Start protecting critical assets in your database today.

OTAVA® Data Protection as a Service (DPaaS), powered by Actifio, is a robust backup and disaster recovery offering that enables powerful data protection for databases and hybrid workloads. Simplify business continuity solutions into one centralized, cloud-agnostic platform with near instant RTO’s and flexible data retention policies to exceed compliance requirements. OTAVA® DPaaS executes the recovery of databases and VM’s in a matter of minutes to minimize potential down-time in the event of a disaster.

Talk to an expert

Get the most out of Data Protection as a Service:

Minimize Down-Time

Recover and restore workloads in minutes to quickly resume normal operations, reducing potential loss-of-revenue.

Increase Business Resilience

Improve your ability to recover quicker from a disaster or cybercrime, and strengthen your business continuity posture.

Save Money

Leverage custom retention policies for each unique set of data to fit specific RTO and RPO objectives and improve IT spend.

Compliance

Cloud compliance and security practices are ingrained in everything we do. We are certified in HIPAA, HITECH, HITRUST, SSAE18, SOC 1, 2, 3, PCI-DSS, and ISO 27001, placing OTAVA in an elite group of organizations worldwide.

Protect Brand Confidence

Take measures to protect company data, and recover quickly to preserve customer and employee trust in the event of a disaster or outage.

Peace of Mind

Rest easy knowing your mission critical databases are protected and available in the event of a catastrophe.

Features and Benefits include:

Recover VM’s and Databases in Minutes

Reduce downtime and all of the consequences that come with it with instant recovery of VM’s and databases, regardless of size, on-premises or in the cloud.

Flexible Retention Policies and Long-Term Archive Storage

Choose custom retention rules for each set of unique data for availability and cost optimization. Keep old data and workloads available, accessible, and protected in the cloud with a cost-effective long-term archive storage system.

Custom, Templated Workflows

Automatically refresh data in development and test environments with templated, custom workflows that can run on a scheduled or on-demand basis to drastically save time and resources.

Incremental Application Captures of Changes

Deliver small and efficient backup windows while ensuring database recoverability, and capturing database and VM changes. Enjoy a convenient centralized SaaS platform to deliver backup and recovery of VMs, SQL Server and SAP HANA databases.

Data Encryption and Secure Data Access

Data encryption in-transit and at rest ensures that data is safely secured in block and object storage to meet business and regulatory requirements. Secure data access regulates employee access to company data to ensure protection and security of sensitive or critical data.

Managed and Self-Managed Options

Leave it to our cloud experts to manage and protect your data or choose to take these duties on yourself.

Learn more

Client Testimonials

“We were very adamant that whatever vendor we brought in needed to take security and protection very seriously. OTAVA overdoes it in credentials, and they overdo it with maintaining best-in-class secure and stable environments.”

– Andrew Madonna, Vice President, AccumTech

“Hosting our service with OTAVA’s private cloud has given us the ability to scale up as needed. We can now meet any transaction volume requirement to satisfy any amount of new clients and partners, which gives us and our customers peace of mind.”

– Chas Patterson, CIO, Form I-9 Compliance

“We need our IT provider to be rock solid for us because these are large, global companies that trust their mission-critical systems to us. That’s where the relationship with OTAVA has really shone. They’ve been extremely reliable, and the team will do whatever it takes to help us get online as quickly as possible.”

– Jeff Walter, CEO, Latitude Consulting Group

“We went with OTAVA because we’re a very data-driven company, and we have a need for security and HIPAA compliance — that was a big thing for us. We chose them because of the efficiency of their solutions, fully redundant data center, cost, and most importantly, their focus on compliance.”

– John Goerges, Director of IT, MDWise

Read case study

“The level of service across the board from OTAVA has been nothing short of exceptional. It’s only getting better and better as the years go along.”

– Brian Allen, CEO, Progressive Data Services

Read case study

The post OTAVA® DPaaS, Powered by Actifio appeared first on OTAVA®.

Managed Public Cloud

Move your workloads to a cloud that’s as unique as your business with a top cloud managed service provider.

Home > You searched for hybrid cloud

All of the benefits. None of the worries.

OTAVA® Managed Azure is your gateway to all of the possibilities cloud technology has to offer. Our services enable you to build, deploy, and manage applications – in the cloud, on-premise, and at the edge – using the tools and frameworks of your choice. 

