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High Availability

What is it? What does it do for my business?

We are all familiar with the term “High Availability”.

Most InfinityIT sites implement HA Firewall solution to mitigate against a Firewall failure. Why?

Because Internet and inter-site connectivity is very important, and we all want to minimise the possibility of downtime – right?

But what happens if your server fails? What safeguards have you in place to ensure an effective business continuity plan?

Remember that server fault which we spent 1 hour troubleshooting?
Well, now it requires a replacement part which will take at least 4-5 hours to arrive and could take the engineer another 1 – 2 hours to fit it.

If you are lucky the part will fix the issue and you’ll be able to open as normal tomorrow. But what about your “business image”, what about the inconvenience to your customers?

Your data is probably the most important asset you own, without it you cannot function. That is why we take backups locally to NAS, and offsite to Cloud. It’s the reason we have AntiVirus, Firewalls, and Servers, It's why we do Pen Tests and DR Tests, It's why you hire people like us, It is all done to ensure your data is safe, secure, and readily accessible, but only to those that should have access to it!

A huge portion of your business data is held on your servers, So if your only server fails then you are effectively shut down until your IT people can get you up and running.


High Availability Servers 
At any point in time, your Data exists on both servers. Your VM's can be moved to the 2nd host in seconds with no downtime. If 1 server fails, VM's can be booted up on another host with little or no downtime and more importantly, no data loss. 

High Availability Server




Imagine the following scenario


Single Server failure

Typical downtime – up to one day
All Systems are down resulting in you having to close your doors.
Cons:
Possibility of 4-5hrs before replacement part can be onsite, Depending on the nature of the fault there may be data loss, and backup restores may be required further adding to downtime. If a single server goes down due to hardware failure, your business will most likely be closed for a full day.



Point in time replication (Veeam)

Typical downtime 2-4 hours

Replications are taken at regular intervals, i.e VM’s on server 1 are copied to server 2. At all times you have VM’s ready to boot up.
Pros:
You have a working system “ready to go” on the 2nd host, albeit the data can be up to 1 hr old

Cons:
1. Data on the 2 servers will be inconsistent, it can take considerable time and effort to bring Server 2 up to date before going live.
2. You potentially have 1 idle server (at least until 1 fails)
3. Hypervisor and Firmware updates will require downtime



Server Cluster / vSAN

Typical downtime 3 – 4 mins,

If host 1 fails all the VM’s on it will begin booting up on host 2 automatically.


Pros:

1. No data loss,

2. Server 1 can be repaired and brought back into production with no further downtime.

3. Server 2 can be fully utilized as a second server and VM’s moved between both hosts as required

4. Patching and firmware updates can be done to hypervisors and hardware with no downtime of services

Cons:

Storage requirement are doubled, both hosts need to have enough storage for all the VM’s on each host 


What sets our solution above others


1. Some HA solutions require a 3rd node, adding to the cost of hardware, Ours requires only 2.

2. We don’t require specially certified hardware If your hardware can run VMWare, Microsoft, Oracle or Redhat Hypervisors, we can use our solution to give you HA. We can even run it on an Azure stack.

3. We can usually provide HA at a fraction of the cost of the proprietary vendor such as VMWare

4. Our Solution is backed by a 24/7 NOC, we don’t just monitor outages, we monitor and get alerts on things like storage latency and re-sync issues on the cluster.

5. As a testament to the robust and cost-effective nature of the solution We have implemented it across over one third of our financial customers in the last 2.5 years.



Questions and Answers


Q. We have Disaster Recovery in the Cloud, We test it every year and never have an issue during testing, Why do I need a solution like this?

A. DR tests are generally done in a very controlled manner, In reality, they rarely replicate the “unknown” of a real disaster. For example, Cloud backups are not real time. After we boot up the VMs in the cloud, You still need to figure out what data you have versus what data you need before you can open the doors, There will be data to be re-entered, this might involve the help of 3rd parties. DR is not intended to be a quick fix to any business outage, there are a huge number of things to consider before, during, and after you decide to move your production to the cloud in a DR situation. In fact, your DR solution should only be considered as a last resort option. Remember once your server is fixed everything now working in the cloud needs to be copied back to your server, this means further downtime.


Q. Aren't hardware failures very rare?

A. Yes, but that doesn’t mean they won't happen..

In the past few years, there has been a huge focus on security which often means applying patches and firmware updates that may not have been done on a

regular basis before. Applying updates in particular firmware updates, is a risk.

If firmware updates fail often the only solution is to replace the part, That could mean a day's downtime.


