In cyber security, change is constant, but some challenges remain stubbornly familiar. Do you remember the Anna Kournikova virus from over two decades ago? It spread rapidly by tricking users into opening a seemingly harmless email attachment. Fast forward to today, and it’s no surprise that email remains the number one attack vector. The only difference is that the stakes are higher, and as technology evolves, the threats grow more sophisticated.
In our latest Security Minutes video series, with Mimecast, Data#3’s National Practice Manager for Security, Richard Dornhart, and Mimecast’s Senior Sales Engineer, Matt Youman, discuss the critical challenges organisations face and how they can stay ahead. From polished phishing attacks to overlooked attack vectors such as collaboration tools, here are the key insights you can’t afford to miss.
Cyber criminals are leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) tools to revolutionise their tactics. In the first episode, Youman highlights the rapid rise of AI-driven phishing attacks:
With tools capable of learning, adapting, and automating attacks at scale, organisations can no longer rely on traditional defences alone.
While cyber criminals use AI to evade detection, it’s imperative to remember that AI is also a powerful ally for defenders. Youman explores how Mimecast uses natural language processing and social graphing to identify behavioural patterns to help you catch threats that static tools miss.
When Youman reviewed 2,000 emails that bypassed standard security tools, the results were staggering: payroll switch scams and other business email compromise threats had slipped through unnoticed.
Relying on static rules and limited keyword scans is no longer enough. Utilising AI-driven solutions can help you think like attackers, making it easier for your organisation to fight back
It’s not just email. Collaboration tools, essential to everyday business operations, are also becoming an increasingly popular target for attackers. Yet they’re often overlooked in security strategies. Youman shares how Mimecast addresses this blind spot by integrating collaboration platforms into its centralised security solution, enhancing visibility and simplifying management.
Are your collaboration tools secure? If not, attackers may already be exploiting the gap.
Even with advanced technology, people remain the final safeguard. Roles such as those in C-suite, IT, HR, and finance are prime targets due to their access to sensitive data. Youman emphasises that understanding and addressing human risk is vital to any security strategy.
Did you know that Mimecast’s 30-day Email Threat Scanner not only uncovers risks but also identifies patterns of human error? Making it a great tool for helping you tailor training to individual roles.
When was the last time you tested your human defences?
No single tool or strategy can eliminate cyber risk. Reflecting on recent incidents, Youman highlights the critical need to look beyond email when protecting your organisation from cyber criminals.
That’s why Data#3 and Mimecast advocate for a defence-in-depth approach. By layering advanced detection, automation, and human-centric strategies, organisations can:
The final episode showcases Mimecast’s Email Threat Scanner in action. This free tool provides a powerful way to uncover email-borne risks that have bypassed your existing defences. With access to the Mimecast console, you can:
With everything we’ve learned so far, it’s easy to see that the evolving cyber threat landscape requires more than just traditional security measures. The rise of AI-driven attacks, sophisticated phishing campaigns and overlooked vulnerabilities in collaboration tools reveal critical security blind spots that many organisations still miss. Relying solely on static defences alone is no longer enough to stay ahead of cyber criminals.
A comprehensive, defence-in-depth approach is necessary to safeguard your organisation against emerging threats. Don’t delay, each day leaves your organisation open to more attacks. With Data#3 and Mimecast, you’ll take proactive steps to identify and address potential risks that will help protect your organisation.
Mimecast’s Email Threat Scanner Report will give you actionable insights into your current security posture, helping you stay one step ahead of cyber criminals. Don’t leave your organisation’s security to chance—ensure you’re fully prepared for the threats ahead.
Contact your Data#3 Security Specialist today to request your Email Threat Scanner Report and uncover hidden threats before they become a problem.
International Safety Systems wanted to modernise their IT infrastructure and migrate to the cloud.
As International Safety Systems infrastructure neared end of life, the business sought recommendations from a trusted consultant, and determined that a shift to Microsoft Azure was the right path forward. That advisor joined Data#3 and they recognised that the expertise and culture of their partnership would make a good match.
