UBS’s data management projects have revolutionized financial data integrity and security, setting new standards in the industry. At the heart of this transformation is Krishnamurthy Oku, an experienced IT professional who led UBS Financial Services Inc.’s seamless transition from Veritas NetBackup to Commvault
Oku and his team analyzed that the current Veritas backup solution is holding them back, and increasing costs and complexity due to its outdated updates, lack of innovation, and cumbersome management across multiple sub systems. By transitioning to Commvault, a single interface, they addressed these issues effectively. This move parallels industry trends where companies are shifting from fragmented systems to integrated platforms for better efficiency. Commvault’s single-platform approach simplifies data management, whether on-premises or in the cloud, improving recovery speed and operational efficiency. Oku’s strategy mirrors successful transitions seen in other organizations, reinforcing the industry-wide shift towards more streamlined and effective data protection solutions.
Oku’s contributions were pivotal in the transition between two leading enterprise data protection and management solutions. His decision-making process involved a deep understanding of each platform’s unique features and capabilities. Veritas NetBackup, known for its comprehensive enterprise backup solution, manages data across hybrid multi-cloud environments. Oku’s unique approach ensured that the transition to Commvault was not only seamless but also optimized for UBS’s specific data management needs, enhancing both security and efficiency.
Commvault provides a holistic viewpoint on data and information management, offering seamless and efficient backup and restore capabilities for data across physical, virtual, and cloud environments. Both solutions are designed to protect and recover data efficiently, but they cater to different enterprise needs and preferences, providing flexibility and scalability in managing critical data assets.
However, this transition could be tricky based on the amount of data that needs to be transferred to and from the new technologies. With this strategic move, the team aimed to enhance data protection and operational efficiency. How did Oku manage this significant transition? He employed detailed planning, innovative solutions, and strategies to minimize risks.
Oku’s approach not only adheres to these trends but also advances them by leveraging Commvault’s flexibility and scalability, ensuring that data management is future-proofed, more cost-effective, and better aligned with the demands of modern IT environments. This proactive transition demonstrates Oku’s commitment to adopting cutting-edge solutions that meet evolving business needs while setting a precedent for industry best practices.
Strategic Planning for Migration
When UBS decided to migrate 10 petabytes (PB) of critical client data as part of an $11million project for hardware refresh and migration, the team faced a substantial task. The existing Veritas NetBackup system proved reliable but became increasingly costly and less efficient. With his competence in backup and disaster recovery, Oku led this transition.
Oku started by conducting a thorough risk assessment, identifying potential issues such as risk of data loss or corruption, especially if the data transfer is not executed properly or if there are compatibility issues between the two systems. “The key was to plan meticulously and execute flawlessly,” Oku recalls. “We had to ensure the transition was seamless without impacting our clients’ operations.”
His strategy included setting up the Commvault environment for application, database, and exchange critical clients. Oku configured the SL8500 Library and LTO-5 tape drives to make sure the new system could handle large data loads without compromising performance.
Oku’s work at UBS, especially in the migration from Veritas NetBackup to Commvault, stands as a groundbreaking model for the future of data protection and management. His innovative focus on simplifying complex environments and adopting integrated, cloud-ready solutions is setting the stage for a major industry shift towards unified data platforms. As organizations increasingly seek streamlined operations and cost-effective management, Oku’s approach is poised to drive the next wave of innovations, including AI-driven, automated data protection strategies that minimize manual intervention and significantly enhance data resilience.
Additionally, his work might catalyze the adoption of flexible, scalable solutions that adapt to both on-premises and cloud environments, setting a new standard for data protection that balances agility with comprehensive security. By demonstrating the tangible benefits of transitioning to a single, powerful platform like Commvault, Oku’s efforts could encourage the development of more intuitive, user-friendly data management tools that further democratize advanced data protection across industries.
Oku’s work has already made a significant impact, paving the way for industry standards that reduce operational complexity, improve recovery times, and enhance data governance. This influence is reshaping how organizations approach data protection in an increasingly digital and data-driven world, setting new benchmarks for the future.
Advanced Approaches and Technical Expertise
Oku’s strategic work in optimizing UBS’s data protection system has been widely acknowledged by industry leaders. His expertise in managing critical technical issues, including Level-4 support and Commvault disk library migrations, has set a benchmark for excellence. By emphasizing thorough documentation and consistent process improvements, Oku not only enhanced UBS’s operations but also caught the attention of other major players in the financial and IT sectors.
These strategies have led to collaborations with prominent technology companies, where Oku has shared his insights on improving data protection systems. His innovative approaches have since been adopted by various organizations, cementing his role in driving the evolution of industry standards for data protection and performance optimization
“Every step of the way, we focused on minimizing risks and maximizing efficiency,” Oku explains. “Our goal was not only to meet but exceed the expectations of our stakeholders.”
Oku and his team achieved 35% of cost savings through the migration from NetBackup to Commvault by avoiding more compute and storage subsystems.
The new system offered better performance, scalability, and enhanced security features, verifying the protection of critical client data. This transition was a technological upgrade and a strategic move that positioned UBS for future growth.
After the migration task, Oku performed 10GB network interface installations on all the media servers for getting better backup/restore data throughput to support critical restore capabilities in order to fulfill the client’s Service Level Agreements (SLAs). Additionally he configured backups for more than 1000 NAS storage volumes to support NAS filer migrations for the storage systems.
Oku executed the Commvault disk library migrations, CommServe upgrades, and de-duplication database (DDB) setup to avoid deduplication of data by releasing more than 500TB of duplicate data in order to facilitate growing companies’ backups data requirement. This effort in turn saved money, more than 400 hours of time and resources for the company. For NetBackup Appliances, he handled the rack and stack of 5230 NetBackup appliances and SL150 tape libraries, performed hardware administration, and conducted initial configurations and upgrades, including catalog and database consistency checks.
Oku’s role in seamlessly transitioning UBS from NetBackup to Commvault demonstrates his technical ability and strategic vision. As the software industry evolves, professionals like Oku will play a crucial role in shaping its future.
Oku’s contributions to the software industry have set new data protection and efficiency standards. His work will continue to inspire and guide the next generation of IT professionals, seeing to it that the sector remains at the forefront of technological advancement.
