Your DR Strategy Guide for IBM i Available for Download Now!

Download your DR Strategy Guide Here

Thank you for taking time to read the DR Strategy Guide for IBM i, brought to you by Maxava and United Computer Group. 

If you or your team are responsible for the ongoing health and protection of your IBM i systems and data, this guide is for you!

United Computer Group, Inc. (UCG) was founded in 1987 by James A. Kandrac. UCG has been an IBM Business Partner since 1989 and an IBM Advanced Business Partner since 1991. Customers have rated UCG in the top 1% of IBM Business Partners nationwide. 

UCG offers VAULT400 BaaS and IBM Power Systems, in addition to a wide range of related products and services.

United Computer Group, Inc. and Maxava have been business partners since 2008. Maxava HA is the solution of choice when UCG clients need RTO and RPO of less than 1 hour. As a result of this partnership, International Fidelity Insurance Company (IFIC) avoided nearly $2 million in lost revenues when Hurricane Sandy hit in October 2012. Though the IT team at Newark, NJ-based International Fidelity Insurance Company (IFIC) had rehearsed its disaster recovery scenario with precision, the team couldn't have anticipated an event that would take out power, roads and communications across a wide swath of the mid-Atlantic coast. When the hurricane hit, the disaster recovery team had to fail over to a co-location site with the clock ticking on its uninterruptible power supply and no phone service.

When disaster strikes

Watch this podcast "IBM Engine of the Week: Co-location Solution Keeps Insurer Online Amid Hurricane Sandy's Wrath" to learn how with guidance from IBM partner United Computer Group, IFIC avoided disaster and and learned valuable lessons to help prepare for future incidents.

Both UCG and Maxava are passionate about data protection and disaster recovery and look forward to working with you to craft a custom solution.

The DR Strategy Guide for IBM i will be a valuable reference tool when working with a DR expert from UCG to create your business continuity planning solution. Whether your organization’s data is affected by human interruption or natural disaster, this comprehensive guide will help you understand and assess risk, plan accordingly, and should disaster occur, recover quickly.

Contact us

We trust that you will find this guide a useful tool to help you review your current DR strategy objectively. To discuss the contents further, or speak to us about your specific DR requirements, please contact United Computer Group, Inc. at 800.211.8798, email info@ucgrp.com or visit ucgrp.com or vault400.com.

Congoleum Corporation Selects UCG’s VAULT400 BaaS as Backup and DR Solution

“We realized immediate benefits including reduced disaster recovery costs; the need to handle tapes on a daily basis has been eliminated; and we ensured our data was stored securely offsite from the server." 

United Computer Group, Inc. is pleased to announce that Congoleum Corporation has chosen UCG’s VAULT400 BaaS as its backup and DR solution.

David Cooper, Senior Manager of Information Technology, and Dan McCullough, Manager of Datacenter Operations for Congoleum, worked with UCG’s lead engineer Vladimir Capitanov to protect and backup their IBM Power 5 System. In addition to subscribing to UCG’s VAULT400 secure cloud backup, they've added Disaster Recovery with a return to operations in the event of a disaster in 12 hours or less.

Every night they set the backups and forget it. The data is compressed, encrypted and sent to secure HIPAA compliant data centers in Cleveland, Ohio and Atlanta, Georgia. Dan McCullough receives an email every morning to confirm that the backup took place and was successful. In the coming months, Congoleum will conduct a Disaster Recovery test to fine-tune in the event a disaster occurs.

