Qwest brings cloud-based application recovery to SMBs

With the launch of its Real-Time Application Recovery service, Qwest (NYSE: Q) wants to give SMBs the same access to its cloud computing capabilities that are currently offered to its large business customers.

As a cloud-based service, Qwest’s Real-Time Application Recovery allows SMBs to maintain business operations when a system fails at a price point that it claims is much lower than traditional network backup solutions. Part of the savings come from the fact that the service is managed completely by Qwest in one of its CyberCenters, meaning that the SMB does not have to retain in-house expertise to implement the service.

Through a partnership with Recovery as a Service (RaaS) provider Geminare, Real-Time Application Recovery protects an SMB’s every day applications such as e-mail and databases. Traditionally, these services were only available to large business customers that were designed to serve custom-built network and software systems.

"We’ve been providing a suite of disaster recovery-type services through our hosting centers and a number of our network transport products and stitching those things for customers, but this is the first thing that gets us into application recovery," said Eric Bozich, VP of Product Management for Qwest in an interview with FierceTelecom. "This service really addresses what is mission critical to every company these days, which is your messaging platform and your database environment."

Bozich added that because the application is fully automated, if a network or a service disruption does occur, users will have access to their e-mail, file and database server content from any location.

"It puts that small and medium-sized business in a position where worst case scenario happens or it’s a snowstorm or hurricane and people can’t get into the office where the server is their business keeps running and they don’t experience any downtime," he said.

Cloud computing may be all the rage these days especially by large enterprises that want to focus more on their core business functions, but extending these services to the SMB segment Qwest is helping to expand a market segment that Tier 1 Research says will grow from "$500M in 2009 to $4B by 2013."