Remote Backup Service
A Backup Article Contributed by Melissa Larose
Remote Backup Service
Remote backup services can keep your data safe during a disaster. There are many to choose from and each has a different geographical advantage. Keeping your data off site and accessible at any time should appeal to any modern commerce enterprise.
Pricing Remote Backup
Pricing remote backup can lead you into a mish mash of information. The price range and services vary greatly. Some remote backup service companies add all kinds of features to draw you to their program. Some of these tools will help with scheduling and tracking remote users. Review each feature carefully and don't replicate a feature you have access to already.
Providers of remote backup tend to break down their offerings into monthly subscriptions with pricing and the amount of storage offered for your remote backup varying greatly. Prices usually start around $20 a month with a storage capacity of 100mb. The prices rise from there.
Using price as a comparison is probably not wise considering the wide range of features and storage sizes. There are many other things to consider in making your final decisions.
How is the Remote Backup Accomplished?
Although price is an important consideration, even more important is how and where is your remote backup happening? Ask as many questions as you would of yourself in this portion of your research. You need to ask questions about how your data is backed up in order to know how knowledgeable the remote backup service staff is.
The service you choose should be state-of-the-art equipped with backup power, high level security systems, and fire protection. In addition, your remote backup service should have its own disaster recovery plan. It can be hit with a disaster event just as easily as your original site can be. Ask to see their plan and make sure you understand it. There maybe a few issues pertaining to disaster recovery that you will hold them responsible for and the only way to know where they stand is to ask.
If they won't let you see the whole plan then choose your questions carefully and ask for specifics to be incorporated into their contract. Having your data backed up across multiple redundant sites on their end is a good way to reassure the security of your data.
Remote Backup Problems
The ease of access your employees will experience may be exhilarating. Being able to remotely access company data from just about anywhere may increase productivity and morale. But there is one hang-up that may deter you from so much frivolity.
Remote backups are only as corruption free as the system they are downloaded from. If there is a virus lurking in your network then the odds are it is in the remote copy as well. In addition, electrical outages are just as likely at the remote site as they are at your site and electrical outages are notorious for corrupting data. In addressing this issue your company may want an additional feature thrown into your contract that includes duplication of site information that is archived and kept separate from your remote data.
