Cisco Continuous Data Protection for Files

White Paper
Cisco Continuous Data Protection for Files
Back Up Your Most Valuable Data: Current Work Files
For most knowledge workers today, the eight-hour workday is a thing of the past. Clicking away at laptops and desktops, these individuals work at home, in the office, and on the road--at all hours of the day and night. According to some industry experts, the work they generate makes up 60 to 70 percent of all corporate data. And it's all increasingly vulnerable to data loss and corruption.
It's no surprise, then, that the protection of laptop and desktop data has become a top priority in many businesses--especially law firms, medical practices, and consulting firms, where lost data can significantly affect productivity, customer satisfaction, and, ultimately, revenue. Losing key business information not only hampers productivity but also creates application outages, project delays, and diverted resources. Re-creating lost data can consume large amounts of time, and depending on the source, some data may not be recoverable at all. Any incident that causes a loss of important business information will likely result in lost opportunities and increased costs.
What's more, it's no longer enough to back up this data periodically. The most valuable files are usually the ones that users have worked on most recently. Companies backing up data only once every 24 hours risk losing eight or more hours of their employees' most recent--and therefore most valuable--output. Instead, businesses need a continuous, real-time backup and recovery solution that enables users to roll back to various points in time.
Most analysts, including Enterprise Strategy Group, agree that performing only a periodic backup leaves data at risk, and they find that this is a major concern among the IT professionals they survey.
Once critical laptop and desktop data is captured, companies need an efficient and cost-effective way to manage it. They need to determine its value to the company and apply appropriate corporate policies for retention and storage. Doing so helps a business prepare itself for any data protection and retention scrutiny it may face from auditors and/or regulators.
Get a Simple, Powerful Backup and Recovery Solution ®The answer to these very real concerns is a simple yet powerful solution: Cisco Small Business Network Storage Systems (NSS) and Cisco Continuous Data Protection (CDP) for Files software. ? The Cisco Small Business NSS storage solutions, such as the new Cisco Small Business NSS2000 Series desktop storage device, provide easy-to-install, centralized backup and storage for up to 75 employees, with up to 4 TB of data. Because the storage is networked, employees can easily share files and locate backed-up files from any device. Additionally, the NSS allows for drive "mirroring" and encrypted data storage, for superior data protection. ? Cisco Continuous Data Protection for Files provides real-time, continuous data protection designed specifically for laptops and desktops. Instead of waiting for a scheduled interval--typically 24 hours--it backs up users' most important files the moment they are saved, in real time.
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Take Advantage of This Major Breakthrough in Data Protection Until now, the relatively few companies that systematically backed up their laptop and desktop data could do so only on a periodic basis, usually every 24 hours. This method did more than leave end users' more recent and valuable work unprotected. It also created complex issues, such as the need to manage backup windows, protect open files and databases, and handle the heavy impact backup operations have on production systems.
In contrast, Cisco Continuous Data Protection for Files continuously and automatically safeguards all changes to important data--with no involvement from IT administrators. Furthermore, it does so effortlessly and transparently--even, in some cases, eliminating the backup window. See how Cisco CDP for Files backs up data in the diagram below:
Figure 1. Overview of Cisco Continuous Data Protection for Files
Cisco Continuous Data Protection for Files: ? Backs up your most important files the moment they are saved ? Provides a real-time, continuous data protection solution for file servers and user ... [download for more]