Cibecs Blog

Kongfused about King III?

Tue, 13 Jul 2010 09:04:00 GMT

To many companies, GRC (governance, risk and compliance) is a giant ape scaling the office walls.

As technology becomes more pervasive and critical to business success, the hairy creature that is GRC also gains in its complexity. Legislation surrounding various aspects of corporate governance, especially the management of business critical and personal data, further adds to the risk mix that companies are exposed to.

Judge Mervyn King identified this exposure and has, since 1994, led the way in establishing an (internationally recognized) benchmark by which boards of directors could measure their compliance in all aspects of business.

The King III Report is his latest offering, with a greater focus on IT governance – separating the “information” and “technology” components to assist companies in managing this critical business component.

According to the report, “The board should understand the strategic importance of IT, assume responsibility for the governance of IT, and place IT governance on the board agenda.”

King III strongly emphasises the point that, when it comes to GRC, a company’s board of directors can delegate responsibilities and functions of it but, ultimately, they are accountable for it.

Key requirements of King III

The King III Report discusses key IT governance responsibilities (of directors) across seven principles, some of which are:

The board is responsible for information technology (IT) governance
IT should be aligned with the performance and sustainability objectives of the company
IT should form an integral part of the company’s risk management
A risk committee and audit committee should assist the board in carrying out its IT responsibilities.

Download the full report here.

According to the report, all boards of directors have to prove (amongst other things) that they have an IT governance framework in place, that they employ sound Information Security practices, and have effectively planned for Business and Disaster recovery.

What it means in terms of company data?

“Technology risks should form an integral part of a company’s overall risk management strategy,” says Richard Dewing, CEO of automated data backup and recovery solutions company, Cibecs. “Legislation, like the Protection of Personal Information Bill in South Africa, makes it imperative for companies to carefully manage the kind of information they have, how it is used, how it is stored and how it is secured.”

King III sets clear guidelines for the management of company data.

A company needs to be able to prove its ability to recover from a disaster. Its mechanisms to do this should be regularly tested (and demonstrated) to the board so that it can satisfy any interested parties, and itself, of the company’s capacity to effectively continue its operations in the event of a disaster.
The board needs to be fully aware of the legal risks associated with non-compliance to all relevant legislation governing IT – especially those affecting the “information” part of the IT function.
Information is subject to a range of risks that need to be managed, such as: theft of intellectual property, internal risks posed by disgruntled employees and a host of other concerns that could have a damaging effect on the company’s image and its operations.

“Managing the security of company data requires the implementation of effective control and management systems, as well as the ability to report on the success (or failure) of those systems,” says Dewing. “It is crucial that organizations remember that they are ultimately responsible for their data.”

Governance, risk and compliance need not be a giant monkey on a company’s back. Implementing the guidelines set out in King III should greatly benefit any organization in terms of operational efficiency and business continuity.

The legal compliance aspect of it all is just an added bonus.

Check this blog regularly for more information, including future articles about King III and other issues relating to effective user data management.

2010 Data Loss Survey proves most companies at risk from data loss.

Thu, 03 Jun 2010 12:07:00 GMT

Data on desktops and laptops is still a vastly exposed risk area, according to a recent Cibecs / IT Web survey.

Most companies have server backup solutions in place, but focus is now shifting to user data stored on desktops and notebooks and the protection thereof. This is where a backup and recovery vacuum exists.

The 2010 Data Loss Survey statistics underline this problem.

For example:

Nearly half (46%) of companies rely on some kind of backup policy (be it to a file server or external hard drive) to ensure business critical data is backed up.
However these very same companies list the fact that users do not follow policy as their main obstacle in terms of successful data protection.

Reality is that users will never follow data backup policies because, frankly, they forget, do not know how to, think it will take too much time and, quite often, do not want their data on a server where it could be accessed by a third party.

