Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Support for

Failover clustering plays a critical role in serious disaster recovery strategies. Windows Server 2008 R2 failover clustering support introduced enterprise-class fault tolerance and recoverability to Microsoft's server platform. Windows Server 2012 R2 builds on this technology and offers important new and enhanced features that offer more expandability, non-stop storage availability for server applications, easier management, quicker automatic failover, and more options for designing failover clusters.

In addition to offering comprehensive Windows Server 2012 R2 consulting services, Progent's Microsoft-certified failover clustering experts can help optimize your Windows Server 2012 R2 clustering deployment to build a high-availability/disaster recovery solution or assist you to design and deploy a failover cluster environment powered by a modern version of Windows Server. Propgent can provide online or on-premises consulting services and technical support for clustered physical servers or virtual machines, and show you how to streamline the management of clustered servers.

New and Improved Features of Windows Server 2012 R2 Failover Clustering
With failover clustering, if any clustered servers (called nodes) stop working properly, other servers automatically and transparently take up (or failover) their workloads such as Exchange Server or SQL Server. Cluster Shared Volume (CSV) is a refinement of failover clustering that provides a consistent, shared namespace that clustered services and applications (called roles) can use to utilize shared storage regardless of the node that is currently running them. This ability to replace IT resources on the fly can dramatically enhance network availability and facilitate rapid recovery in case of a localized catastrophic event.

The failover clustering enhancements built into Microsoft Windows Server 2012 R2 include:

Cluster Expandability
Failover clusters in Windows Server 2012 R2 can scale to a greater number of nodes and virtual machines than clusters in Windows Server'2008'R2. Windows Server 2012 R2 scales to 64 nodes and 8,000 virtual machines per cluster. In contrast, Windows Server 2008 R2 supports 16 nodes and 1,000 virtual machines per cluster.

Server Manager and Failover Cluster Manager
Windows Server 2012 R2's Server Manager makes it easy to manage cluster nodes by enabling remote multi-server management as well as the remote installation of roles and features. Server Manager can also start Failover Cluster Manager, which provides a wealth of new features including new search, filtering, and custom views; the ability to select a defined set of VMs for performing desired operations such as live migration; one-click configuration of Cluster Shared Volumes (CSVs); and support for Hyper-V Replica for point-in-time replication of VMs.

Virtual Machine Mobility
Multiple live migrations including VM storage can be initiated at the same time to nodes with adequate resources and failed migrations are automatically retried. In addition, you can add or a virtual machine to a failover cluster while the VM is running.

Cluster Shared Volumes
Improvements to Cluster Shared Volumes (CSVs), which provide clustered VMs with common storage, include storage capabilities for additional clustered roles, the CSV proxy file system (CSVFS), support for BitLocker encryption, Direct I/O for faster access to file data, elimination of external authentication dependencies, integration with SMB Multichannel and SMB Direct for better performance and with Storage Spaces for lower-cost storage, and the ability to scan and fix volumes without service disruption.

Support for Scale-Out File Servers
The new clustered file server makes it possible to store server application data like Hyper-V virtual machine files on scale-out (known as active-active) file shares, offering performance and manageability similar to storage area network (SAN) solutions.

Cluster-Aware Updating (CAU)
This new feature allows the automation of software updates to the host operating system or other system components on clustered servers without downtime.

Monitoring and Managing VM Applications
This new capability enables high-level monitoring of applications hosted on clustered VMs running Windows Server 2012 R2.

Integration with Active Directory Domain Services
Enhanced integration with Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS) improves flexibility and resilience by including easy alignment of failover cluster dependencies on AD DS, automated recovery of unintentionally removed cluster virtual computer objects (VCOs), support for cluster deployments in branch office with read-only domain controllers, and the ability for failover clusters to start without AD DS dependencies.

Cluster Quorum Management
Improvements to cluster quorum management that simplify quorum setup and increase the uptime of clusters during the failover process include a revamped quorum configuration wizard, the ability to assign which nodes have quorum votes, and the ability to automate quorum vote assignment depending on the current state of the node.

Enhancements to the Cluster Migration Wizard
The enhanced Migrate a Cluster Wizard in Windows Server 2012 R2 simplifies the tasks of installing, updating, and migrating Windows 2008 failover clusters through improvements that include the ability to export and re-import Hyper-V VMs, migrate to Cluster Shared Volume (CSV) disks, map virtual networks and storage, and reuse current storage.

Task Scheduler Integration
Windows Server 2012 R2 failover clustering features a new integrated Task Scheduler that makes it possible to use Windows PowerShell cmdlets to configure cluster tasks, providing a versatile tool for utilizing cluster resources to run processes or applications at set times. Tasks can be scheduled to run on a single random node, all nodes, or nodes with specified resources.

