it comes to their IT requirements. Fed up with the manual processes, poor quality and local hardware associated with tape backups, it's now more about having the business agility to backup data cheaply, easily and with the least risk possible.

Sony stopping production of the Cassette opens the door for the cloud to transform the music industry. People will now expect to be able to access and consume their music whether they're at home, at work, travelling, at the gym or generally on the move - but without being restricted to just the music available on their local device.

Redstor have helped organisations make the switch over the past 5 years with our successful Online Backup service and will continue to do so in 2011 and beyond with the launch of cloud storage with EMC. We are well versed in aiding organisations on their journey from heritage backup methods such as tape, to cutting edge cloud services.

We are conducting a survey on LinkedIn asking when we will see the end of tape backups in the corporate Data Centre - to have your say click here
If you require advice from the experts on how to change the record, then please call Redstor on 0118 9515 200.

Redstor partners with EMC to launch Cloud Storage in UK

Redstor, a managed services, cloud storage and IT solutions provider has today announced a partnership with EMC Atmos to offer customers access to the EMC Atmos cloud storage platform. The partnership will allow Redstor to offer four new cloud storage services that will utilise the EMC Atmos platform.

Redstor is one of the first UK companies to offer cloud storage services powered by the EMC Atmos platform. It will offer its customers the opportunity to reduce costs, mitigate risks and migrate to a virtual data centre with confidence and ease whilst minimalising the up front capital expenditures previously associated. The partnership is part of Redstor’s growth plans to increase its cloud service portfolio and compliments existing services Online Backup and Protector.

The partnership will allow software vendor partners to interface effectively with its data centres and deliver an easy virtual drive to manually migrate data to the cloud. Policy based, intelligent file information tiering, long tail information retention and clone backup copies will also be offered as part of the Redstor EMC Atmos solution.

Commenting on the partnership Tony Ruane, Business Development Director at Redstor said: “EMC Atmos will form a key part of our infrastructure. We see a huge demand from our customers and partners for cloud offerings that move data to lower-cost storage locations. Not all data is created equal and, thanks to some fantastic economies-of-scale, we can often store customer data in the cloud much more effectively than by storing it on site. The open EMC Atmos Application Programme Interface means that our independent software vendor partners can interface with our data centres to deliver compelling end-user services, effectively opening the floodgates to our storage and driving increased revenues for us and our partners.”

This has been reported on by many online publications including (but not limited to) CBR Online, IT News Online, IT Director, CIO and IT Analysis.

For further information on how you can ensure your business agility with Redstor's cloud services, please call 0118 9515 200

Cloud Storage

Redstor Managing Director, Paul Evans, looks at how ‘The Cloud’ can help address today’s Public Sector Challenges

Established in 1998 Redstor’s has been an EMC partner since its inception and today its focus is data management and protection and cloud based services and solutions. The company’s commercial heritage spans the financial, technology, oil and gas markets. In 2005 Redstor turned its attention to the public sector in particular the education market.
The public sector is about to enter the greatest period of change since the end of the Second World War. Uncertainty is certain! The cupboards are bare. The age of austerity is among us. Whatever metaphor one chooses to use, the facts are daunting.
The UK is facing public sector debt north of £800 billion and this excludes the massive future pension liabilities. Budget cuts are expected to be at least 25% between 2010 and 2013. Becta is being shut down and merged with the ‘new’ Department for Education. The ‘Building Schools for the Future’ programme has been stopped and the Autumn 2010 spending review is awaited with trepidation.
Add to this the immediate freeze in headcount, strict travel restrictions and imminent redundancies and it is clear that the next few years for the public sector will be tough.
Public Sector Repercussions:
Public sector technologies, and the teams that manage the technology infrastructure for the public sector, are predicted to be especially hard hit.
The situation public sector technology decision makers find themselves in is daunting. As cuts become increasingly widespread there are four central conclusions that can be drawn:
- Departments will delay hardware/software refreshes & upgrades
- Ageing IT kit will increase support overheads
- There will be greater stress on central IT teams
- Departments accustomed to existing levels of service will expect more for less
Going Green
As IT decision makers contemplate and plan for the next few years, the green agenda will continue to change the behaviours of these decision makers. The Carbon Reduction Efficiency Scheme (CRC) which started operating in April will put further pressure on technology decision makers. This is essential to reduce UK carbon emission gases by 80% before 2050 against a 1990 baseline and the public sector will have to comply.
Planning an ICT Strategy
Planning an effective ICT strategy has never been harder. The status quo is no longer an option and it is time to take a fresh approach towards ICT. The central issue technology decision makers must address is efficiency whilst maintaining and improving service to their internal and external customers.
Decision makers must specifically look at common infrastructures, standards and encourage the automation of mundane and repetitive tasks to focus attention on the customer experience. A single public sector network and the creation of the Government G-Cloud are seen as solutions that are gaining momentum within the public sector. The advantages of each are already well made arguments and address the central issue of efficiency within a cost effective framework based on pay-as-you-go, rather than upfront capital expenditure and benefiting from economies of scale.
Other issues gaining increased momentum include shared services, data centre rationalisation and common designs for desktop services.
As technology changes in the public sector take hold Redstor has been in the ,vanguard introducing cloud storage based technologies such as its online backup service which address key public sector challenges. For example its schools online backup service, which is underpinned by EMC SAN and VMware technology and sold through partners such as Local Authorities, addresses the fundamental issues faced by the public sector of cost and utilisation. By offering a cloud backup service to schools, Redstor through its economies of scale is able to offer a cheaper, greener service than the schools or Local Authority doing it themselves. They are able to get a predicatable price and do not need to incur upfront capital expenditure making the proposition compelling in these new lean times. Essentially Redstor’s Schools Backup Service is a Shared Service which also addresses the need for the public sector to standardise on common platforms as opposed to each Authority creating new bespoke backup and storage solutions and encourages data centre rationalisation thus saving space and power.
Whilst Redstor’s Cloud Backup Service cut its teeth in the public sector, Redstor also addresses the commercial space through partners (130 in total) and also works directly with corporate end users with its online backup plus offering.

