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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