IASO Review
Netherlands based IASO is a cloud storage and Disaster Recovery Software provider. IASO was acquired by GFI Softwar in 2013 and though they have provided backup services for some years, their original solution was developed as a software for backing up servers. However, in 2011 they added cloud storage to their services. This review will focus only on their cloud storage and not their disaster recovery service. This service is specially designed for managed services providers (MSPs), large enterprises, telecommunication providers, and hosting providers.
Features
The standout feature for this service is their ‘delta recovery’. With this feature you are able to recover and restore corrupted data with minimal inconvenience to you. For example, if you have a 25GB database and a table corrupts, IASO will scan the source at the block level to determine what data is still intact. Then they request only the corrupted portion of the data, which can be as little as 5% of the overall recovery data set. Other features include:
- Virtual Disaster Recovery to a ESXi or Vmware environment.
- Bootable USB recovery media
- Bare Metal Recovery
- Deduplication
- Archiving
- Cross-platform compatibility
- Server backup
- Workstation backups
It is also important to note that IASO fully integrates with Windows, Linux and OS X platforms, as well as Microsoft Exchange, Hyper-V, SharePoint, SQL Server, MySQL, Oracle and VMware.
Ease of Use
Installation follows the standard process, and takes only about a minute to complete. Once installed, the backup process is fully automated. Live backups ensure that you don’t need to think about the process again after set up. The backup process is designed that it will always commit to the lowest footprint possible for bandwidth, storage and CPU, thereby minimizing disruption to the end-users. All files are stored on a ‘local speed vault’, and a parallel (redundant) copy of the data is on the local network. This allows for block level incremental backups and file restores.
You are provided with a backup manager that monitors all backup activity to help you keep track of all of your backup activity. Additionally, you are able to manage the recovery of your VMs, either Hyper-V or VMware, at the hypervisor level. This is achieved through a single click-to-recovery on any virtual machine that you are protecting.
IASO Backup Manager
Pricing
IASO’s price is on a pay-as-you-go model (i.e. per GB on selected size). This way you only pay for what you use. Additionally, they use a dynamic bonus structure. When your demand grows, you automatically get a discount.
Security
IASO uses private key encryption. This eliminates any backdoor access because the creator of the key is the only one that actually holds the key. It is not stored on the servers. This means that even the levels above the customer (the MSP or the Vendor) cannot access the files without the user’s permission and key. Additionally, IASO employ pre-transfer encryption, and re-encryption at rest.
Customer Support
IASO offers the full support package. With the option of email, phone, live chat and ticket systems, you are guaranteed to have your voice heard. Moreover, their knowledge-base is thoroughly kitted out covering a diverse range of issues, and they provide you with step by step images to walk you through most issues.
Summary
IASO provides a good backup service with an attractive pricing package. By only paying for what you use coupled with IASO’s deduplication feature, you are really get value for your money. They offer a 30 day free trial, so we would recommend trying out the service before committing.
