Reliably and quickly back up and recover data stored on PCs at six locations and store the backups off-site.
Saenz Pharmacy must protect its business records from IT failure and cybersecurity attacks, but until 2011, this was a difficult task.
One problem was that the business didn’t have an IT manager to back up its data. Owner Jesus Saenz had to find time for this task while running the business.
Another issue was the company didn’t have an efficient backup and recovery tool. Portable hard drives connected to each PC automatically backed up the PCs at midnight each night. However, this was a slow process. The backup drives were also unreliable and sometimes ran out of capacity before the backup process was completed. “There was always a problem,” Saenz says.
Saenz wanted a more reliable backup and recovery process. He also wanted to store the backups in a secure, off-site location. That would ensure the data was safe if there was a problem with the pharmacy PCs.
Storing backups off-site would also help the business comply with data privacy regulations. These regulations include the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act, which protects the privacy of individuals’ heath information.1 Saenz Pharmacy planned to start offering digital prescriptions to customers instead of paper prescriptions and needed to safeguard the prescription data.
Jesus Saenz – OWNER
Saenz Pharmacy
Saenz Pharmacy is the largest independent pharmacy chain in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas in the U.S. The business began operating more than 30 years ago, and, since that time, it has grown from one store to six. Its pharmacies provide compounding services, free delivery of medical products, and one-on-one patient counseling. It offers the local community an alternative to ‘big box’ pharmacies.
In 2011 Saenz started using the endpoint backup and recovery solution Micro Focus Connected Backup in addition to his existing backup method. Connected Backup runs on each of Saenz Pharmacy’s PCs and automatically backs up predefined folders to a cloud backup environment.
Saenz Pharmacy also engaged Colorado company Remote Data Backups, which provides backup and recovery support services. Remote Data Backups has helped customers move their backups off-site for more than 18 years and has extensive experience using Connected Backup. It now monitors Saenz Pharmacy’s backup and recovery processes and offers 24x7 assistance via its U.S.-based technical support team.
Connected Backup and Remote Data Backups have helped Saenz Pharmacy avoid losing money and data after the business was targeted by two ransomware attacks. The backups remained safe because they were stored off-site. “Because I have Connected Backup backing up to the cloud, I don’t have to worry about backups anymore,” Saenz says.
Another benefit of Connected Backup is that it allows Saenz to back up 1 terabyte of data. The software also backs up data every 15 minutes, reducing the chance of losing data in the event of a PC failure or cybersecurity incident.
Saenz is also kept up to date about any backup problems. Remote Data Backups will contact him if one of his PCs hasn’t backed up. That might happen if a problem with the PC causes Connected Backup to stop working. Remote Data Backups can also remotely fix backup problems for Saenz Pharmacy.
“Anytime I have an issue, I call them and they help me out. That includes after business hours,” Saenz says.
Saenz now spends much less time recovering data. After each of the ransomware attacks, he called Remote Data Backups and they connected to his PC and restored his data in less than an hour.
“Connected Backup makes it easy to guide a customer through the recovery process. That saves them a lot of time,” says Remote Data Backups Chief Executive Officer Dan Dugal.
A secure, off-site backup process has made it easier for Saenz Pharmacy to comply with data privacy regulations. Connected Backup encrypts backups while they are being transmitted and while they are stored, minimizing the possibility of someone viewing the information without permission.
Without Connected Backup and Remote Data Backups, Saenz would have to manually move his backups in an encrypted format off-site every night.
