WHAT IS IT?

 

Offsite Backup is the process of storing mission critical business information away from the business premises. Data is transferred via the internet to a primary data centre that has built in tolerance to power spikes and outages, network outages and fire suppression, as well as physical security to keep unauthorized people out. This qualifies as a tier 3 data centre.

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Once set up, it is an entirely automated process that occurs as frequently as the business requires. Typically it occurs nightly, though companies with frequently changing data (hotels, booking chains, etc.) may opt to have it done several times a day. It requires no human input, and generates a report to indicate the success of the backup that is monitored by your MSP.

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WHY DO IT?

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If a business is backed up offsite, they immediately become resistant to hardware failure, human error, fire, flood, electrical faults, theft and any other potential danger that threatens to rob the company of its operational data.

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Because of this, more and more insurance companies are now recognizing offsite backup as a form of risk mitigation, and will adjust their premiums accordingly.

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Traditionally, it has been the job of staff to perform a daily backup, despite them having no knowledge of the technology or how to tell if it has worked properly. As a result, a small amount in wages must be paid every day to someone who could otherwise be contributing something more to the business with no guarantee that they’ve done it properly.

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HOW IS IT BACKED UP?

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The first time a business backs up its whole database, will take the longest. The client software analyses all data ‘blocks’ to be backed up, and compares them to existing blocks in the data centre. Blocks which do not yet exist in the DC are compressed and encrypted prior to being transferred.

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From this point on, all backups are ‘incremental’, meaning that only the days changes will be recognized as ‘new’ data thus keeping data transfer to an absolute minimum. If a small portion of a large file has changed, only the small changes will be transferred as opposed to resending the whole file.

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The software ensures that no more than 2 copies of any given block are kept on hand. This is called deduplication, and it prevents multiple copies of the same file wasting space while still allowing multiple generations of that file to be restored. This is a complex process and can be explained further if requested.

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HOW IS DATA RECOVERED?

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In cases where a user has deleted the wrong file, they can easily restore it by using the wizard based restore function in the software. They select the date they wish to go back to, and specify the location of the file in an expanded network tree. It might look something like
Computer > C: > Users > John Smith > Desktop > missing file

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To recover a server, first confirm the details as prompted by the wizard, and choose the date to go back to. You can then specify which files, and where they should be restored to (if different from the original location)

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Users can also search for a specific file by name by entering a wildcard search after opening up the restore function. As with the first two options, simply select the right version and click restore when finished searching.

 

If data is being restored from an external drive, not the data centre, the path of the external drive must be specified before selecting the necessary files.

 

For large restorations too big to download quickly, an encrypted hard drive can be sent anywhere in the world on the next available flight.