Data protection, backup and archiving

CW Europe: Technology poses new risks to jobs, economies and society

Rapid advances in technology could have destabilising effects on employment and economic growth, and could exacerbate social unrest, the World Economic Forum (WEF) warned. Society’s failure to keep pace with technology change was a key risk under discussion at Davos in January. Continue Reading

Nodeum to add S3 connectivity to LTFS-powered tape archive

Belgium-based Linux-plus-LTFS startup adds S3 capability to allow customers to add cloud as a tier and data portability between on and off-premises archiving Continue Reading

CW Nordics: Top IT priorities for Nordic CIOs in 2017

In this first issue of CW Nordics in 2017 we take a look what CIOs in the region are expecting in the year ahead. We asked a select group of CIOs and analysts in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden what IT projects are at the top their priority lists. Also read about the Nordic region as a hotspot for IT startups, with Sweden punching above its weight in financial technology. And find out how board executives at healthcare company Elekta are analysing workforce data to make better strategic decisions. Continue Reading

Under surveillance – what the Investigatory Powers Act means for business

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the UK government has passed the Investigatory Powers Act, labelled a “snoopers’ charter” that expands the scope of state surveillance – but what does it mean for businesses? We find out what digital transformation means in the fire and rescue service. And we examine the role of public cloud in supporting enterprise storage requirements. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Backup 101: Incremental vs differential vs synthetic full backup

Backup methods pros and cons: Full, incremental, differential, synthetic full, incremental forever, and reverse incremental. We set out the advantages and drawbacks of each Continue Reading

Network overhaul speeds up business for motor racing venue

Rockingham Motor Speedway in Northamptonshire beefs up network infrastructure to support expansive business plans Continue Reading

European law enforcement seeking smart ways to fight cyber crime

Cyber criminals are always likely to be better resourced than law enforcement. Now, national and regional police forces in Europe are switching tactics to even the odds. Under-resourced law enforcement needs a smarter approach as cyber crime becomes increasingly prevalent and sophisticated, backed by the money and expertise of organised crime groups set up and run as well-resourced and efficient professional business organisations. Cyber crime operations typically have teams dedicated to looking at open source intelligence, targets’ physical environments, weaknesses in supply chains, and potential collaborators inside target organisations to enable sophisticated, blended attacks that involve a combination of actions against a range of vulnerabilities, making them difficult to detect and defend against. Continue Reading

Disaster recovery testing: technology systems to test DR

In this concluding part of a two-part series, Computer Weekly looks at ways of testing disaster recovery plans, with methods including array-based replication and hypervisor-based approaches Continue Reading

Tape backup: Often old and confused, but quite cheap

Survey results show those with tape are likely to have old tapes, multiple formats, including defunct ones, and no way of knowing what is on them. But tape is still quite cheap for most Continue Reading

Top 10 ANZ enterprise IT stories of 2016

Here is a rundown of Computer Weekly’s most popular ANZ enterprise IT articles for 2016 Continue Reading

Disaster recovery testing: A vital part of the DR plan

Disaster recovery provision is worthless unless you test out your plans. In this two-part series, Computer Weekly looks at disaster recovery testing in virtualised datacentres Continue Reading

Counting the cost of financial cyber crime

In this week’s Computer Weekly, the cyber security of banks is under scrutiny after an attack on Tesco Bank leads to millions lost in fraudulent transactions. Our latest buyer’s guide, on server operating systems, looks at the new features in Windows Server 2016. And Coca-Cola explains how a move to the cloud is helping motivate staff. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Australia’s IFC Logistics virtualises storage to prevent further outages

Australian logistics firm moved to virtualised storage through a managed service after a serious outage Continue Reading

Reinventing Bahrain’s Kanoo Group through digital technology

In this quarter’s CW Middle East ezine, we feature the IT journeys of three companies in the region with detailed analysis of recent IT projects that were designed to support business transformation in a changing world. We hear how Bahrain-based conglomerate Kanoo Group is dealing with a company-wide digital transformation, Zahid Group’s biggest-ever IT investment, and how Rotana Hotels is centralising security. Continue Reading

Cloud backup saves data after fire destroys school

Data from The Academy secondary school in the seaside town of Selsey was restored just hours after a fire destroyed most of the premises, thanks to a cloud backup agreement set up a year earlier Continue Reading

