Acronis Warns about the Complexity of Managing Backup and Disaster Recovery in Virtual Environments

Sydney, 24 February 2011 – Acronis, a leading provider of easy-to-use backup, recovery and security solutions for physical, virtual and cloud environments, is warning small and medium businesses (SMBs) about the potential concerns associated with the rapid adoption of virtualisation, as the complexity of managing migration, backup and recovery between physical, virtual and cloud environments set in.

The warning stems from results from the recently released Acronis Global Disaster Recovery Index 2011 showing that 73% of SMBs worldwide agree that virtualisation has either completely or partially changed the way the business manages its backup and disaster recovery. While the introduction of virtualisation was fuelled by server consolidation and cost efficiency, this so-called next phase or second generation of virtualisation adoption poses challenges to traditional backup and recovery processes as users struggle to implement known backup and disaster recovery practices in a new hybrid environment.

“The introduction of server and workstation virtualisation was not about backup, it was largely driven by cost and consolidation. As we progress into widespread virtualisation adoption, IT managers are learning that traditional physical server backup solutions are inadequate for virtual machine backup, while maintaining separate backup strategies for physical and virtual confuses the backup scenario even more,” explains Karl Sice, General Manager – Pacific at Acronis.

“Many traditional backups are agent-based, which means that an application is required and consumes precious virtual machine processing resources. Simultaneous initiation of agent-based backups can cause serious virtual machine disruptions, including total failure of the underlying physical host. The next phase of virtualisation has to include backup best practices leveraged for a hybrid environment, a central solution for all environments.”

Agent-based software has been adapted to provide some of the functionality required for backup and recovery in a virtualised environment. However, experts warn that these workarounds have proven to be hard to implement, ineffective and added costs to the virtualisation programs. These issues combined with the complexity of managing data across physical, virtual and cloud environments are being noted as potential obstacles in the path to effective virtualisation and creating disaster recovery strategies.

Acronis’ Five Recommendations 

To help realise the full benefits of virtualisation, Acronis suggests following tips to IT managers:

1. To close the loop on virtualisation efforts, a backup and disaster recovery strategy as robust as that deployed for physical servers is required for all virtual machines, especially if the virtual machine supports a production application.

1. To provide the lowest virtual machine Recovery Point Objective (RPO) and the fastest Recovery Time Objective (RTO), each virtual machine should be independently backed up and frequently refreshed. This is to ensure time difference between last backup and the current production server state is as small as possible.

1. Image-based backups provide quick recovery in a cloud environment. Image-based recovery restores the entire virtual machine (VM), including the guest operating system and configuration settings. File or block-based backups only restore data and require the entire VM to be configured and imported back to the cloud before the data can be restored. Avoid this by taking an entire VM system image and using it as a warm VM standby.

1. Use virtual server backup technology that is designed as agentless from the start. Instead of requiring that each virtual machine have a backup agent or that an expensive proxy server with snapshot space be provided for backup, some software only requires one agent per physical host that can support all of the virtual servers on the host.

1. The same rules apply to virtual machines as physical ones. If you back up your physical data to the cloud, why not back up your VMs to take advantage of offsite backups.

Acronis has created a downloadable white paper ‘Closing the Virtualisation Loop’. To download it, please visit http://promo.acronis.com/anz-drindex_t2.html.   

About Acronis

Acronis is a leading provider of easy-to-use backup, recovery and security solutions for physical, virtual and cloud environments. Its patented disk imaging technology enables corporations, SMBs and consumers to protect their digital assets. With Acronis’ disaster recovery, deployment and migration software, users protect their digital information, maintain business continuity and reduce downtime. Acronis software is sold in more than 90 countries and available in 14 languages. For additional information, please visit www.acronis.com.au. Follow Acronis on Twitter: http://twitter.com/acronis

Download the Free Demo Now from Xbox Live^® Exclusively for Kinect™ for Xbox 360^® and Stretch those Brain and Body Muscles

Did you know that moving your body helps to exercise your brain? Now’s your chance to try it for yourself with the demo of Dr. Kawashima’s Body and Brain Exercises™, available now for free download from Xbox Live^® exclusively for Kinect™, controller-free games and entertainment for Xbox 360^®.  The full game from NAMCO BANDAI Games Europe is available now at retailers across Australia and New Zealand.