The survey also highlighted other interesting trends, such as:

72% of data losses are ascribed to hardware and software failures, theft and negligence.
68% of respondents do not think that their current data backup solution is highly effective.
50% are unsure if their company could recover business critical data in the event of a loss.

These statistics underline the massive risk businesses are exposed to in the event of data loss through any number of every-day occurrences.

A scary thought, especially considering that today’s hard drives store 500 times more data than a decade ago, which means the impact of such a loss is vastly amplified. With 68% of respondents indicating a lack of complete confidence in their current backup solution, staggering financial, legal and productivity ramifications are just one unlucky day away.

Note: (Download the FULL report here)

Global Awareness Growing

Companies increasingly understand they need a better solution to the data backup and recovery problem but, as the survey shows, the majority are not quite sure of exactly what it is they need. That’s nobody’s fault. It’s simply part of a legacy where the amount of data floating around wasn’t nearly as vast and unstructured as it is today.

Companies around the world are starting to realize that older technologies and methods are just not manageable or practical in this day and age. Legislation like King III (in South Africa) and SOX (in the United States), for example, have also forced companies to protect the integrity of their business critical and sensitive data.

So much information is stored on company desktops and laptops, especially as we move to a more mobile society, that business executives are beginning to understand the need to take responsibility for that data away from users and manage it from one central location.

How data loss affects business

Over and above the usual impact on company finances, reputation and productivity, the actual cost of data loss is substantial.

A lot of time and resources have to be allocated to, a) trying to get the lost data back or, b) recreating it. Data loss also negatively impacts the ability of a business to sustain its operational efficiency, ultimately impacting the bottom line . . . and that really is the crux of the matter:

Loss of data leads to loss of business and loss of revenue – in real terms.

Survey objectives

The objective of this survey was to highlight the business and operational risks organizations are exposed to, and to impress upon business owners and IT executives the need to proactively plan for that inevitable “bad day at the office".

Survey expectations

The survey offered concrete verification of what Cibecs has long regarded as the problem areas in enterprise data backup and recovery strategies. On a whole the survey data proved that businesses and enterprises do not fully appreciate the risks they face from the loss of data stored on user PCs.

Our hope is this survey has alerted a few more IT professionals to the business case for reliable data backup and recovery software for desktops and laptops.

Download the full Report.

Free backup for your business?

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:56:00 GMT

Cibecs is offering businesses full feature, 10-user data backup and recovery software for free.

Any company can visit www.cibecs.com and download a free, full feature, 10-user licence,” says Cibecs CEO and co-founder, Richard Dewing. “The licence means that up to 10 company users can backup and recover the data on their desktops and laptops, free of charge.”

Statistics don't lie.

The discussion about the integrity of data stored on company desktops and laptops is long overdue. The latest research by hard-drive company, Maxtor, puts the number of users who absolutely never backup their PC data at 46%. With up to 80% not backing up their files on a regular basis, it is safe to say business-critical data – and the well being of companies – are at serious risk.

Not only do users not back up their data, but organisations also run the risk of employees maliciously destroying or stealing information when they resign or are let go. Research conducted by IT security firm, Cyber-Ark Software, indicates that 58% of Wall Street workers admit to having already taken data from their company, while 71% admit they will take data if faced with the prospect of retrenchment.

Users don't backup to company servers.

“The reality is that most companies do not look after the data residing on users' desktops and laptops,” says Dewing. “Even if there is a data backup policy in place it fails in practice because users forget to back up, they don't know how to back up, they think it will take too long or negatively affect their PC's performance and, of course, some users do not want to save sensitive information on a company server where it could be exposed to unauthorised access.”

The cost in wasted resources and lost revenue due to loss of business-critical data is tremendous and mounting, as more and more data flows in and out of companies.

“Action is required to ensure minimal impact on business continuity when disaster strikes.”

We encourage SMEs and enterprises to make use of the free Cibecs software options available for download on our Web site," says Dewing.

