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VMware vSphere Storage Thin Provisioning dramatically increases virtual machine storage utilization by enabling dynamic allocation and intelligent provisioning of physical storage capacity.

Storage Thin Provisioning gives you higher utilization by letting you dedicate more storage capacity than the actual available capacity. Traditionally, application administrators estimated and requested capacity, keeping future growth in prospective. This over-provisioning of capacity resulted in unused space, similar to the problem of RAM over-commitment in the server space.  

7 - WD Small Business Server Answers the Need for Small Business Data Storage

Small businesses often need centralized data storage for apps and data, beyond what desktop PC units can provide. But if you're running a small business, you may not need a large server, and all the costs associated with running that server. 

The WD Sentinel DX4000 from Western Digital can meet the storage needs of a small business of fewer than 25 employees, with a RAID-enabled storage system and storage capacity up to 16 TB. The Sentinel connects to your office PCs or Macs wirelessly, via Ethernet or via USB 3.0 and uses an Intel Atom™ D525 1.8 GHz Dual Core processor with 2 GB RAM. It supports RAID 1 storage with two hard disk drives and RAID 5 with three or four drives. 

The server is also recommended as a backup storage device for small businesses, providing the peace-of-mind that comes with regular back-ups in a centralized location. The small business file server provides remote access via the internet for troubleshooting, service or to access files from anywhere, at any time. 

RAID Server Data Recovery

If you've previously worked with separate PCs, storing all your small business data on one centralized RAID server may seem scary. What happens if something goes wrong with the server, from a virus to hard disk failure, or even a physical problem like a power surge, fire or flood? 

That's where 24 Hour Data can help. 

We have decades of experience in RAID 1 and RAID 5 data recovery. If your small business server fails, we're here to help.

We know that every minute of productivity counts when you're running a small business. We will recover and re-build your RAID array within 48 hours, in most cases, to get your data back and get you back up and running quickly. 

If we can't recover your data, there's no charge. That's the 24 Hour Data guarantee. But with an industry-highest % data recovery success rate. 

Storms can wreak havoc on electronic equipment, leading to data recovery emergencies for Dallas and New York business owners,families and individuals. Did you know there's an inexpensive, easy way that you can help protect your hard disk data from corruption during a storm or power outage? 

A surge suppressor will divert any extra electricity transferred during a power surge to the ground through the electrical outlets ground wire. This keeps the electricity from damaging your sensitive electronic equipment. But what should you look for in a surge protector to help protect your electronics from power surges and avoid a data recovery emergency? 

Your surge suppression needs will vary depending on whether you use your computer or other electronic device for home, a small office or a server farm. Here are some of the basics of choosing a surge suppressor. 

1 - Level of protection - The greater protection offered, the safer your equipment will be plugged in to that surge suppressor. Some household surge suppressors will protect against small power surges, but not massive amounts of energy going through the lines. Look at the “surge current capacity” as a measurement of how much surge current your surge protector can pass through in a single incident. This is commonly measured in kiloamperage. Look for a surge protector with a kA rating at or above 10kA. 

2. Number of outlets - Make sure your surge suppressor can accommodate all your devices, including computer, peripherals such as a printer, or smartphones and tablets you may wish to charge through an AC outlet. 

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3. Warranty - Many quality surge suppressors offer a warranty that covers the value of your sensitive electronics equipment, if it should be damaged by a power surge while connected to the surge suppressor. Make sure the warranty covers the replacement value of the equipment you plan to protect. Typically, the higher the warranty cover, the more the surge suppressor would cost. 

Keep in mind, a surge protector's warranty does not cover the value of the data lost, only the equipment. It also does not cover data recovery costs, the cost of lost productivity, lost customers, or other costs that may be associated with failure of your computer systems and the loss of mission critical data. 

Surge protection is one way to protect against a data recovery emergency, but 24 Hour Data is always standing by to save the day with hard drive data recovery if you should lose data following a power surge. 