In the demo, you’ll get a taste of what the most cerebral and energetic party game ever has to offer with the Traffic Control challenge for between one and four players. Like all the activities in the full game, Traffic Control needs fast-thinking and even faster actions using the full-motion capabilities of the Kinect sensor.

Dr. Kawashima’s Body and Brain Exercises includes numerous maths, logic, reflex, memory and physical activities in solo and multiplayer modes.  Up to four friends and family will use arms, legs and minds to solve 20 fast-paced exercises in the shortest possible time. The daily progress tracker keeps you up-to-date with brain age improvements, while forthcoming downloadable content will provide new challenges to keep your brain and body working hard!

For more information about Dr. Kawashima’s Body and Brain Exercises, please visit www.namcobandaipartners.com.au

AVG (AU/NZ) Provides Some Tips on Staying Safe While Playing Games

Melbourne and Amsterdam, 24 February 2011. Whether you’re running a mafia empire, nightclub, farm, city or zoo, you can count yourself one of the growing number of people playing what’s known as a social game. Social gaming is changing the way millions of people use the Internet by luring in those who would not normally consider themselves a “gamer”. This can be seen from the huge number of people playing a whole variety of games: Farmville has over 51 million players, Mafia Wars has 15 million, Zoo World 6 million and CityVille a whopping 96 million and the list goes on. These four games alone have the same ‘population’ as the UK, France and Spain combined (168 million people)1.

Free of the stigma of ‘hardcore’ games, social games tend to be browser-based, free to play games built into social networks such as Facebook. Although their topics vary dramatically, they all have a social premise — you play with and against your friends and family. This social aspect gives these easy-to-pick-up games a real multiplayer experience different for each and every person.

Lloyd Borrett, Security Evangelist for AVG (AU/NZ) Pty Ltd, says: “Social gaming is now so big that it’s estimated that they take up 10% of online time of the average Internet user. Facebook is no longer simply a social network for connecting friends but the world’s largest gaming platform — more than half of Facebook’s 500 million users are playing social games on a regular basis!”

Evidence that social gaming is now serious business was given when Disney bought leading social game developers Playdom in June last year for in excess of US$750 million.

Borrett continues, “Sadly, when there’s serious money to be made, nefarious guests are never far behind. The explosion of social gaming is a golden opportunity for cyber criminals to pull the wool over your eyes. Why would they do that? You don’t enter your credit card details into a free game do you? Perhaps not, but installing a fake game grants them access to your personal information; something which has obvious consequences.

“So here are a few tips for staying safe while growing your crops or running your zoo.”

Maker’s mark – Check who is behind the game you want to download to ensure it’s a legitimate title from a real company you can trust.

Be a cynic – Just because you receive a message saying that some of your friends are playing a certain game doesn’t guarantee its safety.

Faking it – If you’re in any doubt about the legitimacy of a game you’re installing, use fake details in the registration process. This isn’t a failsafe, but should help keep your real information private.

Double check – When you install the game, double check the options to see what exactly you’re granting permission for. Are you surrendering all your information? Are you allowing it to make wall posts on your behalf?

Background programs –- Be sure not to start logging into your online bank or other sensitive services while using an untrustworthy game; it could be logging your details.

Don’t cross-over to the dark side – Be very cautious of enticing offers of free or ‘exclusive’ in-game items (coins, chips, gifts, etc.); overblown claims of ultra-rare items, special access to exclusive ‘secret’ content; or even hacks, bots and cheat programs offering you an unfair gaming advantage. These offers can come from: tweets (beware of tiny urls), emails, fan pages, forum messages, or chat rooms. They are typical attempts by others to steal your account login name and password, or other personal information.

