Old Bessie the tape backup gets some competition
While most of us have a horrible memory of a time we washed a vital floppy disk that was in our jeans pocket or lost everything on a laptop mere hours before a presentation was to start, when was the last time you really thought about data security and what would happen if a natural disaster were to occur and wipe out all your business records and data?
Back in the day, tape backup systems were state of the art for business data retention. This system was riddled with delicacies of your data processing speed, easily damaged cartridges, time consuming whole data-set backup, storage of the disk offsite, problems with the software platform needed to store the data, and after all that, many times the recovery process was unsuccessful. But what are the other options, especially cost effective alternatives?
While many small businesses look to update their technology equipment with faster CPU’s, new software and monitors they frequently overlook the very thing that would save them from utter catastrophe and rely on old Bessie the tape backup system to keep them safe.
Well what is the other option, you say? Some fantastic products have come on the market in recent years that take both human error and outdated hardware out of the equation. Digital options are now popular, easy to use, and highly efficient for both home and business applications. This means no more hoping that the office assistant figured out the backup system from 1980 then remembered to take the tape someplace offsite each day.
Digital/web based services are set-up to take incremental back-ups throughout the day and collect any changes in files and data without you having to do anything really after the initial set-up other than some periodic system checks to ensure it is working properly (if you have an IT company like Midwest Computech they can ensure the system is working around the clock). With frequent updates you don’t have to worry about retrieving a backup from a few days prior but instead can have the most current materials within minutes of a server failure.
So how does this magical system work? The most efficient system, like Midwest Computech’s Safety NetTM, combines an on-site Network Attached Storage (NAS) appliance for fast backups and restores, with low-cost off-site storage in replicated data centers out of state. Image based disk to disk backups are done multiple times each hour to both the NAS and off-site system, eliminating the need for a tape backup system.
In the event of server failure, your IT company or trained staff member can have you up and running within minutes, working off of the NAS appliance. Data is current within minutes of the server failure and functions just like the server. Continuous backups of the NAS appliance can resume immediately to the off-site location to keep everything secure.
If your facility and NAS become damaged due to fire or natural disaster, the off-site data collection center does a Bare Metal Restore to dissimilar hardware and can have your system up and ready for use in a timely manner, and all without worrying that those magnetic tape backups really saved the correct information each time.
So in the grand scheme of things what option makes more sense? Gambling with the thought that old Bessie the tape backup is working and will be able to restore things if the server goes down or simple peace of mind knowing that a dual on and off site option will keep your data secure even if your whole city is affected by a natural disaster?
Are you interested in finding out how easy a backup system is to put into place at your business? Midwest Computech can be of assistance. Midwest Computech can find the ways to use technology where it is most effective for you, the business user. We can help you determine what your software and hardware needs might be and how best a system can work for you.
Give us a call and we can discuss it with you to find the best solutions. 800-346-8934 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-346-8934 end_of_the_skype_highlighting begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 800-346-8934 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or e-mail us at info@midwestcomputech.com to learn more.
great post, thanks for sharing