Offsite Secure Data Backup

Information is valuable that finding a secure remote backup service is a wise investment for any company to insure its future livelihood. With numerous employees, several locations and unimaginable amount of files and documents, a business could potentially lose everything. Gone are the day of rooms full of paper files. These types of information storage are obsolete and simply do not have the capabilities to store the amount and variety of the work currently representative of the modern business. Keeping the original all files and database is called archiving. The difference between backing up a system and archiving is that backups are copies or secondary forms of the document being addressed. There are many options for salvaging a copy of electronic files in the case of a disaster such as the damage often brought about by floods, tornados or fires. Even if nothing cataclysmic transpires, employees inevitably erase, delete or alter documents or databases unintentionally or even maliciously. Obtaining an offsite secure data backup will help a business guard against both the negligent computer user and a natural disaster. Storing information has always been important. "And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart." (Deuteronomy 6:6)

As in most of modern technology, a secure remote backup service starts with a software package. This software will be downloaded onto all the network computers, including all branches and satellite locations. An information technology specialist will have to decide what type of back-up process is best for the company and the budget. Structured storage is definitely worth the time and money to find. Without structure, utilizing what is stored could take months of "digging" through electronic files that are saved with no rhyme or reason. Full plus incremental storage software initially saves every file in the system, and then incrementally saves everything again. Full plus differential is about the same as full plus incremental storage but incrementally saves only those files that have been changed since the last full save. There is also a form of offsite secure data backup called continuous back up. With this sort of storage software, the information technology professional no longer has to set routine backups, but can rest in the fact that the system performs differential backups continually, even to the millisecond, as the workers continue their jobs. As might have been expected, this type of secure remote backup system is the most costly and can make the bandwidth move slower. What happens is that the data can be backed up far faster than the internet connection can transfer the data, so there is a lag that can frustrate the employee who works on the internet often and depends on the speed of the connection to make quotas or meet deadlines.

Years ago, each office would save copies of all the network files each week. Copies of files would be saved on magnetic tapes or hard disks. Granted, these tapes and disks were effective ways to save large amounts of information; however it was bulky and rerecorded quite a bit of information. Floppy disks were often used, but really cannot hold much information and take up a lot of space. If the company still wants an onsite storage device, DVDs and CDs hold much more information, can be organized and structured and takes up noticeably less space. However, offsite secure data backup guards against natural disasters that could wipe out the whole company, storage CDs and all. Not to mention that is prevents a disgruntled employee from barging into the computer professional's office and stealing storage CDs. Secure remote backup service can use CDs and DVDs that are simply stored at another location, or more commonly it involves file storage via an internet connection. If using a broadband connection, files are stored almost as soon as they are created. Offsite secure data backup is the most accessible type of storage. The computer user does not need to travel to the storage room or office. From the comfort of his desk or home, the employee can retrieve and use the files saved online. There are many internet service providers offering this type of software interface to their customers. Though the information is fast and easy to access, industries that depend greatly on secrecy hesitate to send their private files over the internet to a third party for storage. In these cases, secure remote backup service would not be ideal of the success of the company.

Regardless of the type of storage software a company chooses, there are a few capabilities the information technology professional will want to look for when shopping for back-up programs. Open file backup allows the storage software to back up files that are open, such as email programs. Sometimes this capability comes with the standard package, but usually this ability is an add-on that should be purchased. With so many users creating documents and databases on myriad platforms, it is necessary to find an offsite secure data backup system that saves across platforms. Data compression allows the storage software to compress the information to take up less memory space. Data encryption encrypts or disguises the information until it is received at its destination. This does not completely alleviate the possibility of information theft, but definitely works to minimize it. Many secure remote backup service providers will allow the user to choose when the updates are. This capability will allow the IT professional to choose times when less bandwidth is being used, like early mornings or Fridays. Another consideration before purchasing a software package is retrieval. If the industry has highly stylized hardware, the company may want to choose a home office to house hardware in the case of a natural disaster destroying the entire office. In this scenario, the hardware necessary to retrieve the stored data is safely offsite as well.

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