Windows PowerShell support
An enhanced Failover Cluster module for Windows PowerShell provides a library of cmdlets for automating support for the Failover Clustering features in Windows Server 2012 R2. New cmdlets support a variety of features such as the ability to manage cluster registry checkpoints, create Scale-Out File Servers, monitor VM applications, change the properties of a Distributed Network Name resource, create and manage clustered tasks, and create a fault-tolerant iSCSI Target Server.

For details about Progent's consulting expertise for Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V, which provides enhanced support for failover clustering, refer to Progent's Consulting Services for Windows Server 2012 R2 Hyper-V.

How Progent Can Help You Benefit from Microsoft's Failover Clustering
Progent's Microsoft-certified consultants can help you evaluate the business benefits of Windows Server 2012 R2 failover clustering, set up test systems to help you optimize performance and ensure compatibility for your critical workloads, design and carry out an efficient roll-out plan, train your administration staff to manage your failover clustering solution, and provide as-needed consulting and technical support either online or onsite to keep your system productive. Progent can also provide comprehensive Help Desk services.

Progent's service professionals can also help you migrate to Windows Server 2012 R2 Failover Clusters from Windows Server 2008 R2 or from Windows Server 2003 clustering technology.

Progent's CISM, CISA, GIAC, CRISC, and CISSP certified security engineers can assess the protection offered by your cluster environment and can recommend and implement affordable improvements. Progent's security experts can also help you design, document, and validate disaster recovery and business continuity and plans.

If you are considering the creation of a hybrid network model that integrates on-premises resources with public cloud services like those offered by Microsoft Azure, Progent can help you evaluate and deploy Windows Server 2019 or Windows Server 2016, which incorporate major elements of Azure technology and are designed to support hybrid networks. See Progent's Windows Server 2019 DR/BC consulting and Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery consulting.

Fault Tolerant Solutions Provided by Progent's Experts
Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-certified engineers can assist your company to design a sensible, fault-tolerant system that resolves major issues encompassing a broad array of networking solutions and operations such as:

Workplace Recovery Planning
Progent's disaster recovery planning consultants can help you design a workplace recovery plan so you can resume IT functionality in case of an IT system catastrophe. Progent can assist you to create a comprehensive disaster recovery strategy that incorporates periodic disaster recovery evaluations and testing. Progent's Microsoft and Cisco-authorized consultants can also show you how to build an affordable, zero-downtime network architecture that takes into account reliability issues involving a wide array of network technologies and processes. To find out more, go to Disaster Recovery Consulting and Support Services.

CRISC-Premier Network Risk Control
The Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control (CRISC) program was established by ISACA to validate an IT professional's ability to plan, implement, and maintain information system control mechanisms to reduce risk. Progent can provide the services of a CRISC-certified engineer to assist you to develop and execute a workplace continuity plan that follows industry best practices identified by CRISC and geared to align with your company's risk appetite, business objectives, and budgetary guidelines. For more information, visit CRISC-Premier IT risk mitigation specialists.

Microsoft Server 2019 High Availability Failover Clustering
Microsoft Windows Server 2019 introduced significant enhancements in scale, performance, manageability, security and compliance, app compatibility, Linux support, Kubernetes networking, and hybrid integration of on-premises and cloud assets. Top enhancements of Microsoft Windows Server 2019 include Windows Admin Center for centralizing the management of hybrid local/cloud deployments, System Insights for taking advantage of modern predictive analytics to manage local environments, Windows Defender ATP Exploit Guard for host-intrusion prevention, container orchestration using Kubernetes, Cluster Sets for deploying and managing large high-availability scale-out clusters, and Microsoft's Storage Migration Service for simplifying the migration from legacy releases of Windows Server. For more information, go to Microsoft Server 2019 Fault-tolerant Failover Clustering Support.

Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity
Progent's Windows Server 2016 disaster recovery/business continuity experts can help your organization to design a DR system based on Microsoft's cloud-tested Failover Clustering technologies such as Cluster Operating System Rolling Upgrade for non-intrusive migration to Windows Server 2016, Storage Replica for crash-consistent recovery, Storage Spaces Direct for high-performance storage clusters using low-cost hardware, Virtual Machine Load Balancing for enhancing the performance and resilience of Failover Clusters while reducing capital investment and management overhead, and Cloud Witness for fast, affordable deployment of a stretch cluster quorum witness. To read more, go to Microsoft Windows Server 2016 Disaster Recovery Expertise.

VMware Site Recovery Manager (SRM) Disaster Recovery Solutions
VMware's Site Recovery Manager (SRM) is an extension to VMware vCenter that allows you to orchestrate, automate and verify a repeatable process for restoring applications and services rapidly following an outage. SRM provides centrally managed and automated disaster recovery, application mobility, plus transparent site migration, failback and site re-protect. SRM also allows transparent testing for disaster recovery, updates and patches and can generate reports to confirm complete service recovery, validate SLAs and prove compliance. Progent can provide the skills of a VCDX certified VMware Site Recovery Manager consultant to assist you to plan, configure, test and maintain a disaster recovery solution powered by VMware SRM.

