subject: How Utilising Internet Backup Is An Important Part Of Your Disaster Recovery Plan [print this page] Disaster recovery plans normally involve backing up data using traditional media such as CDs, DVDs, and magnetic tape. CDs and DVDs are appealing because they're cheap and fast, but they're only good for backups not exceeding 10 GB and are risky since these media may rot and your files may be gone forever. Magnetic tapes, on the other hand, are traditionally considered the most reliable backup media since they can normally hold up to 400 GB and can last for at least 30 years. However, online backup has enjoyed an increase in popularity over the years. One of the most popular online backup providers is Crashplan Pro, because it has cross-platform support, meaning it can run on all operating systems, namely: Windows, Mac, Linux, and Solaris. Other reasons for its popularity is the fact that it delivers reliable and secure backups for a reasonable one-time fee, as opposed to monthly fees charged by other providers.
An online backup service involves making use of remote backup, meaning data is sent to a particular site (Crashplan, for instance,) through the Internet. The backup service provider can do this by allowing you to download a particular program from their website. You should next install this program on the computer or computers you want to back up. A Windows workstation is designated, which handles the administration of the computers.
Questions such as which files should be backed up? How often and when should they be backed up? And for how long backups should be made? are decided by the administrator. The compressed and encrypted data are then sent to the company's primary data center.
For added security, a copy of this backup data is also sent to a secondary remote backup center. The great thing about online backup, especially online computer backup and Crashplan, is that you can still recover your backed up data even if your building burns down or your computer gets stolen or some other disaster happens. Online backup companies now also offer emergency restores in cases of dire need. It's now easier for online backup to be part of your disaster recovery plan, since Internet access is now much cheaper and faster.
Crashplan Pro, which has been designed especially for laptops, has integrated onsite, offsite, and online backup into one program, making it one of the best providers ever. Onsite and offsite backups are controlled by you, and they protect your data no matter where you are. Online backups are great because they allow you to recover data even if your computer becomes lost in a fire, theft, or other kind of disaster. Instead of getting a CD, DVD, or tape delivered from a vault in case you lose some data, you can just download the data you need thanks to online backup.
Traditional backups will most likely not be completely replaced by online backups, but today both forms have complementary functions. Online backups are now an important part of any person's disaster recovery plan, which is why it would be smart of you to have your files backed up online as soon as possible.