Leadership bonus – analysing our UK salary survey

In this week’s Computer Weekly, our exclusive UK salary survey shows that IT leaders are benefiting from generous bonuses as technology becomes part of mainstream business. We find out how the internet of things is transforming the railway industry. And the CIO of the Williams Formula One team explains how data analytics is boosting race performance. Continue Reading

Quantum refreshes Scalar tape library family with i3, i6 and AEL6

Quantum’s StorNext universe boosted by new tape libraries – the i3, i6 and AEL6 – with increased data density on the back of denser storage and improved robotics Continue Reading

CW ANZ: Harnessing the power of server/storage architecture

In this month’s CW ANZ, read about how a council in south-east Queensland swapped its compute and storage systems for cloud services. Redland City Council CIO Glynn Henderson explains why the organisation went for a hybrid cloud system. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

CW ASEAN: The power of all-flash arrays

In this month’s CW ASEAN, we take a look at how efficiencies from storage suppliers and enhanced benefits to total cost of ownership have made the commercial and technology value propositions for all-flash arrays the choice for primary workloads even more compelling to customers. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Demand rises for low-cost flash storage across Australia

Flash storage gains popularity in Australia, as smaller organisations are attracted by lower prices and higher capacity Continue Reading

Is it NAS? Is it object storage? It’s both. It’s Avere’s C2N

Avere launches C2N hybrid NAS/object storage box that uses touted efficiencies of erasure coding to take aim at claimed drawbacks of clustered NAS rivals like Isilon Continue Reading

Essex hospital trust upgrades IT infrastructure

Mid Essex NHS Trust upgrades its storage infrastructure to keep up with increasing volumes of data Continue Reading

Italian bottle maker deploys 88TB of Syneto hyper-converged storage

Serioplast gets reliable disaster recovery as it replaces NetApp plus remote physical servers with Syneto hyper-converged infrastructure at factories across Europe, Africa and Asia Continue Reading

Lauri Love: the student accused of hacking the US

How did a brilliant but fragile computer science student from a rural English town end up facing life imprisonment in the US? Computer Weekly speaks to Lauri Love Continue Reading

Dell Technologies aims for an intelligent, connected future

In this week’s Computer Weekly, as Dell and EMC complete the largest IT supplier merger in history, we look at the new $74bn company’s strategy and what it means for IT leaders. Our latest buyer’s guide examines a key aspect of cloud – cloud bursting, used for dynamic capacity management. And we assess the latest views on the UK government’s plans for internet surveillance legislation. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

MaidSafe secure internet concept enters testing phase

Scottish internet startup MaidSafe brings its vision for a more private and secure approach to the web a step closer to reality Continue Reading

Cloud collaboration boosts Cumbria County Council's disaster response abilities

How Cumbria County Council tackled the unsanctioned use of cloud services within its organisation and improved the robustness of its disaster response in face of December 2015's Storm Desmond Continue Reading

Westpac bank launches Databank data protection service

Australia's Westpac bank is offering organisations that share customer data a service that it says securely locks down personal information Continue Reading

Rubrik backup appliance adds physical platforms to hybrid cloud

Flash-powered backup appliances add MS SQL and Linux physical server to VMware backup and hybrid cloud archive in Firefly release, with more physical and endpoint support promised Continue Reading

Shadow data and the risks posed by cloud storage and apps

Cloud storage and apps can open up an organisation to risks of data leakage. Computer Weekly looks at key areas of vulnerability and what you can do to prevent your data going viral Continue Reading

Lawmaker Vaizey hails UK role in resolving datacentre sovereignty issues

Digital economy minister talks up government’s work in supporting the growth of the UK’s technology sector Continue Reading

Software-defined storage the power behind Monash University microscopes

Australian academic institute uses the technology to help it deal with huge – and still growing – storage demands Continue Reading

How IT in a portacabin supports £1bn London Bridge station overhaul

In this week’s Computer Weekly, we find out how a temporary IT set-up based in a portacabin is supporting the UK’s largest critical infrastructure project – the £1bn redevelopment of London Bridge train station. Our latest buyer’s guide looks at converged infrastructure products. And we analyse research showing data protection topping the list of UK security priorities. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Zerto adds file level recovery to Virtual Replication

