My life has taken a very different path from the one I expected. My passion for computers started early, but I was determined not to ruin my hobby by turning it into a career. So, I followed my dad into firefighting. One year in, I had battled exactly zero fires and felt more like a paramedic, which I decided wasn’t for me. That was when my grandparents persuaded me to pursue my knack for technology — and I haven’t looked back since.
Riding the Rollercoaster
Since then, I’ve had an array of IT jobs, consulting, working for the government, private companies, and now California Dairies, Inc. (CDI), a dairy cooperative. I also worked for a backup company, so I felt well-versed and comfortable with backup technology. CDI has suited me so well that I’ve now worked there for more than 18 years. I began as a Systems Administrator and worked as a Business Analyst and now Director. Along the way, I’ve noticed that technology — data protection in particular — has changed beyond recognition. It’s never been more important than now.
When I started in my first IT role, there was more of an emphasis on physically building computers. We were schlepping tapes around for backup. The focus was on protecting individual files and databases. That approach has evolved since we’re all collecting more data than ever before. You need more layers of resilience while considering issues such as data privacy. Data has increased in value, with everyone trying to get their hands on it. The fact is that today, you have to be right with data protection 100% of the time, while a bad actor only has to be right once. Even though it’s always an uphill battle, I enjoy the challenge of finding the tools to keep us safe.
Almost Too Good to be True
Enter Veeam. When CDI introduced virtualization, our existing backup tool Symantec Backup couldn’t support this new use case, so we started looking for an alternative. We weighed options including Commvault and Barracuda Backup (previously Yosemite Backup), but Veeam stood out as the leading backup solution for our virtual environment. I’m glad we made the decision that we did, as Veeam turned out to be so much more than just backup, delivering a level of comfort for all our systems that I don’t think would be possible with any other solution. Put simply, it helps me sleep well at night.
When we first started using Veeam, it worked so quickly and seamlessly, that we couldn’t quite believe it. You just point it at the data you want it to back up and it just works. My team and I were convinced something wasn’t working as expected, but no, Veeam is that slick. It appealed to the geek in me who loves to come across technology that gets it just right.
Veeam Saves the Day Once Again
I’ve lost count of the number of times Veeam has saved the day at CDI. The most recent example is from a couple of months ago when we were implementing a new manufacturing execution system (MES) at all our plants. It’s a huge new platform for us, which will eventually involve hundreds of servers and a slew of components that must work perfectly in tandem, from data collectors to SQL Servers to Microsoft Power BI in the cloud.
It’s become a running joke that things only break when the team is off the clock. That was the case here, as I got a call from an engineer while I was having dinner. They informed me that something wasn’t functioning properly and couldn’t pinpoint the exact issue. I jumped on my computer and did a deeper dive and soon discovered that a component of a server wasn’t functioning as expected.
I was painfully aware that every minute a plant process is down could lead to substantial losses. So, instead of calling up the third-party implementation team to assist and advise, I decided to try and quickly attempt to fix things on my own. My priority was getting everything up and running ASAP and troubleshooting later to determine the root cause. I used Veeam to spin up a backup of the affected server. I shut down the corrupted server in vCenter and used Veeam Instant Recovery to get the plant back into production within just five minutes. I called the plant to verify they were fully operational, which they confirmed — I let out a big sigh of relief. We had to give kudos to Veeam. Thanks to them, everything was fixed within ten minutes of me getting that call.
What I’ve Learned Along the Way
Any technology is a learning curve, and it might start rocky. I’m a big hiker, and that often holds for my hikes. You begin your hike, your heart rate rises, and you ask yourself how and why you’ve ended here. You might twist an ankle along the way, but the end destination is always worth it.
The beauty of Veeam is that it gives us the freedom to experiment with new technologies — because we know we can always roll back to a previous version of our environment at the click of a button. Even better, you can restore with incredible granularity, down to the individual file or email, so you know you have total control.
I often ponder what would happen if our data were compromised and immediately unretrievable. What allows me to rest comfortably at night is the knowledge that Veeam is just one of the multiple lines of defense. Veeam is in place to protect our data, but it also imparts a comfort level like nothing else.
No product is 100% perfect, but for our requirements, Veeam coexists with California Diaries’ needs very well. It’s not just about the technology either — the team surrounding Veeam products goes above and beyond. There are some vendors I don’t hear from in years and, when I reach out to them, I find out my original contact has left the business and there’s no one to talk to. That would never happen with Veeam. Whether it’s putting fires out in the CDI IT landscape or discussing where we take data protection next, we know we can always count on Veeam.
Outside of work, the author is an avid hiker, camper, fisherman, IronMan triathlete, skier and loves to spend most of his free time outdoors. All of these outdoor adventures have something in common and it’s how technology has changed their landscape. He never intended to be here or to make technology his career, but it’s impossible to remove one’s self from technology, so embrace it.
What the numerous decades of experience have shown him is he always craved, welcomed, and sometimes even broken (then fixed) technology. He will always enjoy the evolving aspect of the industry but wanting to make it a “job” was never the intention. Lucky for him, what he does is still not a “job”.
The post From Fighting Real Fires to Disaster Recovery: My Journey to Data Protection Mastery appeared first on Veeam Software Official Blog.
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