Immediate access to critical data when it mattered most
Snapshot
- Industry: Education
- Environment: On-premise servers, switch from tape to cloud
- Location: UK
Key details
- After a fire destroyed 80% of the school, Redstor’s InstantData™ enabled immediate access to critical student and staff data.
- Redstor’s on-demand streaming technology minimised downtime, allowing the school to function while restoring data.
- Redstor eliminated the need for manual tape-based backups, reducing IT management overhead.
The challenge
When a fire devastated 80% of The Academy Selsey’s buildings just days before the new school term, the immediate priority was ensuring minimal disruption for students and staff.
- Critical student and staff data at risk: Without access to electronic infrastructure, recreating essential files would have been impossible.
- Disaster scenario: The fire spread quickly due to strong winds, and the school’s servers were destroyed, leaving IT teams with an enormous recovery challenge.
- Downtime not an option: Head teacher Tom Garfield and ICT Systems Manager Daniel Sapseid needed a solution to restore operations immediately.
Tom Garfield summed up the challenge:
“The ability to download our electronic infrastructure offsite and restore that was absolutely critical. There were enough challenges from a teaching and learning point of view without having to recreate every resource.”
The solution: Instant access with Redstor
The Academy Selsey had already migrated to Redstor a year before the fire, implementing its cloud-first, rapid recovery solution. When disaster struck, Redstor’s InstantData™ technology allowed immediate access to critical files, giving staff the tools to keep working while the rest of the data was being restored.
Rapid recovery saves the day
Within two hours of the fire, ICT Systems Manager Daniel Sapseid had already restored all critical student and staff data using a high-speed broadband connection.
“Once I got the new hardware onsite, the first server was restored within the hour. I could then provision all the extra servers I needed and start giving the data back to the senior team.”
InstantData™ delivers on-demand access
Redstor’s InstantData™ streams files on demand, so staff could access the most important data immediately – even while full recovery was still in progress. This eliminated downtime, allowing teaching and administrative work to continue without disruption.
Unlike traditional recovery methods that require full restores before files can be accessed, InstantData™ prioritised the files staff needed first.
“The school’s staff were thrilled that they didn’t lose any work at all from the network.”
The benefits: Fast, reliable recovery with minimal disruption
Immediate recovery when it mattered most
The fire could have spelled disaster for the school, but Redstor ensured operations resumed quickly. Staff and students were able to continue their work without recreating lost resources or suffering extended downtime.
- Critical files restored in hours
- All other data fully recovered within 8–10 hours
Daniel Sapseid credits Redstor with making the recovery process easier:
“Redstor were amazing in supporting with the restore of the data. They sent one of their lead engineers to help, which made the process a lot smoother.”
A resilient data protection strategy
By switching from traditional tape-based backups to Redstor’s cloud-first approach, The Academy Selsey ensured its data was protected offsite and could be recovered remotely. This future-proofed their IT infrastructure against potential disasters.
- No need for manual tapes or offsite storage.
- Data securely encrypted at source, in transit, and at rest.
Daniel noted:
“If there was to be another catastrophe, I fully expect to have the data streamed back live to me – and have my staff using it immediately.”
Reduced IT overheads
Before migrating to Redstor, Daniel spent hours each week managing tape backups, troubleshooting failures, and ensuring data integrity. Redstor’s automated backups and cloud-based recovery reduced this to just minutes.
- Daily summary reports ensure complete visibility.
- Proactive alerts highlight issues before they become problems.
“Previously, I used to spend a couple of hours a week managing failures and changing tapes. Now, it’s just a case of checking my daily email summary.”
The bottom line
When disaster struck, The Academy Selsey’s decision to move to Redstor proved invaluable. With InstantData™ technology, they avoided major downtime and delivered a smooth recovery process for staff and students.
Key results:
- Critical student and staff data restored within two hours.
- All other data fully recovered in less than 10 hours.
- IT management time reduced from hours to minutes.
Head teacher Tom Garfield reflected on the outcome:
“Redstor’s recovery capabilities meant we could focus on our staff and students, not on recreating data we thought we’d lost. It’s been a lifesaver.”
Trusted by over 50% of UK schools, Redstor delivers resilient, cloud-first backup and recovery tailored for education. Protect your data, ensure compliance, and eliminate downtime – whatever the challenge.
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