Tag Archives: Online Backup

What is Your Backup and Recovery ROI?

March 9, 2015 Stewart Parkin

The bottom line is profit. No organisation can afford to have a backup and recovery system that consumes more resources than it can afford. So, calculating the Return on Investment (ROI) on backup and recovery is a business imperative. But, how does one calculate the ROI? Here is a glimpse into factors that go into the calculation of the ROI on digital assets.

Start with the available data management technologies. Remember, the cost of re-engineering using similar new or existing technologies will be enormous when compared with the cost of using the newer technologies that are available in the market. For instance, the cloud will present a more cost effective method of backup and recovery when compared to offline backup, tape backup, and recovery methods. The difference between what you will invest on offline technologies and online backup and recovery technologies is the first low hanging fruit you can harvest!

Unlike other physical assets, data is an asset that has peculiar characteristics. A data asset must be accessible to your employees anywhere, anytime and on any device to be meaningful. The asset, consequently, tends to get distributed, replicated, duplicated and stored on multiple devices across the enterprise. The vulnerability of the asset increases in proportion to the number of times it is replicated and duplicated. Security systems for protecting this asset acts as a drain on the resources. Consolidation of data into a single data repository that can be centrally protected and universally accessed makes a lot of business sense. Costs can be brought down, while security need not be compromised and access need not be denied. Productivity can be maintained or even enhanced as more and more mobile workforces are given access to the data on the go.

Regulatory compliance is a major consideration in the management of data assets. Distributed data with minimal security results in a number of compliance headaches. Centralised data and data management systems ensures controls, data consistency across the organisation, and facilitates compliance. Risks of non-compliance are significantly reduced and hard dollar costs to the company can be avoided.

Digital assets must be hedged against disaster. Disaster recovery is an expensive proposition. It is often ignored or neglected for this reason. However, disaster recovery is automatic and part of the packaging for cloud offerings. No specialised efforts are required and no separate teams need to be deployed for managing and maintaining disaster recovery protocols (if any) that may be instituted. The actual exercise of replicating information and keeping it highly available for business use is abstracted to the cloud service provider. All this reduces costs and increases profitability of the digital asset.

Backup Technology release Version 3 of Online Backup for WordPress

July 2, 2013 Sam Richardson

Leeds, UK, and Houston, Texas, USA – 24/6/2013 – Backup Technology Ltd, developers of the free Online Backup plugin for WordPress (OBFW) will shortly be releasing Version 3 of their in-house developed backup tool. The latest version brings with it many new features that further improve what is already regarded as the leading free WordPress backup plugin. To date, the plugin has been downloaded just under 250,000 times.

New in Version 3 of OBFW is the Local Backup function. Development of the plugin is constantly driven by user feedback, and many users requested the ability to backup locally as well as on Backup Technology’s free, secure online storage. Backup Technology has responded with a simple yet effective Local Backup feature to provide automatic local storage where multiple generations can be kept. To stop data from growing too large, users can configure retention settings that will remove old generations as new ones are created. Local Backups can also be run on schedule.

A further improvement to Version 3 is Multisite Compatibility, which enables entire WordPress networks to be protected at Network Admin level. This helps to simplify backups for users who operate many different blogs or websites.

Many of the changes made to the plugin have resulted from user feedback on the WordPress Support Forum. Ritchie Fiddes, COO at Backup Technology welcomes feedback from users; “The feedback that we get is invaluable when improving the features of the OBFW plugin. We are delighted that 250,000 people have downloaded and are using the plugin, and we anticipate that the new features will enable many more users to benefit from our completely free service.”

Backup Technology are very proud of their Online Backup plugin as it provides users with a reliable and simple to use product that is comprehensive yet free of charge. The long list of capabilities was something highlighted by ComputerWorld.com in their top 10 shortlist of the best backup plugins for WordPress, in which the plugin was described as “outstanding” with “nearly everything you need for full-blown, time saving, disaster-recovery WordPress backup”.

This praise from a well-known internet magazine such as ComputerWorld.com, came after the Online Backup plugin had passed the milestone of 100,000 downloads in September 2012.

There are still plans for further development of the plugin, with the main aim being automated restores, to enable simpler recovery of data. Backup Technology will also continue to strive to improve the efficiency of the plugin.

