ioProtect: VMware Disaster Recovery at 60% Less, on Hardware You Already Own
ioProtect, built into VergeOS, replicates VMware virtual machines in near real time to a VergeOS DR site. There is one software package to buy, no VMware license needed at the DR site and no new hardware for most organizations. Most customers cut VMware DR costs by 60% or more and protect more workloads than before.
VMware DR Costs Force You to Protect a Select Few
Most VMware DR designs need replication software, a second set of VMware licenses at the DR site, matching hardware and more capacity-licensed storage. Every workload added raises the bill, so most organizations protect only a select few and hope the rest never fail.
| DR Requirement | Conventional VMware DR | ioProtect |
|---|---|---|
| Replication software | Separate product and license | Built into VergeOS |
| Hypervisor at the DR site | VMware license required | No VMware license |
| DR site hardware | Often new or matching servers | Runs on existing hardware |
| Capacity growth | More capacity-based storage licensing | Global inline deduplication |
| Testing | Disruptive, often skipped | Isolated virtual lab, no disruption |
| Typical cost | Baseline | 60% or more lower |
Lower Cost Without Lower Recoverability
ioProtect replicates VMware VMs in near real time to a VergeOS environment at the DR site. Global inline deduplication sends only unique data, which speeds transfers and keeps DR storage small.
- Immutable snapshots. Take frequent snapshots at the DR site that cannot be altered, and keep them as long as you need.
- Hardened environment. VergeOS requires two-factor authentication for access, adding ransomware resilience to the DR copy.
- Efficient storage. Customers find the storage savings so strong that some use VergeOS as a SAN replacement.
Deduplicated replication plus immutable snapshots at the DR site.
Test DR Any Time Without Touching Production
Testing is the key to going from outage to online in minutes. With VergeOS Virtual Data Center (VDC) technology, IT can bring up specific workloads, or the entire data center, in an isolated virtual lab at the DR site.
- Isolated lab. Test runs happen in their own VDC, walled off from production networks.
- No interruption. Tests do not disrupt production or pause replication.
- Fast recovery. When disaster strikes, the same process brings workloads online in minutes.
Test in an isolated VDC. Protection keeps running.
Turn the DR Site Into Your First Step Off VMware
VergeOS efficiency frees resources at the DR site, and deduplication keeps capacity in check, so adding workloads to DR costs little or nothing. The same environment can then do more.
On-Premises Disaster Protection
Bring more workloads into DR without new licenses or hardware, and skip the monthly cost of cloud DR.
Test-Dev, QA and Reporting
Run development, quality assurance, reporting and even cyber-response training in secure VDCs at the DR site.
Complete VMware Replacement
Once the team knows VergeOS, move production with ioMigrate and extend the savings across the whole data center.
From Plan B to Plan A
Alinsco Insurance, a Fort Worth auto insurer, faced a VMware renewal with no quote and no visibility into future costs. In October 2023 the team stood up VergeOS on spare equipment at its Campeche, Mexico site as a Plan B.
Testing went well enough that the contingency became the strategy. Alinsco converted its five-node Fort Worth VxRail cluster to VergeOS node by node during business hours, with no maintenance window and no downtime. Today cross-site replication between Fort Worth and Mexico keeps 90 days of history, and daily immutable snapshots keep 45 days.
We made that our Plan A. We had already found and figured out, just through the testing, that VergeOS is definitely going to be the way forward.
VMware DR Resources
Comparing VMware DR Strategies
Backup, array replication and infrastructure replication compared, with a live VMware recovery demo.
LightBoardPreparing VMware for DR
How VergeOS lowers the cost of disaster recovery and improves resiliency.
Video Learning GuideModernizing VMware Disaster Recovery
The three requirements for a DR plan that protects against current threats.
Frequently Asked Questions About ioProtect
What is ioProtect?
ioProtect is the VMware disaster recovery capability built into VergeOS. It replicates VMware virtual machines in near real time to a VergeOS environment at the DR site, running on hardware the organization already owns.
How much can ioProtect lower VMware DR costs?
Most organizations reduce VMware DR costs by 60% or more. There is one software package to buy, no VMware license needed at the DR site and, in most cases, no new hardware.
Do I need a VMware license at the DR site?
No. The DR site runs VergeOS, so recovered workloads run without a VMware license.
How long does it take to get started?
Most customers install VergeOS on hardware they already own and begin replicating data from their VMware site in a couple of hours.
How does ioProtect keep transfers and storage small?
Global inline deduplication sends only unique data to the DR site, which speeds transfers and keeps DR storage requirements low as more workloads are added.
How does ioProtect protect against ransomware?
IT can take frequent immutable snapshots at the DR site that cannot be altered and keep them as long as needed. The VergeOS environment is hardened and requires two-factor authentication for access.
Can I test DR without disrupting production?
Yes. Virtual Data Center technology brings up specific workloads or the entire data center in an isolated virtual lab at the DR site. Tests do not affect production or interrupt replication.
Can the DR site be used for anything besides DR?
Yes. Customers use the DR environment for test-dev, quality assurance, reporting and cyber-response training in secure Virtual Data Centers.
Why not use the cloud for VMware DR?
Cloud DR avoids upfront hardware, but paying monthly for the servers and storage DR requires adds up quickly. ioProtect runs on hardware you already own, so the investment pays back in weeks.
How does ioProtect help with a VMware exit?
ioProtect puts VergeOS in place at the DR site and lets the team learn it with real workloads. When the organization is ready, ioMigrate moves production to VergeOS and extends the savings across the data center.
Protect More VMware Workloads for Less
Replicate VMware to VergeOS on hardware you own, test without disruption and turn the DR site into your first step off VMware.