INDUSTRY

New Tool Leverages CNT's Experience in IBM Tivoli Backup Infrastructures To Increase Clients' Return on Their Investment -- CNT, the global expert in storage networking solutions, announced today an expanded portfolio of services and tools to help clients get the most out of their IBM Tivoli Storage Manager (TSM) backup environment. These services provide clients with a framework and a path to better integrate TSM into their backup and recovery strategy and apply the right resources and best practices to achieve Recovery Time and Recovery Point Objectives (RTO and RPO). CNT's TSM Services Suite addresses all aspects of TSM deployment, from initial design to ongoing day-to-day management. Elements of the suite include TSM Healthchecks, Assessments, Implementation, Monitoring and Reporting, Optimization, and Training. In addition, CNT can also leverage their inVSN Tivoli Reporting Tool and inVSN Infrastructure Sizer Tool to help clients properly size infrastructure resources and monitor infrastructure on a daily basis. "CNT's tools, in the hands of their expert consultants, made all the difference for our TSM implementation," said Christopher Nelson, Director of Global Technical Services at HB Fuller, the global leader in adhesives, sealants and coatings, with 4,600 employees and more than $1.2 billion in sales worldwide. "CNT's tools and services helped us to significantly improve our TSM environment, from sizing our environment for future growth, to implementing additional IBM tape systems, to their tools for ongoing daily reporting. Over the past year, CNT provided invaluable expert assistance in optimizing our TSM environment, and helping us meet our Recovery Time and Recovery Point Objectives." "CNT provides customers a clear advantage with cost-effective implementation, sizing and tuning services for IBM Tivoli Storage Manager to help optimize utilization and recovery of customers storage environments," said Laura Sanders, Vice President, IBM Tivoli Storage Software. "They have been a strong provider of these services for many years and we are pleased to see their enhanced portfolio of IBM Tivoli Storage Manager services." "Our tools-based approach to sizing and deploying TSM has helped businesses meet their backup and recovery objectives for regulatory compliance. In addition, with our optimization services, we have saved clients millions of dollars in unnecessary additional hardware purchases," commented David Barton, Vice President and General Manager, CNT Professional Services. "Not only can we leverage best practices and trend analysis to properly recommend the infrastructure for TSM, but we can collect ongoing data, ensuring that the solution scales with the growth demands of our clients." The inVSN Infrastructure Sizer Tool allows a CNT consultant to process information regarding the growth of data to be backed up, the network resources available, the recovery objectives desired, and tape management requirements to help specify the server, tape, disk, and network resources required to implement centralized backup and recovery across the enterprise. The inVSN Tivoli Reporting Tool gives clients access to data which was previously difficult to obtain from a TSM server, and presents it in an easy- to-analyze format that displays trending information and identifies areas of concern. This tool can be leveraged not only for day-to-day management of TSM, but also for decision support preventing unplanned outages and failed recoveries due to under-resourcing or errors in configuration. CNT consultants can deliver both tools to their clients. Alternatively, inVSN Tivoli Reporting Tool can also be licensed directly on a subscription basis, which includes telephone access to CNT's TSM experts.