Redstor became synonymous with RBUSS - Redstor Backup Service for Schools which is underpinned by EMC SAN technology. Today, over 85 Local Authorities and service providers use this service to backup data addressing 14,000 schools in England & Wales. Right now we are focusing on delivering Storage as a Service underpinned by EMC ATMOS technology and to learn more about this then please follow this blog!

Mark Treweeke's Top Five Tips for Cloud Services and Networking

Mark Treweeke, Redstor's Product Manager gives us his top 5 tips for those looking for an insight into how to overcome network challenges that may be encountered when considering Online Cloud Backup and Cloud Storage Services.

1. The first backup or upload of data to the cloud is likely to take a long time, typically due to large data quantities needed to be shifted over low bandwidth connections. This can be alleviated by using an online backup or cloud storage provider who has a ‘seeding’ option where they ship you a storage device to collect the data before it is shipped back to the service provider and uploaded to the cloud platform.

2. Make sure that the technology that you are using to backup or move data into the cloud is designed for that purpose and has been designed to minimise data transfer over the network through data reduction technologies like compression, block or binary level incremental backups or client-side data de-duplication technology which eliminates blocks of data already stored in the cloud, all of which greatly reduces the amount of data that needs to be transported over the network. This type of enabling technology will allow only unique data to be sent after the initial seed backup has been performed.

3. The daily change rate should be something that's appropriate for online backups or cloud storage. If you're creating many tens or hundreds of gigabytes of unique data per day, and you need to back up that data or move it into the cloud every day, you may require greater bandwidth in order for the process to complete in a timely fashion. You’ll have to consider the cost of the additional network bandwidth required.

4. Security over public networks should be of concern, make sure that the enabling software encrypts the data before it is sent over the network and offers ‘end-to-end’ encryption.

5. Networks today are more reliable than ever but enabling technology should still include a strong re-connection mechanism. You don’t want your backup or data transfer to fail and have to re-start all over again because a connection to the internet or service provider was lost, even if it was momentarily. This is especially true for laptop backup, where they regularly lose their connection or move between networks or access points due to the portability of the device, power saving and hibernation options.

Redstor's cloud services include our ever-growing Online Backup service which currently protects upwards of 500TB of data and Redstor Protector, our Laptop Encryption and Backup service. If you require any further information around Cloud services and how these can help you adapt your business please call our office on 0118 9515 200.

Business Continuity Checklist and Data Recovery Plan

Redstor has been providing backup solutions since 1998 and here is a very high level check list of what you should be addressing when considering your backup and business continuity plans:
Key questions to ask about your business?
1. Do you have a recovery process in place and most importantly is it up to date?
2. Do you backup your data every day?
3. What do you really backup and is all of your critical data protected?
4. Do you have an offsite copy of your data if you lose the primary site?
5. Can you restore to alternative hardware if necessary?
6. Can you take preventive measures for any or all of the following:
 Computer Room destruction
 Software/Hardware Vandalism
 Software Virus protection
 Prolonged absence of key personnel
 Hardware theft
 Systems operation faults
Redstor has been providing business advice on business continuity and in particular backup, recovery and archiving since 1998. Redstor also has its own online backup platform and storage cloud based in the UK and consequently the advice we provide to all our commercial end user customers is based upon actual hands on experience.
For more information on Redstor’s services please contact us on 01189 515200 or alternatively email sales@redstor.com
Farid Ouazzani

Redstor exhibiting at Socitm Conference, Brighton 10th-12th October

Redstor are exhibiting at the Socitm conference 2010 to be held at The Hilton Brighton Metropole Hotel in Brighton from Sunday 10th October to Tuesday 12th October.