Cibecs offers

* Simple, fully automated, backup and recovery of user data;

* Central control over what user data should be backed up and when;

* Data encryption for added security;

* Data compression to maximise existing storage infrastructure and bandwidth; and

* An easy to use solution when migrating data from old to new computer hardware.

The simplest way to backup and recover data.

Cibecs is used by thousands of business users worldwide, and counts the South African National Prosecuting Authority, GijimaAst, Business Connexion, Unisys, Dimension Data, UTi and Ingram Micro among its local and international customers and partners.

Visit http://www.cibecs.com to download your full feature 10-user licence – for free.

The Great (Data) Trek.

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 10:28:00 GMT

Migrating data from old to new hardware, or changing over to a new software operating system while trying to make sure that all the correct data, from all the company’s users, make that journey successfully, is a bit of a nightmare.

Historically, data migration projects have a tendency to fail, as a Bloor Research white paper suggests:

Approximately 60 percent of data migration projects have overruns on time and / or budget, which affect business continuity and disrupt operations. . . Some projects fail completely.”

Three aspects need careful consideration.

Data migration projects differ from the usual as they are not implemented and then maintained. They are once off (hopefully) with the project drawing to a close when the new system is live.
Data migration projects are time dependent and usually executed when the least impact on the business is expected. Any overrun has a negative effect on the business.
The majority of business critical data does not sit on the company’s servers, but on the user’s desktop or laptop, which further complicates matters.

What's the problem?

Migrating data is a bit like watching your favourite sports team lose. . . Full of unnecessary cardiac implications and four letter words that could lead to days, weeks, months even of dread and disharmony.

First and foremost it takes an awful lot of human resource and time to migrate user data.
Secondly you can pretty much bet the farm that some user data will go missing. When that user then gets his/her computer there is outrage because some mystery files saved in an equally mysterious location did not make it.

The technical guy who sat there all weekend trying to drag this old data migration horse to water then gets the stick.
This leads to loss of productivity as the lost data now needs to be recreated and, yes, it also leads to a less than harmonious relationship between IT and the user who did not adhere to any policy and saved his/her files all over the show.
Lastly any failing of the migration project has a direct and tangible effect on the company’s ability to execute its business operations successfully. This means loss of potential business and, even, loss of current business. Imagine not being able to assist a customer in need because you just don’t have access to the correct data.

Chances are you will lose that customer or, at the very least, have a dented reputation.

Avoid migration blues.

We could go into great detail (and will do so in future articles) but it basically boils down to this.

To successfully migrate user data you need to, A: Plan like you are about to invade a small country
and B: Use the correct technology.

Cibecs’ automated data backup and recovery solution gives you complete control over user data residing on laptops and desktops. Over and above the obvious benefits of the solution, AKA, getting lost data back when the paw-paw strikes the fan – Cibecs is also a popular tool to use when migrating large (or small) volumes of user data.

Cibecs will automatically restore all the user’s data, to their original location, on the new machine – no manual copying of all the data from one machine to a hard drive or a server, and then from there back to the new or upgraded machine. Cibecs facilitates the simple effective migration of user data without all the hassles of old.

A simple, three click process automates data recovery to the new hardware which, in turn, drastically reduces IT resource and time required to get the job done.
Cibecs backs up and restores all the selected business critical data, no matter where on the PC it is stored. This drastically diminishes the risk of losing user data during the migration.
Business continuity remains unaffected – which means real, measurable, company benefits.
Cibecs offers a truly simple solution to a truly unnecessary annoyance.

Some things we can control, others – like twenty foot campers and racing-car driver wannabees – may take a few red-cheeked years still to sort out.

In the meantime why try our free software edition and see how we can help your business protect, migrate and mange its user data?

KO'd? 5 Rules to protect your data when staff leave.

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:54:00 GMT

Boxing South Africa officials recently alleged that the organisation’s former CEO, Bongani Khumalo, “wiped valuable information from their computers.”

This is by no means a new phenomenon or an isolated incident.

