| > | | | | physical risk of sole reliance upon that kind of backup, |
| Some business owners think their media-oriented | | | | the fact is that it's more expensive, as well. |
| backup systems (tape drives, zip drives, CDs) are all | | | | At first glance, media backups may seem to be |
| they need to insure reliable online business | | | | cheaper, but there are hidden costs and hassles in |
| transactions. But there are hidden costs to those | | | | using them that aren't present with - aren't even a |
| systems that may make online storage a better idea | | | | consideration in - a remote, online backup system. |
| for day-to-day backup. | | | | With media-based backups, an employee (or two or |
| Some business owners think their media-oriented | | | | three) must physically see to the backup, and as well |
| backup systems (tape drives, zip drives, CDs) are all | | | | as time spent doing so there is the very real fact |
| they need to insure reliable online business | | | | that human beings make human errors. Beyond |
| transactions. But there are hidden costs to those | | | | that, the media files have to be physically |
| systems that may make online storage a better idea | | | | transported to and from an off-site storage area ... |
| for day-to-day backup. | | | | the storage area, itself, must be leased ... the |
| There's a certain appeal, granted, to having all your | | | | recovery process is unreliable, as well as time- and |
| business data - customer files, order information, | | | | labor-intensive ... restoring down to a single-file level |
| organizational data - right there on tape, disc or zip | | | | can be very challenging ... and, finally, you have no |
| drive on your own servers in your own offices or | | | | way of knowing whether data was accurately |
| stored nearby. | | | | backed up. |
| Media based technologies once were, in fact, the | | | | With an online data backup system, there's no |
| most popular means for backing up crucial business | | | | personnel (and therefore no human error or salaried |
| data. However, these solutions have an escalating | | | | time) involved ... it gets your data safely stored |
| total cost of ownership and simply don't provide the | | | | offsite for you, without anyone having to carry it |
| most secure data protection available today. As the | | | | there ... you can schedule automatic backups for the |
| business' data grows, additional tapes, zip disks and | | | | middle of the night ... you can restore a single file or |
| CDs must be purchased, driving up equipment and | | | | an entire entry with just a couple of mouse clicks ... |
| maintenance costs. | | | | you have access to at least twice as many (often |
| And consider this.... | | | | more) historical versions of your data files ... and you |
| What if there's a fire? What if the fire, itself, is put | | | | are automatically notified if there is any kind of glitch |
| out before much damage is done, but the sprinkler | | | | in the backup process. |
| systems have gone off, drenching your IT facility | | | | Many companies today are opting to use both a tape |
| along with everything else? What if a Trojan | | | | zip/CD backup and a remote backup system, |
| invades your servers? What if any one of dozens | | | | relegating their media-based systems to performing |
| of all-too-common disasters strike and obliterate your | | | | monthly backups and utilizing the remote system for |
| carefully backed up business files in an instant? | | | | daily data backups. This is proving to be a very |
| If your media-based backup systems are all you're | | | | cost-effective approach in terms of employee costs |
| relying on and something happens to damage or | | | | and wear and tear on tapes and server hardware, |
| destroy them, your business is instantly up the | | | | and one well worth considering in the ever-changing |
| proverbial creek without a paddle. And beyond the | | | | world of online commerce. |