Posted by Gary Stockton on Sat, Aug 21, 2010 @ 11:31 PM
CMS has just released CE-Secure Free Express, a free Windows 7 compatible program that enables you to create up to four 128MB encrypted vaults or zones on your hard drive.
CE-Secure Free Express is super easy to use. Just create your vault and set the password. The vault will pop open as a new drive letter on your computer. Drag your files or folders into the vault and close it. The contents of the vault are now encrypted with government grade AES-256-bit encryption.
If you use un-encrypted USB thumb drives to carry your stuff around and feel a bit nervous about losing it along with your data, CE-Secure Free Express can turn this un-secure thumb drive into a secure solution with a few mouse clicks, guaranteeing your data remains completely private.
CMS also offers a family of On-The-Go encrypted storage solutions powered by CE-Secure encryption. We offer VaultOTG Secure Encrypted Flash Drives 2GB to 16GB, and also ABS-Secure encrypted USB backup solutions available in capacities ranging from 160GB to 640GB.
If you are looking to create very large encrypted vaults for lots of files or to secure large databases we offer a professional edition called CE-Secure Vault Pro for $49.95.
We look forward to keeping your data protected.
Posted by Gary Stockton on Tue, Aug 03, 2010 @ 07:47 PM
Costa Mesa, Calif., (Aug. 2, 2010) – CMS Products, Inc., (www.cmsproducts.com) a leader in data security, backup, disaster recovery and content management technologies has released its family of “Instant Server Recovery” solutions and software designed for small-to-medium businesses (SMBs) running Microsoft’s Foundation or Small Business Server operating systems.
Built to minimize the effect of down-time on small and medium businesses, the BounceBack™ Instant Server Recovery Solutions are powerful tools to ensure business continuity during server hard drive failures, or catastrophic data loss. The BounceBack Instant Server Recovery solution consists of a two-drive desktop storage device with support for RAID 0 &1 technology available in 2TB or 4TB capacities. The stylish enclosure includes easily removable hard drives, which facilitate offsite archiving of important business data.
In today’s fast-paced, data-dependent environment, SMBs affected by server hard disk failures need to recover quickly. CMS Products’ patent-pending “Instant Server Recovery” technology delivers on that promise, enabling users to restart their server directly from the backup hardware, and get back to running their business immediately. Instant Server Recovery provides invaluable insurance against the interruption of business activity due to a system crash, solving the time-to-productivity challenge with a simple reboot of the business server.
“SMBs depend on their servers to do business, and even one failure can be disastrous to the bottom line,” said Ken Burke, president of CMS Products. “BounceBack Server Edition creates a mirror image of the entire business server, and should the server fail, users quickly and easily can restart the server directly from the external BounceBack instant recovery device. Utilizing these instant recovery products is like having ‘business continuity insurance’ for an SMB, avoiding downtime, costly data loss and possibly saving the business from catastrophic consequences.”
The Instant Server Recovery solutions are powered by the award-winning BounceBack Server Edition software, which provides full server backup, including the operating system, applications and user data. The BounceBack Server version offers many valuable features including government-grade AES-256 bit data encryption, complete SQL database support, two-click restore of the failed system hard drive from the BounceBack Instant Recovery device, QuickRestore™ for simple point and click file and folder recovery, automatic unattended backup, network backup, versioning and much more.
BounceBack Server Edition products are available at: www.cmsproducts.com and from leading resellers throughout the United States and Europe.
Posted by Gary Stockton on Mon, Jul 26, 2010 @ 01:38 PM
If you would like to help spread the word about our exciting new Lightning Series XT hard drive upgrades, plus have the opportunity to be entered into a special drawing to win one of three 500GB Lightning Series EasyBundle upgrade kits, here's what to do:
- Create a blog post talking about our new Lightning Series XT upgrades.
- Include a link to our web site www.cmsproducts.com with the link text "CMS Lightning Series XT Hard Drive Upgrades"
- Send an email to Sales@cmsproducts.com with the link to your blog post and your contact details.
We will pick and announce three winners in a random drawing on our blog on August 31st.
Lightning XT Upgrades Offer SSD-like Performance at an Affordable Price
This week CMS introduced the “Lightning XT” upgrade bundle. The Lightning XT consists of a state-of-the-art 250GB and 500GB Seagate Momentus XT, 7,200 RPM laptop drive that includes 4GB of onboard flash memory, as well as 32MB of traditional cache memory.
This combination of two technologies creates a storage platform capable of providing massive performance increases when integrated into most laptop computers. Its blazing speed provides up to 80 percent faster performance than standard 7200-RPM hard drives when measured using the PCMark Vantage benchmark scores.
