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November 2006, Volume 9/ Number 11
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November 7, 2006

Continuity Planning 101

The Interop Factor

By Rich Tehrani & Max Schroeder

 


In his book Disaster Survival Guide for Business Communications Networks, Richard �Zippy� Grigonis, the Executive Editor of TMC�s IP Communications Group, devoted an entire chapter to data management and storage technology. The chapter opens with, �The quandary of Data Management is that business (or just about any organization for that matter) needs instant and constant access to data. . . .� Based on Zippy�s admonition, we decided to allocate some time to data access, security and backup techniques in this month�s column and visited Interop New York 2006 to see what�s new in the data world.

Interop began back in the 1980s with a technical lab format to allow engineers to test and perfect their data WAN solutions. Novell (News - Alert) became the dominant LAN player by the early 1990s and had its own event, Networld, which was more products-focused. The two shows combined in the early 1990s. A number of years have passed, but the event is still anchored by interoperability labs and data-centric exhibitors.

To backup data you need both primary and backup servers. WideBand Corporation (www.wband.com) showed how their Gold Server line of products provides for both primary and mirrored units in a 100% redundant, mirrored network storage unit � two servers in one bundle. Extending the continuity solution even further, WideBand offers off-site data backup, remote network monitoring, server failure detection, and other critical disaster planning services.

WideBand also partnered with another Interop exhibitor, Secure Key LLC (www.s-key-co.com ) to provide a multi-factor authentication system integrating Secure Key�s new S-Key USP device. S-Key utilizes a method of Secret Key distribution and randomly-generated Session Keys to provide for secure transactions over LANs and the Internet without ever sending the user�s ID or password information over the net. For example, when a remote web server requests verification of a user by a match of a fingerprint, the person�s fingerprint is compared to the print already stored inside of the key. The remote server is informed that the print is a match, but does not actually receive a copy of the fingerprint data. This eliminates one of the major objections to having fingerprint and other personal data used for ID verification.






Note, if this is an area of interest, you may also want to visit our July DPCF column (www.tmcnet.com/379.1) where we covered the KoolSpan (www.koolspan.com) line of products with a Smart Card-to-Smart Card architecture that allows for the pre-provisioning of secure primary and secondary network communications.

Another new security introduction at Interop was OneSign Physical/Logical by Inprivata (www.imprivata.com). This product enhancement enables location-based authentication by linking an employee�s physical access authentication to network and application access. OneSign Physical/Logical will ship as an appliance pair with built-in failover and should be available by October 2006.

Citrix (www.citrix.com) introduced their WANScaler 8000 Series which boosts acceleration of application delivery to branch offices or, in a hosted services deployment, customer offices. The series uses a new breakthrough dynamic multi-level compression technology with extended disk-based history. Application response times can be improved by 5x, 30x, or more at peak compression efficiency. So, you ask, how does this protect your company? A simple technique to ensure business continuity is to have a mobile or distributed workforce and the key to success with a distributed workforce is to make the working experience as pleasant and efficient as possible. In a corporate environment, the WANScaler 8500 is a 1U appliance with fault-tolerant RAID disks, making it ideal for deployment into medium and large branch offices. The WANScaler 8800 is a 2U appliance designed for datacenters delivering applications throughout the enterprise; it also fits well in a data vault deployment. The WAN Scaler 8000 series also supports the company�s WANScaler Client to support all remote users, including those situated in micro branches, home offices, and on-the-road. For additional information on Citrix� disaster planning solutions please visit: www.tmcnet.com/380.1. IT

A reminder to visit http://www.tmcnet.com/channels/disaster%2Dpreparedness/ to view additional information provided by DPCF members, TMC and the ECA.

Max Schroeder is a board member of the ECA, media relations committee chairman, and liaison to TMC. He is also the Sr. Vice President of FaxCore, Inc.

Rich Tehrani is the President and Group Editor-in-Chief at TMC and is Conference Chairman of Internet Telephony Conference & EXPO.

If your organization has an interest in participating in the TMC/ECA Disaster Preparedness Communications Forum, please contact [email protected] or [email protected].

If you are interested in purchasing reprints of this article (in either print or PDF format), please visit Reprint Management Services online at www.reprintbuyer.com or contact a representative via e-mail at [email protected] or by phone at 800-290-5460.


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