Continuity Software Launches AvailabilityGuard/Cloud

Continuity Software Ltd. announced AvailabilityGuard/Cloud, a private cloud automated health check solution that detects
cross-domain configuration errors across all layers of IT – all the way from
application server to the database VM, physical infrastructure, SAN, NAS and
clustering – in order to eliminate data loss and business downtime risks.

The service was created in response to the increasing rate at which
organizations are deploying critical applications in virtualized private clouds
and consequently, the rise in private cloud downtime and data-loss events.
While the benefits of virtualization are impossible to ignore, it has also
become apparent that managing a private cloud infrastructure involves
manually-intensive processes that are prone to failure, often with a
devastating effect on business service availability. With limited visibility
across private cloud infrastructure layers, IT organizations have been unable
to detect problems ahead of time and prevent them from disrupting the business.
Even the the best ones are learning that ensuring service
availability and data protection across their private cloud environment is
easier said than done.

This program extends the company downtime and data loss risk detection
capabilities from the datacenter environment to the private cloud. The solution
enables users to discover and eliminate vulnerabilities well before they impact
the business, leveraging the patent-pending Risk Discovery Engine coupled with
the continuously updated Risk Signature Knowledgebase of known and
emerging private cloud configuration issues. Moreover, it provides management
reports with high-level executive summaries followed by supportive drill-down
reporting that make it easier for IT organizations to wrap their arms around
even the most complicated environment.

"Constructing a private cloud – and then ensuring the
availability of applications and data that run on that cloud is a very
difficult task," said Jean S. Bozman, Research VP, IDC. "On
the cloud, not being able to access applications and data has a highly negative
impact on the business– as operational costs continue to climb until outages
are repaired and resolved by IT staff. Many sites are learning the hard way
that availability must be "built in" from the beginning. The longer
the downtime – the greater the cost. Continuity Software’s
AvailabilityGuard/Cloud directly addresses these issues by ensuring best
practices through automation, and by finding vulnerabilities long before
business impact."

Deni Connor, Founding Analyst, Storage and Server Strategies NOW,
stated: "Another interesting dilemma resulting from increasingly well
publicized private cloud failures is the possibility of cloud avoidance. In
other words, will the fear of a failure or loss of control cause some IT
professionals to simply avoid moving to the private cloud? Further, would
moving critical business applications to the private cloud without the proper
tools in place to prevent avoidable failures fall into the negligence category?
And, what does this negligence mean for the business and/or the individual
employee from a compliance standpoint – is there a risk of civil and criminal
penalties? The answer is ‘yes’."

She continued: "With that
said: since the advantages of virtualization are simply too powerful to ignore,
avoiding cloud deployment is not a viable strategy. I urge all IT professionals
to do their homework, team with the best technology, service providers and/or
expert advisors to design and deploy their cloud, and then ensure its success
with a solution such as Continuity Software’s AvailabilityGuard/Cloud."

"The benefits of private cloud are indisputable, as is the
business risk that comes with it," said Doron Pinhas, CTO Continuity
Software. "As practically every app server, database, storage, OS,
cluster and virtualization vendor is updating or publishing a hefty best
practices guide on almost a quarterly basis, organizations are finding
themselves unable to follow and confidently implement reliable private cloud infrastructure
for business critical applications."

He continued: "AvailabilityGuard/Cloud
enables organizations to control the risks and maximize ROI by eliminating
downtime and data loss threats. It also allows IT organizations to enhance
coordination across domains (e.g., virtualization, storage, OS and
applications) and increase operational efficiency by preventing problems ahead
of time rather than expend excessive resources firefighting critical service
disruptions."