Swiss-Tek Modernizes Disaster Recovery with Azure and HBS

Organization: Swiss-Tek Coatings, Inc.
Industry: Manufacturing
Employees: 50+
Location: Pewaukee, Wisconsin
HBS Service: Backup & Disaster Recovery with Microsoft Azure

When a ransomware scare disrupted Swiss-Tek’s operations—and peace of mind—they turned to HBS for help. The result: a secure, hybrid disaster recovery solution built on Microsoft Azure that ensures rapid recovery, business continuity, and confidence in the face of the unexpected.

THE NEED
A secure, modern backup and disaster recovery strategy to protect critical manufacturing systems and customer data—without interrupting on-prem operations.
THE SOLUTION
A hybrid disaster recovery approach, including Azure Backup Server for local protection and Azure Site Recovery for smooth failover in the cloud.
THE OUTCOMES

» Increased resilience

» Faster recovery from outages or cyber events

» Peace of mind

The Challenge: Cyber Threats Exposed Gaps in Recovery Readiness

For Swiss-Tek, a leading provider of PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coatings for cutting tools and industrial molds, precision and uptime are critical. In 2018, the company experienced a small but jarring ransomware attack. The event was contained quickly, but it revealed a deeper vulnerability in their recovery processes.

    It had a lot of impact on me. It was clear we needed a more resilient solution to protect our business. Many times, when it comes to backups and site recovery, what we think we can handle, and what we can actually handle are two very different things.

    Swiss-Tek needed a way to modernize backup and disaster recovery without giving up their on-prem environment. They wanted confidence that, if disaster struck again, recovery would be fast and comprehensive—with no data loss and no disruption to production.

    The Solution: Azure Backup + Site Recovery, Powered by HBS

    Swiss-Tek had engaged HBS previously for cybersecurity projects, including Microsoft 365 assistance, and knew that HBS provided the customer support and technical expertise needed for a secure backup and disaster recovery solution.

    HBS designed and implemented a hybrid backup and disaster recovery architecture built on:

    • Azure Backup Server (MABS): Secure, scalable backup tool to protect local VMs and workloads.
    • Azure Site Recovery (ASR): Seamless failover to the cloud in case of disaster, with minimal downtime.
    • HBS Expertise: Architecture, implementation, and long-term support from a trusted IT partner.
    When we do work for our customers, we’re not just there to do the work for them, we do it with them. One of the biggest benefits of being local and working on-site is being able to understand how the technology is being implemented and how that technology is going to work within our customer’s organizations—it’s not just implementing the technical solution, but in many cases, implementing the human solution as well.

    Results: Confidence in Every Click

    Azure Site Recovery SwissTek

    Fast, Reliable Disaster Recovery

    Swiss-Tek now has the ability to restore operations rapidly in the event of a failure, outage, or attack—with tested failover to the cloud and full data retention. With RTOs and RPOs routinely in single-digit minutes‚ Swiss-Tek can enjoy minimal disruption to business continuity.

    Secure, Off-Site, Offline, Disconnected, Immutable Backups

    Swiss-Tek’s backups are now locked down and out of reach—stored off-site, offline, and protected against tampering or deletion. Even if something or someone breaches the network, critical data stays safe, recoverable, and untouched.

    Peace of Mind

    The new hybrid solution gives Swiss-Tek the confidence to stay focused on innovation and delivery—without worrying about ransomware, server failure, or downtime.
    Your security is only as good as your weakest link. We don’t want to be reactive, we want to be proactive, and HBS helps us do that.

    A Reliable Partner in Resilience

    Today, Swiss-Tek continues to work with HBS to enhance its IT security and cloud posture. With business-critical systems protected and recovery time dramatically reduced, they’ve turned a moment of crisis into a model of resilience—and better peace of mind.

    Interested in a smarter, more resilient disaster recovery solution?

    Talk to HBS today.

    Interested in HBS services?

    Request a complimentary quote today.