Every day companies are at risk of serious data breaches from various sources, including staff members that are retrenched, fired or somehow disgruntled with the organisation.

In fact, the latest research conducted by IT security firm, Cyber-Ark Software Inc, indicates that:

• 58% of Wall Street workers say they have already taken company data.
• 71% said they will take data if faced with the prospect of retrenchment.

The same can be said for South Africa where companies have been, and still are, forced to retrench staff on all levels in order to better cope with a challenging economic climate.

The question is: How do companies and organisations keep themselves, and their data, safe from rogue employees, sometimes even senior ranking individuals such as CEOs?

Here are the 5 Golden Rules every company should follow:

1. You must have Local Disc Encryption: Products like Safeboot, PGP and open source options like TrueCrypt encrypts the data on an individual’s notebook or desktop, in addition to the data being backed up and encrypted by an effective data backup and recovery software solution.

IT can preempt an employee removing information by changing the password settings to decrypt the data.

2. Protect the right data: Choose backup and recovery software that allows you to decide what kind of data, from which users, should be backed up and protected. You do not need music, movies and photos taking up your storage space.

3. Make sure your backed-up data is also encrypted: The backup and recovery solution you use should automatically encrypt your data. This is an especially important feature when it comes to compliance and data breach notifications. Anyone with IT access can always access data stored on the server.

4. Split Management and Data Access: A centrally managed system, accessible by only very specific individuals, is the way to go and safeguards the company against possible action from even the most senior executives.

5. Asset tracking and remote data destruction is not enough. This has more to do with your hardware being taken but employees have been known to disappear with company notebooks before.

Products like Net Trace allow for asset tracking and remote deletion of the information – but then the data is lost forever. If the data is backed up you can go ahead, click that button and make a very nice doorstop out of that shiny notebook.

The Bottom line?

Any businesses or organisation runs the risk of data loss through various means. More often than not the risk comes from within. Protect your data from anything – and anyone, by installing an effective data backup and recovery solution for the desktops and notebooks in your company.

The next Knock Out punch should be yours to give.

All taped out? 6 Features a data backup and recovery solution should offer.

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 12:33:00 GMT

For many years, "tape was considered to be an integral part of any successful data backup and recovery strategy.

Times change however and, while tape still has a role to play as the final cog in the data protection wheel, it is just not practical as a primary backup technology for business users.

Current statistics (highlighted below) do not support the operational effectiveness of tape as the primary backup tool and, to be honest, the costs involved with using the technology as such are simply not favourable.

Yes, as mentioned tape does have a place, however fact remains that there are various challenges associated with using this technology and /or other solutions that struggle to make the grade in terms of business continuity when the data chips are down.

6 features data backup and recovery solutions should offer.

1. Reliability: Disk-to-disk backup solutions are far more reliable than tapes. Using this technology your data resides on disk drives – secure and accessible to you when you need it. Tape is an unstable medium to store data on; with E-secure estimating that up to 71% of restores fail. Fact is, using tape, life really is like a box of chocolates – you never know what you are going to get until you try to restore lost data.

2. Central control and ease of use: IT professionals need to have functionality that places them in full control over their company’s data, including that of the company’s mobile users. The software used should offer reporting functions and should be easy to configure for all users, deployable from one central location.

3. Scalability: It is desirable to use a data backup and recovery solution that allows for scalability to any number of desktops and notebooks. As you grow the same solution should be able to offer the same kind of hassle free automated backup service, and accommodate a more complex company environment without placing any additional requirements on valuable IT resource.

4. Security: Data encryption is key to keeping your data safe from unwanted internal and external exposure. Time and again we read headlines of company executives, not to mention outside forces, causing irreparable damage through data breaches and malicious destruction. Not only does this necessitate the effective backing up of business critical data, but it also means that any backdoor to that data needs to be protected and, thus, encrypted.

General consensus is that encryption through tape often takes too long to fit into a normal backup window. The best solution is one that simultaneously backs up and encrypts user data.