The Socitm conference is a chance for public sector organisations to discuss how to address the challenges presented by the looming spending review and general economic backdrop of financial uncertainty.

A number of Local Authorities are already re-designing their service delivery models using CentraStage and we believe that other public sector organisations will follow suit over the coming months and years.

If you would like to meet with us to discuss any of our services around Cloud Storage, Online Backup or Data Protection and doing more, for less then please call us on 0118 951 5200 or e-mail sales@redstor.com

Redstor featured in Government Technology Magazine

Redstor have recently been featured in Government Technology magazine talking about how budget cuts will impact public sector departments and how they can cope in this age of austerity and change.

You can view the article online at - http://www.governmenttechnology.co.uk/content/view/2251/33/

Government Technology magazine is the business magazine for Government technology.

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Redstor have been focused on data management and protection since 1998 and have created one of the largest service provider enabled storage infrastructures (storage clouds) in the UK. Redstor Online Backup is re-branded by numerous well known service organisations and is the engine behind the Redstor Backup Service for Schools (RBUSS). Over 80 Local Authorities and education service providers use Redstor's online service to backup and restore the data of over 12,000 addressable schools in the UK.

Redstor at the Reading Expo - Madejski Stadium

Redstor exhibited at the Reading Expo hosted at Reading Football Club's Madejski Stadium earlier this week which was attended by a number of delegates from various local businesses and organisations. We showcased our knowledge around solving organisation’s storage and backup challenges and key cloud services as well as protecting sensitive data and remotely managing devices. The event was a good opportunity for us to interact with local businesses from big to small and further established our name and increased our awareness within the local area.

We are keen to continue with attending and supporting local exhibitions and will look to speak at such local events in the future.

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Redstor have been focused on data management and protection since 1998 and have created one of the largest service provider enabled storage infrastructures (storage clouds) in the UK. Redstor Online Backup is re-branded by numerous well known service organisations and is the engine behind the Redstor Backup Service for Schools (RBUSS). Over 80 Local Authorities and education service providers use Redstor's online service to backup and restore the data of over 12,000 addressable schools in the UK.

The Demise of BSF

With the demise of the Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme, this represents a big opportunity for Local Authorities and education service providers to really drive costs out of their IT support to schools.

Christian Nagele from CentraStage has written a special blog just on this subject. Click HERE to have a read.

Redstor have been focused on data management and protection since 1998 and have created one of the largest service provider enabled storage infrastructures (storage clouds) in the UK. Redstor Online Backup is re-branded by numerous well known service organisations and is the engine behind the Redstor Backup Service for Schools (RBUSS). Over 80 Local Authorities and education service providers use Redstor's online service to backup and restore the data of over 12,000 addressable schools in the UK.

Infosecurity Europe Podcast

Recorded as part of the Infosecurity Europe podcast series, Brian McKenna, editor of Info Security Adviser spoke to David Smith, Deputy Commissioner at the Information Commissioner’s Office about the increased powers of the ICO, including the capacity to impose fines of up to £500k on organizations guilty of significant data breaches. David Smith advises on how best to ensure compliance.

Listen to the podcast

Redstor Protector, the simple, low cost computer security service protects against sensitive data loss and should form part of your information security policy.

Redstor Protector is offered as a Cloud Service and fully integrates online PC backup and recovery, at rest encryption, remote data deletion, port access control and device trace into a single product suite. Working together as a single solution, these components deliver protection against data loss or theft.

Since 1998 we at Redstor have been providing solutions around data backup and data security and if you want any advice around these issues and how the data protection act might apply to you then get in touch.

Redstor Online Backup Specialists, Grow and Move

Redstor synonymous with cloud storage and online backups have now moved into their new home on the Kings Road, Reading.

Following 12 years of growth and renting offices within Reading, Redstor decided it was time to buy their own premises and wanted a location which was close to the town centre and to Reading Train Station.

In November 2009, Redstor finally acquired what were the premises of the RAOB club in Kings Road, Reading, comprising some 5000 square feet. After obtaining a change of use permission from Reading Borough Council, Redstor had the task of turning what were club premises, including 3 bars and a skittle alley into a flexible, modern open plan working environment which the Redstor team would be proud of.

