Bloom Energy Webinar: Microgrid Strategies for Hospitals and Healthcare Organizations

Strategies to Continue Operating During Power Disruptions and Improve Air Quality

Title: Microgrid Strategies for Hospitals and Healthcare Organizations Webinar 

Date: Thursday, August 20, 2020 

Time: 1:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (10:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time)

Duration: 1 hour 

 Register Now

The nature of today’s hospitals — 24-hour services provided by teams of specialized professionals, supported by an expanding use of technology — creates an extraordinary demand for energy. Now, as the health care field is tackling the most challenging pandemic of our lifetime, resiliency in healthcare energy systems is getting even more critical. Hurricanes, storms and wildfires are unavoidable, but when coupled with viral threats such as COVID-19, reliance on the central grid alone is no longer an option. 

This webinar will consider a strategic focus on how health care systems can prepare themselves for resiliency under pandemic situations. Our speakers will address energy procurement strategies, onsite energy generation technology, , how to reduce energy costs, mitigate revenue loss from canceled procedures, and doing all this while deploying clean energy solutions that improve air quality by eliminating smog-forming pollution and particulate matter. 

What You Will Learn:

• How to reduce energy costs and mitigate revenue loss from canceled procedures.
• How to create energy security during pandemics, natural disasters and planned and unplanned outages.
• How to implement sustainable energy sources, without emitting NOx, Sox and particulate matter and improving local air quality for sensitive patient populations.

Speakers:

• Nirupama Prakash Kumar, Bloom Energy, Senior Product Manager – Healthcare Microgrids
• Ryan De La Cruz, Ecom Energy Inc,  Director of Business Development

We invite you to join this discussion and Register Now!

What is DRaaS, and How is it Different from Backup?

Backing up critical data is clearly a major component of any comprehensive Disaster Recovery (DR) plan, but is that all that is needed to ensure your business is safe from catastrophe? What is the difference between DR and Backup? Is DR the same as DRaaS (Disaster Recovery as a Service)? Some definitions of these terms will help create a better understanding of the best way to preserve business continuity, in case disaster strikes. Of course there is no "one size fits all" solution to address the areas of backup, DR, and business continuity, but these definitions will help direct you towards the most suitable DR plan for your enterprise.

What is Disaster Recovery/DRaaS?

• Disaster Recovery (DR) is the replication of hosting of servers (physical or virtual) from a primary "production" location (typically, your onsite data center) to a secondary "DR" location (a co-located data center, or to the cloud). This replication provides fail-over in the event of catastrophe, as well as fail-back (recovery) when the production data center becomes available.
• Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) is DR that uses a service provider's cloud-based secondary data center location and compute/storage infrastructure. This is especially critical if your enterprise does not have a secondary data center location.
• DRaaS On-Demand is DRaaS that uses a service provider's cloud-based secondary location, but you only pay for server fail-over/recovery when it's needed. However, you will still have to pay for the ongoing backup data costs.

What is Backup?

• Backup can refer to data backup, or in a DR context, virtual server environment backup.  Data backup is simply an extra copy of data. Virtual Server Backup is a snapshot of your virtual machine(s), taken regularly (typically daily), stored in a separate location. This backup serves the short-term purpose of restoring the virtual environment.
• Backup-as-a-Service (BaaS) is backup to a service provider's cloud-based secondary data center.

What About RPO and RTO?

Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and Recovery Time Objective (RTO) are two fundamental components of a disaster recovery plan. Each addresses business decisions that must be made as part of a disaster recovery plan:

• Recovery Point Objective (RPO) determines how frequently data backups are created to addresses the acceptable level of data loss a business is willing to handle between backups. Businesses need to consider how much data they are prepared to lose if disaster strikes.
• Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the time it takes for a business to resume regular activities following a catastrophic event. The business consideration here is: how much post-disaster downtime is acceptable before recovery is completed?

