Off Site Data Storage is Better than Local Backup Solutions

Did you know that you have a 1 in 4 chance of losing all of your pictures, music, spreadsheets, reports, programs, and everything electronically valuable due to a natural disaster or an evil virus programmer? And if you are a business, you have a 1 in 2 chance of going out of business forever if you suffer a serious loss of data. There are many ways to backup your data, but they are not all equally safe.

You might be using your CD or DVD recorder to back up your files, but CDs and DVDs aren’t as safe you might think. Even though you verify that the files copied perfectly onto the disks, damage to the disk over time can corrupt the files making them very expensive or impossible to recover. And if you are like me and don’t have the self-discipline to manually back up your data onto disk, then weeks and months of work will be at risk. Not only that, but these disks are not usually encrypted so all of your data is at risk in case of theft.

Another popular method for backing up data is on an external tape storage system or a second internal hard drive. You will likely be able to recover data easily with these devices but only if they have not been corrupted or damaged along with the original hard drive in the same natural disaster or virus attack. And don’t rule out the theft option. In addition, up to 50% of recovery attempts fail with tape backups, say industry professionals.

The best way to keep your backups current and safe is to utilize offsite data backup services that specialize in keeping your files automatically backed up and secure until you need them. Offsite data protection and file recovery is a fairly easy process:

Local Software Installation

First you’ll install a small application that interfaces with the backup server of the online data backup provider. Setup of the program is usually very simple and takes about half an hour.

Initial Backup of Entire System

Second, backing up files of this sort requires a fast connection, such as with a cable modem, DSL line or a T1 line. Third, try to schedule your first full backup during an opportune time. All reputable offsite data backup providers store your data in server “vaults” second in safety only to that of the FBI and CIA, so don’t worry about that!

Web Management System

Finally, your online provider might offer a webpage where you can download files and schedule backups. You might also receive an encryption code known only to you to keep your files safe.

I’ll leave you with some wise words made up by me: don’t worry about losing your data; worry about not backup up your data. To secure your business, learn more data backup strategies at Data Backup Solutions.