Diam Group Deploys Nakivo VM Backup Based on Synology NAS

Nakivo Inc. announced that Diam Group, a developer of merchandising solutions, has deployed Nakivo VM backup appliance based on Synology NAS to backup and replicate VMware VMs

For more than 40 years, Diam Group has been supporting brands by creating unforgettable consumer experiences at the point of sale. The company offers a range of merchandising solutions, from concept creating to engineering, production, delivery, and point of sale maintenance, and maintains high quality, creative design and social responsibility. Diam’s customers range from various cosmetics, makeup, healthcare, eye-wear, wines and spirits, watches and jewelry, and electronics brands.

Diam’s Group IT infrastructure consists of five sites in North and South America.

“We have 10 hosts and 50 VMware VMs. We have an ERP system, which is the backbone of our entire company. We have a file storage, domain controllers, wireless controllers, and some VMs run CNS routing machines for manufacturing,” says Michael Spoljaric, IT specialist, Diam Group.

“If anything goes wrong with our infrastructure, we would experience tremendous difficulties. The cost for the business would be pretty expensive, talking about a tens of thousands of dollars per day of downtime. Communication with our customers would be hindered because projects would be offline. Moreover, the ERP system, which controls project management, accounting, purchasing, payroll, and email would be down as well. We needed a dependable solution that would recover our data quickly, with minimal losses,” says Spoljaric.

Formerly, Diam Group did not have a backup solution in place and relied on manual VMware snapshots.

“We have never performed VM backups. We did not have a DR strategy. We have never experienced a disaster situation, so we were not sure, if our recovery approach was working or not,” says Spoljaric. “Nevertheless, it was time for Diam Group to turn to a well-balanced backup solution. We started to experience a little bit of downtime with VMs, so it was time to implement appropriate DR plans. We wanted to have stable VM backups and VM replication to store data offsite.“

Spoljaric found Nakivo Backup & Replication on Spiceworks and, given the 5 star rating, decided to give it a try. While Backup & Replication provides a variety of deployment options, Spoljaric decided to install the product on Synology NAS.

“I personally prefer Synology NAS installation because all components are unified in one system and our infrastructure resources are not consumed by backup workloads. What’s more, Synology-based VM backup appliance is separate from our VMware environment and can be used for recovery even if a part of our infrastructure goes down,” says Spoljaric.

“It was easy to set up the product and get it running. The web interface is not cluttered. With other software, some things are always somewhere hidden, but with Nakivo Backup & Replication, everything is in front of you, there is no need to read the manuals,” he says.

“During evenings, we perform VM backup of our ERP system and backup all other applications on weekends. VM backup is very fast and it takes us less than 2 hours to backup our entire infrastructure. In addition, having more than one copy of VM backups is vital for ensuring fast recovery, in case of a disaster. If one site goes offline, I will always have a duplicate copy at a different site. I can store my copies onsite, offsite, or in the Amazon cloud, making it more reliable and affordable,” says Spoljaric.

“With screenshot verification, I am able to see that my VM backups are successful and working. This feature saves me time because I do not need to manually manage and check each VM backup,” he added.

In addition to VM backup and backup copy, Diam Group uses VM replication for DR.

“With Nakivo Backup & Replication, the VM replication speed is fast, but recovery time is even faster,” says Spoljaric.

“I tested other products for VMware backup, but I chose Nakivo Backup & Replication in the end,” says Spoljaric.

With Nakivo Backup & Replication, Diam Group gained a powerful, affordable, and well-rounded solution. Previously, it did not have a backup solution in place and started to experience downtime, but with Nakivo Backup & Replication, data loss and downtime are successfully eliminated.

“The biggest value comes from VM replication and screenshot verification. With Nakivo Backup & Replication, I can store VMs offsite, recover entire VMs in minutes, and have a proof of recoverability – this is amazing,” says Spoljaric.

Due to screenshot verification, Diam Group is able to concentrate on other business operations, instead of focusing on VM backup maintenance.

“We spend 75% less time on IT administration with Nakivo Backup & Replication. We can focus our attention on other tasks that drive our business. Compared to other backup solutions, Nakivo Backup & Replication is easy to use, right out of the box, user friendly, and offers an excellent combination of pricing and features,” says Spoljaric.