The Importance of Offsite Data Backups

Your data and programs are very important to your business. How would your business run if you lost it all? It is very important to back up all of your data so that if something unfortunate happens to your computer systems, all is not lost. There are a myriad of different ways that you can lose your data ranging from computer failure to robbery to natural disaster. While some of these are preventable, others are unforeseeable.

It is generally good practice to have at least two systems to back up your data -- one off site and one on site. Many business owners today do not understand the importance of offsite backups for their data. They believe that simply backing up data on site is enough, but there are many cases when on site back up puts your business at risk. If your business is robbed, the robbers will not only take your computer, but if they are interested in stealing technology, they will take your back up storage too. If there is a natural disaster such as a tornado or earthquake, your backup data is in just as much risk of being destroyed as your computer.

There are many different ways to back up your data offsite. Here are the two most common ways:

1. You can bring in an external hard drive, backup your computer, and take it to another location. This may seem cost effective at first, but the time and hassle involved make it less appealing. Also, if the location where you store the hard drive is not far from your business, then it may be affected by natural disasters as well.
2. There are many different data warehousing companies. If your business can afford it, this is generally the best option. Most data warehousing facilities are secure; temperature controlled, and has redundant power and electricity. In most of these facilities, your data will be monitored 24/7, and they can automatically backup your data through the internet. Many of these companies also offer colocation hosting which means that if your business gets interrupted due to natural disaster, power outages, or robbery, you can retrieve your information and continue your work uninterrupted.

It is important to research a company before using them for your data backup. Different companies will have different levels of security and different levels of support and monitoring. While there are some inexpensive data backup companies, in many cases you get what you pay for. They may not be as secure or disaster proof as more expensive companies. As with every aspect of budgeting for your business, you need to weigh the cost of the product with the quality.