5. Cost: The cost of user downtime relates to more than just the IT resource it takes to attempt to retrieve lost data, but also includes the overall impact on company productivity and possible damage to reputation, as well as the real cost of the technology used in the backup and recovery process. Old warhorse solutions like tape are labour intensive, often with high handling costs and risk for potential damage.

A reliable disk-to-disk backup and recovery solution offers security and ease of use, dramatically cutting the risks and downtime associated with data loss.

6. All access, all the time. Sitting around waiting on tapes to retrieve your data is not productive. You need immediate access to ensure business continuity. With direct access to your data, restoring lost files should be a quick, efficient and hassle-free task.

A successful disaster recovery strategy is one where offsite and onsite solutions (like disk-to-disk backup) work together to leave IT professionals in a position to calmly, and effectively, respond to any challenge that may threaten the integrity of a company’s business critical data.

Anything else is really just a gamble.

Cibecs and GijimaAst in new strategic partnership.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:33:00 GMT

Leading data backup and recovery solutions company, Cibecs, has partnered with JSE listed Managed Services enterprise, GijimaAst.

The deal, worth in excess of $30 million, places GijimaAst in a position to offer its clients Cibecs’ data backup and recovery solution for enterprise desktops and notebooks.

The move will immediately impact favorably on the speed and cost of GijimaAst’s service offering, both in the replacement of hardware and the general support it’s capable of offering business users.

“We see it as an investment in our clients,” says Raymond Deftereos, Business Unit Executive DCS. “GijimaAst is dedicated to offering our clients the very best, cost effective and efficient operational service available; our new partnership with Cibecs enhances the benefit for GijimaAst’s clients.”

Co-founded in 2004 by CEO, Richard Dewing, Cibecs has steadily advanced its product offering and market share in a segment that has (historically) been neglected. “Lost data is the biggest threat to business continuity,” says Dewing.

Backup policies do not work

“In today’s mobile world, more and more business critical information is stored on company notebooks and personal desktops, instead of central servers. With accepted norm being that users simply cannot be trusted to follow procedure and backup their information, it makes the need for an automated data backup and recovery solution, likes ours, a necessity to guarantee minimal disruption to the business when data is lost, destroyed or there is a need to transfer information.”

While the Cibecs product looks at data specifically, the added value of the solution lies in its secondary uses, such as drastically simplifying the process when replacing computer hardware. “We see it as an operational tool first and foremost, “says Deftereos. “Using Cibecs we are able to offer faster service delivery, with lower cost implications for our clients. Who doesn’t like the sound of that?”

Increasing threat to data integrity

GijimaAst is putting its money where its mouth is by not only offering Cibecs licenses to all its clients but, also, internally rolling the software out to the corporation’s users. The partnership signals a significant step forward in Cibecs’ expansion strategy.

“We haven’t yet begun to scratch the surface of this industry,” says Dewing.

“With an ever increasing threat to the integrity of business critical information and exponential shift towards a mobile society, we anticipate a rapid evolution in the way companies protect their data – our partnership with GijimaAst confirms the critical need for a reliable, simple and cost effective backup and recovery solution for company desktops and notebooks.”

"Every company needs it"

Cibecs enjoys global endorsement from its clients and partners. The company offers fast, hassle-free recovery, data encryption and central data control for companies of any size.

“Every company needs a reliable, automated, backup and recovery solution for end users, “says Willem Janse Van Vuuren, Executive Business Excellence. “GijimaAst uses Cibecs”.

Hasso Plattner Ventures buys into Cibecs.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:34:00 GMT

Industry statistics indicate that 60-80% of an organization’s business critical data resides on its users’ desktops and notebooks.

The harsh reality is that data is not backed up and the good old IT folk have to carry the can when data is lost. Not only does this lead to a waste of valuable IT resource in their efforts to retrieve the information but, in most cases, the data is lost forever. . . The real costs of such data loss can be devastating to the welfare of the business.

