Town of Christiansburg
“We feel like we got to have our cake and eat it too with Rubrik and Assured.” - Eric Vaught, Network Systems Administrator
What started as a collection of taverns and rest stops along the Great Wilderness Road has grown into the New River Valley’s retail hub, pairing brand-name shopping and dining with locally-owned eateries and boutiques. Christiansburg is a place of past and present, with historic neighborhoods and innovative business and development existing side by side.
Overview
In 2017, the IT leadership at the Town of Christiansburg knew that they needed to make improvements to their data protection strategy. To ensure a comprehensive review beyond the usual data backup providers, they issued a solutions RFP. One of the recipients was ABS Technologies, a respected regional solutions provider in the mid-Atlantic. ABS, an existing Rubrik reseller, had recently entered the White Label program enabled by Assured Data Protection.
Sensing that the RFP—specifically requesting an ‘as a service’ approach—was a perfect fit for Assured’s unique capabilities, ABS collaborated with Assured to respond.
“At the time, our data protection strategy was in need of updating. Tape was still in our world; we were vulnerable to ransomware and were in need of better off-site and disaster recovery capabilities. Additionally, we were then—as we remain today—a small IT staff, so not only finding a new solution, but a service partner to help us operate on a day-to-day basis was imperative.”
– Craig Hatmaker, Director of IT, Town of Christiansburg, Virginia
Caitie Sloan, ABS’s Account Manager for the Town, added:
“We found that the Town’s requirements fit neatly into Assured’s capabilities. Working with Assured on the response was easy. They were able to provide responses to the Town’s questions quickly from their existing service descriptions and security certifications. Responding to the RFP was a breeze because together, we met all of the criteria.”
ABS’s White Label response not only met 100% of the technical requirements but came in 38% under budget, thanks to Assured’s operational expense consumption model, which allows customers to pay monthly for the capacity they use. This also aligned with the Town’s preference for one-year contractual commitments.
Fast forward to today, the Town of Christiansburg remains a happy customer after multiple renewals, now supported by ePlus, which acquired ABS in March 2020 and is also part of the Rubrik/Assured White Label program.
“I came on board after the RFP award process and my first thought was to look to internalize the Rubrik as a Service solution. However, once I came to understand the value—not only economically but from an operational perspective—of Assured’s delivery model, I gladly endorsed sticking with the program.”
– Craig Hatmaker
Eric Vaught, Network Systems Administrator for the Town, added:
“They’re there when I need them, 24/7, no matter what the problem. The Rubrik solution rarely fails—it’s usually the environment it lives in that causes disruption. Assured’s monitoring capabilities mean they alert me when there is a failure instead of me having to check logs or dashboards. They’re great at guiding me through troubleshooting. The result: higher job success rates, faster resolution times, and less of my time spent on it. That allows me to focus on projects that directly support the Town’s mission.”
Rubrik as a Service
At the onset of the RFP process, Rubrik was already familiar to the Town’s IT staff. Known for its scale-out architecture, ease of use, and ransomware mitigation capabilities, Rubrik was a natural contender for upgrading the Town’s data protection.
“We were concerned about price, needing a second site for redundancy, and off-site disaster recovery. The response from ABS and Assured addressed all of that. We got to have our cake and eat it too.”
– Eric Vaught
With confidence that their data is secure and expertly managed, Craig and Eric can now focus on strategic goals for the Town.