You have better things to do than worry about your cloud environment. That’s where we come in. Our experts move your workloads to a purpose-built cloud that works best for your business – public, private, or hybrid – and manages your entire infrastructure, saving you time, money, and resources.

Get Ease of Mind with a Top Cloud Managed Service Provider

With OTAVA Managed Azure, you can enjoy all of the benefits of a hyperscaler while leveraging the advice, insights, and 24/7 support from a team of world-class experts.

Talk to an expert

Features & Benefits of Managed Public Cloud include:

Monitoring and Maintenance

OTAVA monitors the performance, service availability, auditing of activity levels, and the overall health of your environment. Complete maintenance of your Azure infrastructure includes security patching, Azure Data Protection agent services, firewall provisioning with custom rules, and resource moves, adds, changes, or deletes to ensure your environment is best serving the needs of your business.

Cost Management

Predictive costs and valuable insights for cost management provide visibility to current spend, and forecasting capabilities help power strategic decisions. Also included are customizable budget alerts, a comprehensive resource breakdown, and simplified invoices, so you know exactly where your cloud spend is going.

Support

OTAVA provides instructions for how to access and view cloud metrics, along with monthly optimization checks and architecture designs to increase visibility into your infrastructure. Real, human support from OTAVA’s world-class experts is available anytime you need it, with executive-level escalation paths and MS Premier Support.

Scalability

Easily and cost-effectively scale up and down to respond to the fluctuations of market demand. Grow your cloud environment as your business grows.

Agile App Delivery

Quickly develop, deploy, and manage your enterprise, mobile, web, and IoT apps anywhere with your choice of tools, language, or framework. With more than 100 end-to-end services, you can deliver apps and services faster and reduce your time to market.

Availability

You’ll have increased security and privacy with data protection through Azure Backup and Disaster Recovery, as well as access to more comprehensive compliance coverage, ensuring the safety and privacy of your apps and data.

How we do the cloud.

We’re with you every step of the way, from build to launch and beyond.

Configuration

Foundational build, ongoing workload maintenance and optimization.

Migration

Workload assessment, architecture, design, and simplification of workloads.

Governance

Mechanisms to maintain control and compliance over your workloads.

Security

Threat analysis and security monitoring to ensure security of resources and data.

Protection

Data protection with Backup and Site Recovery to achieve recovery objectives.

Monitoring

Analysis to audit performance and availability to improve uptime.

Compliance comes standard.

Cloud compliance and security practices are ingrained in everything we do. We are certified in HIPAA; HITECH; HITRUST; SSAE18; SOC 1, 2, 3; PCI-DSS; and ISO 27001, placing OTAVA in an elite group of organizations worldwide.

Learn more

Client Testimonials

“The fact that OTAVA is a one-stop shop for all of TCT’s hosting needs is an enormous benefit. In the security and compliance consulting side of the business, we appreciate the value of being able to get all your needs reliably handled by one trusted vendor, rather than a multitude of providers that must be managed individually.”

– Adam Goslin, CEO, TCT

“Our new customer hosts so many visitors across its locations that their technology needs are remarkably similar to those of a major city…By partnering with OTAVA over an extensive business development timeframe, we were able to earn their confidence and their business.”

– John Locascio, Director of IT Implementation, Clever Devices

“OTAVA understands the MSP business model, and their support has been second to none. They have been a great partner, acting as an extension of our team. It is clear that they are invested in our ongoing success.”

– Whit Ehrich, CEO, Hill Country Tech Guys

“Before this migration, we had business opportunities that we had to turn away because we didn’t have all the necessary underlying hosting certifications. This solution has opened up our capability to interact with almost any client.”

– Adam Goslin, CEO, TCT

“OTAVA presented a great way to lower costs by providing us the opportunity to virtualize the server environment. Their expertise and private cloud were integral to the project’s success…We have trusted OTAVA with the heartbeat of our business.”

– Dean Scaros, President and Founder, Pay-Ease

The post Managed Public Cloud appeared first on OTAVA®.

Meet our partners.

We are dedicated to providing people-centered services that solve your unique business challenges and are proud of the partnerships we’ve built. Get to know the companies we work with!