The Difference between Disaster Recovery and Backup

Disaster recovery covers the plan to be used to quickly reestablish business operations following an outage. This includes access to applications, data, and IT resources. Paramount to this recovery process is how fast and how non-disruptively you can recover. Keep in mind that data recovery alone, although part of the recovery process, are NOT sufficient to guarantee business continuity. Understanding that backup does NOT equal DR is a major move toward mastering the data protection challenges every enterprise will face.

On-Demand Webinar: 10 Minutes to DRaaS with PTS and Datrium

With the rampant rise in ransomware attacks, the ability to recover quickly and without paying the attackers has never been more critical. But traditional DR has been expensive, complex and unreliable. In this webcast, you'll learn about:

• The most important capabilities in a DR solution according to IT leaders
• How to get started with cloud-native DR in 10 minutes
• How to get 10x savings on DR with an on-demand model using the public cloud

Join Datrium and PTS Data Center Solutions for a virtual event and learn how to recover instantly after a ransomware attack. After you attend the webinar, we will email you a complimentary $25 Uber Eats gift card you can use to support your local restaurants or we can make a donation in your name to Feeding America.

Date: May 13, 202
Time: 12:30pm - 1:30pm ET
Speakers:
Peter Sacco, Founder & President, PTS Data Center Solutions
Datrium Keith Mossberg, Sales Engineer, Datrium

Register to View the
On-Demand Recording!

Bloom Energy Webinar: Stepping up in a Crisis: Rapidly Deployed, Clean Microgrids for Healthcare Facilities

Overview

Title: Stepping up in a Crisis – Rapidly Deployed, Clean Microgrids for Healthcare Facilities 
Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2020
Time: 2:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (11:00 AM Pacific Daylight Time)
Duration: 1 hour

 

As companies step up across the globe to combat the crippling effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bloom Energy is fighting the war on two fronts by helping COVID-19 patients breathe easier in very different ways. 

As the U.S. faces a critical shortage of ventilators, a critical medical device used to treat respiratory failure in COVID-19  patients, we are exercising our manufacturing expertise and capabilities to refurbish thousands of out-of-service ventilators across the U.S working with state agencies and healthcare customers.

Due to the success of the ventilator refurbishing efforts and to further our support of essential businesses on the front lines of this pandemic, we have launched a new, rapid deploy microgrid solution to power existing and temporary hospitals, as well as biotech facilities with resilient and pollution-free power. Recent medical studies show a sharply higher mortality rate among coronavirus patients in areas with even slightly increased levels of air pollution. Respiratory disease requires clean air systems, and traditional backups like diesel generators create pollution and air quality issues that are harmful to coronavirus patients. This solution is initially targeted at healthcare facilities but can also be utilized for any facility in need of a rapid power resiliency solution.

Please join us in this discussion when we will showcase this new solution and detail its application at two first-of-its kind projects at temporary field hospitals in California.

We invite you to join this discussion and Register Now!

PTS Partner Bloom Energy Repurposes Old Ventilators for Coronavirus Duty

As the number of COVID-19 cases continue to grow, the number of patients in dire need of expert care has already begun to put a strain on our healthcare systems worldwide. In the U.S. specifically, hospitals have been unable to supply enough ventilators for critically-ill patients during this pandemic.

California Governor Gavin Newsom called on Bloom Energy to see if the Bloom team could repurpose some old ventilators. While other manufacturers are studying and looking at the feasibility to help support production for new medical devices such as ventilators, the Bloom team took action and answered the Governor’s call. As you may know, ventilators are critical to preventing respiratory failure in patients with COVID-19. While the original ventilator service provider told the Governor it might take a month to begin refurbishing, Bloom Operations knew that wasn’t an option with lives at risk. Less than 24 hours later, Bloom's manufacturing team had refurbished 24 ventilators and is now refurbishing an additional 25 more in California and expect to begin similar refurbishment work in Delaware this week.