• Scalable environment
• Exceptional availability
• Built-in backup and disaster recovery functionality
• Improved security
• Fast and cost-effective, making it easier to innovate
• Customer’s data is cloud-hosted, residing in their chosen location
• Streamlined onboarding process
• Access to additional expertise
• Avoidance of capital expenditure (CapEx)
The most outstanding part of the project is the improved reliability. We have had no unscheduled downtime thanks to the way our Data#3 consultant designed the platform.
David Rickward – Commercial Director, International Safety Systems
International Safety Systems (ISS) provides customised safety, quality and risk management solutions to customers around the world, helping them to meet compliance requirements while improving their business resilience.
ISS had been hosting its specialised apps in-house, using a thin client approach to distribute software. As available cloud options matured, ISS recognised the potential to work more efficiently and offer an enhanced service to customers.
The AIRS app from ISS is used to capture and manage safety and quality data for customers in stringently controlled industries, such as defence and aerospace. The small, very busy ISS team helps its customers meet all compliance obligations, reducing risk and operating more safely. Until recently, Commercial Director David Rickward said that managing infrastructure was a way of life.
“We had a traditional model, before Software as a Service was widely available. We hosted our software on our own hardware in a Sydney data centre. In addition to the hosting cost we had all the associated maintenance costs and then every five years, we would have to throw it away and start again, which meant incurring substantial capital costs and add-on services. Whilst it allowed us to distribute AIRS online it was a costly and labour-intensive model.”
That service model required effort from customers, and the cost was amplified by the need for extremely high availability to meet the service levels required by clients.
“We had backup redundancy and disaster recovery servers running. Overall, we were happy with the uptime – however, there were occasional unscheduled outages which required on-premises support, adding more cost,” explained Rickward.
As the time for renewal approached, with cloud options now offering greater maturity, ISS sought advice from a trusted cloud specialist, who learned about the ISS business model and made initial suggestions.
“He was experienced with Microsoft Azure. After we started discussions with him, he moved to Data#3. He provided a lot of really good ideas around platform design to make our operations more efficient. We had been working with him for several years and we wanted to continue that relationship.”
After careful evaluation, ISS followed Data#3’s recommendation for a Microsoft Azure environment, first instating one instance of the ISS software, then provisioning more until the solution hosted all customers. Microsoft Azure backup and DR, as well as several Microsoft Azure security and management features were put to work to help the ISS team work efficiently.
“It was a reasonably quick transition by technology standards, taking six months from our first proof of concept discussions, through commitment and implementation. We canvassed our biggest clients to see if there were any issues for them to move to the new environment, especially in terms of security. Their primary concern was where their data would reside.
“We sandbox tested with a couple of our biggest clients, migrated some smaller clients, then lastly the bigger organisations over a period of eight months.”
The solution included expertise from a Data#3 cloud specialist, so that ISS would always be positioned to work proactively and able to get the most form the Microsoft Azure platform, while managing costs effectively.
“We’re leveraging our Data#3 cloud specialist as our platform manager. We monitor the day-to-day ourselves, and he does general housekeeping a couple of times a month to ensure updates are installed. He also talks us through new security features we might be interested in. This input is invaluable to us – we’re a small company and can handle tasks ourselves but can’t do everything in-house. This arrangement gives us access to the wider resources of Data#3 when we need it.”
Rickward has stated that the flexibility of the Microsoft Azure platform has already impressed ISS clients, given the speed and cost-effectiveness of rolling out the custom app that the company is known for. The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.
“One client in the aviation industry initially wanted to run the app in-house. They went to their IT department, who quoted six figures for the new servers, and managing and monitoring those assets. We can spin up a dedicated host for them and provide continuous access to data. It was one fifth of the cost that their internal IT would have needed.
“They would have had to go through getting budget approval, which would have taken 12 months, but being a pay-as-you-go model, it was signed off within a week.”
