NAKIVO Helps a Research Institute Ensure Continuous Data Protection
Business Challenge
The primary mission of the Institute of Earth Sciences is to advance earth sciences in Georgia by implementing cutting-edge research methods and introducing state-of-the-art scientific technologies and equipment. This initiative spans multiple fields crucial to Georgia’s sustainable development within the natural environment.
The institute’s infrastructure operates on VMware, utilizing 6 physical servers and 15 virtual machines located in a single facility. The institute predominantly relies on Linux-based operating systems, specifically Ubuntu, and employs seismic wave acquisition tools like Seiscomp for automatic earthquake location. Additionally, the institute relies on SQL databases and internally developed web pages that archive comprehensive earthquake information.
Seismic data is of paramount importance and requires continuous backup as raw data. This ensures accessibility for ongoing and future scientific research. Interruption of this data can halt institute operations and impede scientific discoveries.
Previously, the institute used custom Python scripts for manual backup tasks. Recognizing the need for a more efficient solution, the IT team conducted thorough research to identify cost-efficient, reliable, and user-friendly backup software. Key criteria included the capability to manage increasing data volumes and automate VM backups to maintain data integrity and security.
Solution
Following a rigorous testing and evaluation phase, NAKIVO Backup & Replication was chosen to safeguard the virtual environment at the Institute of Earth Sciences. The solution was successfully deployed on a cluster, using a QNAP NAS for backup operations. Installation and setup were remarkably swift, requiring less than an hour for completion. The intuitive web interface ensures that any member of the IT team can proficiently manage the solution without difficulty.
Implementing NAKIVO Backup & Replication on the QNAP NAS offers numerous advantages. The product consolidates data backup, recovery, storage, and deduplication capabilities onto a single device, simplifying management across multiple environments via a unified web interface.
“We perform incremental backups daily and a full backup weekly. NAKIVO Backup & Replication completed a 1.2 TB backup in just 35 minutes,” says Albert Buzhaladze, an IT engineer at the Institute of Earth Sciences. Leveraging native change tracking technology, incremental backups efficiently capture only changed data blocks, accelerating the process while minimizing storage requirements. “In addition, compression and deduplication have significantly reduced our storage consumption,” says Albert.
NAKIVO Backup & Replication ensures responsive technical support through multiple channels including chat, email, and phone. “I have encountered support from various providers, but NAKIVO’s stands out. They are exceptionally fast, dedicated to customer satisfaction, and resolve issues swiftly," says Albert.
Results
Previously, the Institute of Earth Sciences depended on custom scripts for manual backups, which monopolized the IT team’s entire workday. Transitioning to NAKIVO Backup & Replication allowed the institute to automate their backup processes, significantly enhancing the success rate of completed backups and drastically reducing administration time.
“NAKIVO Backup & Replication saved us 100% of our time,” says Albert. “Now, we can redirect our focus to other critical tasks because we trust that the product reliably performs its functions. We have achieved comprehensive protection for our critical data and the ability to encrypt data during backup adds an extra layer of security.”
This transition has empowered the Institute of Earth Sciences to streamline operations, ensuring continuous data protection, while freeing up valuable IT resources for strategic initiatives.
About the Institute of Earth Sciences
The top priority of the Institute of Earth Sciences is to ensure the maximum involvement of the students of Ilia State University (ISU), as well as other higher education institutions of Georgia in the research process. The institute also aims to pass down to future generations the knowledge and experience acquired by scientists in the field of earth sciences and create any material and technical databases necessary for this purpose, as well as improve working conditions for the employees. For more information, visit www.ies.iliauni.edu.ge.