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Online backup services targeted to businesses of all sizes continue to draw interest from business owners and managers, and for good reason. Online backups offer many potential advantages when compared to traditional backup methods. In this article, we will identify some of the potential advantages of online backups and seek to answer many of the questions associated with shifting to an online backup service for your critical company information.

The Compelling Need for a Sound Backup Strategy

Get ready for it – your computer or server is likely going to fail. It is only a matter of time. Maybe it happens tomorrow, maybe next month, or, if you are lucky, maybe ten years from now. But, given enough time, the odds are overwhelmingly stacked against you. The question shifts then from “will my computer fail” to “how will I recover my data when my computer fails”.

In the event of a catastrophic event, including both natural and man-made disasters, the very survival of your business may well depend upon being able to recover your data quickly, accurately, and with minimal expense.

Consider, for instance, the following statistics:

• The U.S. Department of Labor estimates over 40% of businesses never reopen following a disaster. Of the remaining companies, at least 25% will close within 2 years.
  
  
• Over 60% of businesses confronted by a major disaster close by two years, according to the Association of Records Managers and Administrators.

According to the National Computer Security Association, without adequate backup it takes:

• 19 days and $17,000 to recreate just 20 MB of lost sales/marketing data
  
• 21 days and $19,000 to recreate just 20 MB of lost accounting data
  
• 42 days and $98,000 to recreate just 20 MB of lost engineering data
  

In sum, the risk to the business is great; failing to have a sound backup strategy jeopardizes the very existence of many businesses.

Where Traditional Backup Methodologies Fail

Many business owners and managers think they have answered this question by backing up their data using traditional means such as tapes, cartridges, CDs/DVDs, and the like. Each of these methods, in theory, allows businesses to recover data in the event of a computer or server failure, natural disaster, or other form of catastrophe. However, in practice, these methods have many potential serious flaws. Among these potential issues are:

• Expense. Traditional backup processes can be expensive. In addition to the cost of a backup device such as a tape drive, other expenses materialize. Among these are the cost of the media and the cost of the labor to perform, verify, test, and store the backup devices.
  
  
• Failure rates. Traditional backup media, such as tape, often fails over time. So if you have been backing up to a tape, how do you know that the tape is still good and that you will be able to restore your data from that tape? Of course, this risk can be mitigated by purchasing new tapes periodically, but that only adds to the expense issue cited above.
  
  
• Not storing backups off-site. To provide adequate protection and ensure availability of data in the event of a disaster, backups MUST be stored off-site. In this case, off-site does not mean in the same city or even broad geographic location. In fact, a good rule of thumb here is that the backed up data should be stored at least 500 miles or two time zones away. In this instance, should a natural disaster impact the businesses primary geographic area, there is assurance that the backed up data will be available when the business is ready to resume operations.
  
  
• Operator issues. Traditional backup processes require a team member to complete certain tasks, typically on a daily basis. What happens when this team member fails to complete the tasks as assigned or is away from the office due to illness, vacation, or other reason? Does the backup occur? Are you sure? Are you willing to bet the future of your business on it?

Advantages of Online Backup Services

Online backup services offer many potential advantages when compared to their traditional counterparts. Among the more significant of these potential advantages are:

• Online backups are often less expensive than other options. As cited above, there can be significant cost associated with traditional backup options. In the online backup world, since there is no backup device or backup media to purchase, and since the process itself is automated, many of the costs associated with backing up critical data simply disappear. In fact, Abaxio offers a fully automated online solution starting at just 32 cents per day for 2 gigabytes of data and extending to $3.55 per day for 160 gigabytes of data.
  
  
• Reduced likelihood of operator error. Once setup, online backups are fully automated, reducing the risk of incomplete or failed backups. Most online backup solutions targeted to business, including eFolderBackup, even provide email notification in case of a missed or failed backup.
  
  
• Data is stored in true offsite locations. Offsite storage is critical to any backup strategy. In the case of online backup services, data is typically stored on redundant servers hundreds, if not thousands, of miles away. Accordingly, the risk of a disaster impacting a business and impacting the backed up data is virtually eliminated.
  
  
• Backup data is available anytime, anywhere. Because online backups are web-based solutions, all that is needed to access the data is a computer with a web browser. As such, in the event the data is required for restoration, you can securely access the data from virtually anywhere in the world, facilitating a smoother disaster recovery process.
  

Summary

While the driving factors may vary – computer failure, natural disaster, employee mistakes, and malicious attacks are just a few examples – it is only a matter of time before you will need to restore your backup data. Does your current backup strategy ensure that when the time arrives, you will be able to do so without exception? For many businesses, the answer to that question is “no”. If you find yourself wondering about your backup strategy, perhaps now is the time to consider transitioning to an online backup service. For less than what you may be paying to create backups using traditional processes, you very well may find that the confidence you have in being able to recover mission-critical information increases immensely.