Backing up is just half of the equation…we must be able to easily restore as well.
Reliability
Our last article “Backup and Restore…as Easy as 3-2-1” spoke about how vital it is for all companies to follow what is now the accepted standard business practice of backing up company data. But what mode of backing up is best for our business.? Plus remember that backing up is just half of the equation, we must be able to easily restore as well.
(Part 1 of 4)
When instituting a backup strategy, there are several key factors to consider before choosing a method – Reliability, Cost, Ease of Use and finally Data Security. This is the first in a series of articles that will closely examine these factors to determine how well an online backup solution compares to portable media backup, such as tape.
We begin first with the area of reliability. One major factor to consider when choosing a backup method is reliability. Is the method prone to failure? Will the data be accessible in the event files need to be restored? With portable media such as tapes, CD’s floppy disks, and pen drives, you run several risks.
Firstly, tapes and disks are infamously failure-prone and are susceptible to damage by the environment and improper handling. They can also be ruined by electromagnetic fields that are, strangely enough, emitted by electronic devices that create the data.
Restoring Files
Secondly, when there is a need to recover files, many times portable media fails. Storage Magazine reports that over 34% of companies do not test their backups and of those tested 77% found that tape backups failed to restore. According to Microsoft, 42% of attempted recoveries from tape backups in the past year have failed. In addition, Ben Matheson, group product manager for Microsoft Data Protection Manager, said, “More than 50 percent of customers we’ve surveyed said their current backup solutions do not fill their needs.”
With an online backup service, the data is encrypted and stored on a remote server. Info Exchange’s DataVAULT Online Backup + Recovery solution protects the data using a 256-bit encryption method and stores everything in military grade, SAS 70 certified, secure facilities. So there is virtually no risk of files being corrupted or lost while data is in transfer or storage.
There is also no threat of losing the data as a result of natural disasters such as fire or floods or malicious acts such as theft. As an additional level of protection, the data is backed up a second time to another tier 4 secure storage facility. The data is available anytime, anywhere. Moreover, if there is a need to restore files, Info Exchange’s DataVAULT online Backup +Recovery service boasts a recovery rate of over 99% … far greater than using portable media. With these factors considered, online backup is surely a more reliable method than portable media backup.
