Echo Backup “Cost Effective Backup Software for Private Networks” Presented by the Blue Team 1 March 20121 Feasibility Presentation.

Echo Backup“Cost Effective Backup Software for Private Networks”

Presented by theBlue Team

1 March 2012 1

Feasibility Presentation

• About the Team• Problem Definition• Customer Base• Solution• Risks• Pricing

Outline

1 March 2012 2Echo Backup

Team Organization


Data Maintenance

• Data loss is catastrophic.– Photographers can lose priceless photographs.– Accountants can lose years of financial records.– The costs of not being able to continue business can be astronomical.

• A backup solution that takes advantage of network resources is needed.


Frequency of Data Loss

• 70% of small firms that experience major data loss go out of business within a year.2

• A 2009 survey by Kroll Ontrack polled IT managers from 945 companies.1

– 49% of all IT managers reported a data loss situation in the two years prior.

– 36% felt that data loss could have a significant impact on their business.

– “An alarming 49 per cent of small companies stated that they fail to back up their data on a daily basis.”

• So why are current solutions not being utilized?

1 March 2012 5

From Tech Managers Often Underestimate Impact of Data Loss1

Impact on U.S. Small Business of Natural & Man-Made Disasters2

Echo Backup

Impact of Data Recovery

• If no backups were used and the hard drive is intact, data can sometimes be recovered

• The cost of data recovery can vary widely and depends on– Severity of damage– Urgency– Parts required– Size and type of storage media

• Recovery following a data loss episode is expensive• If the data cannot be recovered, it is permanently lost and the costs

can be significantly higher

From Data Loss and Hard Drive Failure: Understanding the Causes and Costs3


From Data Loss and Hard Drive Failure: Understanding the Causes and Costs3

Causes of Data Loss

1 March 2012 7

Drive failure; 38%

Drive read instability; 30%Software

issues; 13%

User error; 12%Other; 7%

Echo Backup

• Typically one to two dozen computers7

• Lack dedicated IT support7

• Much smaller budgets than Enterprise• Need for security and encryption• Over 50% wary of online solutions8

Small Businesses

1 March 2012 8

From Designing and Building the Best Small Office Network From the Ground Up7

The Universe of Corporate PC Backup Options8

Echo Backup

• 94% of computer users risk losing their data5

• Users have priceless files (pictures, video)• Not always technically savvy

Consumer Home Networks

1 March 2012 9

From 4th Annual Backblaze Data Backup Study Finds 94% of People Risk Data Loss5

Echo Backup

Computers Per Home Network

1 March 2012 10From The Complex & Surprising Anatomy of a Home Network6

Echo Backup

Current Solutions

• Dedicated hardware– Expensive

• Additional local storage– Optical media

• Fragile• High maintenance

– External disks• Expensive

– Flash storage• Expensive• Easy to misplace

• Cloud backups– Monthly fee and bandwidth usage


Problem Without Solution

1 March 2012 12

Small business or home user needs data on a PC.

Users attempts to access files.

Something is wrong with the needed data. Many causes. Bottom line is the file is missing or not in the state the user wanted.

User has no backup. Data might can be recreated. Irreplaceable files can be lost. Recreation takes lots of time. Businesses lose money due to lost records. Personal Anguish can occurred.

Echo Backup

Ad Hoc Network Backups aims to provide cost-effective, easy to use and reliable backups to home, small and medium-sized LANs

Solution Objective


To meet this objective, our solution must• Be inexpensive• Have no recurring fees• Use only existing hardware• Not need WAN access• Not be susceptible to a single point of failure• Be easy for untrained staff to use• Give peace-of-mind to owners, operators, and users• Optionally make use of centralized management

Solution Characteristics


A simple LAN with four devices• Clients subscribe to a channel to listen for neighbors

How it Works


At this moment, one client sends a hello to all others.

How it Works (cont.)


Other clients respond with their own hellos. Direct connections are created between nodes.



Backups of machine A are made on machines B and C. Various “smart” algorithms determine how much and where to save.

AB

C



• Benefits– Easy to learn interface– Low cost– No need for additional hardware

• Caveats– May be easy, but yet another interface to learn– Installation management may be cumbersome for

larger networks– Highly dynamic nodes (laptops, etc) may pose

problems

Benefits & Caveats to the Consumer


Problem Solved with Ad Hoc

1 March 2012 20

User has EchoBackup

Data problem is discovered.

