Data Backup & Recovery

Statistics show that 96% of computer users have experienced at least one computer breakdown. Are you part of the lucky 4%? If you are, congratulations. For the rest of us, a computer crash stirs emotions ranging from dismay and helplessness to fear, outrage, and everything in between.

And if your business computer crashes, you can lose more than data. Businesses rely on computers for several tasks, such as completing sales, purchase orders, inventory management, shipping, payroll, and labor. When your business computer goes down, everything comes to a complete stop. Moreover, the cost of such a stoppage can spiral out of control fast.

Fortunately, you can take precautions to protect your business against these unfortunate situations. At Spot Migration, we offer a full suite of information technology (IT) services to businesses of all sizes. Our goal is to make technology easy to use with customized solutions. One of those solutions is data backup and recovery.

What Is Data Backup and Recovery?

Any computer is susceptible to crashing, and users can make mistakes that cause computer failures. Unfortunately, these events typically occur at the worst possible time. Thus, having built-in systems to protect you against computer failure is crucial to running a successful business.

Data backup and recovery is the process of backing up computer data to a secure location where you can recover the information quickly and efficiently and restore it to your computer. This simple concept requires technical skills and equipment.

You’ll need a secure system to copy and archive the data so that you can access and retrieve the information in the event of a crash. To retrieve data, you must back it up to a reliable device. On the plus side, you can choose from various device options to fit any scale.

Cloud Storage

We’ve all heard of the “cloud” by now, but most people don’t understand what the term means. When you back up using cloud storage, it doesn’t mean your data’s floating around in the sky. Instead, cloud storage uses a system to store data and files on an off-site server that you can access through the internet or over private network connections. You can also set up cellular devices with cloud storage.

Third-party cloud service providers (CSPs) host the server and charge bandwidth, user number, or storage capacity fees. Cloud backup offers protection without putting a strain on your IT department.

CSPs back up your data on the cloud by copying and storing it on different storage systems and media that enable easy access. You can use a public CSP with the infrastructure or a dedicated data center. Another method is cloud-to-cloud backups through software-as-a-service applications that copy your data to another cloud.

At the start of the process, cloud backups can take a long time to upload based on data volume. So many CSPs use a method called cloud seeding. This technique uses an external storage device provided by your CSP to store the initial data for transport to its facility. The CSP then uploads your data from the device to its servers, where it can back up your data quickly over the network moving forward.

At Spot Migration, we can build backup systems around your software applications and schedule them based on your needs. For example, we can set up daily backups to collect and transfer your data to a CSP server. We also compress and encrypt the data for efficient and secure transfer.

You can expect a monthly or annual subscription for cloud storage services. Many small- and medium-sized businesses use cloud storage for its cost-effective solutions. While larger companies often have storage infrastructure, they also use cloud storage as a redundant option.

You have many cloud storage providers to choose from today. They store your data on a secure system of servers, networks, and infrastructure that they maintain. So when you need the data, you can access it at any time. Using cloud storage eliminates the burden of buying and maintaining equipment, with the flexibility to scale up or down at any time.

Backup Storage Devices

Some companies prefer to have equipment and facilities. In that case, off-site servers often work well as a backup and recovery solution. Off-site servers allow you to store enormous amounts of data safely and securely away from your business servers. Off-site servers rarely crash, but if they do, they have redundant backups on local drives that simplify recovery.

Many companies buy and maintain independent drives to back up information. Independent drives come in various storage capacities and offer plug-and-play ability. For example, you can buy a portable terabyte drive for less than $50 at most retail outlets. And larger sizes, up to 64 terabytes, are available at nominal cost increases, making them a very cost-effective solution.

Off-site storage and independent drives provide the same solution, storing data and making it available for recovery. The difference lies in cost. Off-site storage facilities have ongoing costs. For example, if you invest in an off-site storage facility, you must maintain that facility at your expense.

Some businesses sign a contract for an off-site storage program with one of various companies for a monthly fee. This might save you money on smaller-scale operations versus building and maintaining a facility. Using independent drives only costs you their initial purchase price and replacement costs if a drive fails.

Backup Frequency

The frequency or schedule of backing up data depends on the type of business you run and the data you collect. For example, financial companies need daily backups to protect their data. However, a small restaurant might do fine with monthly backups. You can choose whether to back up data daily, weekly, monthly, or at specific times.

Explore Data Backup and Recovery Options Today

At Spot Migration, we understand what businesses need in data protection. That’s why we offer scalable solutions to fit any business. We invite you to book a call today if you’re interested in exploring your backup and recovery options. One of our data recovery specialists will gladly answer all your questions. We can then start protecting your valuable data so that you can focus on business operations.

Never Worry About Getting Your Business Back Up & Running After A Disaster.

Does This Sound Like Something You’ve Said?

• I’m worried about losing my company’s data.
• Could it really take days to recover from a failure?
• Any downtime is a profitability killer for my business.
• My company data is vulnerable.
• I’m not confident with our current backup.
• My backup is stored at the same location as our business.
• I don’t know how long it would take to do a full restore of data.
• Our current backups regularly fail to complete.
• I don’t think our backup has ever been tested.