At this rate, Bloom estimates they can refurbish hundreds of ventilators a week, helping to meet the anticipated high demand. The Society of Critical Care Medicine estimates that 960,000 coronavirus patients in the U.S. may need to be put on ventilators, but there are only about 200,000 such working machines available – while thousands sit idle, having reached their end-of-service life.

Bloom's team's willingness to innovate, solve tough challenges, and commit to the “art of the possible” in this time of need is a true showcase of Bloom's resilience. Their manufacturing teams are working with the State of California and the State of Delaware, and have offered services to other states, to begin refurbishing the thousands of out of service ventilators available in the U.S. Bloom is also working with state agencies and customers – many of which are hospitals and medical device companies – to identify additional supplies of ventilators that need refurbishing.

"While unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures, I could never have predicted that Bloom could have such a direct impact on our society. I am deeply humbled by our team's strength and ability to step up to this challenge. As a U.S.-based manufacturer, we take our responsibility to this country seriously and we stand ready to serve. Like our customers and the communities we serve, we are strong and we are resilient. I am blessed to work with such an amazing group of people."

Andrew Patterson Director, Partner Engagement BloomEnergy Corporation

How you can Help

If you know of any businesses or state agencies with out-of-service ventilators, please email Bloom at:  ventilatorrefurb@bloomenergy.com or visit Bloom's ventilator refurbishment web page at: https://www.bloomenergy.com/ventilators for more information.  Bloom Energy can also be reached on their hotline: +1 (888) 544-2644

PTS Support During the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Being a technology company, PTS is well-prepared to run our organization and support our clients remotely. We are operating as normal as can be expected under the current circumstances. You will continue to receive the exemplary level of service that you have come to expect from PTS.

We will be leveraging all the technologies at our disposal to engage and support you. Rest assured: our commitment to you during this situation remains as strong as ever. PTS will continue to operate at full capacity servicing our clients. We are well equipped with the resources and technology to work remotely, and plan on operating all other aspects of our business as usual.

How to Reach Us:

• Communication among all parties will continue as usual. PTS employees are available via email or by phone.
• Our main office phones (201.337.3833) will still be answered. Phone calls will be directed to employee cell phones or company voicemails which will be continually monitored.
• We are no longer holding in-person meetings at this time; however, we will continue to hold virtual meetings and conference calls.
• Our hours of operation will remain: Monday - Friday, 9am to 5pm.

At PTS, we are dedicated to supporting the well-being and utmost safety of our employees, clients, and families. We appreciate your patience during this challenging time and assure you of PTS’s commitment to continuing to serve our clients.

Following is a brief list of services that we are prepared to help you with in a pinch. Please visit our website at www.PTSdcs.com for a more comprehensive list.

Data Center & Facility	IT	Workplace
Emergency Repair Emergency CRAC Repair Battery Replacement Rental UPS	NOC-Based Managed IT Helpdesk Support CTOC-Based Cybersecurity Remote Access BaaS (Backup as a Service) DRaaS (Disaster Recovery as a Service)	Video Conferencing Hosted VoIP Virtual Desktop

Here are some external links offering helpful advice to businesses in dealing with the pandemic:

• Uptime Institute’s COVID-19: Minimizing Critical Facility Risk
• 7 Things Data Center Businesses Should Do During the COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic

Thank you for your business and stay safe.

Ransomware is the Number One Cause of Disaster Recovery (DR) Events

When ransomware infects a company's IT systems, it often leaves the target helpless and at the mercy of the attackers.  Stored and backup data become encrypted, and, as such, are irretrievable unless the attackers demands are met or the system can otherwise be restored from clean backups.  In response, the enterprise scrambles, often in vain, desperately trying to restore systems and data to a point prior to the attack. This disaster recovery process is often manual and time-consuming, resulting in costly downtime. In many cases, businesses (like a hospital, for instance) cannot function without their systems active, so they may feel added pressure to pay the criminals to decrypt their data more timely. It is truly a nightmare.

