Expert Article

Expert Article

How Scripting OpenStack Backups Cripples Your Recovery Efforts

Organizations in the throes of an OpenStack deployment often come to the realization that there is no viable data protection options for OpenStack. As production dates approach and SLA requirements loom, many teams resort to scripting OpenStack backups as a stopgap solution. This kind of approach is deeply flawed and makes workload recovery nearly impossible. Here's why. An (Extremely Brief) History of OpenStack & Data Protection Nearly a decade ago, when OpenStack was first released,…

Trilio Content TeamMarch 15, 2019

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Efficiently Storing Backups: On-Premises, Private Cloud, or Public Cloud?

No matter how modern technology has evolved, there is always a way for it to fail, taking valuable files and data along with it. Even if you build a "perfect" system, a tree can still crash through the roof onto your storage format of choice. It's impossible to control both internal and external threats to your data, so your best bet for safety is to take frequent, regular backups. Of course, there are a number…

Trilio Content TeamFebruary 12, 2019

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The Next Phase in the Evolution of Hybrid Cloud Data Protection: Backups That Actually Do Something for You

By and large, backups are an age-old, traditional IT function that haven’t evolved. This is likely because backups have long been perceived as a necessary evil for compliance or business continuity — and nothing more. By contrast, if mobile computing followed this same slow evolutionary trajectory, then we would still be using bulky backlit mobiles with unwieldy telephone keypads. This failure to evolve has grown problematic as new technologies take hold. The advent of cloud computing and enterprise…

Murali BalchaJanuary 28, 2019

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3 Tips to Fine-Tune Your Cloud Performance

In an age where almost every application has or will migrate to the cloud, it's important to find effective ways to manage your cloud performance. Putting the right optimization strategies into effect can help avoid myriad problems and business inefficiencies. Here are some winning considerations to help IT managers optimize and manage cloud performance more efficiently: 1. Consider Multi-Cloud and Hybrid Cloud Approaches A multi-cloud approach is essentially the use of varied cloud vendors for a…

Trilio Content TeamJanuary 21, 2019

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Public Cloud Security Risks: What’s Real, What’s Overstated, and What You Need to Know Most

Cloud computing technologies have matured significantly since the initial adoption frenzy. Businesses of all sizes continue to move workloads to public cloud environments or have started building their own private cloud environment that they can control. But, as with any emerging market, there's talk and concern about the lasting implications of cloud technology, including the private and public cloud security risks that we may unknowingly be introducing to our workloads. You may be surprised to…

David SafaiiSeptember 26, 2018

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Managing Backup Storage Costs in Enterprise Clouds

As the volume of historical data continues to skyrocket, organizations are increasingly turning to the cloud to help them effectively manage their data volumes and associated costs, particularly for backup storage. As this data shifts to cloud platforms, it's becoming crucial to find a way to back up these ever-increasing backup data while managing inflating costs. Benefits of Cloud Backup Storage Organizations seek a backup solution that's easy to implement and manage. There are a couple of…

Trilio Content TeamAugust 27, 2018

Expert Article

Cloud Storage is All You Need

Trilio is releasing a series of significant updates to TrilioVault this year, including cloud storage support and expanded platform support to include KVM-based infrastructure (including OpenStack-based private clouds and Red Hat Virtualization platforms). Tucked into the Version 3.0 release was support for S3-compatible storage as backup target. As a matter of fact, our support for S3-compatible cloud storage is ground-breaking, and is part of our larger multi-cloud vision. Here's why this is such a significant step.…

Murali BalchaAugust 16, 2018

Expert Article

How TrilioVault Makes Legacy VM Backup Solutions Obsolete

Data loss happens. Hardware malfunctions during firmware updates, someone fat-fingers a configuration, your server room was dampened by a leaky pipe. The list goes on. No matter the reason, with a legacy VM backup solution, you’re risking losing your data forever. Legacy VM backup solutions for the old world of bare metal servers or purpose-optimized virtualized environments cannot keep up with the demands of OpenStack. By force-fitting an outdated approach onto a modern cloud, companies…

Trilio Content TeamAugust 7, 2018

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The GDPR, Backups & The Right to Erasure

