How SPJST Protects Insurance Data in IBM i and Windows Workloads
Read how SPJST uses TierPoint and CloudFirst to protect vital life insurance data in both their Windows and IBM environments.
Introduction
SJPST is an insurance company headquartered in Temple, Texas, and as such, are part of a highly regulated industry. The Texas Department of Insurance audits their financial data and IT systems regularly, so they need to be able to prove their backup solutions and data protection are secure and reliable.
Challenges
While SPJST relied on a software provider for backups in the past, they realized that their backup strategy did not meet the organization's needs. They didn't want to be back up and running in a couple of days. Instead, the client wanted real, live backups, that allowed for a faster recovery time.
Part of the need came from having two different environments to cover - Windows and IBM i. The IBM i houses the policy administrative system and all member data for their insurance policies. The Windows network was being handled appropriately, but the IBM i environment needed a better recovery solution, and SPJST wanted to be able to coordinate both sides of their systems to pull off real-time disaster recovery.
Another need came from the storage of large files. SPJST writes policies and needs to maintain reserves through their policy administration system. This involves backing up large image files during the policy creation process to ensure proper maintenance.
Solutions
With two environments and major policy documents to maintain, SPJST was concerned about being unable to continue operating in the event of a disaster, such as a tornado, which would require them to operate outside of their building for a period of time. Vulnerability to cyberattacks was another concern. Working with TierPoint, they set up backups in Raleigh that fit the bill for both their Windows and IBM i environments TierPoint managed the Windows environment and their partner, CloudFirst, lent their expertise to manage the IBM i workloads, ensuring strong resilience. Being in a different zone disaster than their headquarters meant their data would be kept safer from storms or other natural disasters.
Every hour the staff unable to access their company data, SPJST can incur major expenses. They wanted to be able to get their staff back up and functioning without a lot of downtime. While the disaster recovery plan is still in development, they feel that they are well on their way since working with TierPoint.
Results
Outside of early minor hiccups in the backup process that have been unearthed via testing, SPJST now believes they can be up and running very quickly. "I've had a disaster hit and that's the key," said Roy Vajdak, Controller at SPJST.
This year, the client is planning on spinning up both the Windows and IBM i systems and testing them to ensure all will go off without a hitch. However, they do have early indications that everything will run smoothly - when a major server went down, they ran on their TierPoint environment without any issues. SPJST knows that it's in those unexpected moments that disaster recovery solutions matter most.
At A Glance
Industry
Insurance
Technology
Private Cloud, Backup (BaaS), Storage, IBM power support for IBM workloads (powered by CloudFirst)
Challenge
After learning that backups through their software provider would take them days to recover from a disaster, SPJST knew they had to make a change.
Solution
With a backup solution at TierPoint's Raleigh data center, and support for their IBM i environment, SPJST received the support they needed to protect their data from natural disasters, cyberattacks, or any other unexpected outages.
Results
SPJST went from a recovery time of days to a live backup solution that has been tested and refined. Next, the client plans to spin up both their IBM i and Windows environments and run a full test.
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