Bringing together experienced Cloud IT Specialists and Master Agent Networks, AppSmart is the first-of-its-kind, channel-led, one-stop-shop for B2B technology services. AppSmart offers the digital transformation expertise of top channel leaders, best-in-class technology that’s purpose-built for agents, and the most diverse catalog of solutions, giving customers one touchpoint for every business technology need, including cloud, voice, connectivity, IoT (mobility/energy), services and support.

Learn more

CompuNet, Inc. is an engineering-led national information technology (IT) solution provider that offers consulting, design, and implementation services built on-premise or in the cloud. Our engineering-led approach is to understand our clients’ business needs and engineer IT solutions that solve those needs while deploying those solutions on time and on budget.

Learn more

Telarus is the #1 global technology solutions brokerage with a singular focus on accelerating partner success. For 20 years, Telarus has provided comprehensive services, solutions, and tools to support our partner community as they pursue their business objectives. To learn more or become a partner, go to https://www.telarus.com/become-a-partner/.

Learn more

ConnectOn is not your standard IT service provider. Our company is dedicated to small and mid-sized Tampa businesses that seek high-quality support for managing their IT infrastructure. We deliver customized IT, cloud, security, and consulting services to ensure business continuity. Our goal is to build a long-lasting partnership with our customers.

Learn more

ePS is a software solution provider specifically for small businesses. For almost twenty years, our One-to-Many approach has allowed small business suppliers to meet any buyer’s purchasing and financial requirements. Partnering with national organizations, we bring unprecedented business growth opportunities to small businesses in the B2B and B2G space.

Learn more

Hill Country Tech Guys provides complete technology services to many different industries, specializing in the needs of the financial and medical industries. Since 2006, our goal has always been to deliver relationship-based technology services that exceed expectations, promote security, and ignite growth for your company.

Learn more

iCoreConnect is a market-leading cloud-based software and technology company focused on increasing workflow productivity and customer profitability through its enterprise & healthcare workflow platform of applications and services.

Learn more

JENLOR is a service company first and a tech company second. JENLOR has a strong company culture and employee retention, which fosters long-term client relationships. We empower our clients to realize their vision for the future by untangling their complex IT challenges.

Learn more

Total is a full-service IT Support & Managed IT Services provider distinguished by broad expertise and a singular focus on the needs of our clients. Our mission is to secure and support IT infrastructure with reliable solutions and exceptional service so that Total clients can focus on their core businesses.

Learn more

At Adapture, our mission is simple: Improve IT performance and mitigate risk. Adapture clients range from start-ups to the world’s largest and most admired companies. It takes a forward-thinking approach to develop and maintain adaptable, future-ready technology solutions for your business. When you need an IT partner who can Think Forward, Think Adapture.

Learn more

Since 1986, we have helped our customers succeed through one simple strategy — we put our customers first. From hardware and software to data growth, security, and cloud — we engage the biggest technology challenges and deliver results. Let’s build a better outcome together.

Learn more

Client Testimonials

“Knowing that we take an important approach to security and that our partner, OTAVA, takes an important approach to security, that’s a big selling point for our clients.”

– Gavin Murphy, CEO, Annkissam

“Finding OTAVA saved us quite a bit of time and was the right thing to do…We knew we wanted to get out of the hardware business and back to the business we’re good at.”

– Andrew Madonna, Vice President, AccumTech

Read case study

“OTAVA understands the MSP business model, and their support has been second to none. They have been a great partner, acting as an extension of our team. It is clear that they are invested in our ongoing success.”

– Whit Ehrich, CEO, Hill Country Tech Guys

“Our new customer hosts so many visitors across its locations that their technology needs are remarkably similar to those of a major city…By partnering with OTAVA over an extensive business development timeframe, we were able to earn their confidence and their business.”

– John Locascio, Director of IT Implementation, Clever Devices

“OTAVA is a true partner. As our needs have changed, OTAVA has always been there and consistently shown us that they are looking out for our best interests. Our needs have constantly changed, and OTAVA has been flexible and looking out for us. They strive to recommend proactive solutions even before we are aware of the need for change.”

– Valerie Wyson, IT Service Manager, KellyConnect

How can we help?

First Name*(Required)

Last Name*(Required)

Email Address*(Required)

Phone Number*(Required)

Message*(Required)

Untitled

I’d like to receive a call

I’m interested in a demo

I’d like to be sent information regarding pricing

The post Current Partners appeared first on OTAVA®.

