Online Data storage and Disaster recovery Vs Traditional Backup

Traditional tape and disk based backup solutions have relied on a daily backup to tape unit or on site storage media, zip and cdr etc. More often than not, these systems are not maintained, monitored correctly and not tested on a regular basis. It is often only in times of disaster that these shortcomings are realised.
By using Online offsite backups, complete backups of your data are transferred offsite automatically. In the event of a disaster or accidental file deletion etc. A simple web browser and encryption key will allow you to start restoring your data in under 5 minutes from any location with internet access.
back to top

Immediate restore Vs looking for tapes.

Traditionally in order to do a restore of your data using a tape or similar media based method ,it was necessary to reload the correct media for the date you wished to recover the data from. This often means a time consuming search for the correct tapes to restore from and then a tape or media catalog to locate the data and finally restore it.
Using Online Offsite backup you simply open your backup software client or use your web browser, select the version and date of the files you want to recover, enter your encryption key and click restore. Thats it!.

Immediate restore Vs looking for tapes.

• No looking for tapes
• No inventorying media
• No reloading backup software
• Additionally our software allows you to make a local copy to external storage as well if required.

Recovery where you want it

Restoring your data successfully means having reliable media available, the correct piece of hardware (tape drive etc) and software to read the data on that media. If any one of these pre requisites are not met then the chances of a successful restore are dramatically reduced, often resulting in long and costly delays in getting your business back up and running.

If you are to add to these factors, that in a typical disaster scenario you may not have access to your media or the correct hardware to recover onto, then the risk of downtime to your business dramatically increases. Using our online backup service there is no requirement for hardware, software or media, all that is need is an internet connection and you can begin to restore your company's critical data in minutes.

back to top

Security for sensitive data

Most companies think that as long as they have a backup of their data they are covered. Many fail to consider what happens to those backups once completed.

• Where are the backup tapes or media stored?
• Who has access to the data?
• Are the backups encrypted should they fall into the wrong hands?
• e.g. disgruntled employees, competitors etc..

back to top

Comply with impending and existing regulations

There are certain legal obligations that all companies storing certain information must adhere to. Some of these are industry specific and cover certain industries such as HIPPA for the health and pharmaceutical industries and others such as the data protection act cover a much wider range of company's.
Our solutions can help in achieving compliance with these acts for your companies data backup practices.

Data protection Act
"appropriate security measures shall be taken against unauthorised access to, or unauthorised alteration, disclosure or destruction of, the data, in particular where the processing involves the transmission of data over a network, and against all other unlawful forms of processing"
- section 2(1)(d) of the Act 

back to top

Free up internal IT resources

Backup practices can vary dramatically from company to company depending on their size, needs, internal make up and resources.

Many companies have no backup strategy at all and at best backup intermittently. Frequently the “task” of changing the backup tapes or running a backup is left to non technical staff .

Often noverification is done to check if the data on the backups is in facton the backup media at all, and is recoverable..

By using an online offsite backup solution the company can dramatically reduce the risks of their data being unrecoverable and unavailable in times of crisis, or worse still having no backup at all because someone forgot to “change the tape”.

back to top

Tape and media based backups are unreliable

Backing up to tape or other media can be unreliable. Often the backup jobs appear to run fine but no data is in fact written to the media or the data that is in fact written is corrupt and useless in the event of a restore.

Tape units are troublesome to maintain and need to be serviced regularly and kept in a clean dust free environment to function efficiently.

Using our offsite backup services we remove these two headaches for our customers. Firstly there is no media to backup onto and secondly our backup software CRC checksum validates every file before it backs up.

Automatic notification emails let you know if there are any corruption issues with the backup that require further investigation.

back to top

Backup remote/laptop users and sites centrally

Company staff, sales reps, directors and ceos etc..that travel frequently are often left out on a limb when it comes to backing up their data.

By using our backup services they can automatically backup their files safely, securely or whenever they choose.

Customers with remote sites can also have all of their remote servers and remote user data backed up and stored in a central site with individual user access to the files and folders etc backed up.
 

 back to top

Recover previous file versions instantly

In the past if a user accidentally deleted a file or if a database became corrupted it was necessary to restore that file from the time before the corruption or deletion occurred. This usually involved finding the backup tape with the correct file version on it and initiating the restore.

Depending on when the file deletion or corruption occurred previous versions of the file may have been over written on the tape cycle and no longer be recoverable.

By using offsite backup services the user can simply recover the files online.

In addition to this the ability to archive the files for up to five years is available to comply with some financial reporting regulations.

back to top

Geographically dispersed copies of your data

One of the most commonly overlooked components of a disaster recovery plan is the geographic availability of the data you are trying to restore.

Consider the following scenarios.

Scenario 1

Companies A and B are victims of a large flood in their area (remember new Orleans). Company A have their backup tapes stored in local storage facility.

Company B however used our offsite backup services. Their data is stored offsite in a completely different location and also mirrored on another continent.

In this scenario company A will have to wait until they can gain access to the storage providers building in order to see if their data is in fact recoverable. Company B can restore from any location

back to top