Stay up to date – Make sure that your anti-virus program is kept up to date at all times. This will give you the best possible protection in case you do come a cropper to some Internet baddies.

Borrett says, “Because social network games require players to have lots of friends and supporters to play the same game in order to attain higher scores, people tend to accept new ‘friends’ fairly easily. Hackers often create false profiles, complete with information and photos, to trick people into accepting them into their social network. Most people allow anyone who is part of their network to view all their recent activities, so you can see what a potential online security minefield this is.”

AVG (AU/NZ) has a comprehensive range of security tips on its web site at http://www.avg.com.au/resources/security-tips/. For video tips from AVG (AU/NZ), see http://www.youtube.com/user/avgaunz.

Keep in touch with AVG

For breaking news, follow AVG (AU/NZ) on Twitter at www.twitter.com/avgau

Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators

Bethesda Softworks are pleased to announce that Dead Money, the first downloadable content for Fallout: New Vegas, is now available for PlayStation 3 (via the PlayStation Network) for AUD $15.95 and for the PC (via Steam and Direct 2 Drive) for USD $9.95.

As the victim of a raw deal you must work alongside three other captured wastelanders to recover the legendary treasure of the Sierra Madre Casino. In Dead Money, your life hangs in the balance as you face new terrain, foes, and choices. It is up to you how you play your cards in the quest to survive.

For more information on Fallout: New Vegas or Dead Money please visit http://fallout.bethsoft.com.

KONAMI unveils total body dancing to latest DanceDanceRevolution title for Wii™

SYDNEY, 24 February, 2011: Konami Digital Entertainment GmbH will release a new take on dancing on April 28th, when DanceDanceRevolution hottest party 4 steps out on Wii™.

The latest addition to the long-running series, DanceDanceRevolution hottest party 4 offers users the chance to match full-body movements in order to rack up high scores. The new game uses both the famed dance mat controller and the Wii Remote™ and Nunchuk controllers. Players match the on-screen arrows with the corresponding footwork and arm movements.

This total movement is spotlighted perfectly in DanceDanceRevolution hottest party 4’s stunning Choreograph mode. This new idea is perfectly designed to appeal to both DDR novices and hardened dancers alike adding depth to the classic gameplay. Furthermore, owners of Nintendo’s Wii Balance Board can use it instead of a dance mat, with the board registering complete body movement.

DanceDanceRevolution hottest party 4 allows up to four players to get together and compete against each other. The game enjoys a stunning collection of suitably high-tempo tracks with 20 licensed tunes, including Lady Gaga’s classic ‘Bad Romance’, Paramore’s ‘CrushCrushCrush’ and the classic ‘Celebration’ from Kool and the Gang. There are also more than 30 specially-created tunes from KONAMI’s in-house team, all of which are designed to test the player’s co-ordination and rhythm.

With a wealth of game modes – including the eternally popular Calorie Counter system so users can watch the pounds drop off as they dance! – DanceDanceRevolution hottest party 4 is a stunning party game that absolutely anyone can enjoy. The party starts this April!

Prepare for an epic struggle as Killzone™ returns to PlayStation^®3 (PS3™)

Fully PlayStation Move compatible

Presented in stunning 3D and High Definition detail  

SYDNEY, 24^th February 2011 – Sony Computer Entertainment Australia (SCE Aust.) today welcomes the return of the critically acclaimed multi-million selling Killzone® franchise as Killzone^®3 arrives on PlayStation^®3 (PS3™). Bringing back the trademark ferocious action on an even more deadly scale, Killzone 3 sees the battle continue between the Interplanetary Strategic Alliance (ISA) and the Helghast – one of the most unrelenting enemies ever to terrorise PlayStation. 

