You may hear the term "backup data analytics" tossed about in the world of backup and recovery solutions but just what analytics are possible and how are they being performed?
We can think about analytics as a member of a set of technology building blocks. Other building blocks in this set include data collection, monitoring, and automation. These other fundamentals build a strong foundation that opens the door for the incredible power of analytics.
Data Collection
In order to create effective analytics, there must be data to analyze. And the more comprehensive (i.e., the broader as well as the more detailed) the data is, the more opportunity there is to glean valuable insights for the business.
In the Cobalt Iron world, the Compass Analytics Engine feasts on a constant stream of information from backup and recovery components, data, and operations - the metadata of the backup process.
So, what is the value of metadata?
Compass, Cobalt Iron's enterprise SaaS data protection software, never touches your actual data, but rather captures comprehensive but normalized metadata pertaining to your encrypted data. In addition to this metadata, Compass collects extensive metrics from the hardware and software components making up the backup infrastructure.
Types of metrics collected include:
- asset
- capacity
- performance
- health
- environmental
- security
- server
- operating system
- backup tooling software
- backup catalog database
- storage
- networking
and metrics from the Compass software itself.
Added to all of this is information about operational behaviors in the backup, recovery, and disaster recovery world (e.g., operation success or failure details, access attempts, operational outcomes, auditing data, etc.).
Finally, Compass can be integrated with other entities in the environment and can thereby collect additional information related to, but from outside, the backup infrastructure (e.g., government or business security alerts, weather, business policies, IT project information, etc.).
Metadata, component metrics, operational observations, and environmental information are all a part of the comprehensive information that Compass collects.
Data collection is a crucial component to the other building blocks.
Download the Compass analytics feature sheet>>
Monitoring
Once raw data is captured, what do you do with it? Compass constantly monitors metadata and operational information and automatically sends alerts or notifications for specified events, including exceptions and out-of-bounds conditions on components. If a critical file fails to backup, you can be alerted instantly, 24 hours a day.
The Compass platform provides a 360-degree view of your backup environment on one easy-to-use pane of glass so you can understand what you are looking at. You can see your data is secure, you can see in real time that it is being backed up, and you can easily troubleshoot any problems that may arise. You can use the collected data to compile various reports of the targeted information you desire. And you can retrieve all this information going back to the moment you first deployed Compass.
Monitoring is a true differentiator for Compass because of the comprehensive metadata and operational data collection, and Compass enables management by exception. There will always be a level of administration and involvement needed in monitoring your backup environment, but with Compass, instead of being overwhelmed with noise, you can fine-tune your data, pinpointing what you need. It's truly a powerhouse tool for service-level management.
Automation
Comprehensive Compass data collection and monitoring lays the foundation that leads to automation. Compass offers automation for OS updates, provisioning of storage pools, software updates, backup server management, and even operational automation. Never worry about updating your backup software again. Let Compass worry about that. Never worry about your backup server management. Let Compass worry about that. OS or BIOS updates? Compass has got that, too.
Look, you're busy. Let Compass do the heavy lifting for you. By automating, you simplify your backup environment, simplify your required skills training, and you can boost operational efficiencies, which of course leads to operational expense savings for the company.
Your bottom line will thank you. Your IT staff will thank you.
Analytics
Now we get to the heart of how Compass outpaces the competition. No one does backup and recovery analytics like Compass does. Compass offers analytics that show your capacity management, performance management, a health analysis of your data, remediation, and even reports on ransomware susceptibility, just to name a few.
What does that mean for your business?
The Compass software is continuously learning and constantly evolving. The more you use the software, the more it learns, allowing for predictive insights into your backup environment to offer high success rates, security awareness, predictive problem avoidance and resolution, and increased value. You will also get in-depth reports about the security and health of your environment, including ransomware reports.
Compass securely fits these four building blocks together to build a foundation for automated and intelligent data protection management. Cobalt Iron Compass offers a unique solution that allows you to use and understand your backup data in a way no one else offers.
What would the impact of backup solution analytics be for your company? Schedule a call today to learn how much time you could save.
< Back to Blog