EchoBackup was previously used to create a redundant LAN backup plan. EchoBackup ensures up to date backups are available from multiple sources.

EchoBackup allows user to go back to an up to date state where all data is present and in the expected state. Virtually no time, money, or anguish occurred.

EchoBackup runs in the background keeping backups current.

Echo Backup

• This is an entirely software solution, so the MFCD only includes major components of the software.

• Each of the 11 lowest blocks is an independent module.

Major Functional Component Diagram


• Economy is still struggling9, but improving• Home users and small businesses are on tight

budgets• Need to price competitively

Unemployment % rate over the last ten years (source: USDL)

Consumer Spending Constraints

1 March 2012 22From Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey9Echo Backup

Competitor Features

• Echo Backup’s competitors are feature rich • Full feature listing can be found in the competition matrix• Echo Backup will provide all those features and will also provide:

– Automatic backup source selection– Backup to LAN nodes– SMART drive scanning– Restore from any networked node– Mac, Linux, and GNU OS support– Trusted and non-trusted node listings– Remote, centralized management– Automatic Node Detection– Bandwidth and Storage throttling– Data to node multiplexing


http://cs.odu.edu/~410blue/adhoc/competition-matrix

Pricing Factors

• Ad Hoc can be developed:– With little hardware– In a small facility– With minimal staff

• Ad Hoc has an advantage in all three areas and can be cheaper than the competition


Competitors and Echo Backup Prices

1 March 2012 25

• Return on Investment: Echo Backup pays for itself many times over for even one data recovery

Product Price

NovaBACKUP $44.95

DT Utilities PC Backup $49.99

Genie Backup Manager $49.95

Acronis True Image $49.99

Echo Backup Single license < $40.00Volume license TBD

Echo Backup

• No “new” technologies are being implemented.

• We have the resources to develop and test.• Our modular design allows modular

development.

Can it be done?

1 March 2012 26

Yes, it can be done.

Echo Backup

• Statistics show there is a need for a small business backup solution.

• The current risks are not debilitating.• Little capital is needed to begin development.

Should it be done?

1 March 2012 27

Yes, it should be done.

Echo Backup

References1. Ko, Carol. Tech Managers Often Underestimate Impact of Data Loss. June 21, 2009.

(http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/167077/tech_managers_often_underestimate_impact_of_data_loss.html). February 26, 2012.

2. HP and Score: Counselors to America’s Small Business. Impact on U.S. Small Business of Natural & Man-Made Disasters. 2007. (http://www.edwardsinformation.com/content/ImpactofDisaster.pdf). February 26, 2012.

3. Smith, David M. and Williams, Michael L. Data Loss and Hard Drive Failure: Understanding the Causes and Costs. 2010. (http://www.deepspar.com/wp-data-loss.html). February 26, 2012.

4. Pinheiro, Eduardo, Weber, Wolf-Dietrich, and Barroso, Luiz Andre. Failure Trends in a Large Disk Drive Population. February 2007. (http://static.googleusercontent.com/external_content/untrusted_dlcp/research.google.com/en/us/archive/disk_failures.pdf). February 26, 2012.

5. PRWEB. 4th Annual Backblaze Data Backup Study Finds 94% of People Risk Data Loss. July 12, 2011. (http://www.prweb.com/releases/prweb2011/7/prweb8638582.htm). February 26, 2012.


6. Rusen, Ciprian Adrian. The Complex & Surprising Anatomy of a Home Network. April 4, 2011. (http://www.7tutorials.com/complex-often-surprising-anatomy-home-network). February 26, 2012.

7. Breeding, Marshall. Designing and Building the Best Small Office Network From the Ground Up. (http://www.networkcomputing.com/netdesign/soho1.html). February 26, 2012.

8. Dines, Rachel; Kane, Christian. Update Q4 2010: The Universe of Corporate PC Backup Options. November 18, 2010.

9. US Department of Labor (USDL). Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey. February 26, 2012.

References


Questions?

Thank You for your Attention and Time


Echo Backup “Cost Effective Backup Software for Private Networks” Presented by the Blue Team 1 March 20121 Feasibility Presentation.

Documents

data maintenance data

echo backup slide

impact of data loss

causes of data loss

needed data

data loss episode

major data loss

frequency of data loss