Bandwidth Solves Unstructured Data Management Challenges with CTERA

Company Background

Bandwidth is a publicly traded software company focused on communications for the enterprise, helping customers easily embed voice, messaging and 9-1-1 access into software and applications. Bandwidth offers a robust selection of communications APIs built around their own nationwide all-IP network, providing unmatched flexibility, control, and insight among CPaaS providers. 

The Challenge

A fast–growing Communications Platform as a Service (CPaaS) provider, Bandwidth faced several file services challenges as it scaled its business. Legacy Windows file servers were reaching end of life at its Raleigh, NC headquarters, as well as in Bandwidth’s remote locations in the U.S. Compounding Bandwidth’s file server issues was a marked increase in unstructured data across the organization in the form of documents, images, spreadsheets, and more that caused data capacity and IT governance concerns.  

IT Manager Justin Hindman sought a solution that could modernize Bandwidth’s file storage and disaster recovery processes while significantly reducing TCO at the same time. Additionally, Hindman needed a solution that would comply with Bandwidth’s strict requirements for data privacy, given the need to transfer sensitive data. 

The CTERA Solution

Hindman and Bandwidth found an ideal solution with CTERA, the global leader in secure edge-to-cloud file services.

CTERA Edge Filers, all-in-one appliances for remote file storage modernization, are now deployed in Bandwidth offices around the U.S., replacing Bandwidth’s EOL Windows file servers with a next-generation, cloud-connected solution. By eliminating the need for disparate edge infrastructure, including traditional file servers, backup appliances, and DR tools, CTERA Edge Filers have reduced Bandwidth remote IT costs by 60 percent.

CTERA Edge Filers connect directly to a virtual private cloud (VPC) on AWS, a hybrid cloud approach allows Bandwidth to mitigate unstructured data growth concerns by leveraging AWS’s scalable and cost-effective storage. The CTERA filers connect to AWS using a highly secure and optimized data transport protocol to ensure complete data privacy as file data moves from edge to cloud.

“The hybrid model was key for us,” says Hindman.  

In the event of an incident impacting data, CTERA’s unlimited file versioning enables Hindman’s team to roll back to a specific recovery point objective. Moreover, recovery times have been reduced by 95 percent leveraging CTERA’s instant cloud failover technology that enables Bandwidth to map local drives from edge to cloud in the event of an appliance outage. 

“CTERA helped solve our critical challenges around business continuity and disaster recovery,” Hindman says. “Cloud failover ensures there’s no disruption to the business and that users can continue to work as usual without IT needing to manually restore everything they were working on.” 

The security of the CTERA platform meets Bandwidth’s requirements for a cloud-based solution, including encryption at-rest and in-transit, helping ensure Bandwidth can meet its compliance requirements.  

But perhaps the biggest impact, Hindman says, is that CTERA filers natively support Bandwidth’s existing infrastructure through wide-ranging built-in protocols. “Today we have various file sharing protocols connecting seamlessly into a CTERA Edge Filer to support our users’ various operating systems,” says Hindman. “From a centralized management perspective, the ability to ingest data from any platform in the company delivers strong value to our bottom line.” 

CTERA also enabled Bandwidth to seamlessly migrate its existing ACLs from Windows file servers into the edge filer, which meant Hindman and the IT team did not need to recreate the file system structure or user permissions as part of Bandwidth’s shift to cloud file services. 

“CTERA brought us peace of mind above all else,” says Hindman. “We now have a reliable platform that helps us better manage our file services delivery, reduces the risk of data loss, and make our users significantly happier.”