Advantages of Online Backup Services

Offsite backup services are important to all companies because our data is stored offsite. By being offsite, we create a final failsafe for the protection of our information. Traditionally, offsite backup has been through the management of high-volume tape services. In recent years, with higher speeds of internet access, online backup services have increased in popularity. Tape data storage is still the best means for any company that has super-high volumes of data to store. However, it may be possible for you to use online services if you have lower levels of storage need. Here is a look at some of the advantages of online backup services.

• Less Input. In most cases, online backup services will be automated. Software applications can manage the time, amount and process of backing up. This removes many of the procedural issues for a company. Compliance training and surveillance are a big part of data protection and management. People are always the weakest link in any security process. Automated services mean the need for procedure development, and training are minimized.
• Immediate Access. With standard and more traditional tape backup and recovery services, your data is returned to you by the provider. They have specialist security staff and vehicles. Online access means you do not have to wait, and you can access your information anywhere.
• Reduced Cost. Because you do not have the mediums, the staff, the vehicles and the processes involved with tape storage, your costs are greatly reduced. Everything comes at a cost. Tape management services can handle a lot more volume at much higher speeds, but the only way to transport those tapes to a safe location is by physical means. The speed of tape management copying is much greater than available with online services. Nonetheless, tape management services are much more expensive. For those with medium to small volumes of data, online and offsite backup can be a very cost-effective and efficient way to manage backup, and the cost involved.
• Improved Speeds. As fibre optical cables are laid, and as internet speeds continue to increase, we are seeing a rapid increase in the bandwidth available for companies. This has led to greater speeds for online backup services. Other technologies such as encryption are improving so they do not greatly reduce the speed of data transfer. Some suppliers of professional online backup services for corporate clients even use compression technologies to reduce the total amount of data that needs to be transferred.

Your IT professional or IT department may even recommend a combination of backup services be used to reduce costs and still maintain appropriate data management and storage quality. Data storage by tape is still the preferred means because of the stable nature of the medium and the fast speeds of data transfer.