Download the plugin and protect your blog and website now at:

http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/wponlinebackup/

Holistic Approach to Cloud Backups

May 29, 2013

Guest post by Mamush Heayie

The backup and storage landscape has changed. Network traffic patterns have been transformed. There are no predictable, point-to-point transaction activities any more. Transactions are bandwidth intense, many-to-many and demanding. Databases must be available 24 x 7 x 365, and servers cannot shut down their services day or night. Data formats have also changed. There are new data types�video files, audio files, unstructured data files and big data�that must be backed-up, stored securely, replicated, delivered or archived. There is a proliferation of server applications and user applications. Organizations striving to stabilize their networks and backup processes must remain conscious of this changing computing environment. However, they need not over provision their network infrastructure or discard existing infrastructure in favor of standardized equipment. They can turn to Cloud backup services and abstract their concerns around network traffic to their backup service vendor.

Cloud backup services take a holistic approach to network and IT services management. They promise to deliver a reliable, secure and cost efficient network / business experience to their customers over the Internet and work towards delivering on their promise in multiple ways. Data center consolidation, disaster recovery and business continuity receive focus.

Organization defined Recovery Time Objectives (RTO) and Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) are metrics that are considered significant. Data is backed up to local servers, local appliances, local drives, primary servers, remote servers, mirror servers, replication servers, etc. redundantly from a single unified administrative interface. The multiplicity of backups is orchestrated to ensure high availability of information to the enterprise. Plug-ins built into the Cloud backup software is application-aware and light weight to ease the management of multi-platform, multi-operating system based servers and their backup. Virtualization techniques are used to help reduce the number of servers that need to be managed. Administration systems are centralized to simplify the management of IT assets.

Layered security is enforced with �difficult to break� Cryptographic algorithms that may be third party tested and certified. The encryption key is most often user defined and user-managed to provide an additional layer of security. The data at rest remains encrypted for preventing hijack of mission-critical enterprise information. Access to information can be restricted by administrators from the central user management interface and only users with assigned rights and permissions can gain access to enterprise information. Authorized users can recover data from anywhere, anytime to any kind of hardware (Bare metal recovery).

About the Author:�Mamush Heayie is Managing Editor at�www.BackupReview.info�� a leading informational website for the Cloud backup and data storage industry.

Does Your Cloud Backup Provider have a Replication System in Place?

May 17, 2013

Backing up your data to the cloud is becoming a more popular option that is being explored and undertaken by the majority of businesses. Therefore, the data backup market has become more competitive with hundreds of companies all offering a backup service that will get your data offsite. Due to the competitiveness of the market, companies have cut corners with the aim to reduce their costs and therefor offer the end customers a lower price. A couple of examples of this is storing data on cheap hardware and re-branding home user backup solutions into a business solution. One of the most overlooked aspects of a solution is whether a replication system is in place.

When someone is looking for a cloud backup provider to back up their data, the primary objective is to find a solution that will work and is within their budget. In most cases, little or no consideration is taken for whether the offered solution has a replica system in place.

Having a replica system in place offers both the service provider and customer several advantages and peace of mind that if anything did happen to the primary system, a switch can be made to the replica system and therefore allowing backups and restores to run as if nothing had happened.

If a service provider is utilising cheap hardware to store the data on, the likelihood of them suffering from hardware failure is drastically increased. In this event and with no replica system in place, you are left with a data backup solution that cannot connect to a system and therefore backups and restores cannot run. You are then reliant on the service provider replacing the hardware as quickly as possible. This could take days or even weeks and therefore leaving you highly exposed to potential data loss which could have an unprecedented impact on the running of your company.

There are also other scenarios that could result in the primary system becoming unavailable. Such scenarios could include the hardware vendor releasing a firmware update that�isn’t�stable or workmen cutting through power or�fibre�lines. There could also be some sort of disaster experienced where the primary system is located, affecting the telecommunication infrastructure in the entire area.

If you are currently utilising a cloud backup solution in which a replica system isn’t in place, it is worthwhile checking to see what contingency plans that the service provider has in place if anything was to happen to the primary system in which your data is kept on. There are a number of scenarios that can take the primary system offline and therefore meaning that you cannot backup you data and run restores.

In order to ensure that downtime of a system is kept to a minimum, making sure that your backup provider has a replica system in a geographical separate location is vital. By having this in place, the likelihood of you being able to run backups and restore data with very little disruption is drastically increased. If they do not have a replica system, you are putting all your eggs in one basket where one event or problem can take your entire backup system down and leave you unable to backup and restore your data for an extended period of time.

Do you�know�if your backup provider has a replication system in place? Do you consider this as an important aspect of a cloud backup solution?

