Backup Solutions- How to pick the best one for your business

Regardless of size, every business needs good backup solutions. Every year, thousands of businesses across the United States lose months or even years of their data because of system crashes coupled with improper or nonexistent backups. Unfortunately, the importance of backup methods is often misunderstood or ignored until a company experiences a significant data loss. Research shows that a significant number of businesses suffering major data losses due to insufficient backup feel the operational effects for a long time.

Understanding Backup Solutions

Image based backups are the most effective backup solutions for a number of reasons. In the past, most people used backup methods that were file based, but the problem with that option is that there is so much more to a backup than just the data itself. Businesses must restore their software, settings and data to make an entire system. With image based backups, the entire system and its files are backed up as a complete image. When the system is restored, it is rebuilt exactly as it was as of the last snapshot. As its name implies, a system image backup involves storing a complete overall image of the system that is then easily converted into a running virtual machine for immediate deployment.

Incremental backups are an integral part of image based backups. After a base image is created, every so many hours an incremental snapshot is taken of the system. This incremental backup is then appended to the base image to create a new image, with these incremental snapshots continuing throughout the day. Because the snapshots only backup the information that has changed since the last snapshot, the load on the system and the amount of time it takes to transfer it offsite is lessened. While a base image can take multiple hours to perform, incremental snapshots only take a few minutes- meaning that the amount of data that is lost during a failure is greatly decreased. Most file based backups that happen every night are operationally untenable, in that a failure during the day means that a restore takes the system state back to the end of the previous day, which then means up to a full day of data can be lost.

Choosing Backup Solutions

There are plenty of backup programs online offering myriad options. Some of the most common choices are Carbonite, Mozy and Crash Plan. They store a chosen amount of data in an offsite location in the event of a data loss. Many businesses turn to the most popular backup services or the first ones they find on a search engine. It is important to learn about the company, its backup services, its reviews and what other services are offered. It is important to choose a service that has an extensive variety of choices. The company should be easy to contact and must always take a business’ unique needs into consideration when making a backup plan. Both on-site backup and off-site backup are crucial for optimal overall protection.

Some of the free and paid services that are easily accessible online may seem like good options for saving money, but it is important to consider just how valuable a company’s data really is. Who will restore that data? Who will test that the backups are working? Who will retrieve data to ensure backup integrity? These are only a few of the questions that need to be answered. It is important to entrust your data to the care of a professional company that specializes in backup, recovery and disaster recovery. If you stumbled upon this page in a time of need for data recovery, our professionals can help you build a more solid plan for the future. For companies looking for more secure and reliable backup services, we are happy to help you explore the many options we offer. At HD Tech, our plans are extensive and involve the best backup solutions. We take the time to learn about your company’s needs to better help you choose the best options for you. Do not let your data stay at risk. Protect it and the future of your business. Contact us to learn how we can help.