Microsoft invests around $1 billion (USD) each year on Microsoft Azure security, with developers designing solutions for the modern threat landscape where organisations face an increasingly sophisticated barrage of attacks. Rickward said that this timely boost to security is “absolutely a plus”, with the shift to the secure online platform reducing risk for ISS and its clients.
“It is a valuable part of the solution without a shadow of a doubt. Before, every thin client had its own port, so there were multiple ports facing the world. By changing, customers now have web access through a firewall, with only one single point of entry. When you look at it from a security risk point of view, it is considerably better than before, and our customers stay safer.”
The transition for customers went smoothly, causing no disruption and earning praise for the improved ISS offering after the shift to Microsoft Azure.
“Their lives got easier without having to run the thin client. The cutover was seamless, and the users had their familiar app, they weren’t seeing any difference except that they just had to use a hyperlink instead of clicking an icon on their desktop.”
As a technology business itself, ISS places considerable importance on finding solutions that keep its lead position in its competitive market.
“We can stay at the forefront of technology, always using the latest and greatest, as opposed to buying hardware that becomes obsolete in a month, which then becomes a patch job. Moving to the Microsoft Azure platform means we can stay at the front of the curve, in turn giving our customers the best outcomes,” described Rickward.
This progress is aided by sharing knowledge, with the Data#3 Azure expert helping the small ISS team to gain confidence in the new platform. Rickward is happy that the business has benefitted from someone with enormous depth of Azure experience.
“He has done quite a bit of work with our internal team on things like day-to-day monitoring and firewalls. He’s helped our team to completely understand what to look for, and how to achieve compliance.
“It has been a game-changer for us, and we look at it as a partnership arrangement. Given what the Data#3 Azure expert has delivered us, it is a lot more capability than we would otherwise have, and we’ve gained a lot more capability in-house with him there.”
That capability extends to helping ISS respond to requests for tenders. Rickward said that the ability to access expertise helps to show prospective corporate and government clients that ISS has the capability needed when providing such a critical service.
“The advantage of dealing with a technology company like Data#3 is that if we don’t have specific expertise in-house, we know we have it through them. When we’re bidding on some contracts, it gives us more credibility to have that support, especially in the government space. We do a lot of work for government and from a security point of view, if we’re working with an organisation that is already approved, it makes for a more seamless transition, and we don’t have to delay delivery getting approvals.”
For customers, the Microsoft Azure platform raises the bar for custom solutions. ISS can now offer shared platforms, where customers’ individual environments are logically separated, and where customers prefer, dedicated platforms can be quickly provided. The ability to store data in their own or an approved jurisdiction has proven to be essential.
“Microsoft Azure provides more flexibility, allowing us to do more for our clients with specific requirements. For example, for legal or regulatory reasons, clients may need to ensure their data is stored in a particular jurisdiction. With Microsoft Azure we know we can provide that assurance and have them covered.”
It has been a game-changer for us, and we look at it as a partnership arrangement. Given what the Data#3 Azure expert has delivered us, it is a lot more capability than we would otherwise have.
David Rickward – Commercial Director, International Safety Systems
Although Rickward said that any major change in delivery method had the “potential to be traumatic”, he was clear that with the right team in place, it didn’t have to be.
“My advice is simple: find someone who totally understands what you do. Data#3 was very good in terms of what we were trying to achieve and that understanding meant we were able to map it out together – it was truly a collaborative experience. In terms of understanding the platform and how to manage disaster recovery, that was important.
“The transition itself should be made straightforward – taking the environment off the existing platform and moving it into the cloud. However, there are so many tricks to managing Microsoft Azure well with the right security around it, it’s essential to engage with an experienced consulting firm.
You might be tempted to do it yourself, but you will end up saving money and getting a better result with the right partner. When I filled out the customer satisfaction survey, I gave it a 10 out of 10. One hundred percent!”
Ultimately, the solution was measured by ISS against the benefits and service levels they were able to provide to their valued customers around the world. The switch to the Microsoft Azure platform has been deemed a success.
