Ad Hoc Network 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

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Team Organization

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Data Maintenance

• Data loss has catastrophic consequences and a backup solution that takes advantage of network resources is needed.

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

Causes of Data Loss

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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

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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?

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From Tech Managers Often Underestimate Impact of Data Loss1

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

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

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• Small Businesses– Possibly no dedicated IT staff– Enough computers to require a focused backup

solution• Consumer Home Networks

– PC enthusiasts– Home offices

Consumers

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• Even small businesses can lose thousands of dollars due to data loss

• Non tech-savvy users and small businesses with no dedicated IT staff need a simple to use solution

The Need for Ad Hoc Backups

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• 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

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

The Universe of Corporate PC Backup Options8

• 94% of computer users risk losing their data5

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

Consumer Home Networks

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

Computers Per Home Network

1 March 2012 13From The Complex & Surprising Anatomy of a Home Network6

Problem Detection

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Ad Hoc Network Backups aims to provide inexpensive, secure and reliable backups to home, small and medium-sized LANs

Solution Objective

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

Solution Characteristics

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• Periodic backups from one PC are made on other PCs. Backups are not always stored on the same nodes.• In the event of data loss on a PC, data can be recovered from other PCs to the affected PC.• If a PC is completely unusable, data can still be restored

to local storage on any other node, even nodes without the particular data needed.

How it Works

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• 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

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Problem Solved with Ad Hoc

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• 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

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Risk Matrix

C1 – Software PriceC2 – Customer KnowledgeC3 – User Preferences

T1 – Data SecurityT2 – Software CompatibilityT3 – Data CorruptionT4 – Network Failure

F1 – Development CostsF2 – Customer Support

S1 – Production Schedule

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Technical Risks

• T1- Data must be secure from intruders / prying eyes Mitigation- Use current, standards-compliant, symmetric-key

encryption• T2- Software incompatibility with customer systems

Mitigation- Ensure product meets platform and architecture standards• T3- Data corruption during or after the backup process

Mitigation- Use reliable transmission strategies, enforce automated and manual backup validations

• T4- Customer network failure Mitigation- This is primarily out of our hands. We could potentially offer

online backups as an additional feature

P1, I5

P2, I4

P1, I5

P3, I3

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Customer Risks

• C1- Customers might not be able to afford our product Mitigation- Part of our selling point is that we are cheaper than our

competition• C2- Customers might not be knowledgeable enough to fully

utilize our product Mitigation- Offer support, training, and documentation on the use

of our product• C3- Even if managers purchase our software, their

employees might refuse to use it Mitigation- Advertise the advantages of our product, make it easy

to use

P1, I4

P2, I3

P3, I3

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Financial and Scheduling Risks

• F1- Development costs might go over-budget Mitigation- Plan for this to happen

• F2- We might have to pay for customer support Mitigation- It does not have to be 24/7 support, use a “geek-hotline”

• S1- We might not finish production on-schedule Mitigation- Use AGILE to put out basic working software to ensure we

have a product to sell

P4, I1

P1, I3

P2, I4

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• 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 25From Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey9

• Connecting to remote nodes can be expensive• The speed of the connection over local links is

typically faster

Local Versus Remote Network

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• New storage media should not have to be purchased

• Use all available storage media to ensure that even if a component drive fails, the integrity of the backup is maintained

Storage Media

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• Top competitors and their prices– NovaBACKUP costs $44.95– DT Utilities PC Backup costs $49.99– Genie Backup Manager costs $49.95– Acronis True Image costs $49.99

Competitors Prices

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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

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• Single license pricing would accommodate a household network– $35 to $40

• Volume license would accommodate small business networks– Price to be determined

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

Ad Hoc Pricing

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• No “new” technologies are being implemented.

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

development.

Can it be done?

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Yes, it can be done.

• 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?

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Yes, it should be done.

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.

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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

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Questions?

Thank You for your Attention and Time

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