Titan Data Services
Mastering the Art of Disaster Management

In today’s digital spectrum, data is the backbone of every organization and uninterrupted availability and access to information is paramount to its success. While organizations tend to put all measures in place to safeguard their invaluable data, one can never predict nature’s fury, the turns tornadoes will take and the buildings it will demolish. Uncertainty reigns as to when floods and fire will ruin computer systems or cyber attacks will corrupt vital data. Given the gravity of the situation, it by no means requires organizations to go back to the drawing board each time a disaster strikes. Crafting a perfect turnaround for these organizations in a minimal timeframe is Titan Data Services with its unique disaster recovery solution that promotes business continuity without losing any valuable data.
In a conversation with CIO Applications, Jeff Hamra, president of Titan Data Services shares insights into the company’s journey in becoming the go-to provider for disaster recovery in the country.

Please tell us about your journey and the uniqueness of Titan Data Services.

In the 90s I bought a heavily secure facility in Tulsa that was a ‘bank vault on steroids’ for tape storage as most companies used tapes for data backup. Tapes had always been difficult to manage so we worked to provide a solution, we helped to create a tape management system that could be accessed through the internet. This was mainly done as a disaster recovery contingency tool for our clients. It was at this point, that we witnessed a gap in the market regarding disaster recovery solutions for small and medium-size businesses as no one was strategizing a similar solution. In 2000, we decided to provide a complete disaster recovery solution to businesses of all sizes.

After transitioning into a disaster recovery provider, we started offering online backup, which is now called cloud-to-cloud backup along with data recovery, data protection, collocation, and alternate workspace with every necessary device in place for clients. We have added data centers to our range of services since then and can restore the client’s data swiftly and run it through our alternative workstation or via the internet. We are one of the oldest and among the first 20 companies in the world to offer online backup and we still provide the unique benefits that we promised, in addition to a plethora of new solutions.

For us, business continuity is not just about backup, it is about recovery and we take pride in making sure that our customers succeed every time. Most organizations invest in several backup plans to secure their data but most often these plans fail during disasters, as the client does not possess the hardware to restore data and access that information. Our solutions are thoughtfully customized based on a clear understanding of the customer’s business requirements such as local only, off-site only, off-site and/or local, no appliance, appliance, failover, no failover, local failover, and off-site failover. Titan does not have a one-size-fits-all solution. We always strive to provide customers with the best solution for the dollar spent and have a success rate of 99 percent.

Please share a case study to highlight the advantage of your solution.

To recall some of the instances, about a year ago, at 1 a.m. on 4th August 2017, Oklahoma was hit by an F2 tornado that went right through the main part of Tulsa where one of our customers in the supply sector is situated. The tornado ruined the building’s roof and the systems were destroyed due to the constant barrage of rain and wind. Even though the client had a backup, they did not have any hardware to access or retrieve their data that would enable them to conduct their business as usual. They contacted Titan to implement our disaster recovery plan. As the first step, we suggested them to shift their employees to our alternate workspace. Following this, we had their phone lines redirected to the new workspace, restored the data, as well as installed the applications they required to conduct their regular business operations in a seamless manner.

In fact, by 10 a.m., the client was able to run the business operation in full capacity, take orders, send invoices, and receive customer calls. The client used our alternative facility for over 30 days and was able to exceed their sales in that month without missing a beat. They never had a written disaster recovery plan but it all happened perfectly because we had already taken all the steps necessary to recover their data if they ever had to bear the onslaught of a large-scale disaster.

We have numerous customers that were hit by ice storms, CryptoLocker, and fire, and on every occasion, Titan has helped them get their operations back to normal within a few hours.

What lies ahead for Titan and in what direction do you see the company going?

We have a two-fold growth strategy in the pipeline. Initially, we are concentrating on getting more resellers to help expand our market. We are also planning to educate IT departments of prospective clients about the need and the efficiency of our disaster recovery and the benefits it will provide in adverse conditions. Titan is equipped to provide a disaster recovery solution for all types of sectors and has several clients in utility, banks, and casinos among others.

We are looking forward to opening a few more facilities to provide coverage to a greater part of the U.S., which will, in turn, provide easy access to clients in remote locations. In conclusion, Titan Data Services is a trusted partner for businesses looking for a disaster recovery solution that can get their systems running within a couple of hours.