Cross-hypervisor, storage-agnostic Zerto Virtual Replication version 4.5 allows customers to recover files to any point in time, such as prior to deletion, virus or corruption Continue Reading

US hospital claims to have fought off a ransomware attack

A hospital in Kentucky claims to have regained control of its IT systems five days after cyber criminals hit it with a ransomware attack Continue Reading

Cloud storage appliances: What they are and who provides them

We look at the cloud storage appliance market – everything from local gateway presentation of the cloud, via hybrid cloud, to the new generation of cloud-resident appliances Continue Reading

NAS vs object: Which one for large volumes of unstructured data?

Both NAS and object storage offer highly scalable file storage for large volumes of unstructured data, but which is right for your environment? Continue Reading

Top 10 storage stories of 2015

The year 2015 in storage was dominated by the continued rise of flash and Dell’s purchase of EMC, but there were steady upticks in trends such as hyper-converged and software-defined storage Continue Reading

Disaster recovery planning: Where virtualisation can help

The disaster recovery planning process is not fundamentally technology-centric, so when can virtualisation make it quicker and easier to restore services after an unplanned outage? Continue Reading

Snapshots: Hypervisor vs Array

Snapshots are a valuable part of the data protection toolkit, but where is it best to run them from – the hypervisor or the storage array? We look at the pros and cons Continue Reading

Snoopers’ charter will force ISPs to raise broadband prices

The Science and Technology Select Committee hears that ISPs may be forced to put up their service charges to cover the cost of retaining communications data, should the Investigatory Powers Bill become law Continue Reading

Lack of data classification very costly to firms, says survey

Most data retained by organisations is not identified or classified and gobbles budget spent on storage, as well as being potentially non-compliant, reveals Veritas-sponsored survey Continue Reading

Commvault drops Simpana brand and adds features

Commvault will drop the Simpana name from the end of 2015 as it opens up to third-party data and attempts to bridge the gap between backup and replication Continue Reading

Virtualisation and disaster recovery: DR features in Hyper-V

We run the rule over the key functionality in Microsoft Hyper-V that can help with disaster recovery, including backup, migration, high availability and replication Continue Reading

Virtualisation and disaster recovery: DR features in VMware

The key areas of functionality in VMware that can help with disaster recovery – including VMware backup, migration, high availability and replication Continue Reading

Cloudian boosts object storage HyperStore compliance features

Distributed object storage software maker Cloudian upgrades HyperStore with added granularity of data protection features that can help meet compliance requirements Continue Reading

Veritas plans to revive backup fortunes with big data analytics

Symantec spin-out Veritas plans major backup product releases that leverage metadata to make backups more efficient and unlock valuable information via big data capabilities Continue Reading

How to cull old, potentially risky data

Unused data is a potential security risk, with old spreadsheets, reports and email containing industry secrets and laced with company gossip. If it's no longer useful, it's time to delete it Continue Reading

NetApp launches AltaVault hybrid cloud backup appliance family

NetApp repackages the SteelStore hybrid cloud backup appliances it bought from Riverbed as AltaVault physical, virtual and cloud products Continue Reading

Erasure coding vs Raid for disk rebuilds

Erasure coding as a means of data protection has emerged with object storage and offers an alternative to Raid systems Continue Reading

Former nurse’s career blighted after blowing whistle on IT problems

Southwark's continuing care database included names of patients who had been dead for several years, a tribunal is told Continue Reading

EMC predicts return to double-digit sales growth

Storage giant's EMEA chief claims downbeat first quarter results are as bad as things will get for EMC, and that normal service will soon resume Continue Reading

Veeam upgrades Availability Suite to support VMware VVOLs

Virtual machine backup specialist Veeam upgrades Availability Suite version 8 to support VMware Virtual Volumes Continue Reading

Taking stock of e-commerce systems

In this week's Computer Weekly, the first of our three-part buyer's guide to next generation e-commerce looks at managing inventory in multi-channel retailers. We highlight the six technology companies that are threats to the dominance of high-street banks. And we examine the top five issues in virtual machine backup. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Mobile device management (MDM) vs backup