“The installation and setup were quick and painless. Vladimir really knows the product and process very well, which made the setup seamless. The seeding went well, and progressed more quickly than expected. We realized immediate benefits including reduced disaster recovery costs; the need to handle tapes on a daily basis has been eliminated; and we ensured our data was stored securely offsite from the servers. Additionally, if I need to restore a file, I don’t need to retrieve a tape, load it, restore the file, and then reset the drive for the next save. So that makes my life a lot easier. Thanks for an excellent replacement for tape backups!” - Dan McCullough, Manager of Datacenter Operations, Congoleum Corporation, Mercerville, NJ

About Congoleum

congoleum.com

Since 1886 Congoleum has been committed to developing innovative flooring products that push the industry forward. Congoleum holds numerous patents for novel creations over the years. Congoleum manufactures residential and commercial resilient products that are engineered with state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment. Throughout its history, Congoleum has held a pioneering role in the resilient flooring industry and has contributed substantially to the growth of the industry.  Congoleum has been a step ahead for over 125 years and continues its commitment to quality products, manufacturing and market innovations for the future. 

Hi-Tech Health Upgrades to UCG’s VAULT400 BaaS Following Disaster

United Computer Group, Inc. is pleased to announce that Hi-Tech Health of Hackettstown, New Jersey has chosen UCG’s VAULT400 BaaS as its backup and DR solution. Hi-Tech Health experienced first-hand the disruption that occurs when disaster strikes. Although they had a BaaS solution in place, it failed to return the company to operations in an acceptable timeframe. Adding insult to injury, the provider’s customer service and pricing were disappointing.

Michael Carrara, President of Hi-Tech Health, responded to a USPS mailing he received from United Computer Group, Inc. highlighting their VAULT400 BaaS solutions. Michael was intrigued and requested a proposal. He also took the time to do due diligence and drive from New Jersey to tour UCG’s Cleveland, Ohio data center with Mike Powall, UCG’s Vice President.  The solid proposal addressed and met all of Hi-Tech’s requirements; the site visit sealed the deal for Michael and Hi-Tech. 

Michael Carrara stated, “After meeting your staff and receiving a detailed tour of your data center, I felt confident that my data will be in safe hands with UCG. From my beginning discussions with Mike Powall several months ago, I have been extremely pleased with the level of expertise, professionalism, and responsiveness by everyone I have spoken with at United Computer Group. I look forward to a long working relationship."

Today, Hi-Tech is securely backing up their data every evening. They have also subscribed to UCG’s VAULT400 Disaster Recovery Plan. In the event of a disaster, Hi-Tech business operations will return to business as usual in 12 hours or less. Vladimir Capitanov, UCG Lead Engineer, is in the process of providing a step-by-step action plan for the company in the event of disaster. A live test is also being scheduled. 

With Hi-Tech’s VAULT400 BaaS and DR solution firmly in place, they are now eligible for exclusive pricing on a new IBM Power 8 Solution Edition system from United Computer Group when they are ready to upgrade their IBM midrange system.

About Hi-Tech Health 

hi-techhealth.com

Hi-Tech Health was incorporated on May 1, 1990 when a shift in the Health Care Industry made a visible turn towards more individual and client specific offerings. Since then, Hi-Tech Health has specialized in providing custom designed Claims Administration Systems for Third Party Administrators, Insurance Companies, Preferred Provider Organizations and various other Claims paying entities. Hi-Tech Health's staff is comprised of highly motivated, energetic programmers and IT Professionals with an extensive knowledge of the Health Care Industry.  

I have been called a LOT of things...

... but "fascinating cat" has never been one of them until now!

UCG is very pleased and honored that our company was featured in Michael DeAloia's column Tech Czar Talk in the Sunday, August 17 Plain Dealer Business Section. We appreciate that Michael succinctly captured the essence of our 28 year history, and would like to share his article with you. We hope you enjoy it.  - Jim Kandrac

Tech Czar Talk: Reinvention is key for tech companies

Evolution is natural law in life and in business. Evolution weeds out the weak and rewards the clever. This week's column celebrates the evolution in our local technology ecosystem and highlights the benefits of investing in evolution as opposed to fighting it.

Hardware Broker to Managed Services Provider. If you ever get to spend a few moments with James Kandrac of United Computer Group (www.ucgrp.com) treat yourself. Good soul. Fascinating cat and perhaps the least well-known, but successful, tech entrepreneur in this region.

