Backup Services

Backup and recovery continues to be an important but perplexing part in an otherwise solid data management and protection plan. The usual suspects include growing data loads, nonexistent backup windows, too much network traffic or poor performance, inefficient storage hardware, media management problems and poor backup reporting. However, these problems generally all stem from one common source: A lack of in-depth understanding of the storage environment and how it satisfies business objectives.
Many business environments have data consisting of mainly small and medium-sized files--and a lot of them. Others may have fewer larger files, and still others a combination of small and large. The complicated nature of data management makes backups a crucial issue in IT. Businesses need to be assured their backups are successful and that they're backing up what really needs to be backed up.
Data type may vary dramatically (such as e-mail, databases, multimedia and graphics) and data may serve one or multiple related applications. Data also exists under differing degrees of confidentiality, such as company financial information, employee records or customer transactions. There may also be a significant amount of prohibited data if company policy is against employees keeping MP3 files or unauthorized software on the network.Advertisement
Depending on the size and nature of the organization, some decisions about backup and recovery may or may not be flexible. Federal, state and local governments have imposed requirements such as Sarbanes-Oxley to ensure that enterprises are conducting business properly. You may be subject to regulations from the ATF, DOD, DOE, DOJ, FAA, FDA, IRS, SEC, and a handful of others.
In order to better manage disparate backup needs and requirements, and before acquiring new storage hardware or adding another layer of network complexity to achieve better backup, perform a thorough assessment of the storage environment and the data itself that correctly identifies the problems. Are backups taking too long because unchanged, obsolete data is being backed up too often? For example: Are there a small number of large files to back up, or a large number of small files? Is the data available during its scheduled backup, or is it in use? And if it is in use, is it always or sometimes? Are unnecessary or old data files being repeatedly backed up. Once you have thoroughly evaluated the data and the available storage resources, you will likely find more options than reactively purchasing hard disks or ever-larger tape libraries to solve a data management problem.
To make an intelligent decision on data protection, you need visibility into the backup and storage environment. The first step in gaining visibility is finding out why the data exists, who owns it, where it resides, when it was last accessed, what level of archiving versus availability the business application requires, and then determining whether current technologies can meet these needs.
Once the data itself has been evaluated in relation to application and usefulness, a more granular view of the environment is achieved by proceeding to an evaluation of the repositories where data is kept and where it must be duplicated for backup and recovery. This includes DAS, NAS, and SAN resources, file servers and application servers such as DNS servers, SQL and Exchange, as well as desktops and notebooks, which may contain data that is just as valuable and irreplaceable to the operation as data stored on servers.
As part of your assessment, note the storage capacity both in use and available for backup destinations to estimate the overall health and lifespan of these systems in order to help with capacity planning. This task may require a forecasting or trending tool depending on the size and complexity of the network, preferably one that will also identify wasted storage space or 'islands.' Some questions to consider include: Is server consolidation an option? Is it possible to compare allocated versus unallocated storage space? Which are the fullest systems, and what is the likelihood of maintaining them at present capacity?
Once the data and the storage environment have been evaluated, the next step is to consider the requirements for protecting the data to determine if these requirements can be reduced. Determine how necessary it is to access the data, how frequently requested the data is, and how quickly it must be recovered--including how tolerant executive management may be in the event of downtime.
An assessment of your storage environment and backup systems is the first step in establishing and clarifying effective policies and procedures for managing data. Policy-based tools to manage storage resources are gaining in popularity and usability. This category can include information lifecycle management, compliance with data retention regulations, assigning certain applications performance priority, assigning certain departments access priority, and other operational goals to be met.

Backup Service

Online backup services are one of the most revolutionary ideas of the internet age in my opinion. All computer users who rely upon their computers for their day to day operations know how important it is to have a recent backup at all times. Technology has simplified our lives in so many ways; however, technology is not fail proof. Because we are so highly dependent on it in this day and age, a technological failure or a simple spurt of human error can throw us back, seemingly into the stone ages, especially if we do not have our computer data backed up where it can be quickly and easily recovered.

Of course we all have good intentions and plan to do regular backups "some day". Some companies even require computer users on their staff to make regular backups as a matter of policies and procedures. However, in both cases we are relying on humans to take care of backing up data so it will be available if unexpected hardware failures occur. Humans don't always do what they are supposed to do, and making backups is one of those tasks that gets overlooked more often than others. Automating the process of making backups on a regular basis using online backup services diminishes the odds that you will caught in a bind without a backup of your electronic data.

Another major advantage of online backup services is that they provide an offsite backup of your computer data. Sometimes the backup is even stored on a separate computer network in a remote location that is in a different geographic region. This is a remarkable advantage of online backup services because not only is the backed up data safe in case of a hardware failure, it is also protected against catastrophic events like fires or floods at your place of business as well as being protected from loss in case of a natural disaster like a tornado, a hurricane or a major earthquake. Online backup services can literally save the day, and the business, when such disastrous events occur.

With online backup services you can schedule backups to be done through an automated process at regular intervals throughout the day. The frequency of your backups conducted through online backup services is pretty dependent upon your business and the volume of business you do in a day. With most online backup services, the frequency of the backups affects the cost of the services, so this is something to consider when deciding how frequently it is necessary to backup your computer systems.

Different online backup services also have a range of packages with different levels of online backup services and relatively varying fees. Pricing structures for online backup services generally fluctuate based upon the level of service provided. The cost, automation capabilities, security and the availability of the backups for immediate restoration are important considerations when selecting online backup services for your business.
The price of online backup services usually increases along with the amount of storage needed in terms of megabytes or gigabytes. So, before you choose a particular plan for online backup services, be sure you know what data will need to be backed up, the intervals at which the automated backups will need to be made, and the storage space required from your online backup services to house your data.

Regardless of the type of business you operate or the size of your business, the use of automated online backup services is recommended. Online backup services give you peace of mind knowing that your backups are safely stored in a remote location and available for restoration whenever you need them. Online backup services that are automated also ensure that backups are made in a timely manner at preset intervals that you have determined are necessary.