As part of Cornell’s ongoing commitment to sustainability, innovation, and improved IT services, CIT is launching the EZ-Backup Modernization Project, a program to retire and replace the EZ-Backup service. The EZ-Backup storage platform is supported by IBM Storage Protect and all customers will be migrated from Storage Protect to new services before the December 2023 retirement deadline.

To ensure the best customer experience, we have addressed some basic questions below and what the transition means for your operations.

Why is EZ-Backup being replaced?

Over the last two years, there have been several changes that have significantly impacted the use of Storage Protect for backups, including the migration of desktops and laptops to CrashPlan and the migration of the Managed Servers service and Shared File Services (SFS) to Cohesity.

Reduced economies of scale, combined with looming hardware capital investments in Storage Protect, have made the continuation of the EZ-Backup service in its present form unviable.

What service will EZ-Backup and Storage Protect be replaced with?

If they haven’t already, desktops and laptops will be migrated to CrashPlan, either as part of the Certified Desktop service or, in cases where Certified Desktop is unavailable, with standalone CrashPlan deployments.

The solution for servers and other nodes has not yet been determined. A new service (or new services) will be established to replace EZ-Backup. Our intention is to design services based on customer requirements to the fullest extent possible. In the coming months, we will be reaching out to you to better understand your specific use of EZ-Backup.

What is the timeline for this project?

Migration to a new service must be completed by December 2023 to avoid new capital spend on server hardware. The current schedule (subject to change) is reflected below. See the full project timeline.

• Assessment of customer requirements: March–August 2022
• Product evaluation/selection: February–October 2022
• Migration of desktops to CrashPlan: June 2022–June 2023
• Design/build of new services: June 2022–August 2023
• Migration of servers to new services: August–December 2023

What are the next steps?

As a first step, we will be sending your unit a list of nodes that haven’t backed up in over 90 days. This reference will give organizations a chance to review and identify nodes that are no longer required and submit decommission requests as appropriate.

We will then be in contact to collect additional information about the business use of the remaining nodes and any special requirements that may need consideration.

How will I stay informed about this project?

We will send regular project updates to the EZBACKUP-ANNOUNCE-L email distribution and other campus IT news sources. We will also contact your unit directly regarding your current services to assist with planning for migration.

Stay tuned for additional project updates. Please direct any questions you may have to backup-modernization@cornell.edu.