More than 25 years ago, Kandrac founded United Computer and has been the steady hand of leadership ever since. Coming out of college, he thought he wanted to work for "Big Blue" - IBM - but after an internship there he thought the environment might stifle his entrepreneurial flair. He vividly remembers coming home to his wife and 6-month old baby and lamenting his IBM fate when his wife offered up, "I don't care if we live above a bar on W. 25th Street, you have to love what you do." And soon thereafter he launched United Computer Group.

Originally, the company was in the brokerage business of selling new and used IBM equipment to local companies. It was a good business for a number of years but Kandrac could read the tea leaves that foretold hardware companies losing margins and relevance. He then repositioned the company as a national leader in the IBM iSeries. And for many years succeeded. But again, he took thought about the future of the company and a few years ago heavily invested in managed services - back-ups/restores, remote disaster recovery hardware, remote managed IT - and the business is booming again.

Three generations of businesses under the stewardship of a single man.

United Computer Group currently services more than 1,500 companies across the globe. He is now investing in facilities and marketing. He has done well in positioning his management team by only hiring great listeners and individuals who love to solve problems for the company's clients. Every seven years the company must re-engineer itself. It must evolve in the ever-changing, tumultuous IT landscape.

Michael C. DeAloia, author of Tech Czar Talk

Special to the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio

Tired of keeping your fingers crossed?

United Computer Group

can answer ALL of these questions for you!

We'll help answer your questions regarding the status of your power protection devices AND provide solutions to your issues:

• Confirmation of UPS sizing requirements
• Warranty status
• Extended warranties
• Replacement batteries

We can also provide any backup power requirement from UPS systems to generators and all associated installation and service needs. 

Depend on UCG to define total power load and UPS solutions for:

• New and existing server configurations
• Single server to full computer room
• UPS consolidation and economizing
• UPS warranty extensions
• Battery replacement

There is no critical power question or opportunity that is too small or too big. Give us a call at 800.211.8798 or email info@ucgrp.com today!

UCG Webinar: BaaS (Backup as a Service) and Remote Hardware DR for IBM i and p Power Servers and Open Systems

You are cordially invited to join us for a Webinar:

BaaS (Backup as a Service) and Remote Hardware DR for IBM i and p Power Servers and Open Systems

Wednesday, August 20, 2014

2:00 PM - 2:40 PM EDT

REGISTER TODAY!

James A. Kandrac, President & Founder, United Computer Group, Inc. and Timothy Prostor, Senior Technical Engineer will educate and provide you and your team with the latest backup and DR options for IBM i and p Power Servers, and Open Systems.

Agenda items include:

• RTO/RPO options to fit any budget
• BaaS - Backup as a Service plus remote hardware DR for IBM i and p Power Servers & Open Systems (vSphere and Hyper-v)
• ERA (local) and dual PnP Appliance Options + DR
• Managed Service High Availability for < 1 hour RTO
• Review UCG's interactive Backup Selector
• Review of a client's IBM i Power and Open Systems backup requirements and retentions of 5 days, 4 weeks, 12 monthlies and 7 annuals - stored in two secure remote locations

IBM i Series - (24) Save Sets of 500GB would utilize over 12.5TB of tape - but only 190 GB with UCG's VAULT400

Intel - (24) Save Sets of 1TB of Intel data would utilize over 24TB of tape - but only 1 TB with UCG's VAULT400

Select the best options for your company and plan for Q4 2014 and 2015!

Reserve your Webinar seat now!

Space is limited.

Questions? Call 800.211.8798 or email info@ucgrp.com

Congratulations to UCG Client Cleveland Plant and Flower!

Longtime United Computer Group IBM Power Server client Cleveland Plant and Flower is celebrating their 101th anniversary! Founded in 1913 and located in Parma, Ohio, CP&F is one of the largest wholesale distributors of floral products in the United States. 

Kudos to Chuck Macuga, Kevin Priest, and the entire staff at CP&F. We wish you continued success!

Please enjoy their video, courtesy of cleveland.com.