Posted by Gary Stockton on Thu, Jun 24, 2010 @ 06:22 PM
Lee Clemmer at ChannelPro wrote a really interesting and insightful article geared toward SMB resellers on planning out a successful backup and disaster recovery strategy here.
The article covers redundancy, licensing, backup testing etc., but we really liked this close:
"The opportunity cost of lost business due to a widespread problem that affected your and other businesses should not be overlooked. If you can service customers when competitors can't, that's a strong position for your company. Even a simple plan that's solid, tested, and that works is better than nothing."
We think the CMS Small Business Backup Solutions with patent pending Instant Server RecoveryTM technology are a great fit for many of these scenarios, primarily because the CMS solutions offer the fastest "Time To Productivity" over other solutions that might require a lengthy recovery process.
You can find more on CMS Small Business Backup Solutions here
Follow ChannelPro updates by signing up for their newsletter here.
Posted by Gary Stockton on Thu, Jun 24, 2010 @ 05:25 PM
When you take a moment to think about the data that's contained on your computer that you absolutely can't live without, what comes to mind? Pictures of your children's birthday? Your financial data for the past seven years? The resume you just spent hours preparing? Actually, it's none of those things. It's the Windows Registry.
The Windows Registry, sometimes simply called "the Registry," stores much of the information and settings for software programs, hardware peripherals, preferences, operating system configurations and more.
Windows and other programs continually reference the Registry so that when you make a change to almost any setting-from the background image on your desktop to installing new programs or hardware -that change is also recorded in the appropriate areas of the Registry. Without the Registry, Windows cannot run. It is the Registry that tells Windows which drivers to load, the settings to apply and what resources need to be allocated for everything to work properly.
If you are a more experienced user, you may at times make edits to the Registry. As long as you backup the Registry beforehand, you can always roll back if something goes wrong. While editing the Registry is not recommended except for expert users, modifying it incorrectly can cause your operating system to malfunction. Knowing how to restore the Registry is essential for all Windows users because viruses, spyware and malware can corrupt and damage it.
Creating a Restore Point
Creating a System Restore snapshot is one way to backup the Windows Registry so you can return your computer to a previous snapshot without losing recent changes to Windows preferences like browser favorites etc. However, a System Restore point will not take a snap shot of your data - your treasured pictures, music and documents etc., for data backup you should automate things and use a good windows backup software program like BounceBack. It's also important to note that System Restore takes multiple snapshots or backups of the Windows Registry by default at least every 24 calendar days, but you may want to do it more frequently. If a failure occurs, you can boot into restore mode and select which registry restore point "backup" from which to restore.
Choosing a Backup Program to Backup The Registry
When choosing a backup program, it's essential to choose one that can perform a full system backup, one that also backs up the Registry. CMS's BounceBack Ultimate and BounceBack Essential Instant Disaster Recovery software will make a full and complete backup of your system, including the Registry. You can even start your PC directly from an external hard drive using the CMS backup solutions.
How to restore the Windows XP Registry:
1. Click Start, then Run, then type "%SystemRoot%\system32\restore\rstrui.exe" in the pop-up box. Click OK.
2. On the Welcome to System Restore page, click "Create a restore point" and then click Next.
3. On the Create a Restore Point page, type a name for the restore point and then click Create.
4. After the restore point has been created, click Close.
NOTE: If System Restore is turned off, you'll receive a message that asks whether you want to turn on System Restore now. Click Yes. In the System Properties dialog box, click to clear the Turn Off System Restore check box, click OK.
How to restore the Windows 7.0 Registry:
1. Click Start. Type "systempropertiesprotection" in the Start Search box, and then press Enter.
NOTE: Administrator permission is required. If you're prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation or click Allow.
2. On the System Protection tab, click Create to create a restore point.
3. Type a name for the restore point and then click Create.
4. After the restore point has been created successfully, click Close and then click OK.
NOTE: If System Restore is turned off, click to select the local disk, click Apply and then click Create.
Posted by Gary Stockton on Mon, May 10, 2010 @ 01:17 PM
When Apple came out with the OS X operating system a few years ago, they included a great little backup program called "Time Machine". Time Machine enables users to utilize an external hard drive to automatically save copies of everything - photos, music, videos, documents, applications, and settings. The program has been a real blessing to many Mac enthusiasts who may have never backed up.
Once you specify an external hard drive to use, Time Machine will make periodic Image backups to a folder located on the external hard drive. You must allocate an entire hard drive for this however. Time Machine will keep backing up until it runs out of room, and then start over-writing older backups.
There are a few gaps in Time Machine's functionality
1) To Test the Backup, You Must Restore
Disaster recovery using Time Machine can be a time consuming proposition, and a risky one at that because once you restore a Time Machine backup, you essentially erase the contents of your current internal hard drive, replacing it with the settings and files from Time Machine. If this particular backup was unsuccessful, you may only find out once you have completed a restore that there were problems with the backup, leaving you in perhaps a worse situation.
