Businesses often deal with reams of data, applications, sensitive and critical information. While traditional tapes, disks, and external hard drives still function today proving to be temporary aides when it comes to backing up data, the nature of data today is way too complex for tapes and drives.
Data backup and recovery today are on another level presenting new challenges for businesses. So, the solutions should match.
On-premise, traditional backup isn’t as safe as it sounds
One of the distinct advantages businesses enjoyed with traditional backup solutions is that the methods used for such backup – tapes, disks, external hard drives, etc. – have always been under management control, and on the premises. Yet, these methods proved to be bulky, expensive, and time-consuming, and resource-intensive. That’s where outsourced backup solutions, online or cloud-based backup solutions make tremendous sense for small and medium businesses. They are readily available, scalable, inexpensive, and robust.
Traditional backup is good; outsourced or online backup solutions are even better and cost-effective.
Online Backup is already popular
Spiceworks conducted a study involving 1500 IT professionals in which it was found that over 48% of professionals were already using cloud services in the first half of 2012. At least 42% of these professionals plan to use online backup and recovery services. The cloud has benefits but the greatest gift it gave us, perhaps, is disaster recovery. In 2012, An Aberdeen report concluded that businesses with cloud-based backup and storage solutions experience of 2.5 disaster recovery events as compared to 3.1 events for businesses that don’t use the cloud for disaster recovery.
Backing up, and doing it again
Sometimes, for businesses, it’s not just a matter of backing up data. A business must also shop for the length of time data is going to be stored. While businesses choose various time periods for data, depending on the importance and pertinence of this data, businesses should look for versioning, storage times, security protocols, and uptime. All of this should be taken in writing from vendors.
Applications, OS, and general technical support
Not every business comes with full-fledged, on-roles IT staff. Some businesses are run by small, 1-5 member teams. IT expertise is the last thing they would have and the first thing they would look to outsource. As a business looking for data backup solutions and disaster recovery options, it only makes sense to look at support for business class applications, operating systems (Windows, Mac OSX, and Linux), etc. These solutions should also be compatible with various other tools that your business uses such as ERP, CRM, and perhaps other applications used to run your business.
For years, we’ve helped clients back up their data, recover and restore lost data, put protocols in place to ensure maximum security for critical data, and help clients manage their regular backups, while we provide the best Business Continuity Planning Services [http://www.thenetworkpro.net/services-solutions/business-continuity-planning/] in the U.S.
Try us on for Safety.
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