MDM tackles the challenge of mobile devices flooding the enterprise, but it doesn’t mean you can stop worrying about mobile data protection Continue Reading

Talon upgrades MobileFast for web and Windows file sync and share

Enterprise file sync and share provider Talon Storage adds web browser and Windows workstation access to MobileFast Continue Reading

VM backup down as a priority while disaster recovery still tops to-do lists

Our survey finds VM backup increasingly “job done”, while disaster recovery, cloud storage, flash storage and mobility remain high priorities; but where is mobile backup? Continue Reading

How to combat VM sprawl

VMs are easy to create, but when unmanaged they proliferate around your infrastructure. Here, we explain VM sprawl and how to combat it Continue Reading

Top five issues in VM backup

Virtual machine backup is a vital task for IT departments. But pitfalls abound. We look at the top five issues encountered in VM backup Continue Reading

The future of networking

In this week's Computer Weekly, our latest buyer's guide looks at emerging networking technologies and assesses their impact on IT infrastructure. After Microsoft's major Azure outage, we look at the resilience of the public cloud. And we discuss the future of banking technology with the CIO of HSBC's investment banking arm. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Why has HP split?

In this week’s Computer Weekly, HP has announced plans to split the company in two – we look at the reasons and assess the future prospects for the IT giant. We examine the best practice in security policy to support a bring your own device (BYOD) scheme for staff mobile technology. And we find out how one company moved its entire datacentre from Berlin to London. Read the issue now. Continue Reading

Symantec splits storage and security

Symantec is splitting its storage and security business, following just days after HP announced its split Continue Reading

Virtual backup appliance pros and cons

Computer Weekly examines virtual backup appliances that run backup and restore from a virtual machine Continue Reading

CIPD ditches 20-a-day tape habit for Exagrid data deduplication

HR professionals organisation the CIPD replaces tape backup with disk-based data deduplication backup hardware from Exagrid Continue Reading

Microsoft adds StorSimple hybrid storage arrays to Azure cloud service

Azure users get more storage, archiving and disaster recovery from 1 August 2014 with Microsoft's StorSimple 8000 series hybrid storage arrays Continue Reading

Big players target object storage at cloud and archive

All but one of the big six storage vendors have object storage products that target public and private cloud environments and/or archiving use cases Continue Reading

Security must change in Indian digital marketplace

More than 25% of large digital marketplaces will have explicit strategies for consumer computing and security by 2018, according to Gartner Continue Reading

Backup vs replication, snapshots, CDP in data protection strategy

Best practice data protection strategy combines backup with snapshots, CDP and replication for different levels of recovery Continue Reading

Erasure coding vs Raid as a data protection method

Erasure coding is mooted as a potential successor to Raid and backup software Continue Reading

EMC upgrades Avamar, Networker and Data Domain products

EMC boosts application and hypervisor integration on Avamar, Networker and Data Domain as part of a strategic push to "backup-less backup" and a "data protection continuum" Continue Reading

Cloud archive pros and cons and the questions to ask providers

A cloud archive offers a flexible and cost effective alternative to in-house archiving where maintenance is outsourced, but what are the key questions to ask a potential supplier Continue Reading

Cloud storage options in Scandinavia

It has never been faster or cheaper to store data in the cloud and Scandinavian businesses have taken up cloud storage with gusto Continue Reading

Survey: Virtualisation the engine for key storage projects

Server virtualisation drives key storage projects for European and UK IT departments, with disaster recovery and virtual server backup high on to-do lists Continue Reading

Investec CISO warns that legacy tapes will fail on new hardware

Many organisations may find that years of irreplaceable tape backups are inaccessible because modern machines cannot handle legacy format Continue Reading

School gets Nimble hybrid flash and Barracuda hybrid cloud backup

Berkshire private college has revamped data protection with Nimble hybrid flash storage and Barracuda hybrid cloud backup Continue Reading

Business-defined storage will help reconnect businesses with IT, says Forrester

Business-defined storage and datacentres will make IT more business-centric, according to Forrester Continue Reading

NTT Europe saves time with Sepaton data deduplication VTL deployment

NTT Europe was sick of tape libraries “shoeshining” so went for a $2.5m deployment of Sepaton data deduplication virtual tape libraries to slash backup and restore times Continue Reading

Array-based or vSphere Replication for VMware SRM?

