Download PDF
Tape Backups Labor-Intensive and Inefficient
Technology Category
- Application Infrastructure & Middleware - Data Exchange & Integration
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Backup & Recovery
- Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) - Cloud Storage Services
Applicable Industries
- Marine & Shipping
Applicable Functions
- Business Operation
Services
- Cloud Planning, Design & Implementation Services
- System Integration
The Challenge
When Drew Marine was sold, it was left with offices scattered around the globe and no IT team. There were no longer systems in place to protect or preserve vital company data. Griffith needed a fast solution and turned to tapes for a quick fix because on paper, that seemed to meet the company’s needs. Testing tape backups and restores between six different locations showed that it would be quite challenging and inefficient to use a tape solution. “Tapes don’t work when your offices are spread across the world,” said Griffith. Drew Marine does not have staff solely dedicated to IT in most locations, so sending tapes back and forth through the mail and having to explain what to do with them wasn’t feasible. Griffith was familiar with Symantec’s Backup Exec and CommVault backup solutions and knew they would not be able to meet Drew Marine’s needs. He decided to get demos and compare pricing for Iron Mountain, EVault, and Barracuda. “I had always used expensive solutions in the past, but this time I was focused on something that was easy-to-use and affordable,” explained Griffith. Describing his demo experience, Griffith said, “I thought if the actual backup product was even half as good as what Barracuda had depicted, we would never need to use anything else.”
About The Customer
Drew Marine is a global leader providing technical solutions and services to the marine industry with a comprehensive line of advanced marine chemicals and equipment. Drew Marine’s global network offers onboard and shore-side technical support in each of their 20 locations, which houses more than 600 employees. Allwyn Griffith, Director of Enterprise Infrastructure, leads the Drew Marine IT team. The company is headquartered in Whippany, NJ, and has 20 offices around the world. Drew Marine is known for its innovative solutions and commitment to customer satisfaction, making it a trusted name in the marine industry.
The Solution
Drew Marine deployed eight Barracuda Backup appliances over three years: four Barracuda Backup 190s and four Barracuda Backup 490s. Griffith is happy that he does not have to hire an IT specialist for every Drew Marine location to handle backups. Even the installation can be done without IT expertise. He says that it only requires plugging in hardware and typing in the IP address, and that he has successfully walked non-technical employees through set-up in the past, saving IT resources. A much-appreciated perk is fast, easy file restoration. Griffith explains, “It’s so easy. I get a call from Japan, roll out of bed, connect to the Internet, log in to the portal, restore the file, and go back to bed. The entire process takes less than five minutes, and the employee in Japan has his file back right away. You can’t do that with tape! Everyone’s happy.” When Drew Marine’s data was left unprotected, Allwyn Griffith stepped in to rectify the problem. After trying a tape backup solution and finding it was inefficient, he tried more advanced solutions and chose Barracuda Networks. He has purchased four Barracuda Backup appliances and is thrilled with how easy they are to deploy, manage, and use to restore files. In addition, he’s happy that it doesn’t require any special training to deploy and use it.
Operational Impact
Quantitative Benefit
Related Case Studies.
Case Study
Drill ship power challenge: hybrid solution solves distribution issues
Aspin Kemp & Associates (AKA), a manufacturer of electrical power and control systems headquartered in Montague, PEI, encountered one with its hybrid power initiative, the first hybrid drill floor destined for installation on ultra-deepwater drill ships operated by Transocean, Swiss offshore drilling contractors. Since on-site modification was impossible and scrap recycling of any modifications was unacceptable, the enclosures had to arrive ready-to-install.
Case Study
Ensures Tanker Safety and Emissions Compliance
Storage tanks are irregular in shape and a certain amount of mathematical modelling is required to get an accurate representation of volume and, more importantly, the weight of material in each tank. In addition, countries have different emission regulations, so the ships position needed to be accurately known in order to geotag emission data.
Case Study
Real-time Networked Sonar System for Ships
A multinational, knowledge-based corporation that delivers marine electronics solutions is utilizing industrial Ethernet technology to help ensure that operations at sea are dependable and optimal. Based in Europe, the company has nearly 4000 employees working in 20 countries around the world, and produces high-tech systems for offshore oil and gas operations, merchant marine systems, and various applications for the defense and aerospace industries. The company produces products and systems used by merchant vessels and offshore installations for positioning, navigation, automation, as well as for surveying and monitoring the seabed, and for fishing vessels and fi sheries research. As one of the major suppliers of high quality marine electronics in the world, their products include chart plotters for yachts, triple redundant dynamic positioning systems for oil drilling rigs, and sonar and instrument systems for scientifi c research vessels. Products used for marine applications must be rugged enough to endure the corrosive effects of salt water, and be able to withstand excessive amounts of vibration and shock. For this reason, the company only uses DNV and GL certified products and components to ensure that their systems can meet the high standards required by the maritime industry.
Case Study
Fleet Management Connectivity Solution for Marzam
Marzam, in order to ensure the best service, invested 3 million dollars in the construction of 2 fuel oil tanks with 40k gallons and 10k gallons capacity each, located in Manta, Ecuador. The customer needs to keep fleet operations going with fuel available at all times in order to guarantee quality of service. KEY ELEMENTS FOR THE CUSTOMER: Real-time level monitoring: Tank infrastructure remote level monitoring. Configure alerts and notifications when reaching critical values to avoid the need for emergency refills and optimize supply schedules. Real-time consumption monitoring: The customer needed an easy way to monitor in real-time accurate values of consumption.
Case Study
Mitsubishi Electric's Edge Computing Solution Powered by Wind River VxWorks
Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, a global leader in factory automation (FA) applications, identified edge computing as a critical component of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). The company aimed to enhance device and data security, reduce data traffic to the cloud, and enable faster response to network or device issues. In 2018, Mitsubishi Electric launched its first line of industrial hardware products designed for edge computing, the MELIPC Series. The primary development goals for MELIPC were to support the type of edge computing promoted by Mitsubishi Electric and to introduce advanced vision technology for device control. The flagship computer of the MELIPC line, the MI5000, was designed to combine real-time equipment control with high-speed data collection, processing, diagnosis, and feedback in a single machine. However, the development team needed a real-time control platform that could seamlessly integrate real-time control with proven analytic and diagnostic applications.
Case Study
Migrating to Software-Only Licenses for More Responsive License Management
The world’s premier shipping companies work with the software solutions of ABB Marine & Ports to get their vessels safely and efficiently to their destinations. A loyal customer of Wibu-Systems for over a decade, ABB has been relying on CodeMeter dongles to store the license keys for their ABB AbilityTM Marine Advisory System - OCTOPUS.The current version of the system is using Wibu-Systems’ robust metal-case CmStick ME, a perfect choice for the rugged conditions at sea. As satellite communications has made fast Internet connections at sea a common reality for maritime operators, the company is looking to move from physical to software solutions to streamline its logistics processes.
