Offsite Data Backup or Online Storage, which solution is the most suited to you

By:Mozza

Most people still think that backing up to an offsite environment is the same solution as moving files to an online storage system. If you want to know what the differences are, so you are able to make an informed decision, please read on.

Online file storage is a means for moving your digital photos, music, movies and projects off your computer via the internet to a remote storage facility, so you can access them from anywhere, share them with friends. Online file storage works by giving you and thousands of other people storage space on large internet servers. This storage is basically used as an extension to your local storage.

A typical example of use would be anybody how has non-critical data such as MP3, MPG, JPEG files who would wish to store data remotely in case of drive failure or loss and may also wish to share said files with friends. Please note this form of data storage is for file data only and would require manual transfer via ftp. Online storage is ideal for a home user looking to secure or store data offsite.

Offsite Backup is a commercial offering, originally used buy large corporate organizations who could afford high bandwidth connections ensuring their data is backed up to third party locations with highest emphasis placed upon security. As the cost of internet connectivity has greatly reduced, offsite secure backup services have become available to smaller businesses. I am sure you can appreciate, if a company, business or organization was to lose data, it would not know who its customers are, who owes money to whom, therefore creating many more challenges than a home user losing their MP3 collection would face.

It is not just an issue of moving file data to a remote location, there are many other factors a company has to address, such as:

What type of data has to be backed up – most companies will have a database in one form or another such as, Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft SQL, MySQL, Oracle or Lotus Notes which will be running 24 hours a day. A backup solution must contain agents for backing up the databases in question whilst the database is running and must support multiple operating systems, such as Windows, Novel, Linux and Unix etc.

Security – The data to be backed up is “sensitive” and you would certainly not wish to share this data. Before data is backed up it must be encrypted to the highest levels possible, levels used by your bank or the military for example. Your data must be stored whilst still in the encrypted state ensuring only you have access.

Data Backup can create a large manpower overhead, so your offsite solution must be totally automated requiring no human intervention, set and forget.

The hardware must be dedicated for backup and resilient as possible with no single points of failure and then for good measure this whole infrastructure must be replicated in real time to a second datacenter.

All the above factors will ensure your business data is backed up and available for restore regardless of data disaster.

In summary, online storage, great for home users storing MP3, Video and file data. Offsite data backup is a must for business use.

To find out more information about secure offsite data backup solutions, please visit

www.perfectbackup.co.uk

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: data backup, offsite backup, remote backup, online storage, internet backup, backup, backup

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Top Data Recovery Articles
1). Types of Computer Infection By : Alex Rider Brief descriptions of the kinds of malicious software that abounds in todays computerised world are described and explained.
2). XCACLS, SUNINACL, And Other Permissions Security Recovery Tools By : Darren Miller You Have 50GB Of Data To Move Along With Permissions Security ---------------------------- This article is about several tools that can save a Windows administrators you know what in the event of a large scale permissions security problem. Here is a fictional scenario we can use to illustrate the use of the XCACLS tool. We need to move or copy 50GB worth of data that is comprised of several thousand directories containing hundreds of thousands of small files from one storage system to another.
3). How To Prevent Loss Of Data And Hard Disk Crashes By : frank vanderlugt Do-it-yourself programs are a lot less expensive than hiring a data retrieval company that specializes in information recovery, and to save money you should at least attempt to utilize this type of program before calling a professional.
4). Hard Disk Failure and Data Recovery By : Bharat Bista Hard Disk: An Introduction Hard disk is a non-volatile data storage device that stores electronic data on a magnetic surface layered onto hard disk platters. Word Hard is use to differentiate it from a soft, or floppy disk. Hard disks hold more data and can store from 10 to more than 100 gigabytes, whereas most floppies have a maximum storage capacity of 1.
5). How To Recover Data Or Survive A Hard Disk Disaster By : frank vanderlugt Disk failure occurs when a hard disk drive no longer operates and the information on it can no longer be accessed by the computer. This can happen for no reason at all or due to an external factor such as exposure to fire or water or High Magneticwaves or suffering a sharp impact How seriously the disk failure is varies.
6). Data Recovery - It May Not be to Late After All By : Tyson J Stevenson The salvaging of lost data or making available the previously damaged data stored on various damaged media such as hard disk drives, magnetic tapes, magnetic disks, zip disks, CD-Rom, flash cards and other storage media is known as Data recovery.
7). Data Recovery - What To Do When Your Hard Drive Fails By : Jim Grayson How many times have you experienced that sickening feeling when your hard drive suddenly fails? How many times have you experienced that your hard disk just does not boot and all the data may be gone forever? A hard drive failure is one of the most common problems and worst nightmares faced by computer operators all over the world. Precious data is lost either at home or in big corporate environments.
8). Can USB Data Recovery Be Recovered? By : Chelsea Aubin When you store important information on a USB device, you take the chance of losing that information. Losing data on a USB can be kind of a mystery, but there are companies out there that can help you get that data back. These companies use engineering that can recover your lost data over ninety six percent of the time. These companies can even recover data that has been stored on a damaged USB device.
9). Know What You're Dealing With: Essential Information You Must Know Before Paying for Data Recovery By : Alex Bezborodov Know what you're dealing with The world of data recovery is a big mystery for most consumers and even some IT professionals. This is largely because hard drives themselves are complex devices and their technological specifics are not generally well known. Data recovery companies thrive on their customers' lack of information and often get away with charging obscene rates for any recovery, regardless of complexity.
10). Compact Flash Memory and Data Recovery By : Bharat Bista Flash memory gets its name due to its microchip arrangement in such a way, that its section of memory cells gets erased in a single action or "Flash". Both NOR and NAND Flash memory were invented by Dr. Fujio Masuoka from Toshiba in 1984.The name 'Flash' was suggested because the erasure process of the memory contents reminds a flash of a camera, and it's name was coined to express how much faster it could be erased "in a flash".

