Gallagher-Kaiser Partners with Otava for Data Protection Services that Meet Automotive Industry Action Group's New Third Party Information Security Requirements

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Aug 13, 2019, 08:00 ET

ANN ARBOR, Mich., Aug. 13, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Otava, a global leader in secure cloud services for enterprise and channel partners, announced today that it was selected by Gallagher-Kaiser (GK), a supplier of paint finishing systems, commercial HVAC and mechanical automotive systems, to provide data protection services essential to working with members of the automotive industry.

Recently, Gallagher-Kaiser was recognized by General Motors (GM) as a 2018 Supplier of the Year, for the sixth time. Fast, targeted data continuity and restoration were essential to helping GK's engineers manage dozens of large-scale projects concurrently without interruption.

AIAG, which publishes global standards to support harmonized business practices for automakers, recently issued its first security and general computing controls guidelines to standardize Cyber Security Third Party Information Security Requirements (TPISR) for suppliers who wish to serve original equipment manufacturers like GM, Mercedes, Chrysler, Ford and BMW.

"Beyond meeting TPISR standards, one of my top priorities was finding a partner that was close enough to call upon when needed, yet operating on a different power grid from our primary operations to mitigate outage risk," said Rick Bertoncin, head of technology and security at Gallagher-Kaiser. "Otava was able to meet this criteria with an exceptionally collaborative development process, allowing our network engineers to articulate our requirements so they could help us find the right solution."

The new AIAG standards include recommendations from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) specific to compliance. With its proven record of passing compliance audits with 100 percent success, Otava was a natural fit for Gallagher-Kaiser to meet TPISR standards for security and availability.

"Gallagher-Kaiser needed a data protection solution that would reliably perform, recover fast and pinpoint recovered work from any of its projects within a quarter of an hour's window of time after an outage," said Brad Cheedle, CEO of Otava. "We met all of these requirements and as a result, the engineers now have off-site backup and can access their work remotely, find recovered work without hunting for a needle in a haystack, and can do so without negatively impacting performance for regular system users."

Otava's Cloud Backup, Data Protection as a Service (DPaaS) and Data Recovery as a Service (DRaaS) offerings deliver enterprise-grade solutions that simplify the complexity associated with planning, building and maintaining secondary and tertiary sites. A full portfolio of backup and recovery solutions delivers customizable solutions to meet every partner's unique data protection needs.

"I sleep better at night knowing that if our building is struck by lightning and we go off the grid, we have coverage beyond the life of any battery backup or generator," said Bertoncin. "The team is no longer dependent on a single location to serve our customers, and they have confidence that our data is safe."

About Otava
Otava provides secure, compliant hybrid cloud solutions for service providers, channel partners and enterprise clients. By actively aggregating best-of-breed cloud companies and investing in people, tools, and processes, Otava's global footprint continues to expand. The company provides its customers with a clear path to transformation through its highly effective solutions and broad portfolio of hybrid cloud, data protection, disaster recover, security and colocation services, all championed by its exceptional support team. Learn more at www.otava.com.

About Gallagher-Kaiser
Gallagher-Kaiser Corporation. Founded in 1952, Gallagher-Kaiser Corporation (GK) is a privately owned, Michigan based turn-key supplier of paint finishing systems, commercial HVAC and mechanical automotive systems. GK has grown to become the world's top paint finishing supplier. Universal Piping Industries (UPI) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Gallagher-Kaiser. More information on GK and its subsidiary can be found at www.gkcorp.com.

SOURCE Otava