In the most cinematically advanced Killzone yet, Guerrilla studios has introduced a huge visual upgrade to the third instalment in the franchise.  New simulation and texturing technology make for a dramatic array of special effects – from waves crashing over your head to devastating vehicle explosions.  And with no loading screens in between gameplay to pull you out of the story, Killzone 3 feels more like a feature length film than a video game.  See the story unfold before you in a flurry of High Definition, 3D splendour, brought to life with a terrifying audio soundtrack from Hollywood’s most legendary bad boys.   Malcolm McDowell, famed for his dark performance as Alex in A Clockwork Orange, expertly portrays the voice of sadistic Helghast warlord Jorhan Stahl.  And London-born Ray Winstone, known for his mobster roles in blockbusters like The Departed, provides the voice of Admiral Orlock.

Fully PlayStation^®Move compatible, you’ll feel even closer to the action in a nerve-shatteringly immersive experience.  Look your enemy in the eye as you get up close with the brutal new close-combat system, or seek refuge from the Helghast onslaught as you take time out to manually reload – all using the Move controller.  The arrival of the PlayStation Move sharp shooter in Australia next month, will only add to the immersive experience – taking out the Helghast has never felt more realistic!  Housing the motion controller and navigation controller, the sharp shooter, developed by Guerrilla Games and Zipper Interactive, provides the most intuitive and immersive control experience yet.

Prepare to face your toughest challenge yet as the ferocious world of Killzone 3 arrives on PS3™. But be careful – once you experience the harrowing world of Helghan in fully Move^® compatible eye-watering High Definition 3D detail, you’ll soon fear what’s around every corner.

Killzone 3 launches in stores across Australia on Thursday 24th February 2011. Find out more at www.killzone.com

ENDS

Notes to editors:

Title:                      Killzone®3

Developer:            Guerilla Games

Rating:                   MA 15+

Players:                 Single Player Campaign, 2 Player Co op, 2 – 24 Multiplayer

Platform:               PlayStation 3, PlayStation Move Features and PlayStation Move sharp shooter compatible

Launch:                 Thursday 24^th February 2011

Get your calendar out, get a pen, and mark the 20^th September 2011 (US) as the day when Gears of War 3, this year’s biggest blockbuster title, launches worldwide.

Gears of War 3 is the glorious conclusion to one of the most memorable sagas in video games’ history and this is a date you certainly don’t want to miss.

The story takes place eighteen months after the events of Gears of War 2 and the loss of the human stronghold of Jacinto.  Marcus, Baird, Dom and company continue their fight to save human civilization, as they battle the Locust and face new threats from within the planet throughout the campaign mode.

Here is what else you can expect from 2011’s most highly anticipated game: 

• An enthralling cinematic story that captivates players in an intimately intense action game
• Five-on-five multiplayer experience as well as four player campaign co-op experience
• New multiplayer game modes including ‘Beast Mode’ – offering a new twist to the game where you take on the role of the locust horde and their assorted variations!
• New maps including: Trenches which features an impressive sand storm that reduces your visibility, as well as Overpass, Mercy, Checkout, and Thrashball. 
• New weapons including: The Bayonet Charge, The Retro Lancer, The Sawed-off Shotgun, The OneShot – a heavy sniper rifle that shoots through shields or cover for a surprise one shot kill, The Incendiary Grenade, The Digger Launcher and a few subtle tweaks to old favourites Hammerburst and The Classic Lancer. And don’t forget that each weapon now has its own execution move!

Stay tuned for more updates, and keep your eyes peeled for more news on the Official Multiplayer Public Beta coming soon!

DICE Announces Massive Pre-order Incentive for Spring Blockbuster

24 February 2011, Australian & New Zealand – DICE, an Electronic Arts Inc. studio (NASDAQ: ERTS), the makers of the multi-platinum Battlefield: Bad Company™ series, today announced a massive pre-order incentive for Battlefield 3™, the long-awaited successor to the epic, internationally acclaimed 2005 game, Battlefield 2™.

Available for a limited time, the Battlefield 3 pre-order offer features the digital expansion pack Battlefield 3™: Back to Karkand at no extra charge.* This themed multiplayer expansion pack includes four legendary maps from Battlefield 2 boldly re-imagined with Frostbite™ 2 physics, destruction and visuals. Completing the package are classic Battlefield 2 weapons and vehicles, unique rewards, new achievements/trophies, and more. Players anxious to start the fight can pre-order the Battlefield 3 Limited Edition now at http://eastore.ea.com/battlefield3. Pre-order while supplies last.

