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Having a solid backup solution for a business is a necessity for data integrity and quite possibility the future of your job security. There may very well be hundreds of backup scenarios that could be utilized. The right solution depends on the size of the organization, the amount of users and the amount of data that needs to be backed up. If you have a small business with only a few Gigabytes to back up then an online backup solution may be right for you. On the other hand, if you were responsible for hundreds of users and Terabytes of data then you would be looking for a more localized backup solution, which may include Network Attached Storage (NAS), and/or a tape drive backup solution.
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The Different Forms of Data Backup
There are some different styles of a backup solution that should be implemented in any given organization. First, you should have an exact image or clone of all servers and workstations at your disposal for immediate recovery purposes. A full backup of all data should also be performed at intervals that meet the needs of the data that is being backed up. Then an incremental backup solution should be used to insure that all changed data is safely backed up and ready for restoration if the need arises. The need will arise to restore data.
Data Loss is Inevitable
Data loss is hard to avoid. Whether as the result of hard drive crash, theft, accidental deletion, virus, or natural disaster, it happens to the best of businesses. According to the National Archives & Records Administration in Washington, 93% of companies that lost their data center for 10 days or more due to a disaster filed for bankruptcy within one year of the disaster. 50% of businesses that found themselves without data management for this same time period filed for bankruptcy immediately. Data loss doesn’t need to be catastrophic as long as the business has a solid backup plan. What is your backup plan?
Reasons Data May Need to be Restored
Too many things could happen with data to encompass the need for immediate restoration. From little things like a user, accidentally deleting a small file to the need to restore the entire network because of a natural disaster of some sort data is destroyed. Either way you need to be prepared to restore the Gigabytes or Terabytes of data. The majority of the time, a loose nut on the keyboard is usually the culprit for accidentally or purposely destroying data. It doesn’t matter because it still needs to be restored.
Different ways to Backup Data
The tricky part is deciding which backup scenario that is right for your organization. One way or another, data needs to be stored in an offsite location. Whether that location is an online backup solution or an offsite tape storage facility, the location should be carefully considered while choosing your backup scenario. The caveat to having the data offsite is that sometimes you need to access the data immediately. For that purpose, the need arises for data backup redundancy. Probably the best way to achieve a redundant backup scenario is to back everything up to some form of NAS and then transfer the data from the network attached storage to either an online backup solution or a hardware tape backup solution. With that scenario, the data is always available on the NAS and safe and secure online or on tape. The solution depends on the size and structure of your particular data center.
Backup and Imaging Software
As you might imagine, there are literally hundreds backup solutions to choose from. Some will perform all of the described duties in one package others will only accomplish imaging or backups. An online backup service is a great backup option. Acronis is the best solution for backup and imaging of workstations and servers. See all of the Acronis Business Solutions Here. If you are already using another backup software package and it works for you, then continue to use the package. Just remember to image all workstations and servers, do frequent backups of all data, keep your data backups redundant and always keep copies of the backups offsite and you should be prepared for any emergency that may arise.
The Acronis Backup for Windows Server
creates an exact image of your Windows server including the operating system, applications, and configurations. This remote backup and recovery utility can also back up mission-critical databases. Anyway, both your machine and special files or folders will be successfully restored in case of system failure. What is important to an IT administrator, backup procedures run without interrupting server operations. See our review of the Acronis Backup Server for Windows.
Acronis Backup for VMware is designed to work with VMware vSphere®, which is the industry-leading virtualization platform for building cloud infrastructures, and provides all the features you need in an exceptionally easy-to-use solution that can be deployed in minutes so you can quickly begin backing up your vSphere environment. Backup for VMware allows you to recover virtual machines just as quickly by simply starting the virtual machine that was created by the replication process. vmProtect delivers complete protection by utilizing VM backup and replication and Acronis’ unique ESXi host BMR in one solution.
Carbonite Business is an ideal cloud backup solution for a small business. It offers a variety of features to ensure that all of those important files are being backed up automatically including a convenient dashboard that allows you to check to see if all the scheduled backups are being performed as they should. The ability to backup external hard drives and NAS devices is a plus as well. The files are stored off-site and accessible from virtually anywhere, ideal for the frequent traveler. The solution backs up wherever the employees are connected to the Internet. Whether they’re in the office, at home or on the road, Carbonite keeps working to keep all data safe, secure and accessible.
The SugarSync Business Online Backup solution gives your business all of the data protection, file sharing and collaboration capabilities that your business needs to keep data safe, secure and accessible to members of the team. SugarSync for business has added powerful administrative tools to reduce IT expenses and increase productivity. For instance, let’s say that Sue is in New York and Jim is in California. They both need access to the same document to make some last minute changes before a presentation. Not a problem with SugarSync. They can both make changes to the same document and it will sync so both users now have all of the information needed to be a success. Try a Free Trial of SugarSync for Business – Your First 30 Days are FREE!
SOS Online Backup is one of the largest worldwide providers of online backup for consumers, small and medium businesses and IT/managed service providers. SOS Online Backup delivers simple yet powerful online backup that has become the industry’s top award winner, including Laptop Magazine’s Editor’s Choice and PC Magazine’s Editor’s Choice Award since 2006. The SOS Online Backup solution utilizes 11 data centers across multiple continents to keep your data replicated for added security. Also has an iPhone and BlackBerry App, File sharing, Web Access to your files and a built in local backup option. Read more about SOS Online Backup
Genie Backup Manager Pro is the complete backup solution for Small and Medium Business Users that easily want to back up and recover their entire systems. Businesses sometimes just do not realize the monetary value of their data until it is too late. Most companies realize the importance of backing up data. If a business is just starting out, there is the possibility that data protection was overlooked in their budget analysis. Once a business starts accumulating data, that data becomes an asset to the business. Protect your data with Genie Backup Manager Professional before it is too late. See our Review of the Genie Backup Manager.