2) Recovery Isn't Instant, It Can Be Time Consuming
You need to use the Mac OS recovery CD to access your Time Machine backups, and recovery can be a time consuming proposition, taking several hours.
3) Drive Is Not Bootable
It's not possible to boot up directly from your backup using Time Machine. Bootable drives offer instant recovery options and enable users to get back to work immediately. You can create a bootable backup drive using BounceBack however.
Making a bootable Time Machine Backup with BounceBack
Using Time Machine in conjunction with CMS BounceBack Professional backup software gives you some pretty cool advantages. Before you initialize Time Machine, create a full system backup using BounceBack on your external hard drive. If you don't have an external hard drive, CMS offers backup solutions which include a copy of BounceBack.
BounceBack will make a full and complete backup, and it will make the drive a "bootable" drive. In other words, you can start your Mac directly from the CMS backup drive instantly.
After you have created your BounceBack backup, initialize Time Machine and specify the external drive that you had backed up to using BounceBack. Time Machine will install a folder on your now bootable external hard drive to contain your Time Machine backups. Time Machine will do its thing, making periodic snapshot backups to the external drive. BounceBack will also keep your bootable backup up to date with any programs or system updates you may have installed.
CMS offers BounceBack Professional for $39 via download on our web site.
You can see how BounceBack Professional works by watching this short product demonstration video.
Posted by Gary Stockton on Wed, Mar 31, 2010 @ 05:22 PM
It's not fun going through computer melt downs, just ask my wife. These events in our household used to involve liberal doses of denial, panic, outrage and eventually acceptance with a long slog back to computer health and playing happy family, or getting to one of those projects on her ever-expanding home improvement list. Having worked for CMS for a number of years, I speak to customers every day who have either encountered hard drive failure or sense they are about to.
When your hard drive crashes and you don't have a backup, you are likely to spend several hours, perhaps days on the following scenario; first install a new hard drive, then install the operating system (if you can find the discs), then install your programs, if you downloaded them, I hope you kept records of what and where you downloaded from and the software activation codes. Breathe deep, this may take a while.
If you didn't back up, your music collection, video, spreadsheets, documents and financial data are likely all gone, you must now start from scratch. If you did backup, what kind of backup did you perform? If you had backup software that can create a full system "Image" backup you may be in luck. An image backup contains a compressed copy of your hard drive representing its contents at the time of your backup. Keep in mind however; anything that was created or modified between then and your current hard drive melt down will probably be missing. Image backups can be restored in a few hours and should get you back in business though. If you used an online service like Mozy or Carbonite, it's likely that your recovery may take a while, days if it is the full system backup. With online "Cloud" backup, you have a high probability that you will recover your files; however, recovering the full system depends on whether your subscription covers enough storage, and if you completed a full system backup, they don't go out of their way to point out the full system backup may eventually take a week. If you have a broadband connection you should have no trouble at all recovering. What's that? Your computer won't even boot up let along get online?
The truth is, many backup solutions out there are pretty good at "Backup", but fall short when it comes to disaster recovery. In my time here I've read lots of user manuals from competitor products describing how easy it is to backup, but very little detail about recovering from an actual drive failure. One competitor, who shall remain anonymous, points out on page 128 of their user guide that data from email programs like Outlook is not automatically backed up. The user must customize the settings of their backup program. Now what kind of backup solution is that?
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At CMS we take disaster recovery seriously. We designed our BounceBack backup software to have a simple uncluttered interface, so backing up isn't complicated. We included Continuous Data Protection features to automatically keep our customer's backup current and up to date while running silently in the background. We designed our patent pending Instant PC Recovery feature so our customers can start their PC or laptop directly from the backup device, giving them unfettered access to their applications and irreplaceable files, and at a time of their choosing, click one button to recover everything.
I suppose I might enjoy dedicating an entire weekend to rebuilding my trusty home office PC to get out of a bit of painting and decorating, but I'd much rather spend that time doing something more fun. Wouldn't you?
Posted by Gary Stockton on Fri, Mar 19, 2010 @ 11:07 AM
It's Facebook Friday friends, and today we'll be giving away a CMS 2GB VaultOTG Encrypted Flash Drive to the first 5 Facebook fans who can answer our Facebook Friday quiz correctly.
The CMS VaultOTG Encrypted Flash Drive uses AES-256 encryption. The encryption keeps the contents of the CMS VaultOTG safe and secure from unauthorized access.
Question: What does the acronym AES mean?
Post your answer on our Facebook fan page in the comments.
