Asigra Launches Hybrid Cloud Backup Service

Toronto-based cloud backup and recovery software provider Asigra announced the Hybrid Cloud Backup and Recovery platform, a ninth-generation platform which allows users to outsource backup to a public cloud, build a private cloud or select a hybrid of the two models.

The latest edition offers improvements in security, automation and efficiency and is the first backup and recovery software to receive FIPS (Federal Information Processing Standard) 140 NIST (National Institute of Standards and Technology) certification, which is used to accredit cryptographic modules. Available immediately, pricing starts from $300 (£183) and scales based on environment.

The company says security conscious organisations can employ a new password rotation feature, which can automatically generate and change passwords at random for specific user accounts so unauthorised persons cannot access private data. The software also allows the migration of backup data from the internal data center to a cloud service provider’s facility (or vice-versa) using an integrated data migration tool.

“Backup needs to change – not just incrementally but significantly – in order to capture the efficiencies of cloud computing,” says Asigra’s executive vice president Eran Farajun. “Our latest generation product allows users to optimise, economize, and modernise their backup strategy by addressing today’s most challenging data backup pain-points.”

Asigra says its software allows users to leverage the public cloud, build their own private cloud or integrate both into a hybrid data protection model, allowing businesses to alternate between the two approaches for onsite and offsite recovery. The platform also includes tools that allow users to analyse the entire concentration of data on the network and identify storage inefficiencies like stale or redundant data.

“With more than 85 locations to protect, our challenge was the consolidation of backup and recovery operations across a large number of geographically dispersed sites,” said Grahame McKenzie, director of IT infrastructure and administration for Atlanta-based claims solutions firm Crawford and Company (Canada) Inc. “With its single-screen management and architecture designed for centralized backup and recovery, Asigra has allowed us to refocus our resources on more strategic projects by eliminating the time, expense and risk of traditional data protection.”

Brad Nisbet, program manager for storage and data management services at research firm IDC, says in line with the advantages of cloud computing, Asigra’s hybrid approach to cloud backup and recovery offers automation and efficiencies geared toward driving down capital and operational expenses associated with data protection. “Organisations are adopting cloud computing on a widespread basis which is a trend expected to continue over the next five years,” he says.