Decision time: Datto, Hyper-V replica or something in between?

[marley1]

Just so you all know I've used Datto, Storagecraft, Veeam and Altaro. Along with Max Backup.

Altaro can now boot off the backup making it get up and running very quick if you have a spare host.

Same with Max Backup as it has standby image.

All have same issue if clients sites burn down.

I backup altaro to my own server and can have them up and running and have a spare terminal server that can be used.

Luckily I haven't had to use this but I have had to bring over a spare host and let them run a few days. Minimal downtime and up and running with cheaper monthly.

And

 

[freedomit]

I don't recommend either. I know the differences.

In both scenarios if your client site burns down and you need to run in the cloud what can you really do?

If they have no computers you need to setup a VPN and start joining machines to domain etc to access files.

If client has a line of business app that doesn't work over VPN what will you do?

Take even the smallest program like QB. How will the client access of they are running in cloud?

Now if your client has a local terminal server and their site burns down sure spin up in cloud and let them access it...

I signed up with Datto as I had a customer interested in a full dr solution but they were a payroll company with lots of applications and this is the same issue I hit. The only real solution is to also backup some desktops that users can login to or setup and backup an RDS server that can be used in a dr situation.

 

[timeshifter]

I signed up with Datto as I had a customer interested in a full dr solution but they were a payroll company with lots of applications and this is the same issue I hit. The only real solution is to also backup some desktops that users can login to or setup and backup an RDS server that can be used in a dr situation.

So what did you end up installing for them?

My understanding is that with Datto you can backup desktops along with your server(s), it's just a matter of storage capacity.

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

I don't recommend either. I know the differences.

In both scenarios if your client site burns down and you need to run in the cloud what can you really do?

If they have no computers you need to setup a VPN and start joining machines to domain etc to access files.

If client has a line of business app that doesn't work over VPN what will you do?

Take even the smallest program like QB. How will the client access of they are running in cloud?

Now if your client has a local terminal server and their site burns down sure spin up in cloud and let them access it...

But....we HAVE spun up clients servers in the cloud and it DOES work. Remember about 8 years ago that big storm in the early fall that cut a path through our state, all the way up New England...taking power down in some towns for over a week, if not two weeks?

We had a Siris 5000 at one of our larger clients up midstate, jet engine manufacturing client, and where their office was...it was a mess up there, whole neighborhood down for almost 2 weeks. The bosses and key people up there needed to work from home..and we spun up their servers in Dattos data centers...including Exchange. We changed their MX records, mail started going to the IPs we had for their servers......DC, file, app, terminal, exchange...presto...
We had them running with that temporary setup until all the utilities and roads and huge mess that their town had got cleaned up, powered restored, and they got to move back into their offices.
Was rather easy.

If the client doesn't have a TS....another option is, if their site burns down, and the local Siris burns down too, Datto can take a new Siris, load it with the latest server backup images they have in the data center, and overnight it to you.

Presto...set that Siris up in the clients temporary trailer home office. So there! The next day....you have a mini server room that Datto just sent you, a Siris with all the clients servers on it....there's the clients mini server room for a while until they rebuild their offices.

My biggest client...they have a "fire safe room" in the basement of their medical offices, if that building burns down, everything in that huge concrete bunker is safe. Their server room with 10 servers is on the mail floor above that bunker. Guess where I have their Siris 5000? Yup..right below in the concrete bunker! A tornado or huge fire can't hurt it down there! They're on top of a hill too so no flood either.

I'm aware that there are cheaper products doing almost similar things. Datto includes..the hardware so I can remote in and virtualize a clients server in around 15 minutes (I don't need to scramble around to find a spare box to boot up the clients backups on), Datto includes daily boot up tests, including screenshots, and sends those daily reports, Datto includes having their support remote in and fix things...instead of me spending hours. Datto includes the ready to roll cloud instances....so I can get clients servers up in less than 2 hours from the data centers...I don;'t need to scramble around and find some cloud host and invent that wheel.

It gives us a way to give the client maximum protection and flexibility, with the least amount of effort from ourselves. And if that costs a lot, and we double that and make a lot from it...so be it!

 

[YeOldeStonecat]

So what did you end up installing for them?

My understanding is that with Datto you can backup desktops along with your server(s), it's just a matter of storage capacity.

Don't forget most desktops will likely have OEM Windows licensing, so if you plan on this for clients, get them volume licenses for those important peoples desktops you wish to back up. This is the same rule of thumb for ANY brand D/R service....replibit, veam, acronis, vanilla storagecraft, whatever.