“The most outstanding part of the project is the improved reliability; we have had no unscheduled downtime because of the way the platform is set up. When we did have minor issues, we were able to failover to backup systems without service interruption. The service delivery has been outstanding,” concluded Rickward.
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SeaRoad Holdings wanted to replace problematic, ageing infrastructure with an efficient, flexible solution that would improve reliability and performance.
SeaRoad’s ageing IT infrastructure was in need of a complete overhaul. Key staff members had evaluated HPE SimpliVity in a previous role, and quickly identified its suitability as a foundation for the future. Data#3’s local expertise as well as their partnership with Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) made them a logical choice of partner for the project.
We have delivered a better outcome to our user base. Where we used to have a huge number of tickets per day, since the deployment of the new infrastructure, the issues have gone away. This means our staff are happier, and applications are faster and more reliable.
Cliff Reardon – General Manager for Digital Technology, SeaRoad Holdings
Since the 1890s, SeaRoad Holdings (SeaRoad) has performed a vital role in providing freight services between Tasmania and the mainland of Australia. As a proud family-owned business, it ensures the island state’s community has access to necessary goods, while supporting local businesses as they take their outstanding products to the world.
SeaRoad’s legacy IT environment no longer supported the business’ growing needs, and had become outdated. The resulting reliability issues caused frustration for the IT team, staff, vendors and customers alike. A dependable foundation was needed so the business could introduce new systems into their environment.
The transfer of goods between Tasmania and Victoria is of utmost importance, supplying the community with its needs, and enabling businesses to trade. General Manager for Digital Technology, Cliff Reardon, said that SeaRoad’s busy fleet carries everything from fine produce to construction equipment across the Bass Strait on a daily basis.
“Facilitating freight across the Bass Strait is vital to the state’s economy, so SeaRoad takes pride in delivering a dependable service, rain or shine. We knew we needed that same reliability from our technology.”
The infrastructure in place was ageing, and this had led to issues that frustrated everyone that leveraged our platforms. The IT team fielded an average of 35 support calls per day, so they spent a lot of their time attempting to manage underlying problems.
“Our staff are used to battling the elements, but they should not have to battle technology as well. Application performance was underwhelming, downtime was not uncommon, and speed was lacking. These factors impacted on the confidence our IT team had in their technology,” explained Reardon.
“Security of older infrastructure is not designed around current threats, and we knew it was essential that our organisation was protected. While we had measures in place that would allow us to switch to paper-based systems if a security incident occurred, we knew it wasn’t ideal.”
The project was not only about fixing problems, though; SeaRoad wanted to build a modern environment that would allow it to undergo a digital transformation. A new system for loading and unloading ships more efficiently was a priority, but this required the right underlying technology.
“We needed a solution that was more than just fixing outages, we wanted to build something that allowed us to accommodate capacity increases, and to modernise the way we work, so that we can provide the best possible service to our customers. While public cloud didn’t suit our needs, we did want an ‘as a Service model that gave us the same advantages of scalability and cost management,” continued Reardon.
A member of the IT leadership team had reviewed HPE SimpliVity previously, an intelligent, AI-driven hyper-converged infrastructure solution in a previous role, and proposed it would meet SeaRoads requirements as it could be deployed by HPE under the GreenLake ‘as a Service model.
HPE GreenLake offers a choice beyond traditional on-premises or public cloud, instead providing on-premises cloud services, where organisations can deploy an edge to cloud platform in their own data centre or in a co-location facility. It made sense to the team to work with Data#3 on the project.
“Data#3 was an easy choice. We knew the quality of their locally based engineers well, and we knew they had a strong relationship with HPE, and that they have actual experience with the HPE GreenLake platform,” outlined Reardon.
Leveraging HPE GreenLake for the deployment of the HPE SimpliVity solution offered cloud benefits and HPE monitoring and support in a modern, efficient environment. While SeaRoad only pays for the infrastructure that is used, a buffer is provided beyond projected capacity needs. Extra capacity can be added in a few clicks. This makes a great alternative to cloud, and avoids the overspend that is common with both on-premises and cloud environments. In fact, 67% of organisations over-invest in storage solutions, while a third have either run out of capacity or experienced high utilisation rates that impact performance.
