Neverfail products protect against server downtime

NETWORK WORLD NEWSLETTER: DENI CONNOR ON SERVERS
09/06/05
Today's focus: Neverfail products protect against server
downtime

Dear networking.world@gmail.com,

In this issue:

* Neverfail launches server failover products
* Links related to Servers
* Featured reader resource
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Ciena
Network World Executive Guide: Compliance can be an opportunity
for Network Improvements

Federal regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are driving
increased corporate spending on key IT areas such as security,
authentication, access control and document management. Get
advice from experts. Read about real-world tactics. Learn about
the dark side of compliance: what happens when thing wrong. And,
how mandates are affecting IT budgets.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=112835
_______________________________________________________________
THE BEST WAY TO STOP SPYWARE

According to the National Cyber Security Alliance, spyware
currently affects 80% to 90% of desktops. Spyware prevention
must be effective without impeding business. It must be
affordable, yet extensible and adaptable. What is the best way
to stop spyware? Click here for more:
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=112371
_______________________________________________________________

Today's focus: Neverfail products protect against server
downtime

By Deni Connor

"Users should always have access to their applications - they
should never fail." That is the motto of The Neverfail Group,
whose software ensures that application and file servers stay
up.

The Neverfail Group, based in Austin, Texas, has quietly
introduced software for Windows environments that protects the
servers against failure. Founded in 1993 as a group of disaster
recovery consultants, the company introduced its first software
in 2003.

Called Neverfail for Exchange, the software allows two servers
to work together to create a real-time, duplicate image of
Exchange data, applications and operating systems.

Both servers run software called Neverfail Heartbeat. If the
watched or primary server should fail or look as if it is going
to fail, the Neverfail software steps in and creates a duplicate
of all data, applications and operating systems on the secondary
server. IT then has the option of restarting the primary server
or shifting operations over to the secondary server. Using this
approach, users may not be even aware that they are working on a
different physical server.

Craig Foss, IT director for Mattress Discounters in Upper
Marlboro, Md., was looking for software that allowed him to keep
access to his Exchange application up. He had suffered a failure
of the server and a bunch of unhappy users.

"What prompted our research into failover products to begin with
was our Exchange server going down," Foss says.

Foss wasn't able to afford the cost of clustering his servers
with Microsoft Cluster Services. He also couldn't afford
outsourcing the remote replication of data via a service
provider.

So he searched the Internet for a failover package and found
that Neverfail could do the job. While deploying Neverfail for
Exchange required Foss to add a second Exchange server to his
network, Foss says it is a product that performs just as the
company said it would.

"We had another failure about 10 days ago with the Neverfail
product in place," Foss says. "It did exactly what it was
supposed to do. It worked perfectly. We didn't receive a single
phone call from users."

The Neverfail Group also has products for other Windows
applications such as SQL Server, Sharepoint, Internet
Information Server and Microsoft file servers.

The company sells all its software application modules with a
product called Server Check Optimization Performance Evaluation
(SCOPE), which watches the network prior to Neverfail
installation for potential bottlenecks or failures, and then
provides information on the running state of a server and gives
recommendations on how it could run better. After optimizing
server operations, one of the Neverfail application modules is
installed.

Neverfail for Exchange starts at $6,500. This price includes
Neverfail Heartbeat, the Neverfail for Exchange module and a
SCOPE analysis. The products are available now. Each other
application module is available for $1,100 per processor.

The top 5: Today's most-read stories

1. VoIP rollouts generate heat, power concerns
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlservers6291>

2. Cell carriers tackle Katrina damage
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlservers6374>

3. 2005 salary survey
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlservers4027>

4. Google dives deeper into networking
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlservers6085>

5. Katrina news <http://www.networkworld.com/nlservers6375>

Today's most-forwarded story:

Cell carriers tackle Katrina damage
<http://www.networkworld.com/nlservers6376>

_______________________________________________________________
To contact: Deni Connor

Deni Connor is a Senior Editor at Network World covering
storage, Unix, Novell, Macintosh and IT in Healthcare. You can
reach her at <mailto:dconnor@nww.com>.
_______________________________________________________________
This newsletter is sponsored by Ciena
Network World Executive Guide: Compliance can be an opportunity
for Network Improvements

Federal regulations such as the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act and the Sarbanes-Oxley Act are driving
increased corporate spending on key IT areas such as security,
authentication, access control and document management. Get
advice from experts. Read about real-world tactics. Learn about
the dark side of compliance: what happens when thing wrong. And,
how mandates are affecting IT budgets.
http://www.fattail.com/redir/redirect.asp?CID=112834
_______________________________________________________________
ARCHIVE LINKS

Archive of the Servers newsletter:
http://www.networkworld.com/newsletters/servers/index.html

Servers/Desktop Research Center:
http://www.networkworld.com/topics/servers-desktops.html
_______________________________________________________________
FEATURED READER RESOURCE
VoIP

For the latest in VoIP, check out NW's Research Center on this
very topic. Here you will find a collection of the latest news,
reviews, product testing results and more all related to keeping
VoIP networks performing at their best. Click here for more:
<http://www.networkworld.com/topics/voip.html>
_______________________________________________________________
May We Send You a Free Print Subscription?
You've got the technology snapshot of your choice delivered
at your fingertips each day. Now, extend your knowledge by
receiving 51 FREE issues to our print publication. Apply
today at http://www.subscribenw.com/nl2

International subscribers click here:
http://nww1.com/go/circ_promo.html
_______________________________________________________________
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES

To subscribe or unsubscribe to any Network World e-mail
newsletters, go to:
<http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/Changes.aspx>

To change your e-mail address, go to:
<http://www.nwwsubscribe.com/ChangeMail.aspx>

Subscription questions? Contact Customer Service by replying to
this message.

This message was sent to: networking.world@gmail.com
Please use this address when modifying your subscription.
_______________________________________________________________

Have editorial comments? Write Jeff Caruso, Newsletter Editor,
at: <mailto:jcaruso@nww.com>

Inquiries to: NL Customer Service, Network World, Inc., 118
Turnpike Road, Southborough, MA 01772

For advertising information, write Kevin Normandeau, V.P. of
Online Development, at: <mailto:sponsorships@nwfusion.com>

Copyright Network World, Inc., 2005