Partner With Us

If you want to deliver the industry’s most secure, compliant, hybrid cloud solutions, you’re in the right place.

Join our partner network

It’s all about you.

As an OTAVA partner, you have our full support, expertise, and passionate service on your side. Every aspect of our channel program is built for your success.

• Zero-conflict channel promise – we don’t compete with our partners. Period. We promise to protect and champion your client relationships.
• Partner-centric products – our portfolio is specifically built for the service provider community, giving you more control and visibility across platforms.
• Sales and marketing support – we’ll help you get whatever you need to reach your goals – joint sales calls, sales training, marketing support, and more.
• Profitable platforms – increase revenues and business overnight with a profitable cloud practice powered by OTAVA.

Our partner program

You’re in good company.

Take a look at just a few of our current partners with whom we collaborate and innovate to deliver results.

View current partners

How can we help?

First Name*(Required)

Last Name*(Required)

Email Address*(Required)

Phone Number*(Required)

Message*(Required)

Untitled

I’d like to receive a call

I’m interested in a demo

I’d like to be sent information regarding pricing

The post Partner With Us appeared first on OTAVA®.

Multi-Cloud Infrastructure Management

Purpose-built solutions designed to empower and accelerate your business.

The cloud just got personal.

At OTAVA®, our hybrid cloud infrastructure and secure multi-cloud environments are as unique as your business. No matter how lofty your goals or ambitions are, our dedicated sales, solutions, and operations teams will collaborate with you from planning to deployment and beyond.

• People-orchestrated solutions purpose-built to meet your needs, budgets, and expected outcomes.
  
• Strategies that help you understand and support a custom cloud blend of single and multi-tenant, and colocation.
• Services and architecture that increase security, speed, and scalability, while reducing your software stack and required equipment.
  

What our clients are saying:

We are dedicated to providing people-centered services that solve your unique business challenges. Don’t just take our word for it.

Client testimonials

“Before this migration, we had business opportunities that we had to turn away because we didn’t have all the necessary underlying hosting certifications. This solution has opened up our capability to interact with almost any client.”

— Adam Goslin, CEO, TCT

“OTAVA is an expert in this area with a great track record. Implementation was smooth and took less than two weeks. We look forward to the ongoing benefits of these new, secure virtual cloud environments while we maintain our focus on our core business function, which is serving our members.”

— Steve Pon, Project Manager, HQI

“OTAVA’s hybrid cloud solutions are fully managed by their team of experts, which gives us the confidence that we will avoid any potential costly disruption to our business and frees us up to focus on delivering excellent service to our customers.”

— Michael Franklin, Ph.D., Director of IT, Evans Distribution Systems

“OTAVA is a true partner. As our needs have changed, OTAVA has always been there and consistently shown us that they are looking out for our best interests. Our needs have constantly changed, and OTAVA has been flexible and looking out for us. They strive to recommend proactive solutions even before we are aware of the need for change.”

— Valerie Wyson, IT Service Manager, KellyConnect

Compliance comes standard.

Cloud compliance and security practices are ingrained in everything we do. We are certified in HIPAA; HITECH; HITRUST; SSAE18; SOC 1, 2, 3; PCI-DSS; and ISO 27001, placing OTAVA in an elite group of organizations worldwide.

Learn more

The post Multi-Cloud Infrastructure appeared first on OTAVA®.

We do the cloud so you can do you.

At OTAVA®, we bring people and technology together to deliver tailored cloud solutions. Our experts simplify the complex to help you achieve your goals.

Why OTAVA?

Multi-Cloud Infrastucture

Business Resilency

Intelligence & Insight

You’ve got the drive. We clear the path.

With OTAVA on your side, you don’t have to be a cloud expert. We’ve got you covered, offering solutions and services that are fine-tuned to your ambitions and engineered to succeed.

• Solutions and strategies purpose-built to meet your needs and budgets
• Security and compliance strong enough for the most regulated industries
• Sophisticated data resilience and protection powered by leading technologies
• Consultative and managed services to help you stay ahead of critical issues

Everything we do is backed by a human approach that prioritizes relationships, collaboration, and best-in-class service — giving you the freedom and support to reach your full potential.