Can you deal with the negative publicity of having to close your doors due to technical difficulties?


Have you the resources and procedures in place to recover from 15 minutes to 1 hour data loss?

Author: Jason Keane

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Midleton Flood
By Shane Casey 07 Mar, 2024
We cannot express enough gratitude to Infinity IT for their exceptional Disaster Recovery efforts following the unforeseen flooding of our Credit Union premises. The flooding posed a significant threat to our daily operations and the safety of our members' financial assets. However, thanks to the meticulous disaster recovery planning and swift execution by Infinity IT, we were able to navigate through the crisis seamlessly. Their emphasis on defining Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) proved invaluable, allowing us to maintain data integrity and resume operations swiftly. Infinity IT demonstrated unparalleled efficiency by successfully transitioning our critical systems to our designated Disaster Recovery site within 24 hours. This remarkable feat not only minimised downtime but also reassured our members of the unwavering reliability of our services. We recommend Infinity IT to any Credit Union seeking reliable, comprehensive, and effective disaster recovery solutions. John Fenton, Manager, Midleton Credit Union
By Linda Barry 28 Feb, 2024
We have worked with Infinity IT for a number of years now and I would highly recommend them. The team at Infinity IT have worked with us to upgrade our IT systems; significantly improving our IT security and business continuity plans in that time. They have also been able to identify cost saving measures for us in terms of our email and licensing packages. The Infinity IT support team are quick to resolve any queries for us through their dedicated support desk and the monthly security reports provide great oversight and reassurance that our IT systems are secure and efficient. Liz Hogan, Clinic Manager, Wellington Eye Clinic
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Recent data breaches across healthcare organisations highlight the urgency for robust cybersecurity measures. In this blog post, we explore the challenges faced by the healthcare industry and how Infinity IT's comprehensive cybersecurity solutions are helping organisations protect their digital infrastructure. The Alarming Rise of Healthcare Cyberattacks: Hacking incidents, particularly targeting network servers and emails, account for over 80% of attacks, posing significant threats to electronic health records (EHR) and personal health records (PHR). Understanding the Impact: The implications of healthcare data breaches extend beyond compromised records. Cyberattacks can lead to severe consequences, affecting the efficiency of medical procedures, increasing mortality rates, and causing long-term financial and mental distress for patients. The evolving tactics of cybercriminals demand a proactive and resilient cybersecurity approach to ensure the safety of patient care. Infinity IT and SonicWall have joined forces to address this challenge. For the past three decades, SonicWall has been at the forefront of cybersecurity, working closely with healthcare providers to enhance security, and operational efficiency, and reduce IT costs. Our Boundless Cybersecurity approach integrates security, central management, advanced analytics, and unified threat management across their entire security solutions portfolio, forming the robust Capture Cloud Platform. Essential Cybersecurity Solutions for Healthcare Organisations: In the face of advancing threats and government-backed ransomware assaults, our cybersecurity solutions emerge as a vital lifeline. These solutions strengthen networks, secure IoT medical devices, and safeguard patient data. Our portfolio comprehensively addresses the intricate security requirements of the healthcare sector, providing a crucial defense against cyber threats. To Summarise: Healthcare organisations must prioritise cybersecurity to ensure patient safety and the uninterrupted delivery of care. Our Cybersecurity approach and comprehensive solutions offer a strategic advantage, empowering healthcare providers to proactively defend against evolving threats and secure the future of healthcare delivery. As the healthcare industry navigates the challenges of an increasingly digital landscape, SonicWall stands as a trusted partner, dedicated to closing the cybersecurity gap for enterprises, governments, and SMBs worldwide. Case Study: “The SMA device rapidly allowed our newly deployed workforce complete access to their internal applications. We now have physicians working from home without problem. We extended our physicians reading environment to their homes, and we’ve moved our scheduling department from in-house to at-home workers.” Michael Brown, IT Director, Women’s Center for Radiology
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Fantastic experience with Infinity IT for the on-boarding of their Managed IT Support Service! Smooth and efficient on-boarding process! Credit to the team for their impeccable organisation and attention to detail. They made the transition seamless, ensuring no disruption to our daily operations. Exceptional communication throughout the on-boarding journey. The Infinity IT team was always responsive and kept us informed at every step. We are thoroughly satisfied with the on-boarding experience and are confident that Infinity IT is the right partner for our Managed IT Support. Looking forward to a long and successful collaboration with a team that truly understands our IT needs. Andrew Higgs, CTO, Community Credit Union
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