Some shocking ransomware statistics:

• Since 2016, Ransomware Growth: 700% – Gartner
• Cost of Ransomware in 2019: $11.5 Billion – Fortinet
• Companies that used their DR Plan in Past 24 Months: 80% – Gartner
• Companies that did NOT Meet Their RTO and RPO Objectives: 94% – Gartner

The DRaaS Solution to Ransomware
PTS and its partners are ready to offer an elegant DRaaS (Disaster Recovery as a Service) solution. Backup and DR is simple with VMWare Cloud on AWS.  Backups are deduped and stored on S3 in a steady-state. Runbook automation instantly turns these backups into live VMs during a DR event. You get instant RTO for thousands of VMs. 

10x More Cost Effective. Fail over to on-demand VMware Cloud on AWS SDDC targets using ControlShift DR plans and store forever incremental, native backups in S3. DR sites are ready when needed, in the cloud, whether for testing or actual failover. Pay for SDDC only when you need it while your data is ready to use on low-cost AWS S3. Efficiently fail back with minimal AWS egress charges by transferring only changed and globally deduplicated data. Select from a broad range of DR sites around the world.

Instant RTO Restart from Recent Snapshots or Deep Backups on S3. Easily restart instantly from recent snapshots or backups that are months or years old. With converged backup and DR, you have millions of point-in-time consistent recovery points to choose from, so you can quickly restore your entire data center. That can be critical for ransomware attacks, which often only become apparent months after the initial event. Achieve instant RTO with zero copy and no rehydration as ESX hosts directly mount a live NFS datastore hosted in AWS.

“Developing and delivering transportation solutions requires highly available and secure IT systems even during disasters. Our DR solution had to have low RTO and the high reliability and security of a leading government service that could be audited, tested, and verified regularly. Datrium DRaaS met all our demanding requirements while reducing our TCO by 80%.”

- Michael Beerer
Senior Section Manager Information Systems
Orange County Transportation Authority

Contact PTS to discuss DRaaS options 

to better protect yourself against Ransomware.

PTS Data Center Solutions is Selected by Datrium as a Select Partner for its DRaaS Solution

New DRaaS Select Tier Delivers Efficient, Cost-effective and Cloud-native Disaster Recovery and Backup Solutions to Modernize IT Infrastructures

Datrium delivers the first server flash storage system with the Datrium DVX. Unlike rigid and expensive Arrays or Hyperconverged servers, DVX storage gets its speed from commodity, Bring Your Own (BYO) compute and SSDs on stateless servers, so storage for VMs is simpler to scale, more efficient, and more dynamic. The DVX will be ideal for enterprise applications, including VDI, test and development, and server VM consolidation.

SUNNYVALE, Calif., Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Datrium, pioneer of the secure multi-cloud data platform for the resilient enterprise, today announced that it has expanded the Datrium Global Partner Network to new regions and introduced a new tier, DRaaS Select. With DRaaS Select partners can better aid customers in their cloud transformation and modernize disaster recovery (DR) and backup processes.

"We've experienced high demand from customers looking to transform their data centers with more cloud-based solutions," said Tim Page, Chief Executive Officer at Datrium. "At Datrium, we pride ourselves on delivering unprecedented flexibility and simplicity to help customers transform their IT. The new and expanded partner program reflects our mission to bring on-demand, failproof and cost-effective DR with VMware Cloud on AWS to enterprises everywhere. This is an exciting time for Datrium and our growing Global Partner Network."

The new DRaaS Select tier provides partners with additional services opportunities and enables them to better guide their customers through DR transformation initiatives and protect them from the growing threat of ransomware. DRaaS Select partners receive the highest level of training and certification in DR with VMware Cloud on AWS so they are uniquely equipped to help organizations protect themselves from disasters in an economical way. Participation in the DRaaS Select tier is by invitation only and is limited to an exclusive set of highly skilled partners in specific geographic regions.

