| It is the nature of the business. In the hectic world | | | | available, given the appropriate authentication. If a |
| of small business, the concept of IT infrastructure | | | | salesperson or manager is at a remote conference |
| falls into two categories; working now and not | | | | and is missing a presentation, it can be restored |
| working now. Unfortunately, the only attention the | | | | directly to their laptop, even if it was backed up on |
| infrastructure receives is during periods in which the | | | | their desktop in the office. |
| latter category is in force. All systems, without | | | | Retention |
| exception will eventually fail, and the resulting data | | | | File retention levels are usually configurable. In plain |
| loss can be catastrophic to a business. | | | | English, that means a user can keep any number file |
| Every business owner understands the importance of | | | | revisions in storage. With traditional tape backup, |
| backup to the safety and security of their data, but | | | | restoring an old version of a document was limited to |
| relatively few actually take the time and effort to | | | | the tape rotation and required finding the correct |
| ensure this critical process is followed. Fortunately, | | | | tape. Online backup provides fast and convenient |
| the advent of reliable online backup solutions is | | | | access to these archived copies. |
| making backup less of a process and more of a "set | | | | Price |
| and forget" procedure. The benefit of these solutions | | | | Considering the high cost of magnetic tapes and |
| is providing peace of mind that data is being | | | | backup software, remote backup is an affordable |
| safeguarded, while still safeguarding the time of the | | | | option for most businesses. Magnetic tapes need to |
| business owner. There are several benefits to these | | | | be replaced periodically as they degrade over time. |
| new solutions. | | | | Compliance |
| Security | | | | Depending on the business field, online backup can |
| Online backup data is encrypted with highly-secure | | | | provide immediate compliance with offsite backup |
| algorithms. Most providers encrypt data end-to-end, | | | | requirements of legislation. Businesses dealing with |
| meaning the data is secure before it leaves the | | | | medical records need to be compliant with the Health |
| office until it arrives back in the office on restore. | | | | Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), |
| This is in contrast to most tape backup solutions, | | | | which mandates offsite backup of patient data. |
| where businesses are entrusting an unencrypted | | | | More and more businesses with a solid data backup |
| copy of their business data to the person taking the | | | | policy are moving towards the online backup model. |
| tapes offsite for temporary storage. | | | | Businesses without a plan face a rude awakening |
| Availability | | | | when the inevitable hard drive failure occurs, losing |
| Most online backup resellers offer web-based | | | | irreplaceable financial data and customer information. |
| restores. The upshot of this is that files can be | | | | Fortunately, online backup provides a new and less |
| restored from anywhere an Internet connection is | | | | time-intensive option for small business needs. |