London-Based Asset Management Firm Duet Group Opts for DataFort

Duet Group, the London-based alternative asset management firm, has
selected MSP DataFort Ltd to meet its
recovery time objective, remove the reliance on tape backup and protect its server backup with Hi-5, a suite of business continuity and DR services.

The Hi-5 service ensures compliance with FSA data storage guidelines, whilst
replacing the indefinite recovery time frames provided by tape backup with
guaranteed SLAs for recovery of data, server failure or loss of access to their
business premises.

Duet Group is a global alternative asset manager, founded in 2002.
The group manages over US$2.7 billion of assets over three business areas:
Hedge Funds, Private Equity and Funds of Hedge Funds.

Replacing the old-fashioned and time-consuming process of tape
backup, the Hi-5, HA service will allow Duet Group to exceed FSA customer
service and data security guidelines and requirements while meeting a RTO. As an asset management firm, Duet will from time to time hold
sensitive data, such as personal and investor information, market holdings and
risk details which the company has a duty to hold securely for at least five
years in premises located at least 7 miles away from their primary business
location. As an FSA-regulated organisation, failure to comply with these
regulations could result in significant financial penalties and full server
backup is critical.

The HA service from DataFort has replaced the tape backup process
which may potentially prove less satisfactory from a recovery perspective due
to the fact that recovery of data could take in excess of 5-10 hours. Also,
since tape backup often occurs only once each day, it may leave as much as 24
hours’ worth of data exposed to permanent loss. Such risks are unacceptable in
an industry where the ability to trade instantly when market conditions demand
it can mean the difference between making or losing money for Duet Group and its clients. In contrast, DataFort’s Hi-5 backup
images are kept in synchronization with all the protected machines,
meaning that the potential to lose data is minimized. In the event of server
failure, Duet Group will continue trading from a virtual server running inside
a local backup appliance, with a maximum downtime of under 2 hours meeting its
recovery time objective.

Tue Sando, general counsel at Duet Group, comments: "Duet takes the protection of our clients’
data extremely seriously. DataFort’s Hi 5 service has allowed Duet to
strengthen its Business Recovery Program and ensure that it not only complies
with the FSA’s data storage guidelines but also gives our clients the best and
the quickest data recovery service which an antiquated tape technology would
not be able to provide."

Duet has contracted for DataFort’s Hi-5 HA – a near replication
speed onsite/offsite server imaging and data archival service – to protect its
business critical servers.

Sando continues: "Mismanagement
of sensitive data is a serious risk in our business. With this in mind, we
required a system which would ensure beyond doubt that our data could not be
lost and could also be recovered safely and quickly. The Hi-5 solution from
DataFort does just that – within 120 minutes we can be trading again with data
made available from the backup appliance. In contrast, the tape solution could
take in excess of a day to retrieve data, and with no guarantee of a complete
replication. In an industry such as ours, this was absolutely unacceptable."

Sando concludes: "The
choice to use DataFort above their competitors was simple. We wanted a provider
who was large enough to survive the economic downturn, but not too big for us
to be overlooked, as well as providing solid disaster recovery technology.
DataFort gives us a full server backup and comprehensive service with an
exemplary working relationship. The system is reliable and has given us the
security which we required to remain compliant as well as to continue to manage
clients’ funds effectively with little or no disruption through a server
failure."