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While virtual servers are growing in popularity, they haven't quite taken off to the extent that some industry experts predicted or expected. About 50 percent of the world's data centers still have not been virtualized. 

There are three main reasons why IT administrators who have not yet jumped on the virtual server bandwagon are hesitant to adopt the technology. Let's explore these reasons and some possible solutions. 

As a side effect of implementing virtualization best practices in your organization, you will also reduce the odds of a data recovery emergency and the potential for mission critical data loss. Well-managed virtual server environments are less prone to crashing and hard drive failure. 

Virtualization Challenge #1

Server sprawl is cited as the number one challenge to managing a virtual network, whether it is VMware, Citrix or another popular virtualization product. - Because virtual servers are so easy to create, IT departments often create servers and fail to manage them, resulting in additional storage costs and stress on the server.

To avoid server sprawl, take care to delete VMs when they are no longer needed and avoid the temptation to spawn new VMs from standard images, which allocate more storage space than is needed. 

Virtualization Challenge #2 

Creating successful, timely back-ups without taxing resources or bringing the servers and operations to a grinding halt. - Snapshots create effective and timely back-ups, but are resource hungry and often cannot be taken while other applications are running. This poses problems with data back-ups and disaster recovery. 

New software solutions, however, make it possible to create data back-ups automatically while applications are in process, without a significant drop in performance. 

Virtualization Challenge #3 -

Having the right processes, procedures and personnel in place to manage virtual servers can take care of the first two virtualization challenges easily. You already know that you can count on 24 Hour Data to recover mission critical data from your VMWare or virtual server in a data recovery emergency. You can trust our sister company, 24 Hour Computer, to establish and manage your virtual server, too. If you prefer to manage IT resources in house, remember that, once set up, it takes less time and personnel to maintain a virtual server, resulting in reduced IT costs. 

If your organization hasn't taken the step to virtualization, it might be time to consider VMware, a Citrix virtual server, Microsoft Hyper-V server, Oracle VM or any other type of virtual server. 24 Hour Data supports all major brands of virtual machines, so you know you're protected in the event of a data recovery emergency. 

When Hurricane Sandy ravaged the East Coast last month, thousands of families and business owners lost homes, offices, personal possessions, productive working time and mission critical data. 

Even those homes and businesses who weren't directly hit by the powerful storm surges and high tides may have lost mission critical data when power came back on following the storm. Power surges can cause logical and physical damage to hard disk drives and solid state drives, resulting in data loss. And, according to reports, this is not the end of the bad weather for the season for our northeastern friends. Wherever you live, here are some tips to help prevent data loss in the event of a power outage. 

1 - Prepare for a storm or possible power outage by backing up all mission critical data.

2 - Stay off plugged-in electronic devices such as PCs, Macs and laptops during a storm if there is any chance of a power outage. If you're using a laptop, Macbook, iPad, tablet or smartphone, unplug the device and use battery power only.

3 - Use a surge protector year-round for your important electronic devices, including computers, laptops, servers and RAID arrays. 

4 - If you're not using a computer or any piece of electronics, from your microwave to your flat screen TV, unplug it if there is a power outage, to protect it from power surges when power is restored. 

5 - If your computer fails to boot following a power outage or power surge, you may be able to troubleshoot the problem. It is most likely the power supply that was burnt out. Try switching out the power supply with another and booting up the machine. Another likely culprit is the motherboard, a component that can be switched out by IT staff or a layman with computer knowledge. If switching out either the power supply or motherboard works, but you still cannot access data files, do not attempt data recovery yourself. Call 24 Hour Data for a free, honest price quote and fast, friendly service. 

Many people do not realize the damage power surges can cause when power is restored to a neighborhood or industrial area following outages. During a storm, transformers can blow out, causing fires and power surges before the loss of power. Make sure to charge all electronic devices before a storm so you have them when you need them in the event of a power outage.