Datrium Partners Bring Cloud-native DR To More IT Organizations
DRaaS is fundamentally changing the DR market with its cloud-native design, built-in backup, instant Recovery Time Objective (RTO), continuous compliance and an on-demand pay-as-you-go model. This presents a unique opportunity to leverage the public cloud and its elastic capabilities to finally deliver DR done right with Datrium DRaaS with VMware Cloud on AWS. Datrium's commitment to the channel and its partners' go-to-market efforts are reflected in the following Partner Network levels:

• DRaaS Select resellers receive advanced training and certification on DRaaS with VMware Cloud on AWS. These partners have the highest level of expertise in DR with built-in backup. DRaaS Select partners can help customers transform their DR processes including providing guidance on Runbook creation and multi-cloud deployment strategies.
• Preferred resellers are provided with new service opportunities and a rich set of program benefits, so together with Datrium they can help companies achieve failproof on-demand DR, achieve their DR compliance objectives, quickly recover from ransomware attacks, modernize their data centers, achieve their hybrid cloud objectives, and design and implement data resilience strategies.
• Authorized resellers can provide services beyond DR, including all around data center modernization, multi-cloud and hybrid cloud strategies as well as data resilience efforts.

With the Datrium Automatrix, which contains DVX at its core, Datrium and its partners can remove IT infrastructure complexity by delivering a platform that converges backup, mobility, DR and encryption in a single platform.

Since releasing DRaaS to the market in August 2019, Datrium has expanded its DRaaS Select Partner ecosystem and garnered interest in DRaaS Preferred, adding new partnerships across the U.S., Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the Philippines including ASI Solutions and BEarena NZ, Bytes Software, CDW, Champion Solutions Group, Citrus Solutions, DCNEXT Holland, Epaton, Mindsight, Novulutions, Prodec Networks, PTS Data Center Solutions, SISL, Spinnakar, Technologent, and TrustCo.

Read the entire press release here: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/datrium-expands-partner-network-to-fuel-cloud-transformation-and-deliver-cloud-based-disaster-recovery-to-enterprises-globally-300999163.html

Why You Should Use a Design/Build Firm for Your Next Data Center Project

A design/build firm is one that manages an entire project as a one-stop shop by handling both the design and construction phases. This approach can save time and money, all while avoiding costly errors that can be caused from things like miscommunication over construction documents. More than one third of non-residential construction is completed using design/build approach.

Here are the Top 10 Reasons to Use a Design/Build Firm to design, build, and maintain your Next Data Center Project: 

