Data protection and disaster recovery vendor Axcient has just introduced the ability for SMBs to launch a virtual version of their server and storage infrastructure in a remote location or in the cloud in the event of a disaster.
Axcient's new Axcient Cloud Continuity solution helps SMBs who experience a disaster to get back in operation in as little as five minutes after only a few mouse clicks, said Justin Moore, CEO of the Mountain View, Calif.-based storage vendor.
"This is a total game changer for the SMB market," Moore said.
Axcient provides an appliance solution providers can install at customers' sites which provide on-premises and cloud-based data protection.
That appliance, based on an HP ProLiant server, allows a company's operating systems, applications, and data to be backed up to both the onsite appliance for quick restores of the data and to Axcient's SmartCloudDR storage cloud for disaster recovery. Axcient does not sell the appliance, but instead includes it as part of the monthly service fees.
With Axcient Cloud Continuity, SMB customers can now launch a virtual office that is an exact copy of their infrastructure, including a replication of all physical and virtual servers including those set up with VMware, Microsoft Hyper-V, and Citrix XenServer, in a couple of minutes, Moore said.
"If you run our Axcient platform, we replicate all your servers," he said. "We understand all the networking connections. So if there's a fire, flood, or employee theft -- the things SMBs fear -- we mitigate the problems. If the company has an issue, the administrator can log in, click, and launch the virtual office with the look and feel of the company's infrastructure."
The result, Moore said, is a full replacement of the company's IT infrastructure that emulates the original so that when employees log on, they don't realize their servers are somewhere unexpected, Moore said.
The Axcient Cloud Continuity is currently available. It is priced as low as $24 per month per physical or virtual server above the charges for the base Axcient cloud storage service. It is available only through indirect channel partners.