Learn More

The cloud just got personal.

At OTAVA®, our hybrid cloud networks and multi-cloud environments are as unique as your business. No matter how lofty your goals or ambitions, our dedicated sales and operations teams will collaborate with you from planning to deployment and beyond.

• Solutions tailored to meet your needs, budgets, and expected outcomes.
• Solutions tailored to meet your needs, budgets, and expected outcomes.
• Services and architecture that increase speed, agility, and scalability while reducing your software stack and required equipment.

Visit Store

Automation only takes you so far.

We don’t believe in “one-size-fits-all” cloud solutions set on autopilot. That’s why we offer a customized, human approach to technology so your business can thrive in the cloud.

People-Centered

Human relationships and expertise are at the core of everything we do. Technology and people together.

About Otava

Purpose-Built

We design cloud solutions that simplify the complex and are tailored to meet your individual business goals.

Find out more

Protection-Minded

Security is on your mind — ours too. We give you peace of mind in compliance, continuity, recovery, and data safety.

Our compliance

Potential Focused

We exist to help you reach your business potential and are dedicated to growth that meets your needs.

Learn More

Industries we elevate.

We work with organizations of all sizes across a wide variety of industries, having developed deep knowledge and intelligence on the unique challenges each sector must face.

Financial Services

Staying ahead of data breaches and compliance regulations.

Learn More

Healthcare

Staying ahead of data breaches and compliance regulations.

Learn More

Saas

Staying ahead of data breaches and compliance regulations.

Learn More

Manufacturing

Staying ahead of data breaches and compliance regulations.

Learn More

Insurance

Staying ahead of data breaches and compliance regulations.

Learn More

Transportation

Staying ahead of data breaches and compliance regulations.

Learn More

Learn More

Powerful solutions that take your business further.

From cloud strategy to data recovery, we offer a broad range of services to help drive your ambitions and overcome every regulatory and security challenge.

Multi-Cloud Infrastructure

Explore all

Business Resiliency

Explore all

Intelligence & Insight

Explore all

Our success is your success.

At OTAVA®, “good enough” is never good enough. It’s that philosophy that has earned us a Net Promoter score of 90 and higher, along with countless accolades year after year. Not just for our technology and solutions but our people too.

See what we’ve won

CRN®, a brand of The Channel Company, named OTAVA to its 2021 Managed Service Provider (MSP) 500 list in the Elite 150 category. The list recognizes the leading solution providers that have demonstrated innovative and forward-thinking approaches to managed services. This marks OTAVA’s sixth appearance on CRN’s MSP 500.

Learn more

CIO Bulletin is a leadership platform serving as a central resource for information on Business & Information Technology (IT) leaders and their entrepreneurial ventures. It included OTAVA in its special issue: 30 Most Influential Companies of the Year 2020.

Learn more

OTAVA has been distinguished as one of Metro Detroit’s Best and Brightest Companies to Work For, winning in 2019, 2020, 2021 and 2022. A program of MichBusiness, The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For celebrates those companies that are making better business, creating richer lives and building a stronger community as a whole.

Learn more

For the third year in a row, OTAVA has been named to the prestigious MSP 501 list by Channel Futures. Applicants are ranked on a unique methodology that weights revenue figures according to long-term health and viability, commitment to recurring revenue, and operational efficiency.

Learn more

OTAVA CEO Brad Cheedle has been recognized as one of the 10 Best Inspiring CEOs of 2020 by Industry Era magazine. The issue honors business leaders from around the US who have proven themselves as exceptional leaders in their field and an inspiration to others.

Learn more

People above all else.

We exist to help you solve mission-critical business challenges through compliant, secure, and intelligent multi-cloud solutions. All backed by a people-centered approach that prioritizes relationships, collaboration, and proactive, best-in-class service.

Customer Stories

“The level of service across the board from OTAVA has been nothing short of exceptional. It’s only getting better and better as the years go along.”

– Brian Allen, CEO, Progressive Data Services

Read case study

“I feel that the [migration] went very well, fast and efficient…couldn’t have asked for more! I want to pass along a BIG thanks to everyone involved, couldn’t have made it happen without their assistance! Thanks again!”