The absolute necessity to protect the business critical information on enterprise desktops and notebooks has led to the field of data backup and recovery becoming one of the most critical components in ensuring business continuity.

Because of this, the venture capital firm of SAP Co-founder and chairman, Professor Hasso Plattner, recently acquired equity stock in a local enterprise desktop and notebook backup company, Cibecs.

Why Cibecs?

“Cibecs was not so much in need of capital investment but, rather, assistance in accessing new markets,” says Andrea Böhmert, Director and Co-Managing Partner of Hasso Plattner Ventures Africa. “The company has an excellent product and has already proven very successful in the local market.”

Cibecs’ product features automated backup for 1 to 100,000 or more enterprise users. The software takes user responsibility out of the equation and allows for central management of what types of data is stored.

For desktops and notebooks there is no more convenient way to make sure that business critical data is always available, and that you are always in the driving seat:

• Fully automated backup means your users don’t have to lift a finger
• You are in control of what data is backed up
• Data recovery and transfer to new hardware is fast and easy.

Boost for local entrepreneurship

Cibecs already boasts a host of leading local and international clients with thousands of business users – each relying on the Cibecs solution to backup and recover their critical data.

The new partnership with HP-Ventures Africa now places the company in a position to rapidly expand its global reach.

“In the past, local technology companies have found it quite challenging to get funding from international groups outside of the country,” says Cibecs CEO, Richard Dewing. “This investment is a major boost, not only for us, but also for the general entrepreneurial climate in South Africa.”

Cibecs fits the bill

HP-Ventures Africa has strict investment requirements, favoring the best managed, early-stage South African companies that embrace, create and utilize leading global technology trends.

“It is our goal to build world-class international companies which have the potential to actively compete on the international stage,” says Böhmert. “At Hasso Plattner Ventures we look for companies that provide cutting edge solutions to a real and growing market need.”

Going global

Cibecs offers freedom from fear of losing data, fast recovery, encryption for your added security and full control over your company’s backup.

Coupled with developers and strategic partners located around the globe, Cibecs is able to deliver a corporate data backup solution that is reliable, cost effective and famously easy to use.

As Böhmert says: “Cibecs is great for users, great for IT departments and should be a must have for any business."

Who's to blame when Data goes DoDo?

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:25:00 GMT

So here’s the problem.

Your company has a data backup policy that requires users to backup their business critical data to the company’s servers. . . but people are more likely to follow Oprah’s “best buy” advice than give much of a damn for it. There are various reasons for this, of course:

• Users forget to backup
• They don’t know how to
• They think it will take too long or negatively affect the performance of their PCs and, of course,
• Some users do not want to save sensitive information on a company server where it could be exposed to unauthorized access.

Sound familiar?

What happens then is that fire, theft, hardware failures, user negligence and / or suspected alien abduction relieves users of their desktops or notebooks and, with it, all the data that the user (and the company) actually needs to maintain business continuity.

With bewildered eyes and cotton ball mouths they then knock on IT’s door in a flat panic. “My proposal!”, “Our client information!”, “The marketing plan!”... “My email!”...

Funny how nobody then cares much for the music, photos, movie clips and other useless gigabytes of nonsense actually residing on the servers – where their data could have, should have, would have been had there been an automated backup and recovery solution in place, allowing companies to:

1. Get lost data back swiftly and quietly, with as little fuss as possible.

Not being able to do so leads to:

• Lost deals, opportunities, competitive advantage and customers.
• Increased cost as data needs to be recreated (time and resource)
• The company and individuals being placed under unnecessary pressure – amongst other things.

Being able to always get lost data back leads to:

• Minimal disruption to business continuity.
• Elimination of financial losses associated with data loss
• Elimination of stress, time and human resource required to recreate the data
• Elimination of potential internal or external damage to the company’s reputation.