“We didn’t want to oversupply, as that would mean spending on infrastructure that still had to be maintained and managed. Instead, we get the type of elasticity associated with an ‘as a Service solution, and as our needs grow, we just add more capacity. The buffer capacity is there if we need it, and HPE keeps track of our needs,” explained Reardon.
The solution features a wealth of modern security features, with updates performed by HPE under the ongoing agreement, so that the SeaRoad IT team spends less of its time on the underlying environment.
“HPE SimpliVity has far more advanced backup and recovery features than our previous environment, so we have confidence that our data will be there when we need it. Best of all, we aren’t experiencing the outages and slowness, which means that our number of support calls has dropped drastically, and the end result is that our IT team, staff and other users of our platforms have a consistently exceptional service.”
From a starting point with frequent outages affecting the business, SeaRoad’s user experience has come a long way. Performance is consistently high, and morale has lifted as a result.
“Any user, whether in an operational role or in our corporate office, would have found it frustrating when simple tasks were interrupted by performance issues. The right IT environment means they can get more done and work more efficiently. The feedback has been positive, and the business appreciates what the IT team has achieved,” said Reardon.
Risk management is a high priority throughout the business, both on vessels and in the office. This extends to the IT environment, and the more secure HPE GreenLake environment has considerably reduced risk of data loss and of cybersecurity incidents.
“The threat landscape changes considerably over the life of infrastructure, so ageing equipment is something we identified as a risk. A modern, well-maintained environment is better designed to address current threats to our business,” commented Reardon.
SeaRoad had the future firmly in mind when making choices around their IT infrastructure. Like every industry, freight and distribution is undergoing profound change, driven by the opportunity that new technologies bring. The HPE GreenLake environment has already paved the way for progress.
“We see technology as an opportunity to improve the services we deliver, as well as to make our own organisation more efficient. Already, we have invested in new systems that improve loading and unloading processes of our vessels, something that would have been impossible with our old legacy environment. Now that our IT team has more time away from dealing with support requests, they can proactively find ways to keep improving what we do,” outlined Reardon.
“Because we chose the ‘as a Service solution, we have predictable, monthly costs instead of large lump sums, and this also makes it easier to plan our IT budget needs accurately, and that helps us to schedule our activities to give the best return to the business.”
Conclusion
The value of skilled IT staff has been displayed as organisations have navigated the challenges of recent years, and SeaRoad is no exception. By reducing the day-to-day time needed for managing infrastructure, these resources have been able to add more value to the business.
“Going through the fast-changing restrictions through the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that we don’t want our IT staff to be focusing on fixing ageing infrastructure, we want them to be ready to step in and tackle the bigger issues,” explained Reardon.
“Working with the right partner and seeing the big picture are incredibly important when considering a similar project,” said Reardon.
“HPE is highly regarded here in Tasmania, and they have local experts who appreciate our situation. Their close relationship with Data#3 was a real help when making such substantial changes, and their communication helped make sure we were all working towards the same goals.”
Cliff Reardon – General Manager for Digital Technology, SeaRoad Holdings.
“HPE is highly regarded here in Tasmania, and they have local experts who appreciate our situation. Their close relationship with Data#3 was a real help when making such substantial changes, and their communication helped make sure we were all working towards the same goals. Both partners wanted to understand not just our current situation but where we wanted to go as a business, so that we could find a technology outcome that would match our business as we embark on this new phase. They understood what we wanted to do.”
The improved productivity of staff and improved performance were the highlights of the project, and Reardon concluded that the reduction in support tickets showed that a complete overhaul was the right choice.
“Where we once had 35 infrastructure related tickets per day, we now have barely a handful per week. We can rely on our applications even more now since the deployment of the new HPE SimpliVity solution, and having a foundation set on the HPE GreenLake ‘as a Service’ model, means we have confidence that no matter how our business evolves, we will be covered.”