In Battlefield 3, players step into the role of the elite U.S. Marines. As the first boots on the ground, players will experience heart-pounding missions across diverse locations including Paris, Tehran and New York. As a U.S. Marine in the field, periods of tension and anticipation are punctuated by moments of complete chaos. As bullets whiz by, as walls crumble, as explosions force players to the ground, the battlefield feels more alive and interactive than ever before.

Battlefield 3 leaps ahead of its time with the power of Frostbite 2, DICE’s new cutting-edge game engine. This state-of-the-art technology is the foundation on which Battlefield 3 is built, delivering enhanced visual quality, a grand sense of scale, massive destruction, dynamic audio and character animation utilising ANT technology from the latest EA SPORTS™ games. The experience doesn’t stop with the engine – it just starts there. In single-player, multiplayer and co-op, Battlefield 3 is a near-future war game depicting international conflicts spanning land, sea and air. Players are dropped into the heart of the combat whether it occurs on dense city streets where they must fight in close quarters or in wide open rural locations that require long range tactics.

“We are gearing up for a fight and we’re here to win,” said Karl Magnus Troedsson, General Manager, DICE. “Where other shooters are treading water, Battlefield 3 innovates. Frostbite 2 is a game-changer for shooter fans. We call it a next-generation engine for current-generation platforms.”

“We wanted to create the most immersive and emotionally powerful Battlefield game ever and we needed new technology to deliver on our vision,” said Patrick Bach, Executive Producer. “Battlefield 3 preserves the franchise’s signature sandbox style and even brings back classic fan favourites like jets, going prone and 64-player multiplayer on PC.”

Battlefield 3 will be available this Spring 2011 for the Xbox 360® videogame and entertainment system, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and the PC. For more information on Battlefield 3 please visit http://www.ea.com/au/battlefield3, and for the latest news on Battlefield 3 follow us on Twitter: @battlefield

*Conditions and restrictions apply. See http://eastore.ea.com/battlefield3 for details.

360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC.

The Collectors Edition will contain the following (please also see attached image):

7” Alma Collectable Figurine – Glow in the Dark

Limited Edition SteelBook

Exclusive F.E.A.R. 3 Comic Book (Created by DC Comics).
The “F.E.A.R. 3” comic book is a 12-page story written by Steve Niles, illustrated by Stefano Raffaele and produced by DC Comics. The comic-book is a prequel to F.E.A.R. 3 and picks up right after the events of F.E.A.R. Point Man has escaped an explosive blast he set in motion to eliminate Alma and is confronted with a brand new threat and a new escape mission.

· Exclusive in-game weapon – The Hammer.

o The Hammer, Fettel’s original sidearm which was lost when he was killed by his brother, Point Man. The Hammer has greater stopping power than the standard F.E.A.R. issue sidearm. This .50 calibre round is a must when you need to make every shot count. A few less rounds per clip is an easy trade off for almost twice the damage! This sidearm will prove to be an able ally when playing multiplayer in F.E.A.R. 3.

More information on F.E.A.R. 3…

The third instalment of F.E.A.R. delivers a heart-pounding paranormal horror experience, showcasing intense combat, compelling narrative, frightening single player and divergent co-op play that evolves the franchise. Alma returns for F.E.A.R. 3 but this time her sons Point Man and Paxton Fettel will be playable as two distinctly unique experiences in co-operative play. To further ensure extreme terror in F.E.A.R. 3, legendary horror mastermind John Carpenter (Halloween) and critically acclaimed horror comic and script writer Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) provided consultation.

Kill with Skill Year-Round as First Downloadable Content Is Announced

24 February 2011, Australian & New Zealand – Get ready to make it rain bullets, action and all out insanity as Bulletstorm™, the highly anticipated shooter from People Can Fly, Epic Games and Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: ERTS), is available in Australia today and New Zealand tomorrow. With its explosive, irreverent gameplay, Bulletstorm is already receiving praise from critics, including a 9.25 from the world’s #1 gaming magazine, Game Informer, and with Seth Schiesel from the New York Times stating, “the name should say it all; big guns, lots of lead and over-the-top mayhem.”