Companies around the world are still scrambling to comply with the new GDPR regulations, and the question has inevitably arisen regarding how backups fit into the EU's new rule set. For those who need a refresh: the GDPR was established to help enhance EU citizens’ ability to control what data companies may hold about them. Many organizations have taken steps to become GDPR compliant and have put core processes and procedures into place to attain,…

Trilio Content TeamAugust 2, 2018

Expert Article

OpenStack Backup and Recovery Requirements

Editor's Note: This article was originally published in May 2014 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness. You don’t think much about OpenStack backup requirements when it comes to the cloud. After all, you build your applications on ephemeral storage and compute solutions. These resources are not expected to persist across reboots and power cycles, and your application is built against these failures anyway. You create your workloads on-the-fly from the persistent store (such…

Murali BalchaJuly 19, 2018

Expert Article

Automate, Automate, Automate! How to Implement & Maintain GDPR Process

Maintaining GDPR compliance isn’t just about technology, it’s also about outlining the right GDPR process for each key competency across your organization and operationalizing it so that it's part of your regular, ongoing checks. While much of this work can seem pre-emptive and superfluous, it can save your organization valuable time in an emergency scenario. Part of this planning, of course, will be your GDPR Impact Assessment. But you'll also need to develop key processes…

Trilio Content TeamJuly 17, 2018

Expert Article

Tips to Performing a GDPR Impact Assessment on Your Cloud

A GDPR Impact Assessment, also known as a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA), can be a great way to gauge and measure your company's data handling and preparedness for a breach of this new and important regulation. You can use DPIAs to identify compliance gaps, assess the severity of those gaps, and address them before they become a serious risk. Although many companies have undertaken GDPR Impact Assessments as they prepare for GDPR, they should really be…

Trilio Content TeamJuly 2, 2018

Expert Article

Starting a GDPR Training Program

As the EU's latest privacy regulation rolls into effect, many businesses haven't even broached the topic of GDPR training. While it's not always top-of-mind as you scramble to achieve compliance, ensuring that your organization understands the regulation and what it takes to achieve and maintain compliance is critical to meeting this new regulatory requirement on an on-going basis. As you likely already know, the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a sweeping change to…

Trilio Content TeamJune 27, 2018

Expert Article

Getting Executive Buy-in for GDPR Compliance

GDPR compliance presents considerable challenges for the tens of thousands of companies worldwide that have chosen to build an OpenStack private cloud (or utilize an OpenStack public cloud) for added resilience, agility, and control. The sweeping change driven by this new regulation will prove to dramatically impact the way that organizations handle and process data, and will likely require Herculean effort in order to achieve compliance efficiently. While we are currently past the enforcement deadline – which…

Trilio Content TeamJune 25, 2018

Expert Article

GDPR Requirements and How They Affect Your Company

The enforcement deadline has come and gone, but there are many organizations around the world that are still grappling with the GDPR requirements for compliance. Consider a recent survey by Crowd Research Partners, which revealed that 60% of businesses would not make the May 2018 compliance deadline. The reasons? Lack of budget and staff with the knowledge necessary to make the changes required to meet GDPR mandates. This is going to cause most organizations increased angst over…

Trilio Content TeamJune 21, 2018

Expert Article

OpenStack Backup Solutions: What Are My Options?

NEC recently reviewed various OpenStack backup solutions at the OpenStack Summit in Sydney as part of an effort to identify the most efficient way to protect cloud environments. In this comprehensive overview, they discuss why we need to protect OpenStack clouds, what to look for when you're evaluating a solution, and some of the options they encountered during their own research. Watch the 45- minute talk below, or scroll down to see our summary of…

Trilio Content TeamMay 10, 2018

Expert Article

How to Start Your Journey to OpenStack Deployment

For enterprise users, the journey to OpenStack deployment is fueled by the business opportunity of what lies ahead. IT systems were previously misunderstood as a crutch of sorts — something that plays a backseat role to the overlying business activities. However, with today's emphasis on the cloud and particularly the opportunity with OpenStack, IT's role has shifted into a driver of business outcomes — largely due to its ability to expedite business processes with an efficient foundation…

