Quick Facts

Industry

• Construction

Platforms Requiring Protection

• Windows Server 2003 running Sage Timberline accounting software

Challenges

• Rapid recovery of whole server not possible with tape backup
• Needed to administer Houston-based backup remotely from Denver, CO

Competitors

• No disk-to-disk competitors were considered; the alternative would have been to remain with tape

Solutions

• Unitrends DPUSFF-SL

Benefits

• Remote administration
• Ease of use
• Whole system protection of Windows server and critical Sage application and data

AJM Framers builds on Unitrends ease of use and remote administration

Customer Profile

Headquartered in Houston, Texas, AJM Framers is focused on the framing of nonresidential commercial buildings in the Greater Houston area. Small construction firms such as AJM Framers must make smart IT investments in order to maintaining profitability while staying on top of construction industry trends, especially in the recent economic downturn.

Challenges

AJM Framers ran an ArcServe tape backup solution until 2004. An outside consultant was brought in to assist with some IT improvements at that time, and they recommended the move to a Unitrends disk-based backup.

Brad Schulte, the current IT director, was not directly involved in the Unitrends purchase decision, but he acknowledges that with Unitrends the backup process is fully automated, and requires very little administration compared to the old tape system. Schulte said it was “a company decision” to move away from tape. “They were tired of pulling tapes in and out, and the amount of data was growing.”

AJM Framers’ data protection requirements are simple, and very similar to many small business organizations. They have a single Windows Server 2003 running their core accounting application, which is Sage Timberline.

In the past, a small construction firm such as AJM Framers, might be able to manage their business using paper-based work processes. However, with the increasing reliance on computers and reduction in administrative staff, companies like AJM Framers need their computer systems up and running, and their core applications and data up and running, in order for the business to operate effectively.

Any loss of data or lack of access to the Sage accounting application would seriously impact AJM Framers’ ability to manage their day-to-day business operations. The old tape system did not provide a way to fully and quickly recover the system in case of a server failure.

Benefits

The Unitrends backup appliance installed in 2004 continues to provide reliable, automated backups. Schulte admits the hardware is due for an upgrade sometime soon, but in the meantime, “It’s working fine.”

Today, AJM Framers’ Sage Timberline server receives automated, whole system protection from a Unitrends backup appliance.

While Unitrends is often considered an advanced backup solution, due to its enterprise-quality feature set, Schulte believes the best thing about Unitrends is its ease of use.

Schulte describes his Unitrends backup solution as being trouble free. “I don’t have to do anything with it. I just go in and make sure it’s backing up.”

AJM Framer enjoys a beneficial relationship with Unitrends local value-added reseller Wright Business Technologies, always available as needed to assist with any necessary onsite support, such as coordinating the addition of memory to the Unitrends appliance in 2007.

“We’re kind of a small operation, so it’s hard to justify hiring someone to run my IT department fulltime,” notes Schulte.

Another benefit of Unitrends is the ability to administer and manage remotely.

Schulte explains, “I’m up in Denver and the Unitrends backup appliance is located in our home office in Houston. For me it’s fairly easy to get in their remotely and run it.”

“It just works great, that’s all I can tell you.”

“All we’re doing is backing up the operating system and the data on the Sage Timberline server.”

“Unitrends is great. In four years I haven’t had any trouble with it.”

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