Quds Bank Switches to ExaGrid for Easier Backup and Replication

Quds Bank had initially installed a disk-based backup appliance to replace tape backups, but over time, the IT staff found that there were better backup solutions available, and decided to look into ExaGrid. “We wanted to try a different approach so we had a demo of an ExaGrid system. We noticed a huge difference in speed and performance, and we also liked ExaGrid’s Landing Zone feature. We also had a great experience working with ExaGrid’s customer support during the demo,” said Jihad Daghrah, the supervisor of network and infrastructure at Quds Bank.

“Another major consideration for us was how well ExaGrid integrated with our backup application, Veeam. It’s much quicker and easier to create a share with Veeam using ExaGrid, and replicating data from our primary site to our DR site was a simpler process, too. Our previous solution wasn’t a bad system but it required so much more administration, especially when it came to replication and encryption of our data. Using ExaGrid, we are able to manage our data with a few clicks, whether we are creating a share with Veeam, changing our retention, or managing our replication. ExaGrid is a much easier system to manage,” said Daghrah.

Veeam’s backup solutions and ExaGrid’s Tiered Backup Storage combine for the industry’s fastest backups, fastest restores, a scale-out storage system as data grows, and a strong ransomware recovery story – all at the lowest cost.

ExaGrid Provides Additional Security for Quds

Bank’s Data Quds Bank installed an ExaGrid system at its primary site that replicates to a second ExaGrid system at its disaster recovery (DR) site. The bank chose to install ExaGrid’s SEC models, which offer encryption at rest, for enhanced data security.

The data security capabilities in the ExaGrid product line, including optional enterprise- class Self-Encrypting Drive (SED) technology on its SEC models, provide a high level of security for data at rest and can help reduce IT drive retirement costs in the data center. All data on the disk drive is encrypted automatically without any action required by users. Encryption and authentication keys are never accessible to outside systems where they can be stolen. Unlike software-based encryption methods, SEDs typically have a better throughput rate, particularly during extensive read operations. Optional data encryption at rest is available for the EX7000 models and above. Data can be encrypted during replication between ExaGrid systems. Encryption occurs on the sending ExaGrid system, is encrypted as it traverses the WAN, and is decrypted at the target ExaGrid system. This eliminates the need for a VPN to perform encryption across the WAN.

ExaGrid-Veeam Solution Provides Confidence in VM Recovery

“At one point, I booted a VM to restore a file server and then was able to migrate it on to an ESXi host, and it was a very fast process. I’ve also tried other types of VMs, such as a Windows VM and a Red Hat VM, and they all work very well, even VMs with databases. Using the ExaGrid has me confident in our backups and the ability to restore any data we might need,” said Daghrah.

ExaGrid and Veeam can instantly recover a file or VMware virtual machine by running it directly from the ExaGrid appliance in the event that the file is lost, corrupted or encrypted or the primary storage VM becomes unavailable. This instant recovery is possible because of ExaGrid’s Landing Zone – a high-speed disk cache on the ExaGrid appliance that retains the most recent backups in their complete form. Once the primary storage environment has been brought back to a working state, the VM backed up on the ExaGrid appliance can then be migrated to primary storage for continued operation.