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[O141]Online Backup Reviews 2009

by John J Jackson, Joh

We work in an increasingly data driven business environment where your business critical data is the core of your business. It is estimated that 60% of companies that lose their data shut down within 6 months. We are all aware of the pifalls of inadequate backups - the problem is what to do about it. What's the most effective way to backup and secure your data?

Online backup or tape - what's the answer?

As with a lot of things in life the answer is not straightforward and the solution probably falls somewhere in the middle. In other words a combination of tape and online backup could be the answer for your business.

Tape technology has evolved over the last 50 years into the high performance medium we use today -but is has drawbacks. One of the issues with tape backup is that it is a mechanical device that needs human intervention. Mechanisms break and human beings can forget to change the tape or take copies off site. The tape is prone to wear and tear and the issues surrounding off site storage and retrieval are not to be underestimated.

Online backup solves a lot of the issues associated with tape backup butit is not without drawbacks. If you have large quantities of data to backup cost can be an issue. Online backup software needs a certain amount of IT expertise to install and maintain and in most cases online backup relies totally on a broadband Internet connection. Internet connections are reliable but they are not 100%.

Is cost an issue?

Backing up online could be costly if you have large quantities of data to backup. Your answer may be to take advantage of online backup;but only for your vital data. You need to consider,very carefully, the data critical areas of your business. To help you brainstorm some ideas I've listed below some areas you need to take into account.

Business continuity.
Legal requirements
Regulatory requirements
Data protection regulations
Disaster recovery.
Inland revenue requirements
Customer data
Supplier data
Payroll records
VAT
Product specs
Email

These are just a few of the areas you need to consider. Depending on your type of business and where you operate there may well be other vital areas you need to cover. Take the advice of both your company accountant and lawyer when drawing up your data backup strategy.

Most Important.

Whatever decision you make between online backup,tape, or a combination of both make sure you backup your vital data. Don't become one of the companies that each year shut their doors and fold because they failed to secure their most valuable asset - their data.

Last but not least.

Online backup or tape - make sure you test your backups. You should carry out regular retrievals to make sure your data is being backup up correctly. Don't wait to have a disaster before you realise your backup data is corrupt and unrecoverable.

In my earlier article, we discussed a two-stage methodology to help you determine the online backup services provider for your offsite backup needs.

In that article, Stage 1 of the methodology - compiling a short list - was covered in detail.

Today, we will talk about Stage 2 where you will assess those on the short-list against the final set of criteria to determine the top rated vendor.

I have listed the final criteria in the order of importance.

1. Around-The-Clock Phone Support

Remember that data recovery is not an activity that is done frequently.

Yet, when the need arises and especially when an entire server is down, the recovery has to be done correctly and quickly to minimise downtime.

This is best done by having the online backup services provider guiding you over the phone (or at the minimum using live chat) while the data restoration is being carried out.

Having a single number to call makes it easier for you to remember instead of calling separate numbers depending on the day or time.

2. Enhanced Restore Feature

The downtime can be reduced further if you can find an offsite backup services provider that provides enhanced recovery capabilities for restoration to be completed quicker.

3. Optimised Backup Feature

Scheduled backups happen regularly and if not optimised can drain your resources in terms of time and storage requirements.

You will therefore want to check whether there are additional capabilities that can reduce the amount of offsite data storage and backup time.

4. Service Provider Redundancy

Do make sure that your vendor has incorporated redundancy in its data centre premises. Redundancy should include servers, power, internet connection / bandwidth etc.

In addition to redundancy at the premise, you will find a few leading services providers even have mirrored data centres. And each of these mirrored data centres has its own set of redundant facilities. To be most secured, these mirrored data centres should be as far apart as possible.

5. Easy To Use Online Resources

This serves as a very useful source of reference to help you get things done quicker without the need of calling the vendor's support centre. Also, with easy-to-use online resources, you may even learn to carry out data restorations by yourself, expediting matters when you need most!

By evaluating the short-listed vendors against this final set of criteria, you will be able to determine the online backup services provider that can meet your business offsite backup needs.

Article Source : Raid Data Recovery Software

About Author

Both John J Jackson & Mike Blough are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.

John J Jackson has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Data Recovery. For the last 20 years John Jackson has been helping all sizes and types of businesses solve their IT problems. He has a proven track record of providing sound, business focused solutions, that are both reliable and affordable.. John J Jackson's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.

Mike Blough has sinced written about articles on various topics from Computers and The Internet, Data Recovery. If you are searching for the top rated online backup services provider for , please go to. Mike Blough's top article generates over 880 views. to your Favourites.