Sun Chemical, a member of the DIC Group, is a leading producer of packaging and graphic solutions, colour and display technologies, functional products, electronic materials, and products for the automotive and healthcare industries. With combined annual sales of more than $8.5 billion and 22,000+ employees worldwide, the DIC Group companies support a diverse collection of global customers.
The problem:
“Our usage of Microsoft 365 rose dramatically following our latest acquisition,” said Stuart Hudson, global IT infrastructure senior manager, strategic infrastructure programs – AP, at Sun Chemical. “We brought in 2,200 additional employees at over 30 international sites that were big proponents of Microsoft SharePoint Online and OneDrive for Business. Since then, more of our users have followed suit, and we now have vast amounts of Microsoft 365 data documenting our products, manufacturing processes, standard operating procedures and more.”
Sun Chemical depends on fast access to Microsoft 365 data and, because users are distributed globally, the data must be available around the clock. Previously, the company depended on the ‘Recycle Bin’ facility to restore Microsoft 365 data that had been accidentally deleted — an unreliable, short-term approach.
“We had to rely on the Recycle Bin’s 93-day retention period to restore files, and that’s if the Bin hadn’t been emptied by the user,” said Hudson. “Also, when employees left the business, we often lost access to important data after their devices were wiped and accounts decommissioned. With the risk of cyberattack growing and our business expanding, it was time to take control of our Microsoft 365 data once and for all.”
The solution:
Sun Chemical selected Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365 to ensure 24/7 access to critical Microsoft 365 data, empowering employees at all locations to work even more productively.
“We chose Veeam Data Cloud over products from vendors including Commvault, Cohesity and Barracuda,” said Hudson. “We ended up running five PoCs. Veeam’s solution rose to the top, delivering great functionality, cost-efficiency, an intuitive user interface and that all-important differentiator: a vendor that’s willing to engage with us on an ongoing basis.”
Today, Sun Chemical protects all its Microsoft 365 data with Veeam. The company can now retain backups indefinitely, instead of for only 93 days – a change that has already paid dividends more than once.
“We’re lucky that we became heavy users of Microsoft 365 just before we deployed Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365, as we’ve been asked to restore files that are older than 93 days more than once,” said Hudson. “It also ensures that we don’t lose institutional knowledge just because an employee leaves the business. We can easily search through our Microsoft 365 backups to find important data.”
By taking advantage of a Backup as a Service (BaaS) solution, the company minimized the administrative burden on its lean IT team.
“Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365 releases us from purchasing and managing our infrastructure for backups, translating into significant cost savings,” said Hudson. “If we had it in place when we made our last major acquisition, we estimate we could have purchased half the number of file servers.”
Sun Chemical benefits from responsive Veeam support, helping it make the most of the technology and providing feedback on product features.
“Veeam is always on hand if we need help or to hear our views,” said Hudson. “For example, when we reported that it would make life easier for our local admins to be able to see a particular filter, they rolled out that change within a few days. It’s rare to find this level of responsiveness in a vendor.”
With Veeam safeguarding its business-critical Microsoft 365 data, Sun Chemical is better positioned to take on new opportunities. By ensuring that it can quickly restore files, the company has improved its ability to recover from a cyberattack.
“Sun Chemical is a truly global business: each day employees across the globe rely on Microsoft 365 apps to exchange critical data,” said Hudson. “Veeam Data Cloud protects this essential part of our environment, helping our employees work more productively and giving us an extra layer of cyber resilience.”
The result:
Gained 100% coverage of Microsoft 365 data and moved from 93-day to indefinite retention
“It’s been a huge relief to implement Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365 and remove our reliance on the Recycle Bin,” said Hudson. “We’re now confident that every byte of Microsoft 365 data is backed up and can be restored at the click of a button, which is a huge advantage.”
Offered potential infrastructure cost savings of up to 50% or more when making acquisitions
Sun Chemical expects that Veeam Data Cloud for Microsoft 365 will lower the costs of future acquisitions significantly, removing potential limits on growth.
Provided 24/7 access to responsive support and development resources
“A responsive vendor was one of the most important factors in the selection process that led us to Veeam,” said Hudson. “I’m happy to say that relationship continues to flourish.”
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Tags: case study, Veeam