Case Study: Washburn University achieves fast cloud-replicated recovery and cost savings with Barracuda Networks (Barracuda Backup)

Washburn University Chooses Barracuda for Cloud Replication, Fast Recovery, Cost Savings

Washburn University, a public institution in Topeka with over 7,500 students, faced an outdated tape-based backup system that was vulnerable to local disaster (historically hit by a tornado) and consumed significant IT time. CIO Jim Tagliareni sought an affordable, redundant off-site solution after ruling out risky on-campus tape storage and explored alternatives including mutual off-site rack space.

The university implemented Barracuda Backup with cloud replication, gaining unlimited offsite storage to meet long-term retention needs, fast deployment, and LiveBoot capability to re-launch virtual servers in minutes. The move delivered secure, redundant backups, reduced administrative overhead, faster disaster recovery, and meaningful cost savings compared with other options.

Washburn University

James Tagliareni

Chief Information Officer