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To learn more about how HPE GreenLake’s on-premises, consumption-based IT service can give you more control over cost and performance, book an assessment workshop with Data#3 today.
Objective
Responsible for a busy road and transport environment, the customer values technology as an enabler of better services for the population it serves. Aging infrastructure was causing slow application delivery to core transport systems, and this had to be urgently addressed.
Approach
The customer embarked on a competitive tender process, and recognised that the proof of concept from Data#3 and Nimble would exceed their original expectations.
IT Outcome
Business Outcome
“Instead of taking the easy path, we looked at which available technologies would best align to their organisational needs. This meant digging deeper to establish where the customer could not only solve immediate problems, but could also make best use of emerging technologies.”
Warren Hill, Account Executive, Data#3 Limited
The Background
Responsible for a busy road and public transport environment, the customer values technology as an enabler of better services for the population it serves. As new opportunities emerge to reduce congestion, increase efficiency, and communicate with road and transport users, the demands on the core infrastructure increased.
An aging storage environment was hampering the organisation’s ability to capitalise on modern technologies, so a competitive tender process was initiated.
The Challenge
As with most government organisations, the customer had a program in place to replace existing infrastructure as it aged. This process cuts risk of equipment failure, and reduces the cost and support demands that are involved.
When the customer issued a competitive tender, Data#3 and HPE identified a more appropriate option than a ‘like for like’ replacement of the dated Dell storage environment. Having acquired intelligent flash storage experts in Nimble back in 2017, HPE had access to technology that went beyond initial requirements and would solve some frustrating business problems the organisation faced.
Slow storage response times meant that critical systems, such as connected speed limit signs and real-time public transport timetables were impacted. This undermined the customer’s investment in modern transport infrastructure, preventing the full value from being realised. Traditional storage environments also place heavy demands on IT staff, and management and support of such systems is more cumbersome than intelligent, modern alternatives.
In addition, while large amounts of data were being generated and stored, these resources were not being translated into valuable information. The Data#3 and HPE team recognised that intelligent storage could enable staff respond in real time to traffic flow, and, said Data#3 Account Executive, Warren Hill, this would allow for more accurate planning going forward.
“Instead of taking the easy path, we looked at which available technologies would best align to their organisational needs. This meant digging deeper to establish where the customer could not only solve immediate problems, but could also make best use of emerging technologies.”
IT Outcome
The customer chose a solution based on a Nimble storage array connecting with its existing Dell server. Nimble’s flash storage lends speed for application delivery, but it also has some qualities that take it far beyond expectations. For a government organisation delivering services that must prioritise safety, it is unsurprising that a proven 99.9999% reliability was attractive. Nimble uses a design feature called Triple+ Parity to enable it to continue working even in the unlikely scenario of three simultaneous storage drive failures. In the always-on road and transport environment, that means that the applications controlling traffic lights and passenger information can continue uninterrupted.
Positioning an alternative to the planned storage replacement hinged on the intelligence advantage that HPE and Data#3 outlined. The solution drew on HPE’s InfoSight predictive analytics flash AIOps platform to aid data management, and give real-time insights into the busy transport network.
“We saw that their needs would better align with this smart technology that is unique to Nimble, giving them superior insight and integration. It uses an AI engine that sits on top of the Nimble platform, constantly monitoring how well the systems are performing, which clusters are performing well, where there is a need for upgrade, and provides this information back to administrators to reduce the requirements on the system,” said Hill.
For an organisation striving to get the best from an ongoing digital transformation, easing the burden of storage administration, and introducing a replacement that largely manages itself, was the icing on the cake. As storage needs expand, the building block approach of HPE means it is simple to just add another Nimble module.
By 2023, 40% of I&O teams will use AI-augmented automation in large enterprises, resulting in higher IT productivity with greater agility and scalability1.
Business Outcome
Given the imperative to avoid dependency on aging equipment, the customer needed to move quickly. Soon after choosing to proceed with the Data#3 and HPE solution, work was under way. Skilled Data#3 engineers worked on a four-week deployment, and had workloads running within six weeks of the customer’s decision. The fast turnaround was made possible by the combination of Nimble’s strong management features and a well-drilled Data#3 and HPE team working closely with the customer’s in-house team.
