Bringing a new storage system online involves migrating existing data from older systems onto new servers or solutions.

It’s a big ask for even the most experienced IT manager and a recent independent survey revealed that more than 80 per cent of data migration projects fail to meet timescales, budgets – and their goals.

Issues needing consideration before this epic data journey can go ahead include:

• How much data needs to be migrated – and will the structure migrate exactly as it is?
• How fast is the migration engine?
• Does the IT manager have the necessary permissions to migrate the data?
• Are the systems on the same LAN/WAN or different domains?
• Can staff continue working even as data is being migrated?
• How can you validate that all data and settings have migrated successfully?

Peer Software has the answer – PeerSync Migration Edition, whose centralised management console allows your IT manager to configure and monitor migration jobs between participating systems.

This product supports migration between Windows to Windows and Window to NetApp as well as EMC to NetApp and Net App to NetApp environments.

Other advantages of Migration Edition are:

• Allows migration to take place on live production systems;
• Works with files and folders in any language;
• Migrates files even when administrators lack necessary permissions on a file or directory;
• Receives automated alerts for file activity replication issues.

For more information about PeerSync products, call Jan Gregson at Purple Rage on 01684 576343 or email enquiries@purplerage.com

PeerSync can also be bought online at http://store.purplerage.com/

TRADITIONALLY August is a time for chilling out with a paperback or fretting about what to do with the kids if it’s raining. Less than three weeks to go, folks…

But it seems there’s no rest for those clever folks at Peer who refuse to rest on their laurels.

Their latest revelation is PeerSync v9.0. With improved performance and an updated user interface, v9.0 is designed to help your business or organisation run more efficiently.

As with all of its updates, Peer has investigated issues reported by users and come up with solutions. Which means you won’t have to worry about:

• Flickering when switching between jobs thanks to an improved display in Profiler;
• Job Stats at the end of non-persistent Profile runs not always being updated with the latest information while the Status Display is in a waiting state to be closed;
• Deletions not processing sporadically during scans;
• “Are you sure you want to quit?” messages when running as an application.

And if you still need convincing, check out these new features:

• fPolicy integration with NetApp Data ONTAP powers real-time replication and synchronisation for Windows and NetApp storage environments;
• Robust Connection Manager increases system and application up-time by enabling PeerSync to automatically restart real-time operations and scan jobs if a connection is lost and reconnected;
• Supports migration of shares from legacy systems and windows servers to NetApp as well as NetApp-to-NetApp share migration;
• Advanced support for users of Symantec Enterprise Vault content archiving environments;
• Free upgrade for current users of the recently discontinued Embedded Open File Manager (EOFM) to the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) option.

PeerSync v9.0 is now available free for Purple Rage Software customers on a maintenance contact.

For more details, call Jan Gregson or Rob Dixon on 01684 576343 or email enquiries@purplerage.com

SEVERAL Peer products are already well established in the Purple Rage Software portfolio and now we’re delighted to welcome an equally impressive newcomer – PeerMigration.

Many companies have learned the hard – and expensive way – that the most challenging part of bringing a new storage system online is moving existing data from older systems onto new Windows storage servers, NAS (network-attached storage) or SAN (storage area network) solutions.

An independent survey discovered that more than 80 per cent of data migration projects run over time AND  budget so before you sign on the dotted line it’s worth considering:

• Mapping – Will folder structures be laid out differently? How long will it take your staff to find the correct folder before they can actually start any work?
• Disruption – Will your employees be able to continue working while data is being migrated – or will they be down the pub? And how long will the process take?
• Validation – How can you ensure that all data and settings have transferred correctly?
• Security – Does your head of IT have the correct permission to migrate the data?

PeerMigration will answer all of your queries with a large green tick.

Here’s what it does very well:

• Centralised management and monitoring – IT administrators can effectively configure and monitor migration jobs between systems;
• Multi-platform support – Allows migration between Windows to Windows, Window to NetApp and NetApp to NetApp environments.
• Real-time event detection and mirroring – So your staff can keep working during the migration process. No excuses!
• Mapping configuration – Permits one-to-one mapping during migration;
• Emailed reporting and alerts plus detailed logging.

PeerMigration is available for one, three or six month projects. To find out more, call the software solution experts at Purple Rage. Jan Gregson or Rob Dixon can be contacted on 01684 576343 or email enquiries@purplerage.com