Data Backup - Which is the Better Way?

Author: Lee Morrell
Before we investigate which data backup method is a best fit for your business, we need to evaluate why and what you expect from your backup solution.
Obviously, we backup our data so we can continue trading after a disaster, but what type of disaster are you protecting yourself from and how quickly does your system need to be back online? Please think about this before you think of the usual stock answer, "I am protecting myself from all disasters and I want to be back online as soon as possible" easy to do if you have £500,000 budget and many man hours to devote to the task of backup. You need to be realistic about your backup and restore plan. Are you planning to recover from a hardware failure, total server failure, fire flood or any malicious event? Remember, the rule, the bigger the disaster you plan for, the bigger budget you will need.
Let's look at the business backup options;
Tape Backup - Is a solution which has been around for many years, recent technology means backup and restore is becoming faster and faster. The main benefit of tape based backup is the speed in which you can restore, tape solutions are now capable of moving data at rates of up to 80MB per second. The down side is the initial cost, a high end tape backup device will cost from £4,000 and can work their way up to hundreds of thousands. The software to control the backup starts at around £500 per device to be backed up and can escalate to £3000 per device. Cost of media, £30 per tape and usually you will need a minimum of 10 tapes.
Cost aside, the human intervention requirement can be a drain on resource, for example someone will need to ensure a tape is fitted into the backup device and removed offsite after the backup has taken place. Usually most company's leave the tape inside the server overnight, leaving your backup exposed to the same threats as your server.
Disk to Disk Transfer Easily the fastest way to backup and restore and is suitable for high quantities of data which can be transferred between two servers at up to 320MB per second. The speed of this form of backup is usually only slowed down by the network connecting them together. There are two downsides behind this solution, firstly the cost; you will need a second server and this server will need to grow at the same time as your live server. Secondly it is impossible to remove the server to a secure remote or offsite location, again leaving your backup exposed to the same threat as your live server.
Offsite or Online Backup - By far the cheapest method of backup, however until recently your backup and restore process can usually operate only as fast as your internet connection, usually 2MB per second. This form of backup has usually only been suitable for smaller companies with smaller quantities of data. Times have changed, some offsite backup solutions now offer high performance disk to disk backup functionality whilst still securely backing up your data to an offsite location, you might say this offers the best of both worlds, very fast restore using disk to disk functionality but still copying your data offsite ensuring you will always be able to restore regardless of disaster.
One final benefit is zero human intervention; once you have setup you backup schedule the whole process is automated from there on in.

About the Author:
To find out how online backup can help your business please visit http://www.perfectbackup.co.uk/

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/data-recovery-articles/data-backup-which-is-the-better-way-73602.html

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Online Backup - How Does It Work - Is It Really Better Than Tape?

Author: Andrew Stratton
Web-based storage service providers offer small and medium-sized businesses with an alternative to backing up their data on tape, disk or hard drives alone. For a monthly service fee – usually quite reasonable – business owners can schedule data backups to be delivered via the internet and stored on disks at a storage service provider's data center.
Once they understand how it works, many small to medium-sized business owners eagerly accept their IT manager’s suggestion to move their data storage system to the services of a web-based storage provider. The reason why is simple: compared to the costs of traditional backup systems (including hardware, various media and costly, constant human interaction) the savings and benefits of an online backup system are impressive, in terms of dollars, man-hours and reliability.
Large companies usually have the IT budget necessary to pay for on-site backup systems and a full-time, 24-hour staff to handle backups and restores. However – even though their data is just as critical to success – most small businesses usually don’t have the money to pour into that kind of data storage system. There’s hardly money for even a dedicated backup server – forget about a dedicated IT staff. The sad reality is that, most often, a small business' IT staff is so overloaded with and overwhelmed by the many, vital tasks of managing the company’s data on a daily basis that they frequently shove running backups to a back burner, just hoping they’ll get to it before disaster strikes.
There’s no worry about security of data in the hands of a reliable online data storage company, either. When that concern is voiced, it’s almost always because the person worrying about it simply doesn’t fully understand either the technology or the process.
In fact, all stored data is encrypted before it’s moved to the internet, and the data stays encrypted until the customer him- or herself needs to access it. Even then, only the business has the encryption key needed to release the data to view. The level of encryption is extremely high, as well. Online data storage companies most frequently use the same types and levels of encryption utilized by large financial institutions and the federal government.
Another plus of online data storage is the time necessary to recall whatever data is required. Typically, recovery time for data stored online is much less than the time needed to recover from tapes, CDs or zip drives. And with online data storage, there’s no IT personnel involved in either accessing or restoring … no time spent picking up media from an off-site storage facility and bringing it back to the office … no time spent searching for the right tape and then downloading it to a server … no human error and no salaried time wasted on the mundane (but necessary) machinations of manual data retrieval.
Considering the time, personnel and budgetary savings of using an online data storage system instead of media-oriented in-house backups, it’s no surprise that so many small to medium-sized business owners are opting for this process in lieu of their old reliance upon media-based storage. The speed, reliability and cost-savings of online data storage so far outpace the budgetary, personnel and space requirements of media-based systems that online backup is poised to replace media backups as the system of choice in today’s business world.
You can never be too prepared when disaster strikes. Protect yourself from data loss with online backup from Global Data Vault. Avoid downtime, revenue loss and angry customers with remote backup services from Global Data Vault.http://www.globaldatavault.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Andrew_Stratton


