Uri Unplugged

“No one ever got burned buying [insert any big brand name]”. This frequently-used rationale for selecting the name brand over the non-name brand, even when it’s clearly not the better product, is adopted by buyers everyday in every industry. It’s a walk on the safe side – most easily justifiable to the ‘powers that be’ because after all, it’s [insert same big brand name].

One of the best examples I can think of relates to RAD’s Airmux-200 point-to-point wireless multiplexer. It reduces access costs by extending both data and T1 lines over a single link at a real throughput of 18 mbps full duplex and has a range of up to 50 miles. You can get a complete Airmux-200 link from RADirect for as low as $2,250 list.

Frequently, our Airmux fixed wireless solution finds itself up against comparable offerings such as the Motorola Canopy, Proxim Tsunami, and Adtran Tracer to name a few. But in most cases, the price/performance of the Airmux far exceeds that of its brand name competitors. Also in the Airmux’s favor:

1. Numerous longtime RF professionals have told us that the Airmux installation is the easiest they’ve ever experienced.
2. It’s the only radio on the market today that is 100% symmetrical in send and receive speeds, making it unmatched for live voice, video and music applications.

Of course, the Airmux may not be lagging in brand recognition for much longer. In the 2 ½ years that it’s been on the market, more than 50,000 radios have been successfully deployed in 72 countries. The most popular applications include connecting remote enterprise locations, wireless/cellular backhaul, and public safety.

And no one’s been burned.

Posted by Uri Zilberman at 09:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

(Note from Uri: Today’s post is contributed by RADirect Systems Engineer Steve Insdorf)

Over time, I’ve come to realize that the distinction between data backup and data archiving can sometimes be cloudy, with the two terms often used interchangeably. The truth is there are many important differences between the two, so I thought I would use this entry to help clarify.

Put simply, a backup is created for emergency purposes – short term recovery in case the original data is lost or damaged. In contrast, the purpose of an archive is to store, protect, share and manage data assets for the long term and make them accessible for re-use on a regular basis.

In addition:

1. Backup systems are best for dynamic data that changes regularly – for example, customer databases. Digital archives store fixed content that doesn’t change, such as email archives, medical images, financial data, legal documents, images and video, etc.

2. While a backup is simply another copy of data stored on your primary systems, an archive is a preservation of original data moved off of your primary systems.

3. A backup stores data offline. An archive stores it online or near-line.

4. With backup, you generally have a blanket retention policy for all files. True archive systems allow you to set retention policies at the file-level.

5. With backup, data volume or time of day usually determine when data is copied. On an archive, data movement is determined by policy or event.

6. An archive is easily searched and directly accessible by many users – a backup is not.

Have a backup application? I think your best bet is Nexsan’s range of RAID storage arrays. For archiving, you want their Assureon content addressable storage solution.

Posted by Stephen Insdorf at 09:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I recently returned from SIIM 2007 in Providence, Rhode Island - among the year’s most prominent technology events in healthcare. One of the biggest takeaways was that clearly, HIPAA compliance is of critical concern for healthcare providers, so I wanted to take a moment and add my two cents on this important and multifaceted subject.

The HIPAA Act of 1996 affects virtually all healthcare providers, health and life insurers, public health authorities, healthcare clearinghouses, and self-insured employees, just to name a few. It calls for severe civil and criminal penalties for noncompliance.

If your organization fits into the above, it’s vital that you familiarize yourself with this subject and make certain that you comply with HIPAA regulations.

HIPAA compliance calls for:

• Standardization of electronic patient information.
• Unique health identifiers for individuals, employers, health plans and healthcare providers.
• Security standards protecting the confidentiality and integrity of ‘individually identifiable health information’, past, present and future.

When implementing a HIPAA-compliant data storage system, be sure it addresses the following:

• A means to control access to electronic protected health information only to authorized personnel.
• A mechanism to encrypt and decrypt data.
• Audit control mechanisms that record and examine activity.
• Policies/procedures that will protect your data from improper alterations or destructions.
• The ability to substantiate whether a file has been tampered with, so the authenticity of information can be confirmed.

If you’re looking for a good data archiving solution to help you achieve HIPAA compliance, be sure to check out Nexsan’s Assureon.

Posted by Uri Zilberman at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)