“Data#3 did the deployment, featuring a fully redundant solution across two data centres. It was done during business hours, without disruption, with the storage devices plugged into the existing environment and the old equipment decommissioned,” explained Hill.
While users did not experience a disruption to their working day, they soon experienced the benefits of faster application delivery. Indeed, where the previous storage environment had made it all but impossible to run certain applications, the Nimble solution broke through this restriction quickly. In particular, the combination of fast analytics and speedy application delivery made it possible to address traffic flow at a notorious congestion hot spot, so that speeds could be adjusted throughout the day, according to current needs.
While safety is number one, value is always high on the agenda. This is another place that the solution checked a lot of boxes, with more data stored per terabyte than flash storage alternatives, and a lower human resource cost to manage the environment and maximise the value of this key investment. Skills transfer for their in-house team ensured they were prepared to fully support the new storage environment in a fraction of the time taken by traditional alternatives.
Conclusion
Much of the success of the Nimble Storage implementation lies with the customer’s willingness to explore an alternative to the status quo.
A highlight, said Hill, was the combination of two solutions architects, from HPE and Data#3, working together to make the implementation run smoothly.
“The customer had high praise for HPE for putting together a compelling proposition instead of taking the easiest path. Our relationship with HPE has spanned more than two decades, and this experience helped us to identify where we could use their technology to go beyond the customer’s expectations,” explained Hill.
“The platform is ideally designed to manage infrastructure for a rapidly evolving, intelligent transport program – everything from lights, buses, train timetables and rail crossings. They were previously just storing data, not manipulating or understanding data, but now they are positioned to use AI for better supported decisions for the future of their organisation”
1. Gartner (2020), Gartner Predicts the Future of AI Technologies. [Online] https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/gartner-predicts-the-future-of-ai-technologies/
Strengthen Disaster Recovery capabilities in multiple locations to ensure high availability, business continuity, and data protection.
Design and deploy a new Disaster Recovery solution using a mix of VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) software, IBM servers, SAN switches and storage systems.
A robust, scalable and secure Disaster Recovery infrastructure that will recover critical business operations and systems within minutes of an incident.
A reduction in organisational risk through improved business continuity planning, data availability and visibility to create efficiencies that allow internal IT staff to focus on core technology projects.
“A reduction in organisational risk through improved business continuity planning, data availability and visibility to create efficiencies that allow internal IT staff to focus on core technology projects.”
Tom Grskovic, Account Executive, Data#3 Limited
The Challenge
As a growing 24×7 business, the company relies heavily on its systems and technology to deliver efficient services to customers across the country.
While the core production hub and Disaster Recovery environment are based in different locations, the existing set-up was struggling to meet the demanding timeframes, availability and performance required by the business. As such, there was considerable business risk if there was a system failure at the production hub.
What’s more, the existing solution was labour-intensive, often pulling IT resources away from their normal day-to-day responsibilities and impacting productivity across the business.
The company also needed to ensure they were meeting their Payment Card Industry (PCI) compliance obligations, which included achieving Disaster Recovery testing benchmarks each year.
As a result, the company identified the need for a Disaster Recovery solution that could achieve a low Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and low Recovery Time Objective (RTO).
“Essentially, they needed a new real-time Disaster Recovery solution to ensure business continuity in the event of server failure, as well as to meet the demands of our 24×7 operations,” says Tom Grskovic, Account Executive, Data#3.
IT Outcomes
As the company’s long-term technology partner, Data#3 was engaged to design and deploy a new Disaster Recovery solution.
With an in-depth understanding of both their business and technology position, Data#3 designed a robust solution that incorporated components from both VMware and IBM. Specifically, the solution consisted of the following hardware and software:
From the outset, the company sought a solution that enabled straightforward and cost-effective business continuity and data protection. This was achieved through the deployment of VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) across their offices, as well as the utilisation of IBM storage capability.