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Online Backup Of Your Data

Author: Dan Miller
Many of us who make use of computers may have experienced loss of data loss at some point of time and so will be able to appreciate the significance of online backup. Just a power cut or a surge while we are running the computer may cause some loss of data, and depending on the type of work we were doing, it may be a matter of some annoyance or something more extensive like loss of one day's work and thereby loss of income.
The data accumulated over periods of time tends to be the most important asset for any person or type of business. Accounting records, a list of your contacts or clients, photos, correspondence and letters and anything else someone holds important to a person or any business falls into this category.
The cost of a computer itself does not reflect the whole value of it. What is more important is the value of information saved in the computer. This information can be work or business related records. This brings up the invention of remote backup.
As you may know, some things are beyond our control. These unexpected happenings can destroy data or, sometimes, even your computer itself. Examples of these sorts of calamities include: a collapsed hard drive, data corruption, natural disaster, sabotage and mistakes by users. These are all real dangers and can very easily result in the loss of years of hard work and could even lead to a business collapsing entirely.
In these cases, it is imperative that the person or company have a strategy for protecting crucial data from possible hazards such as a hard drive crash, corruption of files or even natural disasters. Online backup services provide just that. Any computer is at risk to these data threats, and disaster recovery may be required at any time. Using an online backup service makes it possible to restore your lost files within moments.
Standard data backups involve storing the information on tape. One can utilize external drives, DVDs and CDs as well. Such methods are extremely tedious, time consuming, and unreliable. (More than half of all tape restores turn out to be unsuccessful.) Additionally, in order to protect the files from such risks as flooding, burglary and fires, they ought to be kept in a separate location, although this is generally not done.

About the Author: Lots of people who use laptops or desktops have lost data and therefore can realize the absolute necessity for online backup. A simple disruption in our electrical power or a sudden surge as we are busy working could result in losing important data.

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Online Backup - Lose The Stress, Not Your Files

About the Author: Jason Kay

Online backup has become the logical choice for people at the forefront of technology when they want the best data backup option available.
Do you ever think about what would happen if disaster strikes? In the blink of an eye all your important computerized documents, pictures and client data would be gone. It can happen. Lightning strikes, floods, theft, hard drive failure, computer viruses and more can result in a loss of information that can be difficult and expensive or even impossible to recover.
Maybe you already backup your data, documents, and photos. But where do you keep the backups? Are they at your home or business, in the same building as the computers you use? The same disaster that might destroy your computers could also destroy the backups. If a large-scale natural disaster such as a hurricanes, large flood, wild fire, etc. occurs, even storing your backups in the same city could lead to losing both.
There is a solution, it's called online backup and it comes highly recommended by professionals from all fields, even from IT support people, the same people you would pay thousands of dollars to should you need data recovery. Even when you take great care in backing up your systems on a daily basis, there is always the factor of human error to consider. Someone forgets to do the backup, does it wrong, or stores the disks or tapes incorrectly. Online backup automates your data backup so those concerns are no longer relevant.
As more and more of us try to eliminate the need for paper files in our homes and offices, it is becoming even more important to have good backup systems for our important information. Online backup eliminates the problems that can be encountered due to human error, natural and grand scale disasters, theft and technological failures. With online backup, your information will be securely stored off-site and the systems can be easily set to automatically back up as often as you need.
Online backup is typically a very cost-effective solution for small and large businesses. They do not need to devote a portion of an employee's workday to backing up documents. They do not need to purchase CDs and other storage medium, and no portion of the company's physical premises is lost to storage space. Online backup also protects companies against the future cost of IT services for data recovery. For many businesses, the loss of personal client or patient data could mean the end of the business. This is one reason it is so important to make your online backup choice wisely. The use of online backup will also help healthcare providers in following the guidelines of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) and the strictest of privacy practices in any industry.
On a personal level, any number of things could also happen to your personal documents and it would be devastating. More and more of us are taking digital photos and storing them on our computer. If something happens to your computer and the data cannot be recovered, there go possibly years of family photos. These and other important files should be backed up outside your home to ensure your peace of mind.
Don't be one of those people who frets and cries over lost computer data or who spends too much money on data recovery, which may or may not work. Make the best choice now and protect the files and photos that you can't do without. Put online backup to work for you today.

About the Author:online backup Jason Kay contributes to IT related websites such as RemoteOnlineBackup.net, which provides reviews and rankings of online backup services.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/computers-articles/online-backup-lose-the-stress-not-your-files-325196.html

Remote Backup Business

Remote backup business is now gaining popularity among backup providers - companies that develop and sell backup software and render services associated with data backup. Remote Backup Service by Novosoft LLC is one of the most reliable remote backup businesses on the Web.

To do remote backup business efficiently, a backup provider must have reliable backup software and server space to store backups of all their users.

Moreover, the server, which is used for storing online backups, must be carefully protected against human intervention and natural disasters such as fire, flood, hurricane and so on.

Novosoft Remote Backup Service is one of the most advanced remote backup businesses. It makes use of the proprietary backup software - Handy Backup and a server situated in an underground shelter and protected against severe weather conditions and human intervention. The server is monitored by our skilled professions who guarantee that no data loss or data theft will ever happen.

If you are looking for remote data backup that will take care of all your backups, you have just found one!

See also Business Remote Backup