I remember Imaging software from years ago and have used Ghost since before Symantec acquired it. Imaging software has come a long way since then! For those of you not familiar with Imaging the goal is to make a complete copy of your hard drive for disaster recovery purposes. If, for example, your HDD fails and you put in a replacement, you can use the Image you have created to recover in a matter of minutes rather than hours or potentially days if you have to reinstall the operating system and alot of applications. I can tell you now that having a good working image of a system can save you ALOT of time, effort, frustration and cost. Now days with the amount of data we keep and our reliance on our PC\'s I would say that having a good working Image of your system is something everyone should have and not just business.

Acronis True Image SBS version is not designed for the home user though. Of course Acronis have versions of their software designed for home use but I will be looking at the SBS version of True Image. For those that have not looked at Imaging software for a while, and there are those that still use versions of Ghost from ten years ago (finding PC\'s with FDD\'s to run it is becoming a problem), and are wondering what is new, here\'s a bit of a run down of what Acronis True Image SBS can do for you. The goal of taking an Image has not changed but how you can take an Image has. You can of course take a complete image of a system, you can also do an incremental or a differential Image. Personally I have always preferred to take a complete image, having never been a fan of incremental or differential backups. Some of the tasks usually being performed by a backup process can now also be done by Imaging utilities like File, Application and Settings backups. For those using Virtual Machines Acronis is also able to Image those. Another big feature of some current Imaging applications is their ability to take a snapshot of a system on the fly rather than having to take a system offline to perform an imaging task. In todays business world where application availability is crucial, being able to take an image of a machine without taking it offline is a great feature. Allowing you to perform Image tasks during operating hours to minimise data loss.

That\'s just some of the functionality incorporated into taking an Image. Then there\'s the Restore part of the process. This is where, in my humble opinion, some of the real neat features come into play. In the past if a system failed and you had an Image of it, you would still need
to replace hardware. This also meant try and get identical or as close to the same hardware as possible or the Image would essentially \'herniate\' and the operating system would not cope with the hardware changes. Now Acronis gives you Universal Restore with the True Image SBS
so you can restore onto different hardware getting your system back up and running on a temporary platform if required. Or easing the transition for hardware replacements. You can even bring the Image up in a virtual Machine and run it from there. A great way to save alot of
time getting the server functionality back so users can continue to operate while more permanent solutions are put in place. Being able to bring up an Image in a Virtual environment is also a great way to test that the Image is working.


Acronis packages all this functionality into a wizard driven interface. It is easy and simple to use. For those that require access to Acronis through scripts a powerful command line interface is also available. There is a Central Management Console that anyone familiar with Anti Virus Network Management Interfaces would feel at home with. The Console allows you to manage tasks for groups of machines or push out the Acronis Client. You can set scheduled creation of Images even setting tasks for intervals during the day to ensure minimum loss of data in event of disaster. The ease and simplicity with which you are able to wield such powerful tools is refreshing. Sometimes these tasks can require Herculean efforts to master. Acronis makes it simple.


If you have a SBS environment where you have the resources and luxury of taking days to recover in the event of systems failure then I am amazed and wonder what reality you reside in. In that most bizarre of realities Acronis True Image Small Business Server Edition would probably be of
little use for you. For those of us in the real world where time is critical to business operations the SBS True Image solution offered by Acronis can be the foundation of a disaster recovery plan. Allowing you the peace of mind knowing getting the business back to operational functionality will be quick and painless.