With Microsoft ending support for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 being phased out in July 2015, many small businesses (especially those running SBS 2003) are exploring their options for the easiest and most affordable transition to new server and workstation operating systems.
For IT providers, this offers an opportunity to not only update client operating systems, but also to start a conversation about virtualization. Migrating legacy systems from physical machines into a virtual environment offers numerous benefits:
- Data availability – Access to older systems, applications, and data
- Isolate an unsupported OS – ability to negate security risks that an unsupported
OS exposed to the Internet causes, while still offering access to it - Compliance – A single machine with an unsupported operating system, connected to the Internet, can place healthcare and other organizations out of compliance with government regulations (HIPAA).
- Maintenance costs – Reduction in number of physical machines to be administered
- Productivity – Added capacity, functionality, and software compatibility gained from the upgrade of hardware and/or operating systems
,and applications
But for all the benefits, keeping expenses low and achieving maximum ROI from any technology investment must remain at the forefront of thinking for any small or medium-size business. When it comes to protecting company data on both Physical and Virtual systems, business owners don’t have the time to administer overly-complex solutions.
As you build your toolkit and explore the best ways to protect client data during OS migration and following the rollout of virtual technology, consider the following:
- The ability to backup Physical and Virtual machines from a single interface
- The flexibility to snapshot and replicate virtual machines for disaster recovery scenarios
- Restoring single files from a Virtual Machine backup instantly, without having to restore the entire Virtual Machine beforehand
- All-inclusive products that don’t charge extra for specific features
- Support – Is it truly the manufacturer, or an outsourced company? Located where?
NovaStor’s NovaBACKUP 16 - slated for release later this month, opens up a world of new possibilities for IT providers, who can now protect physical and virtual machines from a single interface, achieving maximum value.
While the NovaBACKUP Business Essentials product has always been an excellent option for affordable backup, adding impressive new virtualization capability to the software comes at an excellent time for SMB IT providers who need to protect client data as they adopt new technologies.
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