From Tapes to Cloud: Harkins Builders' Journey to Enhanced Data Security

Founded in 1965, Harkins has become an industry leader in negotiated and design-build construction. With an annual volume of over $450 million, they have five locations serving the Mid-Atlantic, Northeast, Central Virginia/Hampton Roads, Charlotte, and Raleigh-Durham regions.

Harkins Builders, a company with 350 employees, previously used Veritas Backup Exec to protect their on-premises VMware environment and relied on Microsoft 365's native protection capabilities for their cloud data. However, this approach presented several challenges.

The tape-based backups were not only time-consuming but also inconvenient, as they required manual processes for rotating tapes offsite. Moreover, restoring data from the tapes was a slow and cumbersome process, and Backup Exec was often unreliable, requiring frequent maintenance that created ongoing issues for the IT team.

On the cloud side, the limited retention and recovery options provided by Microsoft 365's built-in protection left Harkins Builders vulnerable to potential data loss. This vulnerability was particularly concerning during security incidents or instances of accidental deletions, highlighting the need for a more robust solution to protect their data effectively.

As part of its search for a new data security vendor, Harkins Builders turned to Druva, a leading cloud-based data security and management solution. The company was drawn to Druva's simplicity, reliability, and ability to protect its on-premises and cloud-based data.

"We were using Backup Exec and backing up to tape, which was a terrible way to live," said Chris Thomas, IT Director at Harkins Builders. "Restores were always a pain, and we had to rotate the tapes off-site, which was incredibly inconvenient."

Druva's cloud-native architecture and SaaS delivery model appealed to the Harkins Builders team, as it eliminated the need for on-premises backup infrastructure and the associated maintenance. "I like systems that just do what they're supposed to do without me having to babysit them," Thomas added. "Druva has been great in that regard — it just runs in the background, and I don't have to worry about it."

Additionally, Druva's comprehensive data security capabilities for Microsoft 365, including Exchange, OneDrive, and SharePoint, were a key differentiator. "I had read articles about the importance of backing up Office 365 data, and I realized that Microsoft's native retention policies weren't enough to protect us," Thomas explained. "Druva gave us the peace of mind that our cloud data was fully protected."

Harkins Builders is also utilizing Druva's Accelerated Ransomware Recovery, which significantly enhances their data protection strategy. This solution provides rapid recovery of critical data during a ransomware attack, minimizing downtime and ensuring business continuity.

The implementation process was smooth, with Thomas noting it was a "painless" experience. "The Druva team worked closely with us to get everything set up, and the solution was up and running in no time," he said.

Since implementing Druva, Harkins Builders experienced several key benefits:

• Simplified Data Security: Druva's cloud-native architecture eliminated the need for on-premises backup infrastructure and its associated maintenance. The IT team now manages backups less and can focus on other priorities.
• Faster Recovery: When Harkins Builders experienced a security incident, Druva's reliable backups allowed the IT team to quickly restore their critical data and systems, minimizing downtime and loss.
• Improved Microsoft 365 Protection: Druva's comprehensive backup and recovery capabilities for Microsoft 365 data, including Exchange, OneDrive, and SharePoint, gave the company peace of mind and the ability to recover individual files or entire mailboxes as needed easily.
• Cost-Effective Scalability: Druva's subscription-based pricing model allowed Harkins Builders to scale their data security as their business grew, without significant upfront investments in hardware or software.

"Druva has been a game-changer for us," Thomas said. "The simplicity and reliability of the solution, combined with its ability to protect our on-premises and cloud-based data, have been invaluable."