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Otava: Delivering Exceptional Client Results

Otava: Delivering Exceptional Client Results

The IT requirements of the market have evolved with time. Today, cloud, colocation, data protection, disaster recovery, and security are of prime importance for enterprises. What was Online Tech first launched in 1994 and rapidly evolved into a data center hosting and colocation services provider company. The company recently rebranded to become Otava, a world-class cloud, colocation, data protection, disaster recovery, security and professional services solutions provider.

What began as a regional dial-up internet company six years before Y2K has become one of the biggest innovators in hybrid cloud, colocation, and data protection services. Its 10 locations span the United States and Europe. Every Otava environment is independently audited against the highest security standards, including SOC 1 & 2, PCI DSS, HIPAA, and ISO 27001. In a recent interview with us, Brad Cheedle, CEO of Otava talked about the company’s journey so far and its current innovations. Here are the excerpts:

Why was Otava born? How extensive is it today?

The company was founded as Online Tech in 1994. We were originally a dial-up internet company but quickly evolved into a data center hosting and colocation services business. Next, we added Disaster Recovery as a Service and HIPAA compliant-cloud services to become the first 100% HIPAA compliant hosting provider in the US. In 2018, we gained investment partners in Schurz Communications, a privately-owned broadband and cloud investment company. Later that year, we acquired the cloud infrastructure assets of Neverfail, which expanded our global footprint and channel go-to-market strategy. In 2019, the combined companies were rebranded as Otava. Today, we serve a wide range of enterprise customers and managed service providers across the country with international locations, delivering secure and compliant cloud solutions.

How are your solutions unique?

We are one of the few providers that has a sharp focus on serving organizations in highly regulated industries with heightened security and compliance needs. It is our goal to provide all of our customers with a clear path to digital transformation. To do this, we take the time to build direct and lasting relationships with each customer. We are committed to investing in people, tools, and processes which result in the ideal solutions for our customers.

Otava is also unique in that each solution we offer is available as fully- or self-managed. We offer these options because each customer is unique and has different needs. This provides much needed flexibility and control. The fully managed Otava version is often chosen by our enterprise customers who benefit from the ease of a turnkey solution that requires fewer hands-on resources. Self-managed options are largely preferred by our service provider clients, who may have available in-house IT resources and need more direct control to deliver the Otava infrastructure under their own brands to their own set of customers.

Please elaborate on your cloud infrastructure offerings and how they are beneficial.

Otava’s portfolio is designed to provide a clear path to hybridity for companies navigating the cloud native landscape. Otava’s latest cloud is built on industry leading cloud platform, VMware Cloud Director and is designed to deliver simplicity, transparency and flexibility. We offer three levels of our infrastructure – shared cloud for varying resource needs, reserved cloud with allocated resource pools, and private cloud for highly secure mission critical environments – because we want to give organizations the control they need to manage their cloud operations as they desire. All levels receive access to our cloud portal which is an easy to use singe interface console that provides full system visibility and easy management of the infrastructure. Clients have a choice of either usage-based or contract-based billing to suit their needs. Our cloud services are supported by integrated services including backup, security and disaster recovery and can connect to public cloud or on-premise environments. Otava Cloud is designed to give companies the power to innovate within a secure and compliant environment.

How do you provide superior scalability, security and compliance; all in one package?

Otava has a broad portfolio of hybrid cloud, data protection, disaster recovery, security and colocation services, all championed by an exceptional support team. Our hybrid cloud solutions are easily and immediately scalable to grow alongside our customers, without delay. While some providers may rely only upon the data privacy and security features offered by partner technologies, Otava bakes security and compliance into all of its solutions. And our customers can trust that their critical IT infrastructure is in compliance with industry regulations because our offerings are in compliance against HIPAA, HITRUST, PCI, and SOC 1, 2 and ISO 27001. Otava’s professional services team is also available to provide consulting, assessments and audits to identify any areas that may need added attention. This layered approach results in our ability to help keep our clients’ data safe, secure and available.

We want to explore your cloud storage options. Explain it in detail.

Otava’s clients can choose from a variety of storage tiers that offer the flexibility needed to support a variety of workload needs. Our storage options range from software encrypted virtual Storage Area Networks (vSAN) for production workloads to Performance storage for file-based unstructured data to Object-based Storage (OBS) storage for long-term retention needs.

The Tech Executive

Brad Cheedle, CEO

A veteran technology executive and entrepreneur with more than 20 years of experience. His professional expertise includes corporate finance, sales and business development, engineering, technical operations, marketing, product development and mergers and acquisitions. He has helped launch companies and organizations at WOW! Business, Zayo Group, Qwest Communications, Onfiber Communications, Level 3 Communications and MCI Communications. He is an active alumnus at the University of Northern Colorado, Monfort College of Business. He currently sits on the Board of Directors there and supports the organization’s entrepreneurial programs.

“Otava’s latest cloud is built on industry leading cloud platform, VMware Cloud Director and is designed to deliver simplicity, transparency and flexibility.”


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