With the ever-expanding amount of data on today’s networks, as well as the need for instant access to that data in an emergency, a reliable backup solution is more critical these days than ever before.
Let’s take a moment to consider the three most common options for backing up your network: onsite tape backup, offsite Internet backup, and a hybrid solution.
1. Onsite tape backup
Description: Backing up data to a tape drive using software such as Backup Exec on a scheduled basis.
Pros: Inexpensive media (tapes)
Cons: Tape is rapidly becoming outdated, as it is notoriously prone to mechanical failure over time as tapes wear out. Tape backups present a security problem in that often the backup is done onsite and the tapes are never removed from that physical location. In the event that the building is damaged, the data is compromised. In addition, tape backups are linear access devices. It can take a long time to read through multiple tapes to find the data needed for restore.
2. Offsite Internet backup
Description: Your data resides on an external host server that is accessible via the Internet. Regular backups occur across your Internet connection.
Pros: You don’t have to invest in any onsite infrastructure, just pay a flat monthly rate for service.
Cons: This option does take the burden of data storage off of your core network, and does so securely. Added cost comes in the form of higher Internet Access bandwidth requirements. Most importantly, backup data may not be readily available for access (such as for a restore), and is highly dependent on the vendor’s infrastructure. Control over your data is limited. We worked with one company that waited one week for their data to be restored; obviously, that is an unacceptable amount of downtime.
There is one more option that ASC Group has implemented with our clients and has found to be an ideal combination of the advantages of the solutions above:
3. Hybrid backup solution (ASC Group Recommended Solution)
Description: Onsite disk array backups with Offsite current image storage.
The backup solution that ASC Group has implemented with many of our clients is a hybrid approach, combining the best features of onsite and offsite backup. We install a small server with an external drive array to serve as the primary backup platform. The arrays have large storage capacities so we can keep multiple restore points online ready for use. Data is transferred offsite on a regular basis to ensure we have a recent restore point available if access to the onsite systems is not available (Disaster Recovery). The offsite component can be achieved with Internet (Cloud) storage or via removable disk storage.
This solution keeps the data online and rapidly retrievable, and provides the network administrator with full control of the data at any given time.
In addition, the data is securely replicated at a hosted site, and can be readily accessed in the event of a security breach or physical emergency at the primary site.
Want to learn more about a hybrid backup solution? Send us an email, and we’ll send you our “Backup-in-a-Box” info kit!
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