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What is Continuous Cloud Backup and What are its Many Advantages – Part I

November 3, 2016 Callum Huddlestone

As any user of cloud backup knows, one of the biggest advantages to backing up in the cloud is the fact that backups can be automatically scheduled, making for one less task that has to be monitored by a company’s IT department, while also avoiding any chance for human error to get in the way of the scheduled backup process. However, recent advances in cloud backup technology have brought about yet another level of consistent, dependable data backup practises, continuous cloud backup.

What is Continuous Cloud Backup?

With continuous cloud backup (also known as continuous data protection or real-time backup), your small to medium-sized or enterprise business can enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that anytime certain files are modified in any way that this change in information will be automatically sent off to the cloud backup provider’s servers, offering you true continuous protection from data loss. Indeed, even the tiniest change in a file will be instantly copied to the cloud backup servers at the time that the user makes it, and, through the use of a process called “file versioning”, previous versions of files will be available for retrieval from the cloud backup cache, even if these versions no longer exist on the company’s system! Critical to this process is the automatic generation of a time stamp to go along with each new version of a file that is being automatically saved, rendering the finding of the correct previous version of a file easily and quickly achieved.

Continues Backups and Bandwidth

Interestingly enough, despite the fact that the word “continuous” makes it sound as if continuous backup is indeed “more backing up” than scheduled backups, continuous backups actually take up much less bandwidth and system resources, with only the parts of files that have been changed being backed up, and not the whole file. These changes are often quite small, sometimes only amounting to a few bytes of data, so system resources are thus preserved at both ends. For this reason, continuous data protection is the ideal backup solution for any company that finds it difficult to find consistent times when their networks are dormant enough to perform all their backups at once, without detracting from system performance. In the same way, companies that are generating large quantities of highly important data 24 x 7 also benefit greatly from this cutting edge data protection technology.

In Part II, we will further discuss the many advantages of continuous cloud backups.

Transisioning Legacy Systems to the Cloud

October 17, 2016 Callum Huddlestone

Transitioning legacy systems to the cloud and creating integrated backup scenarios has become simple. Backup Technology Limited (BTL) Cloud Backup and Recovery, powered by Asigra Software, offers a fast alternative, and highly reliable replacement for legacy tape based, remote site backup and recovery system.

BTL’s agentless software with built-in superior security and WAN optimisation protocols realises every data administrator’s dream. Agentless software reduces administrative costs; offers pay-as-you-go scalability; minimises business risks focusing on Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs), and ensures a reliable local and off-site, cloud backup.

BTL supports a wide range of operating systems and databases, such as Windows, UNIX, Netware, Linux, and Oracle. Users acquiring a one-time license have the freedom to backup application specific files from Exchange Servers, Oracle databases, Groupwise or SQL Servers.

Experts

BTL is staffed with experts and professionals, who have many years of experience in backup and recovery industry. The experts deal with all the issues surrounding backup and recovery, including de-duplication, compression, differential or incremental backups, and RPO and RTO.

Seeding

Seeding the initial backup from legacy systems is a long and complicated process. To make the seeding process faster, BTL offers disk drive shipping to the customer or if preferred, seeding can be initiated using the Internet. BTL engineers work with the data owner to ensure that their initial seed process is completed successfully; the data is backed up into the vault with minimal issues. Going forward, future backups are incremental.

Data Centre and Security

All customer data is stored in state of art data centres, with UPS systems, redundant storage networks, and fire suppression systems. BTL’s latest technology sends alerts when any unauthorized person attempts to access the data centre. As an additional layer of security, data is encrypted during flight and rest. Further, data transmission is disk-to-disk, and it is never archived to tape in order to avoid the risk of any data recovery failures or degradation.

Technical Support

Technical personnel are available 24x7x365. BTL’s support team can be contacted via phone for emergency support during holidays and off-office hours. BTL promises to deliver support services as per the pre-defined SLA.

Cost

BTL calculates storage costs based on compressed file sizes, but not on the amount of raw data. Compression can reduce file size by more than 50%, giving you a huge advantage, especially if you have large volumes of data. In addition, BTL offers further discounts for volume and multi-year commitments.

BTL’s cloud backup software is user-friendly, and can be set up easily. To learn more about BTL, please visit www.backup-technology.com

Mitigating Security Risks in the Cloud

July 1, 2016 Kris Price

Many understand the importance of data and agree that data should be protected in an efficient manner. Companies are also realising that moving essential services to the cloud — from CRM to voice to communications — has many advantages. In order to develop an efficient data protection, storage and transfer protocol, most rely on the cloud. The Cloud based models are more flexible, efficient, scalable, and integrated. These have great potential to save money. On the other hand, careless, unplanned migration to the cloud could bring its own issues and risks, and therefore, a careful well thought after plan is needed before migrating to the cloud.

Data breaches have become a daily global occurrence these days. Leading organisations, associations and groups are facing security threats on a daily basis. So, how do you minimise the chances of data loss or breach?

The cloud enables the users to store data in multiple locations for easy access and restore in case of a disaster. It is very important to have all your security related questions answered from the vendor you are planning to use. Here are some tips for users who want to reduce the risks while moving to the cloud.

Get Answers to your Security Questions:

Get connected with the online representatives and ask the basic security questions. It would be better if you discuss the concerned security matters with the experts and find out if they align with yours. In most cases, the clients ask following questions:

What type of data protection strategies does your company use to avoid data loss?

Is customer support available for 24/7?
What are the modern techniques (feature sets) being used to protect my data?
Any data breach at your company? If so, tell me how you handled it?
Do you have a security checklist template that we can check?

Partnering with a cloud based service provider has added benefits, as the provider has its own experts in house that can monitor up-time, implement security measures, monitor services around the clock, and implement necessary protocols to protect and backup the data.