2. Make data migration from old to new PCs quick, easy and cost effective.

Not being able to do so leads to:

• Delays in projects, both for the user and for the IT department
• Increased cost of doing business, with some banks reporting cost in excess of R2, 000 for the migration of data, per user.
• Loss of data. Because users store information in various places on their PCs you often find data goes missing when transferred to new machines.

Being able to migrate data to new PCs quickly and easily leads to:

• No resources wasted trying to find missing files.
• Much faster and simpler hardware refresh projects
• Time saving for users and IT.
• Minimal disruption to business continuity

And that’s just scratching the surface of the operational implications of having and automated, centrally managed, data backup and recovery solution – such as Cibecs.

More about that next time though.

Today you can bask in the knowledge that IT no longer has to carry the can for user neglect. Users don’t have to lift a finger to make sure all their data is protected and, thanks to encryption technology, there is no fear of accidental or intentional data breaches.

So,

What’s the problem again?

Save IT support costs.

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 06:26:00 GMT

(How Cibecs can help)

When it comes to cutting costs and, especially, IT resource spend – a measured, surgical approach that seeks to maximize output and streamline processes will stand any organization in far better stead than, say, cutting costs across the board just for the sake of it.

Efficiency is key and, what’s more, when the tide turns it will be the company that worked smartly that will be best positioned to expand, as leaner and meaner systems (cultivated in these times) are able to support exponential growth.

IDC points out three key areas.

In these recessionary times, the IDC believes that Enterprise IT organizations need to investigate several aspects of their operations that represent areas of immediate possible cost saving. The three areas are:

1. IT Utilization
2. End-user support
3. Maintenance and support budget

For a detailed explanation of each area we suggest you follow this link.

For our purposes, however, we look at how desktop and notebook user data backup and recovery is affected by these areas – and – how implementing a centrally managed solution contributes to maximizing existing IT resource, saves additional IT spend and keeps your business-critical data safe.

Take control. Save costs?

Lost data could severely cripple your business. Implementing an effective data backup solution that takes the user out of the equation is of great assistance to your IT department:

The quick 5 (key benefits) are:

1. Free up your best personnel to focus on your core business: (and their core duties) while data backup on all company desktops and notebooks happen automatically.

2. Maximize uptime for your network systems: greatly assisting in eliminating the overwhelming burden of everyday administration from your IT staff.

3. Prove legal compliance: The centralization of control over what data, from which users should be backed up, allows for clear, measurable and appropriate reports to prove legal and backup procedure compliance.

4. Maximize your current storage infrastructure and minimize IT spend: Encryption, delta level patching and compression features not only secure your data, but also takes strain off your company’s existing network and storage, which means you do not have to invest heavily in new hardware and get a higher Return on Investment on your existing infrastructure.

5. Eliminate costly surprises when recovering or transferring data: Also greatly reduces time and costs associated with replacement of computer hardware.

By implementing an automated, centrally managed, enterprise tool to backup and streamline the recovery of user data you will achieve operational benefit and maximize your return on investment on your staff, as well as infrastructure.

Who can help?

Business users across the globe trust Cibecs with their business critical data. Corporate clients include GijimaAST, Ingram Micro, UTi, JD Group, Unisys, Dimension Data, Fedics, UCS Software, University of Witwatersrand and the South African National Prosecuting Authority - to name but a few.

Hasso Plattner Ventures Africa also recently acquired a stake in Cibecs as part of their investment in leading South African technology companies. “At Hasso Plattner Ventures we look for companies that provide cutting edge solution to a real and growing market need,” says Andrea Böhmert, Director and Co-Managing Partner. “Cibecs' solution is great for users, great for IT departments and should be a must have for any business.”

So, what does it mean to you?

Offering fast recovery, world class security and extensive central control over your users’ backups, Cibecs is the easiest and most convenient way to backup and recover data on all desktops and notebooks in your business

Combined with highly competitive pricing, maximized IT resource and various operational benefits, geared to assist with the creation of efficient and streamlined systems – Cibecs is the smart choice for forward thinking businesses and enterprises.