Any document, spreadsheet, or any other type of file is at risk if it exists in only one location. Hard drive malfunction and computer viruses, as well as things like fire and human error, can and do happen to computer systems. When these problems occur, weeks or months of work can disappear in an instant, lost forever. The best protection from such a disaster is to have multiple versions of the data, including at least one copy stored in an alternate location. This is the basic principle behind all backup strategies.
Many businesses have a backup procedure already in place. However, they may not be aware of the alternatives to their current expensive, manual, archaic, tape-based backup processes. With business operations so reliant on information technology, it is vitally important to identify alternatives that can eliminate vulnerabilities. In addition, it is important to utilize an effective data protection service that will allow you to quickly restore business operations.
Online Backup, sometimes referred to as remote backup or offsite data backup, allows users to back up data to a remote, offsite location over existing internet bandwidth. This gives your business the ability to implement a data protection strategy that includes offsite storage of a backup of your data without requiring physical transportation of the data from your location to another remote storage location – which often means a company employee taking tapes in his car to his home. Instead, you can define your backup schedule, and the backup software will send the data to our secure data center instantly, giving you easy offsite data protection.
Taking advantage of off-premises infrastructure and services (often referred to as cloud services) offers several benefits. Information can be more easily accessed from any Internet-connected device. A third-party service provides built-in security, management, monitoring, and reporting—often an improvement over on-premises capabilities. It also offers scale. As growth and changes dictate, the backup solution can accommodate needs faster—and often more cost-effectively—than an on-premises strategy. There may also be some cost and/or budgeting advantages to outsourcing all or a piece of backup storage as backup services are charged back to the customer on a consumption basis.