NetApp MetroCluster High Availability and Disaster Recovery Software
NetApp MetroCluster is a disaster recovery software suite that uses failover storage clustering with replication to provide rapid, zero data loss disaster recovery (DR) between sites located as far as 300km away from one another. Progent can provide online or on-premises access to a NetApp MetroCluster consultant who can assist you to plan, configure, administer, update, test and troubleshoot a disaster recovery system built around NetApp MetroCluster. Progent can help you to choose an architecture for your MetroCluster environment that meets your functional needs and budget. Progent can make sure you adhere to best practices for installing your MetroCluster solution by providing guidance with tasks such as assigning disk pools, arranging aggregate and plexes layout, provisioning volumes, setting up NetApp Snapshot, provisioning switches, designing a tiebreaker mechanism, setting up a configuration replication network, and verifying your DR solution to verify adherence with information assurance standards and regulatory requirements.

Network Load Balancing
Progent offers fault tolerant load balancing support covering network load balancing, load balanced applications, LAN/WAN backbone routing, and content delivery technology including Cisco Content Engine. High availability load balancing solutions for which Progent can provide consulting expertise include Microsoft Windows Server 2003 and 2008 Network Load Balancing Manager, Citrix Access Suite and Access Gateway, Cisco CSS, Cisco Content Engine and Cisco CDN Software, and F5 Networks 3-DNS. To find out more, go to High Availability Load Balancing.

Zero Downtime Colocation
Progent's Data Center engineers can help you identify fault-tolerant data centers that match the specific needs of your company. Fault tolerant off-site data centers are especially appealing to small and mid-size organizations due to of their low cost and convenience in comparison to taking a do-it-yourself approach. Trying to design an on-site data center with even a minimum level of fault tolerance is too expensive for the majority of small companies. Progent can help you reap all the advantages of 24x7 colo sites by offering a complete range of consulting and support services. For more information, visit Fault Tolerant Internet Data Centers Consulting.

High-Availability Inter-office Networking
Progent's interoffice network infrastructure professionals can help organizations create zero-downtime inter-site connections via redundant networks featuring transparent failover. Progent's Cisco-certified CCIE engineers can plan and deploy ultra-reliable Inter-office connections supported by zero-downtime EIGRP network routers or non-stop OSPF deployment of Cisco routers. Progent can demonstrate how multi-path connections and automatic fail-over can provide affordable non-stop interoffice connectivity. For more information, visit Failsafe Interoffice Connectivity.

24x7 Internet Connectivity
Progent's Cisco-certified network consultants can show you how to create an economical, high availability Internet connection solution that can achieve non-stop Internet connectivity via a broad range of fault tolerant Internet network technologies including non-stop BGP, automatic fail-over, and multiple ISPs. Progent offers CCIE engineers to help you utilize the most advanced technology for 24x7 Internet connections to build an affordable, completely redundant Internet interface with automatic failover and other features to create zero-downtime Internet connections. To read more, see Non-stop Internet Connectivity Solutions.

Backup and Recovery Technology Consulting
Progent offers economical online access to IT engineers skilled in a wide array of products and services that deliver solutions for protecting Microsoft Windows, Apple Mac, and Linux servers and desktops as well as laptops and handhelds. Progent offers help for leading data protection platforms such as Acronis Backup and Recovery, Backup Exec, BackupAssist, HP Data Protector, Double-Take Software, Mozy, Retrospect for Macintosh, Apple Time Machine, VMware Data Recovery, and FLARs. Progent can help you to implement, enhance, or troubleshoot data backup solutions for a range of topologies including local, edge to datacenter, cloud-based, or hybrid. For details, go to Backup and Restore Technology Consulting and Support Services.

System Center Data Protection Manager Backup and Recovery Consultants
Progent's expert System Center Data Protection Manager engineers can help your company to create an effective business continuity plan, implement an affordable fault-tolerante IT architecture, deploy a Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager-based backup and restore solution, comprehensively validate your system, educate your administrative staff or regular consultants how to maintain SCDPM, or provide extensive IT support outsourcing such as off-site hosting of Microsoft System Center Data Protection Manager machines in Progent's data center. For more information, go to System Center Data Protection Manager Consulting and Support Services.

Barracuda Backup Multi-site and Cloud Data Backup and Disaster Recovery
Barracuda Backup is a low-cost, subscription backup/restore service for small and mid-size organizations. A Barracuda Backup solution can incorporate a custom-designed hardware appliance manufactured by Barracuda or a virtual appliance with similar functionality but which uses your own storage hardware. Barracuda Backup safeguards vital business data produced on-premises, at one or multiple remote sites, or in the cloud. For disaster recovery, you can replicate data to the Barracuda Cloud, to Amazon AWS, or to any location with a Barracuda Backup appliance. Progent is a Barracuda partner and Progent's Barracuda Backup consulting experts offer a broad array of consulting services to help your business to plan, integrate, operate and debug a backup and disaster recovery solution built on Barracuda technology. For additional information, see Barracuda Backup and disaster recovery consulting and management.

