How much is your business data worth? This can be a difficult question to answer because it’s hard for business owners to put a price tag on something that is essential to everyday operations. Although no one wants to think about disasters, the best time to plan is not after something bad happens to a computer, network, or business servers.
A disaster is considered to be anything that disrupts the ability to conduct business. Formulating a plan before a disaster can help to reduce unnecessary downtime and expenses in the case something unexpected happens. The experienced data experts at INSYTE Consulting Group helps our clients think ahead with a disaster recovery plan that is tailored specifically to the unique needs of each business.
A traditional backup and disaster recovery plan normally involves the following requirements:
• Facilities
• Network
• Capacity
• Support
• Security
• Bandwidth
When extended downtime is not an option, system virtualization can be utilized to simulate the working environment of servers and workstations. Virtualization is not a necessity for all companies, but when it is, this extra level of protection can help to keep things running smoothly in the case main systems or business servers have an event that causes failure. A systematic testing schedule can also be implemented as part of the disaster recovery plan to make sure backup cloud based environments function as expected, and to help reduce and eliminate the chances of learning about problems with data backups at the wrong time. System failure can be something as simple as a file getting accidentally deleted, or a more complex example can be a hard drive failure on a computer workstation or server. Natural disasters like a flood, tornado, hurricane, or lightning are other very common situations that result in problems for businesses that are not prepared.
Should data backups be local or on the cloud? For most small to mid-size businesses, the best answer is both. Local and cloud backups have unique and equally important uses, depending on the type of disaster that has affected the data, computers, or business servers. If a business only has local backup services and a natural disaster destroys everything on location, all the company data could likely be gone forever. Using cloud backup services as a redundancy measure can ensure that the data is never lost in these types of unique scenarios.
Importance and value of data redundancy can often be overlooked and underestimated. Testing recoverability is essential.
In many cases, it is found that cloud backups can often result in the consideration of changing over to cloud services. This is achieved by using virtual machines (VPS) to replace current business operations, software, and data services that typically run on a local environment. A hybrid onsite and cloud backup is often the best solution for companies that need to minimize downtime after a disaster causes a system outage. Other than the typical benefits provided by keeping data on the cloud, using cloud based backup services to run everyday business operations can help to improve efficiency while also helping to reduce the cost of running the day to day business operations.
When trying to find the best cloud backup services, an important factor that should be considered well in advance of any unexpected disaster, is how will the data be recovered and who will help restore the business servers or workstations in the event an unwanted disaster occurs. Downtime can be very costly, thinking ahead with a smart disaster recovery plan will pay off if something happens.
Aside from natural disasters, small businesses are often found to be victims of attacks by hackers, viruses, and malicious software. These types of events can be triggered from something as seemingly harmless as opening up an email or downloading a file in an email, other times a disaster can be the result of an advanced network attack from an off-site location. Backup vs Data Recovery
Preparing for disasters involves more than creating daily file backups; having a solid disaster recovery plan is crucial in a time of need.
Many different companies offer cloud backup solutions online for a low monthly or annual cost, but not all companies provide disaster recovery planning and on-location recovery services to help get things back up and running after a disaster strikes. Having a local technician that is able to assist on-site with the data recovery is often helpful and sometimes necessary to streamline the process. Data recovery related to cloud backup for business can range from individual file restoration to a disk level backup; if a hardware failure is found to be the cause of a disaster, then having a local IT company near can provide a faster more reliable recovery on-site, compared to relying on IT help services from a call center.
Our data backup experts are able to make the process simple, easy, and 100% hands-off for businesses and business owners. The best part about the cloud backup services from INSYTE is the flexibility that we provide when working with other cloud backup services. We can help you find the best type of backup solutions and cloud backups to best fit current needs as well as help to predict future demands.
How does the managed cloud backup for business from INSYTE Consulting Group differ from cloud backup services from other companies? INSYTE offers more than just cloud backup services. For example, we offer the first hour of consultation for free to help you create a solid disaster recovery plan and the installation of the backup services is free. Experts are here to help if you have questions or interested are in learning how to get started with backup services.
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