Trilio Content TeamMay 8, 2018

Expert Article

Do Yourself a Favor and Don’t Buy Another Data Dedupe Appliance

Ever since data dedupe appliances hit the data storage market, they have become a regular fixture in any enterprise backup solution. Filling the gap between spinning disks and the virtual tape library, these appliances provide not only a better access to backup data, but also drive cost savings by efficiently storing only the unique data from backup images. In general, data dedupe engines can remove duplicate data anywhere in the dataset, and are particularly effective…

Murali BalchaApril 26, 2018

Expert Article

Don’t Bother with Anything but Cloud Native Backup Solutions for OpenStack

If you're using any sort of cloud infrastructure, it's absolutely imperative that you employ cloud native backup to help support and extend your cloud. I know, I know–you've already got dozens of vendors set up with seemingly compelling Band-Aids for your latest crop of problems, but I promise you: you don't want the Band-Aid. Here's why. You'd like to think your cloud is considered safe, but data loss happens. It happens a lot: hardware malfunctioned during a firmware…

Murali BalchaApril 3, 2018

Expert Article

The Cloud Computing Trends We See for OpenStack in 2018

With each new roundup of cloud computing trends, it's become increasingly clear that 2018 will be THE year of OpenStack. Why? Well, the OpenStack community has strengthened, the complexities of adopting the platform have been reduced, and more enterprises are attracted by the flexibility, cost savings, and customization capabilities. Organizations that are coping with cost containment and swelling customer demands are actively evaluating new cloud computing trends and strategies that will help them stay competitive. Cloud-based…

Trilio Content TeamMarch 19, 2018

Expert Article

Modify Your Backup/Recovery Plan to Improve Data Management and Reduce Costs

One of my favorite things to talk about with clients, prospects and others in the industry is the importance of having a well-thought out backup and recovery plan for businesses. It’s just as likely for me to chat with friends and family at the holidays, and at summer BBQs about this topic. Beyond the cost savings of optimized processes, the rash outbreak of ransomware and data corruption has stimulated lots of discussions. That’s why, when…

David SafaiiJuly 7, 2017

Expert Article

Are You Testing Your Backups for Recoverability?

Did you know that March 31st is World Backup Day? The day was created as a public awareness effort to encourage consumers to backup the important digital data in their lives. While it is safe to say that IT people don’t need a holiday to remind them of the critical importance of data backup, that doesn't mean that they are doing everything right. A recent survey from disk imaging solution specialist Macrium Software found that…

David SafaiiMarch 28, 2017

Expert Article

Is your Business Prepared for a Cloud Outage?

Nobody ever expects the unexpected, in life or in business. But just because you don’t expect the unexpected to happen, that does not mean that you shouldn’t prepare for it. When you are talking about data storage, backup, or recovery, preparation is mission critical. (Side note: don’t get me started on the importance of testing your backups for recoverability. That is a topic for another post!) The recent Amazon Web Services (AWS) outage is a…

David SafaiiMarch 6, 2017

Expert Article

It’s All About Workload Agility

At Trilio, we refer to workloads as a set of virtual machines that run application sets. And today more than ever, workload agility is critically important. The legacy approach to workloads is bogged down by inherent challenges. With workloads directly tied to the hardware that they sit on, end-users are impeded from becoming agnostic by logistics alone. Add to that the many hard and soft costs associated with the legacy approach -- things like servers,…

Billy FieldFebruary 21, 2017

Expert Article

What Industry Analysts are Saying about OpenStack

Did you know that "Let's get outta here!" is the most common scripted line in all Hollywood productions? Whether it’s Ariel, Han Solo, or a group of star-studded kids shouting in unison, it was used at least once 84% of the time, from the late 30s to the mid-70s!?!? If you are like me, you enjoy quoting movies, politicians or famous people. It’s not for the lack of originality but perhaps it’s the humor or levity…

David SafaiiJanuary 6, 2016

Expert Article

CIOReview’s 20 Most Promising OpenStack Solutions Providers

CIOReview Magazine recently published a list of 20 Most Promising OpenStack Solution Providers. And yes, Trilio was featured as one of the 20 most promising OpenStack solution providers. It’s clear the industry is on the cusp of widespread adoption of and reliance on OpenStack solutions. As the managing editor, Jeevan George, wrote in his letter from the editor for the issue, “The odds are heavily tilted in favor of OpenStack—deciphering the true merits of its…

David SafaiiDecember 15, 2015

Expert Article

Great Scott…Time Travel For Big Data & OpenStack Made Simple!