Posted by Gary Stockton on Fri, Mar 12, 2010 @ 12:57 PM
Data Transfer Kit Pricing Reduced to Invigorate User Upgrades
Costa Mesa, Calif., (March 12, 2010) - CMS Products, Inc., (www.cmsproducts.com) an award-winning developer of data backup, encryption and security technology today announced that it has reduced pricing of its innovative Data Transfer Kit, powered by BounceBackTM Data Transfer software.
CMS Products is the developer of the BounceBack family of Windows system backup and "Instant PC Recovery" products which allow users to restart a "crashed" computer directly from a mirrored copy of the system hard drive contained on an external USB or eSATA storage device.
"Data Transfer Kits"
CMS Products developed its unique Data Transfer Kit to enable computer users everywhere to easily and quickly migrate their digital data from their computer's existing hard drive to a new, larger capacity hard drive or even to a state-of-the-art solid state drive. The suggested retail price of the Data Transfer Kit has been reduced from $49.95 to $39.95 effective immediately.
The CMS Data Transfer Kit includes a sleek USB 2.0 hard drive enclosure which can accommodate either SATA or PATA-interfaced 2.5-inch drives as well as the BounceBack Data Transfer software with EasyMoveTM technology.
Using this powerful tool allows users to make a complete image of their existing hard drive, including the Windows Operating System, applications, personal settings, internet connections and personal data to the new storage device mounted in the USB enclosure and to then replace the existing computer hard drive with the newer unit.
The Data Transfer program copies the data in native file format from the existing drive, performing an EasyMove to a new hard drive or solid state drive. CMS' Data Transfer Kit also supports the migration to hardware encrypted disk drives for security applications. Operating systems supported by the Data Transfer software include MS Windows 7, Vista and XP.
"With the CMS Products Data Transfer Kit, users have the perfect solution to effortlessly upgrade to a larger hard drive or even to solid state drives," said Gary Streuter, vice president of marketing for CMS Products. "The introduction of Windows 7 has created new demands for greater storage within a user's computer and this price reduction reflects our interest in expanding the use of a tremendously useful product that makes upgrading a computer's hard drives quick and painless. As a bonus, upon completing the data transfer process, users have the opportunity to repurpose their old hard drive as an additional USB external storage device, by housing the old hard drive in the USB enclosure included in the Data Transfer Kit. CMS also offers a complete line of 2.5-inch hard drive upgrades as the perfect compliment to the Data Transfer Kit"
CMS' Data Transfer Kit currently is available from leading resellers or directly from the company's web site, www.cmsproducts.com, and is priced at $39.95.
Posted by Gary Stockton on Fri, Feb 26, 2010 @ 02:00 PM
Imagine you are a small business owner. In fact, let's be specific for the sake of this example (although you can surely relate this tale to any number of small businesses). Let us imagine you own and operate a family run dry cleaning service.
One morning you arrive at your business to find that your main computer server has gone down, the server that runs no less than every piece of computing equipment in your store. The computers, the clothing carousel, the cash register, all suddenly rendered useless and inoperable. In addition, and to your utter panic, customers have begun to line up in anticipation of receiving their promised possessions.
So what do you do? If you are this particular business owner, you urgently place a call to the tech services firm you normally entrust with your higher-level technology problems. If you are this particular business owner you are horrified and dismayed to hear that no technician will be available until tomorrow afternoon. If you are this particular business owner you break out in a cold sweat as the knowledge of what you now face is fully realized.
You take a few deep breaths and draw on your experience and competence to create an acceptable solution to get you through the next day and a half until the technician can fix the malfunctioning server. You will simply have to deal in cash - exact change since there is no cash register or ability to make change at this time. And you will find your customer's clothing amongst the thousands of other items on the carousel how?
Soon, frustrated and impatient patrons are circling the carousel searching for their own items. Chaos ensues as those patrons without cash or exact change are told they cannot take their items even if found. In the midst of this maelstrom of confusion you envision your life's work, your carefully and painstakingly established customer loyalty and trust slipping through your grasp.
Can you imagine it? We can. That's why we developed the BounceBack Instant Server Recovery solutions, backup and recovery solutions so powerful they could change your business outlook in an instant.
If you are this particular business owner, on this particular morning and you have backed up using a CMS BounceBack solution, you would simply turn off your server, plug in your backup device,turn your server back on and continue taking care of business. That's it. You're up and running as if nothing ever happened! The next day your technical expert will arrive and repair your server issue, and just for good measure, when you go home that night, you run the BounceBack Restore program to repair any lost or damaged files that are necessary. With BounceBack Instant Server Recovery Solutions, it's easier to imagine a less chaotic outcome.
Try BounceBack free for 30 days and discover why all backup solutions are not equal.
Note: We currently offer a 30-day trial of our PC version only. To test out BounceBack you would install it to a PC running Windows 7/ Vista or XP.