“We created a design brief to reflect the evolving nature of our Data Storage and Online Backup Business. In particular, we wanted a place we could demonstrate and showcase our Cloud Storage Solutions and Storage Expertise to our customers and Partners and a place where our team would enjoy working........” said Dominic Anschutz, Redstor’s Operations Manager....“As a result we needed a client facing data centre suite, training and meeting rooms and a flexible working area which would attract natural light, encourage open communication and be conducive to work”

Following the design brief a competitive beauty parade of interested companies to carry out the office transformation project was conducted and Morgan Lovell was selected.

“They fully understood our brief and came up with some innovative ideas and from our first engagement, they were extremely professional and meticulous” commented Tony Ruane, Redstor’s Co-Founder who was heavily involved in formulating the design.

“We engaged a local company to strip out the building and many of the old fixtures and fittings, including bar taps, dance floors, skittle alley were recycled and distributed to local charities, friends and family and local businesses who were happy to take it off our hands.....Following a 3 week strip out, Morgan Lovell took over the site and within 3 weeks had transformed what was a fully operational club site into a modern office which is now our home” said Paul Evans, Managing Director and Co-Founder of Redstor............ “We have been mightily impressed with Morgan Lovell’s professionalism throughout, from design all the way through to execution and handover of the building and now have an office which better meets the demands of our growing business”.
END

Redstor Growing and Moving

From the 22^nd March, Redstor, the Data Storage and Online Backup specialists are pleased that following 12 years of growth we are moving into our new purpose built home at St James’ Wharf Reading………..

Our New Address will be:

Redstor Limited

St James’ Wharf
99-105 Kings Road
Reading
Berkshire
RG1 3DD

Please update your records following our move from Soane Point.

More to follow………..

Not Just Online Backup

We have seen phenomenal growth on our online storage platform due to the success of our branded ‘cloud’ service offerings and through empowering service providers to quickly and cheaply generate new income streams. Our online platform, hosting many hundreds of terabytes of data, spanning two sites and supporting many thousands of customers has given us our own challenges, the same challenges our customers face regarding their data storage infrastructure – from a users perspective, how do you keep the infrastructure secure, available at all times and without disruption, and from a business perspective, how do you keep pace with growing business needs, make it easy to manage, make it scaleable and at the same time, drive out cost.

Redstor has a successful history of advising our customers how to do just that and for the last 5 years we have been practising what we preach managing our online platform! Many of our customers have forgotten and in some cases don’t even know, the breadth of experience and skills Redstor have and that we are not just one of the largest on-line service providers in the UK, we are in fact an end-to-end storage infrastructure solutions provider. We offer our advice and guidance on all data storage, protection, management, business continuity and disaster recovery needs and offer a complete range of best-of-breed technology, services and solutions.

Our partnerships with global, leading and innovative technology vendors, coupled with over 12 years of data experience and an in-depth understanding of the processes and procedures required to make solutions work, make Redstor a leading provider of storage infrastructure solutions. And, if you don’t want to manage the environment yourself, Redstor offers a complete range of remote managed backup and storage services as well!

With Redstor we offer the best choice, we can help you build it yourself or you can take it from our ‘cloud’.

Do you want to quickly generate a new revenue stream?

The Redstor Protector ‘Cloud’ Service allows you to quickly generate a new revenue stream. Redstor provides all the technology infrastructure and marketing support you need to rapidly take to market the most comprehensive and secure data protection and recovery solution available. Redstor Protector is a unique service designed to be offered by Service Providers and includes:

• Policy-driven desktop and laptop backup and recovery
• At rest AES encryption
• Remote data delete
• Port access control
• Device trace

If you are a Service Provider, Redstor Protector represents a unique service proposition for your customers and will give your organisation a competitive edge by offering differentiated functionality - Redstor Protector combines 5 best-of-breed components into one powerful solution.

Grow your organisation during these challenging times as a Redstor Services Partner. Redstor provides its ‘cloud’ experience and everything you need to take the service to your customers and quickly generate a new recurring income stream with minimal cost of entry:

• No infrastructure costs and low operating overheads
• Built on solid, proven award winning technology
• Designed to generate recurring revenues
• Simple sign up process for you and your customers
• Keeps support calls to a minimum
• Extend your brand and create customer loyalty with re-branding options
• Extensive sales tools and customer facing collateral that can be re-branded
• Built on Redstor's Storage Platform

Redstor have been focused on data management and protection since 1998 and have created one of the largest service provider enabled storage infrastructures (storage clouds) in the UK.

Contact Redstor now to find out how you can quickly generate a new revenue stream and GROW YOUR BUSINESS.

+44 (0)118 951 5200
sales@redstor.com

For more information on Redstor Protector click here