Case Study - Government

Are you getting the most GB for your Buck?
With CoreVault, Oklahoma’s Department of Wildlife Conservation answers -- YES!

OK DWC. Image Credit: ODWC

Case Study Highlights

• Government services
• Enterprise-grade data capture
• Shift from tape to Cloud backup
• Above-average due diligence, with regulatory compliance
• Transition to all-digital files

Oklahoma Dept. of Wildlife Conservation

The OK Dept. of Wildlife Conservation charges more than 300 employees with protecting some 760 species of wildlife in the state’s 70,000 square miles of "outdoor playground." The ODWC manages fish and wildlife, is supported by fishing and hunting license fees and exercises a robust resource education program. ODWC partnered with CoreVault in 2009.

The Bottom Line

Using CoreVault resulted in a 20% reduction in annual service costs, while simultaneously providing a higher level of customer service and functionality.

Saving Bucks - Both Kinds

The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) has two critical missions: managing wildlife through hunting and fishing programs, and keeping costs down, as the agency receives no general state tax appropriations.

Key Issues

As a government agency under the Oklahoma Open Records Act, the ODWC must keep pristine, transparent records and perform above-average due diligence. Efficiency, accuracy and immediate availability of these records is critical to the balance of Oklahoma’s vast ecosystem: that means redundancy must be built into the backup process, without burdening the system.

As a self-funded agency, record loss is simply not an option. The ODWC requires a backup and business continuity solution that will be as effective at data recovery as initial backup. Plus, the perennially understaffed agency needs responsive and flexible customer service that goes above and beyond the call: when David Southerland, the IT Supervisor for the department, has a question, he wants to talk to a person who will solve the issue. Stat.

What Does It Mean To Be Covered To The Core?

The agency interviewed 11 companies and chose CoreVault because of its:

• Thoroughness. Success depends on data availability; ODWC requires the ability not just to backup...but to RESTORE quickly & efficiently.
• An Efficient System. The agency had used a competitor whose cumbersome technology replicated all data every time it backed up. CoreVault’s superior methodology captures only delta changes.
• Ease of Use. CoreVault’s solutions mean less training and related headaches, uses the same agentless technology everywhere, and thus is more accessible and usable by Southerland’s internal and remote IT staff.
• Superior Value. CoreVault was not the cheapest solution at first glance, but when Southerland broke the costs down to a per gigabyte/service basis, he realized he "got more value for the dollar with CoreVault than anyone else."

CoreVault's Got Your Back

"One thing I’m most pleased with, when I call, I always talk to someone. And whatever the issue is, they get it done." – David Southerland, IT Supervisor, ODWC

Key Benefits

Peace of Mind

• Proactive response to problems, usually before the agency even realizes there’s an issue
• Thorough coverage that addresses backup, and easy restoration.

Effortless Regulatory Compliance

• Duplicated off-site storage for maximum data protection
• SAS 70 Type II certified datacenter
• Military-grade data encryption

Ease Of Installation and Use

• Smooth installation, focusing on mission-critical data.
• After initial backup, the system captures any delta changes
• Twice daily confirmation of backups

Convenience

• Local OK facility with redundancy and security
• Desktop and datacenter backup on the same product offering

Rest-Easy Restoration

The state requires the agency to keep everything due to the Open Records Act. If the ODWC cannot successfully or easily restore the data if something happens (especially in Tornado Alley), the agency would be out of compliance with state regulations. CoreVault sales engineer Edward Wallace explains that during one data restoration (due to a problem with an Exchange server), CoreVault simply rolled back to data to the day before, restoring on top, and "away they went."

Southerland applauds CoreVault’s emphasis on data recovery; while most companies talk solely about backup, CoreVault follows through to the end. Consequently, Southerland has referred CoreVault to other state agencies.

A Literal Time Machine

The agency receives NO tax funding from the state, and is largely funded by hunting and fishing licenses. Besides needing to back up that license data, ODWC also needs to backup other data critical to their revenue stream. One such mission-critical area is the Paddle Fish Research Center. Paddle Fish grow faster and bigger in Oklahoma than anywhere else in the world. The center both studies and sells the fish and their caviar, which generates a significant source of agency revenue.

• Since the Research Center is so remote, they had to install a remote server.
• Between new tools and CoreVault enabling automated data protection protocols that minimize or eliminate manual labor, the agency has realized significant time efficiencies:
     o It used to take 15 minutes to process a fish; now it takes three.
     o After fishing season, it used to take from May to August to compile the season’s data. Now that compilation happens within 24 hours of closing the Center for the season.

"Definitely got more bang for my buck...I’m very, very happy [with CoreVault]." – David Southerland

CoreVault’s Got You Covered

For Oklahoma’s Department of Wildlife Conservation, CoreVault implemented a backup system that meets stringent government reporting and compliance standards, secures data with military-grade protocols from desktop to data center and ensures dollar-for-gig value. More importantly, CoreVault eases recovery.

CoreVault is a Cloud solutions company that provides backup, recovery and hosting services to businesses in more than 37 states. Your data is securely and automatically stored off-site in our privately owned, SAS 70 Type II certified facilities. It is accessible 24/7 with monitoring and support provided by certified experts. Built on VMware’s industry leading technology, Cloud Hosting services are available on an individual or enterprise-level basis. CoreVault is recommended to more than 500,000 businesses, legal and healthcare professionals across the country by more than 25 associations. You run your business while we provide elite protection of your data and reputation.