– Steve Werner, Director of Technology, Milhaus

“OTAVA presented a great way to lower costs by providing us the opportunity to virtualize the server environment. Their expertise and private cloud were integral to the project’s success…We have trusted OTAVA with the heartbeat of our business.”

– Dean Scaros, President and Founder, Pay-Ease

What our clients are saying:

With OTAVA on your side, you don’t have to be a cloud expert. We’ve got you covered, offering solutions and services that are fine-tuned to your ambitions and engineered to succeed.

Read customer stories

“The level of service across the board from OTAVA has been nothing short of exceptional. It’s only getting better and better as the years go along.”

— Brian Allen, CEO, Progressive Data Services

“Hosting our service with OTAVA’s private cloud has given us the ability to scale up as needed. We can now meet any transaction volume requirement to satisfy any amount of new clients and partners, which gives us and our customers peace of mind.”

— Chas Patterson, CIO, Form I-9 Compliance

“OTAVA presented a great way to lower costs by providing us the opportunity to virtualize the server environment. Their expertise and private cloud were integral to the project’s success…We have trusted OTAVA with the heartbeat of our business.”

— Dean Scaros, President and Founder, Pay-Ease

How can we help?

First Name*(Required)

Last Name*(Required)

Email Address*(Required)

Phone Number*(Required)

Message*(Required)

Untitled

I’d like to receive a call

I’m interested in a demo

I’d like to be sent information regarding pricing

Partners or Client Module

Everything we do is backed by a human approach that prioritizes relationships, collaboration, and best-in-class service — giving you the freedom and support to reach your full potential.

Meet some of the faces that inspire us and empower our clients every day.

Austin Cook

Vice President of Finance and Controller

Meet Austin Cook

Austin Cook

Vice President of Finance and Controller

Austin is OTAVA’s VP of Finance and Controller, responsible for the company’s financial reporting, annual budget, and strategic financial planning process. He is an experienced finance leader that brings more than a decade of experience with technology, cloud, and software organizations to this critical role. He is passionate about helping the company grow and achieve its mission of making cloud easy through the strategic financial planning process, including M&A analysis and support and process/team development. His previous experience includes Controller at ForeSee, where he oversaw all aspects accounting and finance. He has also held other accounting roles and was an adjunct professor at Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Austin is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified Management Associate (CMA). He holds a B.B.A. in Accounting from Concordia University and an MBA in Accounting from Liberty University. Austin is a husband and father of two and enjoys basketball and golf.

Meet

TJ Houske

Chief Executive Officer

Meet TJ Houske

TJ Houske

Chief Executive Officer

TJ is a coach and professional mentor who loves entrepreneurship almost as much as he loves technology. For over 20 years he’s held senior and executive leadership roles in engineering, architecture, and strategic business development. He’s been an IT executive, consultant, entrepreneur, and the head of one of the industry’s most dedicated technology operations teams.

A visionary with a down-to-earth approach, TJ is on a mission to make service providers, enterprises, and public sector organizations successful in cloud.

A grateful husband and “girl-dad”, TJ’s personal goal is to make a positive difference every day – both at work and in his personal life. When he’s not in the office or on the playground, this John C. Maxwell certified educator is helping others achieve their goals through his coaching, mentoring, and speaking engagements. TJ holds a bachelor’s degree in organizational studies and business from Arizona State University and is currently completing an MBA with emphasis in Marketing & Strategic Leadership as well as a Master of Finance from the University of Cincinnati.

Jason Keller

Director of Product Innovation

Meet Jason Keller

Jason Keller

Director of Product Innovation

Jason brings 14 years of experience in IT to OTAVA, and he has worn many different hats throughout his extensive career in tech. Beginning as an overnight help-desk admin, he quickly progressed as an industry expert to other roles including cloud migrations, alpha/beta testing, and development. He knows every nook and cranny of the cloud industry and is equipped to tackle any unique challenge that is thrown at him.  

 

Now serving OTAVA as Director of Product Innovation, Jason’s current role has him focused on product roadmaps, go-to-market strategies, and of course, innovation. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to every discussion, and is a driving force behind OTAVA’s cutting-edge solutions. 

 

When Jason isn’t working magic behind a keyboard, you can find him outdoors. A passionate hiker and camper, he doesn’t miss a chance to spend time in the mountains with his dogs Suki and Paisley. As with everything he does, Jason approaches his outdoor adventures with a determined ferocity – he even summited a 14,000-foot peak in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, an impressive feat!  

