Remote Offsite Backup Wins Over Local Hard Drive Storage

The odds are 1 in 4 that you will lose all the data on your hard drive due to a virus, hacker or natural disaster, such as a fire, flood, or earthquake. In addition, if you own a business, your chances are 1 in 2 that your business will fail if you lose your all or most of your data. A look at the four most common methods of data storage reveals that they do not all offer the same benefits and safety.

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. You might believe that the disk copied the files perfectly, but many times when you need the data, the files are corrupted or missing due to damaged disks or other technical failures. And if you forget or fail to put the disk in the computer and perform the manual backup, then hundreds of hours of work and files will be vulnerable to loss. 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.

You may be thinking about buying a second hard drive or tape storage solution for data backup. Recovery of data is easy with these solutions if the hard drive or tape storage is not damaged or corrupted by the same lightning, flood or fire in which the original drive was damaged. And theft is an option as well. In addition, research shows that tape backup fails to recover data as much as 50% of the time.

The most efficient and effective way securely backup your files on a regular basis is to perform a remote offsite backup. Off site data backup is fairly effortless and involves the following:

Local Software Installation

First, you will install a small program that talks to the online storage backup server. Setting up the program usually takes about 20-30 minutes.

Initial Backup of Entire System

Second, to back up files over the internet, you need to have a cable modem, DSL or T1 line. Third, schedule a complete system backup during a convenient 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, many online providers offer a web control interface where you can schedule backups and retrieve files anytime. You might also receive an encryption code known only to you to keep your files safe.

I’ll stop here with a word of wisdom: don’t worry about data loss; worry about how soon you will contract with an offsite data recovery provider. To protect your files and your business, get more information about data backup strategies at Data Backup Solutions.