Cloud Failure!

Lessons Learned from the Nirvanix Shutdown

• What went wrong?

• How to Plan for cloud failure• What to do in case of failure

Watch and Listen to the on-demand version and get an advanced copy of Storage Switzerland’s

Report “A Survival Guide to Cloud Storage Failure”

On-Demand Version Available(with audio and exclusive report)

• Go to: for the on-demand

version with audio and

exclusive report

http://bit.ly/cloudfails “A

Survival Guide to Cloud

Storage Failure”

• You can tweet us questions: @storageswiss

Agenda

• Company & Speaker Backgrounds

• Nirvanix is gone (What Went Wrong)

• Developing a better cloud strategy

• What to do in case of failure

• What happens next?

Background

• Analyst firm covering storage, cloud and virtualization markets

• Knowledge of these markets is gained through product testing, real world implementations and interactions with users and suppliers

• The results of this research are found in the articles, briefing reports, case studies and lab reports on our web site:

www.storage-switzerland.com

George Crump is a veteran of the storage industry with over 20 years of experience designing and implementing storage and data protection architectures. He is the Lead Analyst at Storage Switzerland which he founded seven years ago. Prior to that he was CTO at one of the nation’s largest storage integrators where he was responsible for identifying emerging technologies that the organization could use to help its customers solve their growing list of storage challenges.

Background

• Analyst firm covering storage, cloud and virtualization markets

• Knowledge of these markets is gained through product testing, real world implementations and interactions with users and suppliers

• The results of this research are found in the articles, briefing reports, case studies and lab reports on our web site:

www.storage-switzerland.com

As a 22 year IT veteran, Colm has worked in a variety of capacities ranging from technical support of OLTP environments to consultative sales and marketing for system integrators and manufacturers. His focus in the enterprise storage, backup and disaster recovery solutions space extends from mainframe and distributed computing environments across a wide range of industries.

What Went Wrong?

Nirvanix, like most cloud storage providers, walk a fine line

• Cost Competitive Storage

• Reliable Service Offering

• Used a mixture of name-brand and commodity hardware

• Sold Below Cost and Tried to Make Up For it in Volume

What was the result?Customers given two weeks to get their data out of the facility!

PANIC

What was the result?Customers given two weeks to get their data out of the facility!

• Massive amount of outbound copy causes congestion

• Larger providers tried to tie in directly

• Limited staff left to help out

PANIC

What was the result?Customers given two weeks to get their data out of the facility!

• Massive amount of outbound copy causes congestion

• Larger providers tried to tie in directly

• Limited staff left to help out

• Consider - There is still data on the storage at Nirvanix –

• Is there staff left to wipe storage clean before it is sold at auction?

PANIC

Poll # 1

Has The Nirvanix Shutdown Changed Your Attitude Toward Cloud Storage

Yes, we won’t be using cloud storage

Yes, we are going to review our use of cloud

No, but we want a new plan to deal with it

No, this was an anomaly

Developing a Better Cloud Strategy

Cloud Storage Will Fail

• Keep more data local for a longer period of time

• Generate your own second copy

• Mirror to a second and different cloud provider

• Know your data

Developing a Better Cloud Strategy

Cloud Storage Will Fail

• Keep more data local for a longer period of time

• Generate your own second copy

• Mirror two a second and different cloud provider

• Know your data

Solutions

• Private Cloud (small and large)

• Gateways

• Cloud provider with an ejection strategy (tape, disk)

• Mirrored Clouds

What to do when cloud fails?

• Private Cloud – Not impacted

• Gateways – start recovery of the data not on the gateway

• Cloud with exit – Receive data and restore to next provider

• Mirrored Clouds – Point surviving mirror at next provider

• Nothing? – Start asking other providers to direct connect

Most Important…Make Sure Erase Means Erase

• Destroy the encryption Key

• Don’t let the provider hold the key

Most Important…Make Sure Erase Means Erase

• Destroy the encryption Key

• Don’t let the provider hold the key

• When data is erased, make sure the provider has a procedure to erase ALL occurrences of the data

• Replication, snapshots etc… can get you in trouble here

• The provider may need to zero out the file before deleting

• If erase does not mean erase, consider another provider

Surviving A Cloud Failure

Requires a second copy outside of the provider

Easy to achieve, but can be costly

We’d like to see more appliances provide a tape or disk out option

A Plan is critical

Thank you for Viewing!

A recording of this and our other webinars is available at http://bit.ly/storageswisswebinars

Contact And Resources:George Crump: gcrump@storage-switzerland.comwww.storageswiss.com