The post Default appeared first on OTAVA®.

Are you a part of the “folded arms gang”? A club of IT professionals that just doesn’t see the value of cloud computing and speaks directly to traditional IT practices. If so, your concerns probably relate back to the security and longevity traditional IT services. But, as you know, the IT industry is always changing and the cloud is the update that you are missing out on. The cloud is continually proving its value to change-resistant IT professionals and busting misconceptions left and right.

One of these misconceptions happens to be that the cloud does not offer the same security and privacy that on-premise solutions do. Here are 10 reasons why this is a misconception:

1. More Expertise Means Less Error

Small companies that use cloud storage benefit from the expertise of the cloud provider. Many small businesses do not actually have an IT professional on staff and rely on the experience of the owner or an administrative assistant. In most cases, these people do not have the in-depth knowledge of cyber security. Also, those who work for small businesses know that you don’t just wear one hat. That means time must be budgeted well, but in many cases, cyber-security is left on the back-burner- an afterthought. In some cases, too, time may be spent on cyber security that would be better spent on core business operations.

2. Access to Infrastructure

The lack of physical access to servers in the cloud can help protect your data from burglars and disgruntled employees who might otherwise cause problems. Additionally, data in the cloud creates geographic and physical redundancy, assuring that one disaster can’t wipe out your cloud and on-premise data all at once.

On-premise, server rooms may only be protected by a locked door. Cloud data centers have security precautions smaller companies simply cannot afford, such as guards and surveillance cameras, with the cost shared between everyone using the servers. Properly-designed cloud services will also keep access to data controlled, and third parties may not even know the exact geographical location of your data.

3. Frequent security audits.

It is also hard for small businesses to afford proper security audits, but cloud providers do these once a year. Again the cost is split between those using the service, bringing it within the range of even micro businesses. Some businesses may never do audits and others may only be able to afford them every five years. Cloud providers also do penetration/vulnerability testing, which can also be prohibitive for smaller companies.

4. Hardware and Software Stay Up to Date

Keeping up with updates can be hard, and smaller businesses may also have older equipment that cannot be fully updated and which they cannot afford to replace. Cloud providers update their software regularly. Larger companies may also end up with different machines running different versions, which can cause security gaps.

5. Designed with Security in Mind

Generally, on-site systems are designed with the assumption that the primary protection for your data will be a firewall. This means that if somebody gets inside your firewall, they often have free reign to access systems and data. Cloud systems, because they are intended to be accessed remotely, have multiple layers of security.

6. Redundancy.

By nature, a cloud-based system stores all data in multiple places. At least three copies is standard. This means that your data is protected from corruption as well as hardware failure.

7. Compliance

Cloud companies follow specific regulations to gain compliance with many industry requirements, meaning if they want to keep a compliance, then they must adhere to the rules set by them. It is in the best interest of the provider to keep these compliances, as they are selling points for security. If they break regulation, they lose their compliance, and risk losing their current customers or any prospective customers that were reliant on them.

What does this mean for you? These compliances give you added peace of mind, and the best part is that you don’t have to pay anything extra for them!

Example of compliances would include HIPPA, PCI and SOC compliance.

8. Reliability

Security is just one piece of the cloud pie, and reliability is another. When selecting a cloud service provider, it is important to make sure they are reliable and have employed redundant solutions to ensure high availability. If your provider’s main system goes down, it should have the following safety nets in place: automatic failover, servers, backup storage, security systems, and some sort of redundancy of power (i.e a generator). These safety nets increase SLA percentages, which lower the chances of the cloud provider, and ultimately you, experiencing downtime. For this reason, service providers are fighting to add an extra 9 to the end of their SLA percent (99.99999%), just to stay competitive.

If you didn’t catch that, it means cloud service providers are so reliable that they experience downtime less than .001% of the time. Less downtime means more time you can sell to your customers!

9. Ability to Test Your Disaster Recovery Plan

As mentioned above, one of the most important things for any business is to ensure the continuity of operations in the event of a disaster. As more companies are investing in disaster recovery techniques, they are becoming overly complacent without implementing a proper test. Not testing your disaster recovery solution can severely hinder your security efforts in the event of a disaster. Without the cloud, testing a DR plan can be timely and cost-prohibitive. With the cloud, your plan can be tested with ease, for an affordable cost.