Shopping for Cloud Backup Services

March 26, 2013

Guest post by Mamush Heayie

Making the Cloud backup decision is the easy first part of a long drawn out process. The difficult parts follow. What kind of Cloud backup should be selected for the organization? What kind of features does one look for? How does one make sure that the support promised by the Cloud backup vendor will be delivered? These are a few of many questions that must be asked and answered before one can properly set out to shop for Cloud backup! Add to this the problems one will face while communicating their needs and buying the right service. Often, the customer and the vendor take things for granted; and this could result in huge communication gaps that cannot be bridged later.

Shopping for the right Cloud backup service is not easy. The shopping process should not be rushed; rather, it must be deliberate, with lots of due diligence. The Cloud industry is still being shaped, and developed. Some features have matured and some are still being worked on. �Standards� are emerging, but emerging slowly. As a result, similar services being offered by different cloud backup vendors are really very dissimilar. This can be very confusing at times.� The process of making the right choice can get very complicated.

So how do you pick the right Cloud backup service provider? One way is to contact a few people from the Cloud backup industry and ask for their opinions. This could be done by first short-listing your final three service providers.

Furthermore, data switching between one Cloud service provider and another is a need that is just being addressed. Control of data privacy, compliance with the extant laws, correction and deletion of data and potential for security breaches are some of the areas of concern to the Cloud backup shopper.

Established Cloud backup service providers have displayed a surprising resilience and maturity in almost all the areas of concern. They seem to have thought through end-user problems and come up with solutions that have stood the test of time. They have standardized offerings and service level agreements (SLAs) that are executed and implemented with dedication and understanding. They shape their software and their deployment policies keeping in view the customers and their preferences. They assume leadership and ensure that their channel partners deliver quality service at minimum cost. They keep their fingers on the pulse of the market and work with their partners to bring to the table state of the art Cloud backup and recovery solutions.

Cloud backup and recovery solution shoppers would do well to thoroughly research the service providers they shortlist and do a multi-dimensional evaluation of their capabilities. They should visit discussion forums, review sites, and other social media sites to ensure that the Cloud backup service provider they have shortlisted has the right reputation among the customers and the users.

The right selection of a Cloud backup service from the start will have a positive impact on the organization.

About the Author:�Mamush Heayie is Managing Editor at�www.BackupReview.info�� a leading informational website for the cloud backup and data storage industry.

Online Backup: Does your Chosen Provider Offer the Support you need?

November 26, 2012

As the online backup market has significantly grown in the last decade, it has become more saturated and competitive with a host of different providers all claiming that their solution is the one for you. Due to the range and variety of solutions that are currently available, a key factor to be considered when making your decision about which solution to utilise is the level and quality of support that will be available.

Due to the sheer range of data backup solutions that are currently available in the market, from solutions aimed at the home user market to those targeting large businesses and enterprises, it is more than likely that you will require some sort of support within the year.

The support that is offered by different backup providers varies massively from those who offer a fully managed service with telephone and email support available 24/7 to those who simply offer the software and no proactive support to help resolve any issues. It is therefore vital that before you decide to utilise a backup solution, you know the type and amount of support that you will receive.

Utilising a solution where no proactive support is offered can be very risky. If you are expected to set up and configure the software yourself, it may result in backups failing and you remain none the wiser until you need to restore a file or folder. In many instances, by the time you realises that everything isn�t working as you need it to be, it is too late as the data isn�t available for restore.

The next step up from this is providers who only offer support via email and promise to respond within a time period. This can be very frustrating as you can be sat around waiting all day for a response to your problem or even receive a response the following day to only be asked more questions regarding your issue. Support via email only can be very slow and it can take days in order to come to a resolution. In the event of an emergency, this can be very frustrating and can significantly affect the running of your business.

There are also providers who offer both telephone and email support. This can be very advantageous, especially in the event of a disaster as immediate support and reassurance is available. The reassurance of knowing that if you have any questions, queries or problems, they can be quickly answered and solved within a short period of time which can go a long way in reducing the amount of disruption experienced in the event of a disaster.

If you are looking for a new data backup solution and feel that you will need a high level of support, some key questions to ask the provider is the type of support that would be available. Another key question to consider asking is the length of time that the provider has been using the product and their overall knowledge of it. If they have been proactively using one product for a number of years, a good knowledge base of the software should have been established. Therefore a resolution for any problems should be offered much more quickly if the problem has been dealt with in the past.

It is very important to understand what the provider is offering support wise and that you are comfortable with the level of support that you will receive whilst utilising their backup solution.