ProSight Altaro VM Backup Software for Data Protection and Disaster Recovery
Hornetsecurity's Altaro VM Backup software offers small businesses a dependable and affordable solution for backing up and restoring Hyper-V and VMware-powered VMs. Altaro VM Backup can be used for local, remote, multi-site, and cloud architectures and also supports cost-effective cloud backup to Azure Block Blob storage. Altaro VM Backup includes high-end capabilities like Immutable Cloud Storage for enhanced protection from ransomware. Progent is a certified Hornetsecurity Altaro partner and can provide a wide array of remote or onsite services to help you to plan, deploy, manage and debug a comprehensive backup/restore system based on Altaro VM Backup software. With ProSight Data Protection Services Altaro VM Backup, Progent offers a managed backup/restore service based on Altaro VM Backup. To learn more, go to Altaro VM Backup consulting.

ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup Solutions for Microsoft 365
Microsoft 365 offers rudimentary archiving but does not have native support for key data protection services such as Exchange Online backups or long-term point-in-time data recovery for OneDrive for Business or SharePoint. Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup delivers a full-featured BDR solution for automatic backup and rapid restoration of all your company's M365 mailboxes, Teams Chats, SharePoint sites, OneDrive for Business data, and content on Windows desktops and laptops. Progent is an authorized Hornetsecurity/Altaro partner and has designed ProSight Data Protection Services (DPS) 365 Total Backup to deliver comprehensive managed services for Hornetsecurity's 365 Total Backup suite. ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup provides a budget-friendly backup-as-a-service (BaaS) solution that guards M365 components against data loss caused by human or system error, malevolent deletion, and cyber assaults such as ransomware. For more information, visit ProSight DPS 365 Total Backup services for Microsoft 365.

Fully Managed Cloud Backup: ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO
ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO from Progent provide small and medium-sized organizations a low cost end-to-end service for secure backup/disaster recovery (BDR). For a fixed monthly cost, ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO automates and monitors your backup processes and allow rapid recovery of critical files, applications and VMs that have become unavailable or corrupted as a result of component breakdowns, software bugs, disasters, human error, or malware attacks such as ransomware. ProSight DPS ECHO can help you protect, retrieve and restore files, folders, apps, system images, plus Microsoft Hyper-V and VMware virtual machine images. Critical data can be protected on the cloud, to an on-premises device, or mirrored to both. Progent's backup and recovery consultants can deliver advanced expertise to set up ProSight Data Protection Services ECHO to to comply with regulatory standards such as HIPAA, FINRA, and PCI and, whenever needed, can help you to restore your business-critical data. Find out more about ProSight DPS ECHO managed backup.

ProSight MSP360 Backup Solutions
Progent's data protection experts can assist your company to create, deploy and troubleshoot a backup plan based on MSP360 technology. MSP360 offers file or image backup/restore for virtual machines and physical machines, supports all leading public clouds, and allows businesses to build a data protection solution with a low Recovery Time Objective and a granular RPO. With ProSight MSP360 Backup, Progent can provide comprehensive monitoring and management of your backup system to prevent data loss resulting from user miscues, system errors, malicious insiders, and external attacks such as ransomware. To find out more, go to ProSight MSP360 Backup solutions.

Consulting for Double-Take Software for Backup and Recovery
Double-Take publishes a family of tools designed to deliver small businesses a variety of cost-effective solutions for backing up and restoring business-critical workloads including Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL Server, Blackberry, and SharePoint. Progent's business continuity planning consultants have in-depth backgrounds integrating Double-Take Software products into small company information networks to achieve a high level of availability and disaster recovery capability at an affordable cost. For more information, see Consulting Services Double-Take Solutions for Backup.

Why Choose Progent for Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity Planning?
Since Progent is a Microsoft AI Cloud Partner and offers specialized application expertise for a broad variety of business software programs, Progent can help clients to arrive at efficient IT solutions that optimize the productivity of your information system. As a Registered Partner for Cisco, Progent offers the expertise of certified engineers and specialists with experience in architecting, deploying and troubleshooting networking solutions built on Cisco technology. The depth of Progent's technical experience and Progent's sensitivity to the needs of small and midsize businesses make Progent the ideal partner for building and maintaining an affordable, dependable network.

How You Can Access Progent's Engineers for Help with Non-stop IT Systems
In order to get in touch with Progent about technical help for high availability IT design, call 1-800-993-9400 or see Contact Progent.