The Problem with Cheap Online Backup

The Problem with Cheap Online Backup

Author: Steven Rodin
Date Created: Oct 15, 2008 - 7:56:49 AM

The Problem with Cheap Online Backup

How to pick the right backup solution

According to a recent survey, there are currently over 4500 companies on the market that offer or resell online backup solutions. And to make matters worse, each of these companies offer different pricing schemes.

Some charge per computer, others per gig, others per restoration, and some even offer unlimited storage space for a fixed price. With all these different options and price points, how do you know which one is right for you?

If all you care about is getting your data offsite for the lowest price, you can get a 100GB web hosting account for less than $10 per month. This is perfect for individuals on tight budgets with very small amounts of non-critical data.

But what happens in case of emergency? How fast/easily can you get access to your data? When your livelihood is at stake, you can’t afford to cut corners with your business continuity process.

Although there are many different price plans out there, you will generally get what you pay for. The best advice we can give you is to test the recovery capability of your backup application on a regular basis, under different scenarios.

-           Will it keep copies of files you’ve deleted?

-           Will it ask you to wait while they “compile” your backups?

-           Will they cripple down your download speeds if you try to retrieve too much data?

-           Can you get point-in-time-recovery?

-           Can you reach customer support if there’s a problem?

According to Storagepipe Solutions, here are some key features you should look out for when choosing an online backup company.

-           Instant access to critical business files

-           Ability to restore from a previous date in case of a virus

-           Local AND remote backup capability so that you can recover without an internet connection

-           Instant access to your critical business files when you need them

-           Reduce bandwidth usage with “block-level incremental backups” that only upload the portion of the file that has changed since the previous upload

-           Name-brand software and certifications, such as IBM

-           Secure encryption where you’re the only one with the password

-           Ability to manage multiple users and from a centralized console

-           Files should be backed up as soon as you save them, not at the end of the day

Once again, the main purpose of an online backup solution should be business continuity and disaster recovery.   Anyone can get your data offsite, but only a quality provider can get it back to you quickly, securely and consistently in case of an emergency.

Keep this in mind when evaluating your backup solution.

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