Backup and Replication with Veeam

At Networking Solutions, we believe that backup and replication for your virtual environment does NOT have to be complex and it should NOT be expensive. With that in mind, we've partnered with Veeam to offer an award winning backup and replication product.

Using the vPower technology, Veeam allows you to RESTORE a virtual machine in minutes from a compressed and de-duplicated backup file.  Think about the impact on your business if you could implement a faster Recovery Time Objective (RTO).    

The latest version, Backup and Replication v6, was named Best New Technology at VMworld 2011 and gets even better with many new features which include:

1. VM restores in 3 MINUTES (other industry products take hours)
2. Agentless and storage agnostic
3. Veeam natively compresses, de-dupes and removes white space
4. Test your back-ups is a virtual and secure sandbox
5. File and item level restore at no extra cost
6. Support for Hyper-V
7. Enterprise scalability w/ new proxy servers

All of these features confirm that this is the #1 backup and replication product on the market for VMware and Hyper-V environments.  To top it off, Veeam is EXTREMELY cost effective, faster, more flexible and more reliable when compared to legacy backup software.   

Please take a look at the on-line demo options and feel free to contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or 888-356-2295 for more information. 

Previous Technology Spotlight Topics

Disaster Planning – Agility Solutions

Only 6% of companies survive longer than two years after a major data loss (Gartner, 2010).

Would you be one of the 6% should you encounter a major disaster – such as fire in your building?  While you continue to work to grow your business, it's also important to plan for what could happen. 

At the core, you’ll want to ensure that you have a business continuity and disaster recovery solution that allows you to manage your business during a disaster.  How much of your business is done utilizing technology?  What would you need in place to ensure that critical business activities can continue?

Networking Solutions provides services from Agility Recovery, a company that can leverage generators, servers, workstations, telephones, office space and even data and voice connections to get you back to business in hours, not weeks.

Watch what Agility has been able to do to for others – including those battling a court house fire in Kentucky.

Contact Networking Solutions to begin the process of developing a business continuity plan.  We can be as involved as you need us to be – what’s important to us is that you BENEFIT FROM THE EXPERIENCE of knowing we are on your team!

First Generation Firewall vs Next Generation Firewall

First generation firewalls are packet filter systems.  These firewalls inspect "packets" of information from the internet.  If a packet matches a set of rules determined to protect the network, the packet will be discarded or rejected.  Usually, these rules are based on the packet's source, destination address and protocol. First-generation firewalls don't allow for much visibility and the "rules" are generally all-or-nothing type rules.

Next generation firewalls allow users to refine the "rules" for their network.  As a majority of day-to-day work is accomplished via the internet, it becomes important to determine which applications are a productivity tool and which ones aren't.  Further, managing specific user allowances and seeing bandwidth habits allows companies to increase productivity.  

A few benefits of a Next Generation Firewall from SonicWALL are application visibility and control, ease of management and robust scanning capabilities.

Application Visibility & Control:  Allows network administrators to see the activities that are taking place on the network.  With this information, companies can address issues of productivity, compliance and data security. Further, Next Generation Firewalls allow administrators to identify and control various applications (and even sub-applications within the larger application) and apply different restrictions to various users. 

Ease of Management:  SonicWALL Next Generation Firewalls are very user-friendly and offer information in easy-to-read reports and screens.  Their firewalls are scalable and affordable for small to medium businesses.

Robust Scanning Capabilities: Next Generation Firewalls can scan files of all sizes for viruses, malware, botnets and other threats.  Further, it should be able to decrypt, scan and re-encrypt SSL packets and not be limited by network streams so that infected files can't "slip through" undetected when the firewall is under heavy load.  

For more information on SonicWall or what a Next Generation Firewall might mean for your business, contact us at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

 SonicWALL - Network Security

SonicWALL gives businesses the ability to secure data communications and protect online transactions through a family of firewall and network security appliances including Gateway Anti-Virus, Anti-Spyware, Intrusion Prevention and Application Intelligence and Content Filtering and ViewPoint.  This means continuous data protection and a single platform that allows users to manage, monitor and report networking activity at an affordable price.
 
Wondering what this means for your business? 
 
Content Filtering.  Many solutions offer content filtering, but SonicWALL also offers the ability to block only certain content from a website.  For example, users may be able to access Facebook, but not third-party apps like FarmVille that run inside Facebook. 
 
Security for Mobile Devices.  SonicWALL offers easy-to-use, scalable remote access to company computers and devices - desktops, laptops, PDAs and smartphones—without requiring pre-installed client software.
 
Monitoring & Managing.  SonicWALL offers a single platform that allows you to monitor, manage and report all in one place.  Extra bonus, the information is presented in an easy-to-read illustrative format that outlines network and website usage. 

PathSolutions

PathSolutions offers network performance management solutions for VoIP and data networks to ensure that clients get the most out of the infrastructure they have in place. By monitoring your business' network and VoIP systems, you can:

• Make better use of your network IT resources. Instead of spending time finding the problem, PathSolutions shows IT professionals where the problem lies. 
• Have a more efficient network.  Receive notifications when you're nearing your bandwidth maximum. Find out who's using the network and what they are doing.
• Save money. Fix underlying problems instead of just repeatedly fixing the symptoms.
• Plan for the future. Being able to track usage allows for better strategic technology purchases.

For ShoreTel users, PathSolutions offers a ShoreTel Connector to help manage and correct network problems that result in call quality. In the instance of poor call quality, you will be able to determine who was on the call and what happened to cause the problem. You'll receive alerts when quality issues occur and even know what network event caused the problem.  

For more information, contact Networking Solutions at 319-234-0521 or This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Custom On-Hold Messages Utlizing ShoreTel and Cisco Phone Systems

It's inevitable. Your customers will spend time on hold. Are you providing them with a message during that time?

Most phone systems allow you to loop music or a custom message for those waiting. Usually, the biggest hurdle is getting quality sound. That is where we come in! Our team is lucky enough to include someone with a "radio voice," and he is more than willing to share his services. Click here to hear examples of what Networking Solutions has produced and implemented on Cisco and ShoreTel phone systems.

		Bergan Paulsen's on-hold music allows them to communicate key messages to clients and prospects while they wait.  Bergan Paulsen uses a Cisco phone system.  Click here to hear their on-hold message.
		Networking Solutions online client portal, ConnectioNS, is a place where our clients access previous invoices, submit new tickets and check the status of current projects.  Hear more about ConnectioNS or visit our blog to watch a video.
		On-hold messages give you an opportunity to convey your organization's mood and culture through music.  Our team can help you choose the type and style of music that best represents your organization.  Listen to a message that represents Networkings Solutions.

For more information on how you can create quality on-hold messages for your customers, contact your account representative or email This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .  

Allworx Phone Systems

Whether your business has 10 employees at a single site or 100 employees at multiple sites, Networking Solutions has a phone system solution designed with your business in mind.

• Complete VoIP phone system with attractive and easy to use handsets.
• Answer/transfer calls from your PC, host a phone conference, check voicemail remotely, call center/queuing compatible, conference bridge, click-to-dial phone numbers, and even get your voicemail delivered into your e-mail!
• Have multiple offices?  Link the phone systems together for true multi-site integration. 
• Allworx has won multiple industry awards since 2005!  Now that’s peace of mind!