1. Communication: One Point of Contact for the Life of Your Data CenterAn experienced Data Center Expert will listen to understand your vision for your data center project. Then, they will provide recommendations and create a design, apply for the town permits, manage the trades, coordinate the equipment purchases, deliveries and start-ups. The firm will also commission the complete system, then develop and manage a comprehensive maintenance plan for the life of your data center. All of these managed services with just one phone call.
2. Expertise: A Data Center Design/Build Firm Does Just One Thing, and Does it Very WellSimilar to the medical industry, when you specialize in something, you become very proficient at it over time. When an engineering company concentrates on every aspect of a single specialty, to design, build, and maintain a data center, it becomes an incredible resource to the data center industry as a whole. Take advantage of this experience and expertise.
3. Experience: Access to Vetted Manufactures and ContractorsA Design/Build firm that specializes in data centers knows the most reliable equipment, the OEMs offering the best value, and the best contractors in the business. This is because they have worked with them every day, over many years, and have solidified a mutually beneficial relationship. Only the best have risen to the top (and have stayed there), and have earned their respect and business over the course of these many projects.
4. Innovation: Get the Inside Scoop on the Latest TechnologiesWhen a Design/Build Firm’s sole focus is on finding the most productive, reliable, and cost-effective approach to build and maintain a data center, they know the latest innovations, as well as the latest flops. They have done their due diligence toward recommending the most suitable design for current business requirements, with the capability of accommodating future growth.
5. Continuity: Get One Bill and One Dedicated Rep to Coordinate all Aspects of Your Data Center ProjectCoordinating up to 30 different vendors, contractors and equipment providers while working with your enterprise is a full time job. By utilizing a Data Center Design/Build Firm, you save both time and money. This will result in freeing up resources to better enable you to concentrate on your job.
6. Cost Savings: Achieve Cost Savings by Bundling all Services, Equipment and LaborTypically, if you group your purchases, you can negotiate a better price. Similarly, a Design/Build Firm is focused on offering a better price for bundled equipment, services, and labor, since they can handle all aspects of the project.  The alternative of hiring separate service providers for each area of their expertise, will most likely result in higher overall costs, and increases the likelihood of miscommunication, missed deadlines due to coordination shortcomings, among other things. Having an experienced Data Center Project Manager to coordinate the efforts of multiple groups is key.
7. Positioned for a Long Term RelationshipSuccessful Design/Build Firms have become established over hundreds of projects and thousands of man-hours in an effort to have the competitive edge they now enjoy. They are not going away any time soon, so you can expect a working relationship to last some time.
8. Accountability: No More Finger PointingWhen a single firm handles all aspects of a project, most of the communication takes place among employees of that same firm, each working in a unified manner toward a common goal. The firm takes responsibility for the project’s success, and holds its employees accountable every step of the way.
9. Collaboration: The Design/Build Team Works Together as a Unit.Using many different contractors on the same project is much more likely to create issues from scheduling to miscommunication to finger-pointing.  When a single team is dedicated to the project, these obstacles are greatly minimized, or even eliminated entirely.
10. Time Savings: Time is Saved Due to Concurrent ActivitiesA Design/Build Firm can manage several tasks concurrently and far more efficiently than several disjoint teams. It is not uncommon for the firm to build while designing, or design while procuring. In this way, the project can be delivered more quickly and smoothly, while still maintaining a high level of quality.

PTS Data Center Solutions, Inc. has been in business since 1998, and has completed several hundred data center projects, including all aspects of data center designing, building, and maintaining. Contact PTS for all your data center projects.

Webinar 10/31/2019 (New Date): Best Practices for Disaster Recovery with Datrium & PTS Data Center Solutions

Disaster Recovery has been out of reach for many companies due to the cost, complexity, and brittle nature of traditional DR solutions. With the increasing threat of Ransomware attacks, which are up from 300% from 2018, implementing effective disaster recovery strategies, security and business continuity has never been more critical.

With the recent release of Datrium Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) with VMware Cloud on AWS, you can now get everything you need for failproof on-demand DR to the public cloud in one SaaS solution. For a fraction of the cost of current DR solutions, you can get on-demand DR in the public cloud and eliminate your secondary DR sites. It keeps your data safe and secure, and it delivers failproof recovery and failback.

Here are some of the benefits:

• Achieve immediate and on-demand failover to the cloud with VMware Cloud on AWS
• Eliminate virtual machine conversion and lengthy rehydration
• Leverage S3 for cost-effective cloud storage
• Smoothly resume operations and transition back from a DR environment

Join us for a free webinar on Thursday, October 31st at 12pm EDT and learn about Datrium DRaaS, and how Datrium and PTS Data Center Solutions have partnered to help organizations achieve their multi-cloud objectives, modernize their data centers and achieve failproof DR in the public cloud. For more than 20 years, PTS has been helping IT teams solve some of their most difficult challenges.

• Date: Thursday, October 31, 2019
• Time: 12pm EDT
• Duration: 60 Minutes
• Speakers:
  • Jeff Parker, Field CTO at Datrium, and
  • Peter Sacco, President and Founder of PTS Data Center Solutions

We hope you can join us!

Can’t attend live? Register and we’ll send you
a link to the on-demand recording.