Your busines data needs to be safely backed up with a reliable, cost effective strategy that ensures the integrity of your data. Effective server recovery can prove absolutely essential for business survival because servers are critical to business operations. Servers are continuously supporting operations by serving files, applications, transaction data and other kinds of support information and tools without which businesses and individuals would find it harder to survive.

By investing in one of the following backup methods :

Tape Drive - DTCS strongly recommend installing a tape drive solution (including a tape drive and Backup Exec software) to cover your data storage. Tape drives are a proven method to ensure that the data your business needs is safely stored in case of emergency. This method of backup has several advantages :

• Commonly used technology for both backup, storage and archive
• Reliable hardware and software
• High read/write speed, sometimes in excess of hard disk speeds
• Easily transported for keeping copies offsite

A common misconception is that tape is slow and low capacity. Tape drive capacity has increased dramatically over the last years and LTO capacity is now large enough to cover most businesses. Compared with DAT72 (older style drives) the figures speak for themselves

Hard Disk Backup - Hard disk backups have become more common due to the lower cost of storage and increased capacity of standard hard drives. This makes it more competitive with tapes as a bulk storage device, but there are disadvantages in using this method.

• The necessity to have several hard disk units on which to write to ensuring a relibale multi stage backup
• Ensuring that the entire hard disk unit is taken off site each night
• Hard disks are easily damaged in transit (compared with tapes)
• The stability period over years is relatively unknown compared with tape media
• If lost or stolen, the data can esaily be read. Consider encryption on the device

Solid state (Flash drives) - If the amount of data you are backing up is small then this may be the solution you need. It is a backup method to cover your data but has disadvantages:

• Low capacity
• Easily damaged or lost/stolen. It would be advisable to encrypt the device to prevent data theft
• Transfer speeds are not as fast as other methods

Offsite or Online storage - The practice of having a backup that is over the internet to a remote location has been steadily growing. Due to the increase in broadband links and the growing bandwidth and data allowances this has become a viable backup method. DTCS are DataBarracks partners and can assist you in this method if needed.

• This will protect against the physical backup media being destroyed. If you have backup tapes and all are left on site during a fire then you have no backup at all!
• Your backed up data is replicated by a third party, protecting it
• Transferring data in any amount over the Internet is drastically slower than local backups.
• Sending large files for backup can take some time
• It depends on the Internet connection for all aspects. If the line is down, your backup is down
• The third party holds the data - this may be an integrity or privacy issue
• More complex to configure, administer and maintain

Contact DTCS on 0845 521 2405 and we will discuss your business and the type of backup that would best protect you. We have backup specialists to cover all aspects and answer any questions you have.