What’s the best replication method for VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM)? GlassHouse Technologies’ Paul Grimwood runs the rule over array-based replication and vSphere Replication Continue Reading

Nirvanix failure – a blow to the cloud storage model?

Cloud storage firm Nirvanix has given customers a deadline to retrieve their data. Are the reasons for its failure specific to Nirvanix or a real blow to cloud storage overall? Continue Reading

Cloud file-sharing for enterprise users

Cloud file-sharing services have become near-ubiquitous among enterprise users. We survey the risks, benefits and alternatives to Dropbox Continue Reading

The data fragmentation challenge

Few organisations have policies to guide where data should and should not be stored. The result: data fragmentation Continue Reading

Essential guide to disaster recovery and business continuity

Everything you need to know about business continuity and disaster recovery, planning and prevention. Continue Reading

Avamar and NetWorker to merge for 'backup-less backup'

EMC looks forward to backup as an embedded process, with apps and hypervisors copying versioned replicas in native format Continue Reading

Podcast: Virtual server backup fundamentals

Virtual server backup is different to traditional backup. This podcast looks at the differences and examines key choices in selecting backup products Continue Reading

The challenges of information governance in our increasingly litigious age

Formulating the right enterprise-wide information governance policies is essential in heading off potential legal and compliance costs Continue Reading

SSD RAID essentials: What you need to know about flash and Raid

With the advent of flash and high-capacity HDDs, what do today’s storage professionals need to know about Raid and its new variants? Continue Reading

Big data security: getting a grip on multiple data sources

Big data analyses multiple data points, but how do you ensure that ecosystem is secure? In this podcast, Mathieu Gorge, CEO of Vigitrust, outlines the key steps in achieving big data security Continue Reading

Storage Through the Looking Glass

This analyst report aims to help you take a much needed step away from the technical detail of storage to create some strategic perspective. Continue Reading

Real-life disaster recovery boost at video firm with HDS clustered NAS

Special effects video firm The Mill boosts HDS/BlueArc clustered NAS capacity to cope with HD movies and build disaster recovery site at London’s Docklands Continue Reading

Best practice in enterprise storage

Sean Sadler, head of infrastructure solutions at Kings College London, gives best practice advice on enterprise storage for big data. Continue Reading

How to tackle big data from a security point of view

Before leaping into big data, companies must be clear what they are trying to achieve, otherwise their investment will be wasted Continue Reading

IT budgets to grow in 2013 as economy bumps along

UK IT departments are planning to spend more on IT in 2013 despite the downturn, a worldwide survey of IT managers has revealed Continue Reading

In-house tape vs cloud archiving: What are the pros and cons?

Have cloud archiving services reached a tipping point that makes them cheaper and easier to manage than in-house tape archives? Continue Reading

Businesses wasting billions storing unnecessary data

CIOs are urged to rethink their backup strategies following warnings that companies are wasting billions on unnecessary storage Continue Reading

Top 10 storage stories of 2012

Top storage stories from 2012 reflect the rapid pace of virtualisation, big data, the proliferation of mobile devices and new twists on storage technologies such as tape and RAID Continue Reading

Data to grow more quickly says IDC’s Digital Universe study

IDC’s annual Digital Universe study finds data set to expand to 40 Zettabytes by 2020. Emerging markets and machine-generated data will account for increasing proportions of it. Continue Reading

Deduplication and single instance storage cut primary data storage costs

Data deduplication and single instance storage can cut costs in primary data environments, but implementations vary between suppliers. Continue Reading

Digitising the BFI National Archive

The BFI has the largest film archive in the world, with 200,000 films and nearly 900,000 TV shows in its collection. Of that, 75% is British. The institute is undergoing a major digitisation programme in under to preserve its wealth of social history and bring the archive’s treasures to millions. Continue Reading

10 robust USB drive security tools for India Inc

USB drives are ubiquitous in Indian businesses, but pose security threats as they are easily lost/stolen. Here are 10 tools to ensure robust USB security. Continue Reading

Storage briefs: Tape library just the ticket for car park firm

Tape library for car park firm; IT departments fail on email compliance; Record HDD shipment after Thai floods; Veeam supports Hyper-V Continue Reading