The data centre offers the following:
Class-A facilities, equipped with fire suppression. Fire detection sensors that include both heat and smoke sensing devices are connected to a fire suppression system that is capable of early detection of imminent electrical fire.
Security cameras
Biometric personnel access control as well as photographic identification
Uninterruptible Power Supply systems with backup battery arrays – providing a high level of redundancy
Backup diesel electricity generators, with a large fuel reserve in a fire-protected location.
High-end firewalls protect all data that you have stored
Clustering and mirroring techniques to ensure that stored data is always available
Secure internet line encryption (SSL) to protect your data while each remote backup is being performed
Backup is stored and encrypted using Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)
Backup Professional Server edition
Backup Professional Server Edition is necessary for each server that will be backing up to an onsite or cloud storage platform.
Cloud Backup per GB pricing includes Primary and DR storage – all inclusive in the flat rate per GB per month.
Licenses, whether on a perpetual or rental basis, will be purchased or rented through Vodacom even for Onsite Storage Platform implementations.
A mirror only option is available should you require disaster recovery only.
A management console is provided allowing you to create a MSI installer for servers and desktops requiring backups, to view backup successes and failures and to administer and manage your own backup environment.
This is a self-installed and self-managed solution. Telephonic support will be provided for first time installations. Detailed installations manuals and user guides will be provided to you, together with the information needed to connect to the Storage Platform and in order to complete the installation successfully.
The contracted number of licenses on the Cloud Storage platform will limit the number of allowable server and desktop instances connecting to the cloud in order to backup.
When you create a backup schedule, the application will request a password in order to create an encryption key – ensuring security of data in transit and also on disk. It is your responsibility to ensure this password is kept safe and is recoverable. Loss of the password will mean that data cannot be unencrypted. Vodacom will not be held responsible for data that cannot be unencrypted. If the encryption key is lost, Vodacom will not be able to restore data in a readable format.
An initial Snapshot of data can be made to an external hard drive to save on the bandwidth cost of transmitting the initial backup over the access medium. You will need to back up the data in question to a self-provided external hard drive, using the Cloud Backup application.
The external hard drive needs to be couriered or transported to Vodacom MTB Data Centre at your own cost.
The external hard drive will be received by a Vodacom installations engineer at MTB data centre, data will be staged, AV checks done and data copied to the Storage Platform by the Vodacom engineer. The external hard drive will be handed back you.
You can know schedule your own backups, where incremental data will be sent over the access medium to the Cloud.
Data is kept on disk for a maximum of one calendar month. Extended retention periods can be facilitated, upon request and at an additional cost for the storage component of the solution only.
A suitable access medium is required in accordance with the amount of data to be backed up. A solutions architect should be consulted in order to determine the correct amount of bandwidth to be incremented in order to meet backup windows required by the customer.
Cloud Backup is available for customers both hosted within Vodacom’s Data Centres as well as at a remote location.
Staged and Streaming backup methods are available. Streaming recommended in high bandwidth scenarios and staged in low bandwidth scenarios.
Backup Professional Desktop & Laptop edition
Backup Pro D&L Edition is a secure, self-managed backup solution that enables you to backup desktops and laptops to the Cloud.
The ability to backup over the internet allows you to backup remotely from any computer that has internet access.
The backup application is self-installed and self-managed.
An installation and user manual will be provided to you allowing successful self-installation of the backup application.
You are responsible for your own backup schedules and management of successes and failures.
Data being backed up is secured through encryption both in transit and on disk.
An encryption key is generated when the backup service is initially configured and you need to keep it secure in order to unencrypt data. You are responsible for the encryption key. Loss of the encryption key means that your data will only be able to be restored in its encrypted non readable state.
The application or GUI will automatically upgrade without user intervention when the storage platform sitting at Vodacom is upgraded to the next version of software.