Always check the proper security facilities and features. This can be done by checking the history of a cloud service provider (for instance, by talking to present and former clients, reading reviews online).

Consider the following four factors to evaluate cloud service providers:

Secure facility for storage: The cloud service provider should provide details about the security of their storage facilities. While digital security is important, security of the actual physical premises and the employees who work there are also very critical.

Preventive activities: As hackers are becoming creative to be successful in breaches to access data, service providers must have security protocols in place to stop potential risks before they actually happen. The cloud service providers should satisfy the client, for instance, by showing that they encrypt the data during its flight and at rest; monitor any risks 24/7; and inform the clients when security is a concern.

Privacy of data: Data stored in the digital data centres should be treated with high degree of security, as they are important for the users. It is required to check how a service provider maintains the privacy of data. All types of materials such as files, folders, video conferencing data, and call recording data should remain safe and secure, with encryption technologies.

Data loss protection:In case of a sudden data loss, the service provider should have an efficient data recovery system to quickly restore the data. Alert systems help in achieving an efficient data recovery.

The Importance of Support Levels in Partnership

November 30, 2015 Callum Huddlestone

Lack of support in any project can easily result in failure even with simplest project or activity. It is important for you to know that sending or moving your mission-critical data to a third party service provider online is never an easy attempt. Doing such thing without employing proper support can lead to very serious issues that can cripple the entire activity and/or the organisation.

Therefore, you need to examine your service provider, whose mission is to bring to the table a particular skill set to your organisation. More so, exploring the skill sets of the service provider should provide you with the freedom you need to develop the particular talent you have. If your service provider can say that they can bring talents to complement your business, then you are in good hands. Otherwise, it is time for you to search for the partner that will provide you with the freedom you need.

Cloud based services can abstract software and software infrastructure maintenance from your company at the same time optimising on the current hardware you already have. The service provider should be responsible for upgrading hardware and software, without any kind of downtime. Also, there should be availability of data system for your enterprise at all times. The data should be considerably scalable as well as activity that involve trouble shooting at the service provider’s end should flawlessly transfer you to the “hot site” or even to the “disaster recovery site” so as to provide your business with enough convenience option. Disaster recovery procedures must also be an integral part of the offerings. Data mirroring features should be automatic. Compliance to legal mandates must be incorporated into the backup process and archiving.

On a daily operation, there must be support services available for you to carry on your activities; and you should be allowed to refer or contact your technical support team members, assigned by your service provider, for any kind of problems. Customers that are using their services should be sure that they can get not less than 99.99% uptime. Ideally, 24/7 help desk should be provided by the service provider in order to make it easy for customers to get the help they need for their service. That can also make the customers to be sure of getting response from the service provider within 24 or at most 48 hours.

Another thing expected of the service provider is to regularly monitor the health of all customer accounts. If any suspicious activity is detected in the account, such activities must be logged in to the system and reported. In order to automatically trigger off warnings when there is any form of spur-of-the-moment activities, the software alerts must be configured right.

The cloud based support services must help to improve your return on investment (ROI). It must give evidence about the data storage model being marketed by your service provider to assist you in your exclusive business prospect.

Backup Technology is proud to be a 3D Hybrid partner of Asigra, which gives us the best support to reach our business goals.

Technical Support Levels for Small, Medium, and Enterprise Businesses

November 10, 2015 Callum Huddlestone

Companies signing up for cloud backup and data storage services are not just looking for backup solutions. They want more than that; they want a partner that can give them support at all times. Companies anticipate to get support from the subject experts to keep their valuable information safe. They expect the experts to know how to backup data, what is important for their company, where to keep the data, and when to make backups. These companies prefer to reduce the number of technical workers in their offices, and instead rely on the technical skills of the service providers to solve any software issues and backup problems. Problems can occur at any time, therefore, such enterprises need round the clock support. Technical 24 x 7 support is what they expect from service providers.

Then, the question arises whether cloud backup firms can provide 24 x 7 technical support or not? Understandably, service providers cannot give Yes or No answer to this question. However, they have various types of services, including: Web-based Support, which is given by all service providers. This service includes FAQs or Frequently Asked Questions and their relevant answers. In addition, all service providers offer Contact Form to write your queries and get answers from the support team within a day or two. Forms are delivered to a given email address of technical staff and customers need to wait for their turn to receive answers.

A small number of service providers have established their Discussion Forum for clients. Common issues are discussed here by users and support team takes relevant actions to solve their issues. Though such forums can be used any time, users cannot expect to get an immediate response from staff.

Many online backup service providers use software to send Alerts when recovery or backup process stops working. In case of data breaches or access of Unauthorised User to get sensitive information, automated alerts are generated to inform the service provider or the administrator or both. Software is programmed to give response whenever there is a threat to customer information. Such type of software informs service providers when clients cannot solve out issues or unable to show reaction against security alert. To overcome such situations, service providers generate periodic alerts or call the client directly with a request to solve the issue and provide proper guidance.

There are some sophisticated backup services that provide additional support services at a reasonable rate. Clients are given favour to keep in touch with technical staff through phone calls to get solution of hardware or software issues 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. On the other hand, onsite assistance is given at premium basis, where by a technical support staff may be stationed at the clients’ location all day through out the term of the contract to solve out issues as they arise.

Customers need to decide what kind of technical support level they need to sign up for while they are evaluating a potential solution. Before signing up with an online backup and recovery service, companies should check the nature of the services offered and their own requirements. It is required to go through Service Level Agreements (SLAs) in detail.

When customers have understood the different service levels available, they can select the right service provider. Backup Technology provides 24 x 7 technical support and built-in automated alert system, which notifies concerned parties in case of failed backups or recoveries.