10. Privacy

Another concern preventing many companies from shifting to the cloud is the amount of privacy that the cloud offers. The belief that cloud cannot be private can also be easily debunked. Regardless of your company’s chosen cloud strategy (Public, Private or Hybrid), your business’s data can only be accessed by YOU. Even in the public cloud data is housed under lock and (encryption) key. If privacy is still a huge concern for your business, your company can invest in a private cloud solution, where your data is housed on it’s own network.

Bottom Line

The cloud protects you in many ways, from compliance, to the way you keep your systems online. To be quite frank, without the cloud you are less secure than you are with it. Now-a-days to be part of the “folded arms gang” you have to neglect the widely accepted facts about the cloud. Yes, it can be scary to change a piece of your business that is so vital to its continuity, but the cloud has already proven its ability to adapt. No longer is the cloud in the first adopters stage, and many companies are reaping the benefits that the cloud has to offer.  Shifting to the cloud is simple, and cost-effective, and you can do it today!

The post 10 Reasons Why the Cloud is Secure appeared first on OTAVA®.

With the importance of disaster recovery solutions to the continuity of your business, it goes without saying that decisions regarding this area of your IT environment should not be made without thought.  After all, your backup and disaster recovery system is your saving grace in the instance of a disaster. Remember,  you aren’t just picking any backup and DR solution, make sure to choose the platform that is most appropriate for your business needs. This also means that, if you are going the cloud route, you need to choose a service provider that aligns well with your company’s goals and initiatives. But how do you pick the best DR solution and service provider combination for your business? Here are 3 considerations your company should keep in mind when choosing a DR solution and service provider.

1. Identify the Right Solution

When selecting a DR solution, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the numerous options and the latest technology on the market. When this happens, it’s best to take a step back and identify which DR solution fits your specific business needs. Is the majority of your data mission-critical? Do you have plans to grow the amount of data you backup? What are your RTOs and RPOs?

More and more frequently, companies have been turning to cloud-based solutions for their ease of deployment, scalability, and cost-effectiveness. The right cloud solution for you will depend on your existing IT infrastructure, pricing model and more. To help you understand which solution is a good fit, check out this quick breakdown of cloud solutions:

Need more information? Check out our blog on Public Vs Private Vs Hybrid cloud.

2. Select a Service Provider that Understands Your Goals

The right solution for your business would not be complete without choosing the right service provider to host your solution.  Whatever DR solution you choose, it is important to make sure that you have done your due diligence to select a service provider that aligns with your goals. But first, make sure you understand what those goals are. How often will you be backing up? Are there any restrictions on where and how your data can be hosted?

Outlining your backup and disaster recovery goals helps both parties to: 1. select the right solution and 2. remain accountable. These goals can be identified as part of a larger disaster recovery plan.

{{cta(‘404e2195-b9e0-4f29-82b8-43dd786136be’,’justifycenter’)}}

3. Don’t be Afraid to Ask Questions

Make the process of selecting a service provider easier on yourself by asking the right questions. Too often companies become dissatisfied with their service providers because they did not ask the tough questions during the decision process. Ultimately, you want to find a service provider that offers solutions with:

• Geographic Redundancy
• Ultra-Low Latency and High Availability
• Flexible Pricing Model
• Compatibility with your Existing Hardware

To understand if your service provider meets the above criteria, you have to ask! Make sure to ask:

• What IT assets a given DRaaS offering can protect?
• How these assets are made available for recovery?
• How can the offering integrate with existing backup solutions?
• And many more!

{{cta(’79f89cba-0cb0-4149-9ec2-83f597039e5d’)}}

The Bottom Line

Here at Otava we have worked with mid-enterprise CIOs for more than 30 years. Throughout this time we have installed, maintained and upgraded all varieties of backup and disaster recovery systems, while watching things like cloud computing and virtual environments become mainstream. Our tech providers understand the true value of the options available to you, and are ready to help you find the BDR that is most suited for your needs and expectations. Check out our video case studies!

{{cta(‘1babd9de-c2cb-43fb-8664-748ff4949ea6′,’justifycenter’)}}

The post DR for Your Business Needs: What You Need to Know appeared first on OTAVA®.