New Data Recovery Articles
1). PC Crash! How To Find The Best Data Recovery Consultant By : Stu Pearson Everyone’s PC crashes now and again. So what can you do after that dreaded crash? Hire a Data Recovery Consultant. You wouldn’t let somebody throw away important documents or files of yours, would you? Well, don’t let your computer get away with that either. Even if your business has backup files, your data is still at risk of deletion. That is why it’s nice to have a Data Recovery Consultant on your side.
2). Data Recovery Procedures For Hard Drives By : Stu Pearson Your computer’s data is at risk. Whether you use a Mac or a PC, viruses, power surges, hackers, human error, natural disasters, hardware failures, and more are real everyday threats. To keep your data safe and sound, you will first need to back up your files on a regular basis. Secondly, when hard drive failure does occur, data recovery is the only solution.
3). Data Recovery Services: What To Do When Your Hard Drive Fails By : Stu Pearson According to most people, there are two types of hard drives: those that have failed and those that will fail. But for folks who use Data Recovery Services, there is a third type of hard drive: one that does not fail. A hard drive is the most vulnerable part of a computer; it has moving gears and is hence prone to wear and tear. So when you need hard disk data recovery, you must deeply consider the service and practice of the various repair companies in your area.
4). Data Recovery and Your Computer By : Kathy Crawford Have you ever wondered if what you know about data recovery is accurate? Consider the following paragraphs and compare what you know to the latest info on data recovery. Sooner or later your company could become the victim of a natural disaster, or something much more common like a lightning storm or downed power lines. Just because your company may be a small business doesn't mean it's immune to data disasters.
5). Consequences of data loss and Why should Offsite Backup be used By : Mozza There is a calculated trend in all business corporations and firms: when the enterprise is getting bigger, its support of data increases its complexity, volume and value. The larger your enterprise is, the more significant your data files become. The traditional tape backup can no longer produce in-depth data information about all the important features of your business.
6). The Drama of Data Recovery By : Khieng Chho Data loss is often a tragic and traumatic experience for most computer users. It is often due to hard drive failure, accidental formatting, electronic malfunctioning or a product of "natural calamities". This seems to be not much of a problem when there are viable data back-ups that the user creates. However, the problem comes when we tarry on making our back-up files, which is not a rare practice by the way.
7). Data Recovery - What To Do When Your Hard Drive Fails By : Jim Grayson How many times have you experienced that sickening feeling when your hard drive suddenly fails? How many times have you experienced that your hard disk just does not boot and all the data may be gone forever? A hard drive failure is one of the most common problems and worst nightmares faced by computer operators all over the world. Precious data is lost either at home or in big corporate environments.
8). Can USB Data Recovery Be Recovered? By : Chelsea Aubin When you store important information on a USB device, you take the chance of losing that information. Losing data on a USB can be kind of a mystery, but there are companies out there that can help you get that data back. These companies use engineering that can recover your lost data over ninety six percent of the time. These companies can even recover data that has been stored on a damaged USB device.
9). Secrets of Microsoft new file system revealed by Data Recovery Engineer By : Hugo Galilea Hi friends, let’s talk this time about the new concept in file manager that will be introduced by Microsoft in its new Operating system Windows Vista. The name of this new file administration is “WinFS”. WinFS is a new file system that it’s being developed by Microsoft to be used in its new operating system Windows Vista. At the begining this name means Windows Future Storage, but now is only Windows File System.
10). Compact Flash Memory and Data Recovery By : Bharat Bista Flash memory gets its name due to its microchip arrangement in such a way, that its section of memory cells gets erased in a single action or "Flash". Both NOR and NAND Flash memory were invented by Dr. Fujio Masuoka from Toshiba in 1984.The name 'Flash' was suggested because the erasure process of the memory contents reminds a flash of a camera, and it's name was coined to express how much faster it could be erased "in a flash".