Points West Community Bank in Partnership with Assured Data Protection

Kenan Luptak, CTO of Points West Community Bank, shares his journey of IT transformation over 2 decades, culminating in a partnership with Assured Data Protection Ltd to modernize his DR strategy.

The bank faced numerous challenges, from outdated infrastructure to compliance with stringent regulations, which necessitated a shift to more advanced and secure IT solutions. With the introduction of Rubrik Inc.’s backup software and the turnkey cloud DR solution provided by Assured Data Protection, the bank met regulatory compliance with ease and also improved its IT resilience and operational efficiency.

“The proactive support from Assured Data Protection, paired with Rubrik’s reliable backup solution, means we’re not just reacting to issues – we’re preventing them.”

This case study highlights the bank’s strategic approach to overcoming IT challenges, the pivotal role of Assured Data Protection in streamlining their DR process, and the tangible benefits of adopting cutting-edge technology to ensure business continuity and growth.

“You can feel confident that the support you get will work with you, taking part ownership in the solution so you don’t feel like you’re trying to figure it out on your own. Assured’s solution was like turning a key to a more secure, compliant, and efficient IT infrastructure that perfectly fits our banking operations.”

IT Challenge
• Outdated IT Infrastructure: The bank relied on a mix of physical servers and diverse backup applications, alongside physical DR sites, which were becoming inefficient and costly to maintain.
• Scalability and Flexibility: The bank’s expansion across three states required a scalable and flexible IT infrastructure to efficiently manage data and application access across 20 branches.
• Regulatory Compliance: With strict regulations governing the banking industry, ensuring immutable, air-gapped backups became a necessity, not a choice.

Results
• Resource Constraints: Being a small IT department, the team at Points West faced challenges in dedicating time to research and implementing complex cloud solutions independently.
• DR Solution Limitations: Previous DR solutions experienced stability issues, prompting the search for a more reliable, efficient, and compliant backup and DR solution.

Solution
• Migration from Physical to Cloud Virtual Environment: Transitioned from virtual servers at a physical DR site to virtual servers at a cloud DR site.
• Partnership with Assured Data Protection: Engaged this vendor for its turnkey cloud DR solution, integrating seamlessly with Rubrik, offering a streamlined, efficient backup and DR process.
• Rubrik Software Implementation: Adopted it for its compliance with regulatory requirements, providing immutable, logically air-gapped backups.
• SD-WAN Extension: Extended existing SD-WAN technology into the cloud to connect all branches to the DR site in the cloud, ensuring reliable and efficient access and data protection.
• Proactive Support Model: Benefited from vendor’s proactive support, ensuring system compatibility and regulatory compliance without the burden falling solely on the internal IT team.

Results
• Enhanced IT Flexibility: The bank now enjoys a modern, flexible IT infrastructure that supports growth and can easily adapt to new technologies.
• Improved DR: With Rubrik and Assured Data Protection, the bank has a reliable DR solution that meets regulatory standards and reduces recovery times.
• Operational Efficiency: Simplified IT operations with centralized management and automated backups, allowing the IT team to focus on strategic initiatives rather than routine maintenance.
• Increased Resilience: The extension of the SD-WAN into the cloud DR environment has enhanced the bank’s resilience to disruptions, ensuring continuous operations across all branches.
• Cost Management: While initially not a cost-saving measure, the switch to a cloud-based DR solution with Assured Data Protection and Rubrik provided a more predictable, value-driven cost structure.