From the pulp sci-fi single-player campaign to the relentless multiplayer modes, Bulletstorm injects the fun back into first-person shooters. Bulletstorm is available for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC. Also available today in limited quantities is the Bulletstorm Epic Edition for Xbox 360 which grants players early access to the Gears of War 3 beta*. Gamers will need the Epic Edition disc in order to play the Gears of War 3 beta.

People Can Fly, Epic Games and EA also announced today the Gun Sonata pack**, the first downloadable content for Bulletstorm. Featuring three new maps for Anarchy multiplayer mode, from the wretched Sewers of Stygia to the dilapidated ruins of Hotel Elysium and the open spaces of Villa, the Gun Sonata Anarchy maps provide even more settings for players to work together in order to pull off fantastic team skillshots. In addition to the new Anarchy maps, Gun Sonata will also introduce two new Echo mode maps, including Crash Site, where Final Echo soldiers must deal with the ramifications of their crashed ship, and Guns of Stygia, in which a captive commando escapes from an enemy prison. Completely new to the Bulletstorm experience, Crash Site and Guns of Stygia offer brand new challenges for those competing to top personal high scores and leaderboard rankings. Two new Leash enhancements, the Flamingo and the Pulp, make it even more enjoyable to kill with skill and style. The Gun Sonata downloadable content will be available this spring for 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE® Marketplace and AUD$15.95 / NZD$18.90 on the PlayStation Network.

“Bulletstorm plays like a high-octane summer blockbuster movie. It’s loaded with intense action and cinematic moments, all wrapped up in a fun story,” said Dr. Michael Capps, president of Epic Games. “People Can Fly has really tapped into the power of Unreal Engine 3, and the result is a stunningly beautiful playground for mayhem. The skillshot system delivers a new shooter experience that’s stylish, creative and a heck of a lot of fun. We can’t wait to see what our players do once they get Bulletstorm in their hands.”

Set in the 26th century on Stygia, a planet where paradise was lost and has since been overrun with rampaging freaks, flesh-eating plants and creatures the size of skyscrapers, Bulletstorm tells the story of Grayson Hunt and Ishi Sato. As ex-members of an elite military force called Dead Echo, Grayson Hunt and Ishi Sato are mercenaries on the run across the galaxy, until they are stranded on Stygia where their main objective is to survive long enough in order to exact revenge on the one person responsible for their plight. In Anarchy multiplayer mode, teams of up to four players fight together to survive waves of blood-thirsty mutants while scoring Skillpoints in order to advance. In Echo mode, Bulletstorm tracks and compares players’ scores through locations found in the campaign. Through the Skillshot system, Bulletstorm provides stylish, imaginative ways to perform spectacular kills with some of the most unique weapons ever seen, including the Boneduster, a four-barreled shotgun that packs an incredible punch, to the Headhunter, a sniper rifle that allows player to guide the bullet as it reaches its target.

Bulletstorm for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 includes a one-time-use Online Pass registration code that gives players access to six bonus Echo maps and the exclusive Quicksilver leash. Players who do not have a code can purchase the Bulletstorm Online Pass for 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and AUD$15.95 / NZD$18.90 on the PlayStation Network.

Bulletstorm is available on 24 February in Australia and 25 February in New Zealand for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system, the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC. Also available in limited quantities, the Bulletstorm Epic Edition for Xbox 360 grants players early access to the Gears of War 3 beta as well as additional bonus in-game content*. The Bulletstorm Limited Edition, available for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system and PC, also offers additional bonus in-game content*.

For more information on Bulletstorm, please visit www.bulletstorm.com and www.facebook.com/bulletstorm or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bulletstorm

* Conditions and restrictions apply. Whiles supplies last. See back of pack for details if and when available.

** Content subject to availability.