The new solution delivers fast and reliable IT Disaster Recovery, plus it helps lower the total cost of ownership by decreasing operational expenses through automation and reducing capital investments using Software Defined Data Centre (SDDC) technology.
VMware SRM enables the company to perform frequent non-disruptive testing to ensure IT Disaster Recovery software predictability and compliance, plus it’s capable of protecting thousands of virtual machines with ease using centralised recovery plans.
Most importantly, they now have the ability to recover critical business operations and systems within minutes of a fault occurring.
Business Outcomes
The new Disaster Recovery solution adopted has addressed the critical issues of business risk and compliance. Where previously exposed to server failure and operational downtime, the business now enjoys peace of mind knowing that systems and data are protected around the clock.
What’s more, low Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and low Recovery Time Objective (RTO) means any downtime is limited, plus potential loss of revenue and loss of reputation is minimised.
Reduced business risk and the ability to meet ongoing compliance obligations not only strengthens the company’s ability to deliver 24×7 services to its customers, it also gives the business confidence to grow and expand its operations.
Key business benefits include:
Conclusion
The new solution has delivered highly available and resilient IT infrastructure to strengthen their Disaster Recovery capabilities.
“The customers Disaster Recovery environment and data protection capabilities are now where they should be, helping reduce business risk and providing us with ultimate peace of mind 24/7,” says Grskovic.
“More importantly, the new solution is future-proofed, allowing for further expansion as their operations continue to grow.”
Grskovic adds:
“Our deep understanding of their technology environment helped our customer to build a solid business case to design and deploy a solution that met their objectives, both now and in the future.”
Company Overview
Like many organisations, the customer had a complex environment featuring many disparate solutions. The limited integration of these solutions meant that there was little visibility, making it hard to identify security threats quickly.
A planned cloud transition of the Agency’s key logistics solutions brought security to the forefront; and it became apparent that an integrated security platform was vital to provide protection across the entire organisation. Without a large security team in-house, the implementation of an end-to-end solution presented a challenge.
Solution
As a trusted partner, the customer sought guidance from Data#3 to build a more effective security posture for a hybrid cloud environment to support their highly mobile users.
An initial review showed the customer’s existing investment in Cisco technologies could be leveraged as the platform to build upon. Working closely with Cisco, a solution was identified that would deliver the outcomes the customer needed.
While it is easy to talk about a solution and its benefits, the Agency wanted to see it in action. Phase one leveraged the partnership between Cisco and Data#3 to develop a proof of concept (POC) that initially focused on Cisco Umbrella. The objective was to highlight how Cisco Umbrella would protect users from threats found on the network. In addition, Data#3 was able to demonstrate through a POC how easy protection in both scenarios could be achieved with the new technology and the effort required for implementation.
Phase two of the POC provided the Agency with a clear view of how Advanced Malware Protection (AMP) for endpoints and email security, together with Cisco Umbrella, solved the major challenges faced due to lack of visibility and complex management. The integration between the solutions meant malware information is shared in near real-time to ensure all points on the network are secure.
Outcome
The integrated Cisco security solution from Data#3 provides visibility of the customer’s entire environment, both on-premises and off. Threats can now be identified rapidly, and reduced complexity makes it easy for the small team to manage.
Mobile users are more protected than ever, with Cisco Umbrella reducing the risk of malware entering their device, or the network, no matter where and how they connect. The integrated suite of Cisco technologies act together as a complete ransomware defence, making it tough for suspect content to gain a foothold.
The experienced Data#3 team used their extensive knowledge of Cisco and security best practice to reduce risk and increase security. The customer also reduced costs by taking advantage of a volume purchase program to stretch the budget further.
As a result of the new solution, the Agency now has the ability to see where the threats are coming from and contain them.
Technology
“By adopting Cisco’s integrated security offering, the customer was able to build on their existing Cisco investment, gaining outstanding visibility and protection while reducing complexity,”
Richard Dornhart, National Practice Manager – Security, Data#3 Limited