Organizational deployments of NoSQL and/or OpenStack have significantly increased over the past year and leveraging these technologies has resulted in realized cost savings and scale! Here are some examples. Forrester: Total Economic Impact™ of OpenStack Ovum: Big Data set to increase 600% by 2019Furthermore, with this momentum, the demand for expanded capabilities, allowing for greater access to information and computing resources, has resulted in numerous homegrown scripts and solutions as an extension to these architectures. Whether…

David SafaiiAugust 21, 2015

Expert Article

Can Your Business Tolerate Data Loss in OpenStack?

Outages will occur, files do get corrupted, and accidental data loss does happen As more and more enterprises are moving OpenStack projects from an evaluation phase into production, organizations are challenged by the risk of data loss, and have not begun their backup & recovery readiness. An ideal cloud application uses ephemeral storage and compute, and creates workloads on-the-fly from persistent (object) store, performing computation and saving the results back to the persistent store. In…

Murali BalchaMay 11, 2015

Expert Article

OpenStack, NoSQL, & the Need for Scale

With the production of global data predicted to be 44 times greater in 2020 than it was in 2009, we all need to plan for growth. According to Gartner, 80% of data in organizations today is unstructured (text, documents, transactions, audio, video, social media, etc.). Unstructured data may be complex, but it also holds unique insights about your organization that relational databases alone cannot produce… And there’s simply more of it every day. Companies large…

David SafaiiFebruary 17, 2015

Expert Article

Big Data & Disaster Recovery: What’s Your Plan B?

We can all agree that big data – or really, just data – are the crown jewels of your organization. But what are you doing to preserve, protect and defend your data? Have you developed a big data disaster recovery plan? Regardless of how you're deploying big data – public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud – you'd be remiss if you have a half-baked disaster recovery (“DR”) strategy. While many public cloud services are cost-effective,…

David SafaiiJanuary 20, 2015

Expert Article

NoSQL Backups: You Can Do Them Better!

I’m going to state the obvious: big data is a complex animal… and it’s getting hairier by the minute. But unfortunately, too many organizations add to that complexity by managing their big data environments with APIs, scripts and duct tape. As NoSQL data stores become a larger component of “big data,” preparing for backup and disaster recovery has never been more important. The common method of managing and executing partial backup and recovery by using…

David SafaiiJanuary 5, 2015

Expert Article

Deduplication in Scale Out File Systems

Data deduplication is a technique that improves storage utilization by identifying unique data and storing only one instance of that data. Any occurrence of the unique data is replaced with a small reference to the correspondingly stored single instance of that data block. Storage-based data deduplication is most effective in applications where many copies of very similar or even identical data are stored on a single system, which is surprisingly a common scenario. Data backups…

Murali BalchaNovember 20, 2014

Expert Article

Do Scale Out Databases Need Backup?

Some of the attendees who stopped by our booth asked us whether their scale out databases needs to be backed up, so I reflected on this conundrum for couple of days. Yes, these databases keep multiple copies of the data so why do they need backup? I know I have a good answer, but how do I answer in the terms that the need for backup will be self-explanatory? Does the built-in replication of these…

Murali BalchaMay 19, 2014

Expert Article

Challenges with Backup and Recovery for Scale-Out Applications

When you think big data you think Hadoop, Cassandra, MongoDB and other scale-out NoSQL databases. All these applications share an important trait; they are scale-out applications. Scale-out applications are built to scale from single node to hundreds of nodes. They dynamically distribute the data between nodes. They also replicate data between nodes for improved read performance and guard against hardware failures. So the prevailing thought is that these applications do not require backups as the…

Murali BalchaMay 8, 2014