Data Backup Support

Data backup support is needed in every business. Whether you are running a small or large business, you should always keep a data backup. Well, this refers to the process of backing up your data by making additional copies that are used to restore the original data in case of its loss.

There are two main purposes for taking a backup:

1) To restore your data in case you face any disaster like system crash and many more.

2) To restore files that was deleted accidentally.

There are several firms that might help including online computer support. Online support for data is a safe and secure solution to keep your data safe.

Online backup support works in an interesting manner. The service provider gives you a software package that has to be installed on the computer that you want to be backed up. This busy software allows you to select various files that you want to be backed up. After you have selected files, this software compresses the data and transfers it to secure and safe location through the Internet.

A backup support should be fire-proof and should have undestroyable safes so that organizations can completely reply on them. If you have all your data stored on one place then it won't work as if that drive is affected by a disaster. So, it is recommended that you must keep your backup files on a different hard drive so that if one hard drive fails, you an retrieve data from the other one. If you want to secure your business data then you must store copies of your backups off-site.

The computer uses to assist two or more disks on your computer to boost performance and storage of data. When a hard drive is split into two or more sections, it allows it to use different disks for different tasks. For example, when you have two drives, there is a possibility of most of your data stored on one drive, on the other hand the operating system, Vista, XP etc. will be installed on the other. This scenario makes recovery much easier. Even if you have just one drive all is not lost.

The main feature of the backup support is that you can access your data from anywhere in the world. Moreover, it gives you the freedom to choose any file that you want to save. There is no need to save any junk data.

Online data back support has several features:

1. Since all your important data is stored on a remote hard drives, there is no chance of any loss or theft.

2. While traveling to remote locations you can access your data from anywhere.

3. It is a time saving process because everything is automatic.

4. It is a hassle free process.

5. It makes your work easier.

Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3607630

What Online Backup Services Vendors Must Have

Having an offsite data backup plan is a necessity to support your business continuity and disaster recovery needs. To support these objectives, you may also have ascertained that using an online backup services provider to be viable but find it a challenge to identify suitable vendors.

If so, here's a two-stage methodology that can make life easier for you:

- Stage 1: We will use an initial set of criteria is used to identify a short list of candidates that are able to provide a minimum standard of service for immediate and longer term.

- Stage 2: We will determine your provider of choice by assessing the short-listed candidates against a final set of criteria.

Today, we will discuss the details of Stage 1 and outline key requirements that must be fulfilled by all short listed candidates.

I. Established operations

In the past, many impressive start-ups have gone bust. Based on experience, vendors who have been in business for 5 years or more are more likely to be able to support in the long haul.

II. Large customer base comprising of business clients

A sizeable business clientele usually co-relate with the vendor's proven ability to provide a satisfactory level of service for business requirements that are usually more stringent by nature.

III. Premise that is secured

As a rule of thumb, consider candidates who use world class data centres for their operations. This is because data centres often have good physical security equipment and measures to prevent unauthorised access. Data centres also have built-in protective measures against natural disasters that include earthquake and fire.

IV. Scalable offerings

Data storage requirements will increase along with the growth of your business. While your immediate need is the priority, the short-listed vendors must have expandable data backup plan offerings to accommodate additional storage when the need arises.

V. Affordable plans

Vendors who offer "too good to be true" free storage for life are hard pressed to survive in the long run and therefore should be excluded from the short list. Instead, identify candidates who can provide the required service at prices that are affordable, based on a budgeted price range.

By evaluating using the five criteria above, you will have a short list of candidates that can offer the minimum level of online backup services to support your offsite data backup plan objectives.

Source: EzineArticles

Spare Backup Begins Hardware Upgrade

The upgrade of our storage capabilities to a scalable platform capable of supporting millions of users is a significant step forward for Spare Backup as we begin numerous product launches with our distribution partners, particularly in the mobile space, said Tim Page, Vice President of Application Development of Spare Backup. "The ability to seamlessly scale our storage capabilities as usage increases will enable us to rapidly build Spare Backup's subscriber base while providing 24/7 availability of our cloud based services. With this storage solution, we are confident in our ability to rapidly grow with our partners and insure their valuable customer data and devices are safe, secure and easily restored."

Management anticipates the new storage platform will be operational in the next 30 days with full deployment taking place by the end of 2011. Upon completion all user backup data will be stored on state of the art NetAPP SAN storage. User account information and transactional information will be stored in a secure SQL-Server redundant distributed database utilizing special high-speed RAID drives. In addition, Spare Backup's IIS web servers each can support thousands of simultaneous users. Combining this with Spare's new scalable Virtual Machine array allows the system to be used by millions of users.

Commenting on the new storage platform, Cery Perle, CEO of Spare Backup stated, "As our distribution pipeline fills, it was imperative that we also make the appropriate capital investments into our backend, to enable us to keep up with demand in a seamless and cost efficient way. The new hardware coupled with our new uniquely designed backend, will now meet our objective to support millions of users throughout our system across all devices and operating systems for years to come. This architecture can also be replicated in additional datacenters affording us the opportunity to license software to future partners who have expressed the desire to have proprietary control of customer data."

About Spare Backup, Inc.

