Offsite Backup Services is Superior to Local Storage

About 1 out of 4 computers have had a hard drive corruption that destroys hundreds and thousands of hours of work and hundreds of personal memories due to natural forces of nature-floods and fires, or evil forces of humanity-hackers and viruses. 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. You have a variety of choices for data backup, but they don’t all provide the same amount of data safety.

You might be backing up your files to a DVD or a CD, but these disks do not offer the security you might think they do. Often data copies just fine to a CD or DVD, but when it’s time to recover the data, for various technical or mechanical reasons, it won’t recover when you need it the most. And if you don’t remember to back up on a regular basis, then of course the files won’t be there when you need them. In addition to that, your backed up files on CD or DVD are at risk in case of theft because the files are not encrypted.

Many people are also backing up their data onto a second hard drive or tape storage, either internal or external. Recovery of data is easy with these solutions but only if the cloned hard drive or tape backup is not damaged in the same fire or flood in which your original hard drive was damaged. And don’t forget the possibility of theft. And some reports say that up to half of all attempts to recover data on tape backups do fail.

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. Off site data backup is fairly effortless and involves the following:

Local Software Installation

First, you will download and install an application to interface with the backup server of the online storage provider. It takes up to a half hour to set up the program.

Initial Backup of Entire System

Second, you’ll need a broadband connection, such as a cable modem, DSL, or T1 line. Third, you will want to schedule your first full backup during off-peak hours so that it doesn’t interrupt your other important computer traffic. All respectable off site data backup providers secure your files in high security “vaults” that make the CIA envious, so don’t worry about your files.

Web Management System

Finally, from almost any web connection anywhere in the world, you should be able to schedule regular online backups, verify the safety of your backed up files and retrieve them on demand, if a web interface is offered. You should also be issued a unique encryption key to access your data.

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 protect your files and your business, get more information about data backup strategies at Data Backup Solutions.