Spare Backup, Inc. is a leading provider of data backup and security software for smartphones, tablets and PCs. Spare Backup's software enables consumers and small to medium sized businesses to easily protect valuable computer and mobile data quickly, automatically and cost-effectively. Spare Backup software intelligently selects, secures and stores personal and business content on a continuous basis or according to the schedule of the user's choice. It also allows for the integration of that content across various devices and provides enhanced security features to protect valuable data on any lost or stolen devices. Spare Backup software is the first totally automated cloud-based backup service that is distributed on a stand-alone or private label basis through major retail and warrantee service partners in North America and Europe.

Safe Harbor Statement

The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a safe harbor for forward-looking information made on the company's behalf. All statements, other than statements of historical facts, which address the company's expectations of sources of capital or which express the company's expectation for the future with respect to financial performance or operating strategies can be identified as forward-looking statements. Such statements made by the company are based on knowledge of the environment in which it operates, but because of the possibility of unknown factors, as well as other factors beyond the control of the company, actual results may differ materially from the expectations expressed in the forward-looking statement. An investment in our common stock involves a significant degree of risk. You should not invest in our common stock unless you can afford to lose your entire investment. You should consider carefully all risk factors and other information in our annual report and quarterly filings before deciding to invest in our common stock. If any of the following risks and uncertainties develops into actual events, our business, financial condition or results of operations could be materially adversely affected and you could lose your entire investment in our company.

Forward Looking Statements:

This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including statements regarding the outlook of the Company's business and results of operations. By nature, these risks and uncertainties could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated. Generally speaking, any statements using terms such as "will," "expect," "anticipate," or "may," or which otherwise predict or address future results or events, are likely to contain forward-looking statements. It is important to note that actual results may differ materially from what is indicated in any forward-looking statement. Readers should consider any forward-looking statements in light of factors that could cause actual results to vary. These factors are described in Spare Backups filings with the SEC, and readers should refer to those filings, including Risk Factors described in those filings, in connection with any forward-looking statements. The Company disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

How to Backup & Restore Outlook Data

If you utilize Microsoft Outlook on a daily basis it is always a good idea to backup your data. With a good backup system in place, in the event of a computer disaster you can always have your data to restore back into Microsoft Outlook. Backing up your outlook information is a simple process, as all of the data you could want to back up is stored in one file, the outlook PST file. The Personal Storage Table (PST) file is available on your hard drive and can be accessed from within Outlook.

Instructions

Backing your outlook data

1. Insert a USB Memory drive into the computer.

2. Open Microsoft Outlook.

3. Click "File" come down and click "Import and Export." This opens the "Import and Export Wizard."

4. Click "Export to a file," and then click "Next."

5. Click "Personal Folder File (.PST)," and then click "Next."

6. Click "Personal Folder," and then click "Next." Look in the "Save exported file as" box you will notice your PST file path and a backup.pst file that is already created for you.

7. Click browse and save this file into your USB Memory drive and click "Finish." This completes the backup of your Outlook Data.

Restore your Outlook data

1. Insert a USB Memory drive into the computer.

2. Open Microsoft Outlook.

3. Click "File" come down and click "Import and Export." This opens the "Import and Export Wizard."

4. Click on "Import from another program or file," and then click "Next."

5. Click on "Personal Folder File (.PST)," and then click "Next."

6. Click "Browse" to access the backup.pst file from your USB memory drive, select your options, and hit "Next."

7. Select the folders you want to import from the "Select the folder to import from" box and click "Finish." Your Outlook Data should now be restored.


Source : eHow

Choos your Best Online Backup Provider

For many people, finding an online backup support they can rely on is an important issue. This is because this backup support will serve as the lifeblood for their data. Without this backup, they won't be able to recover their files in case of a major hard drive crash which may require reformatting. As a result, this backup support will be the help that a computer user needs in order to get his files together again.

As such, finding an online backup support that can be trusted is really important. So much so that it has already become a pressing challenge in today's time. With so many different online backup services, finding the right one has indeed become a huge issue. There are even some who don't know how to choose which one is the best. But because their friends recommend it to them, they decide to use them too. Little do they know, there are so many other options that may do better good to them.

So when it comes to choosing which online backup support is the best one, the answer really depends on how much support an individual needs. Regardless of this though, there are some common questions that need to be asked in order to find out if the program is the right one.

* Data Transfer Rate- Look for an online backup support that offers a high speed internet connection so that large amounts of data can easily be backed up.

* Provision of Data Encryption and 256-bit SSL connection- Most of the online backup service providers now are already offering 256-bit SSL connections. However, there are some instances where these secure connections are only optional. In doing so, they require a fee to be paid. Before signing up, it is best to research how much security is given to the account.

* Security of Data In Times of Disaster- It is better to look for an online backup support provider that has a number of redundant data websites so that once their data center encounters an issue, they can secure the files of the account holders. Unfortunately, there are some that do not have this. These providers often store account holder's data in just one data center/site.

* Policy on Data Retention- To get the best protection of an individual's files, it is best to go with backup support providers that have a fee. But in cases when the account holder is unable to pay the month's bill, what will happen? Will they automatically delete the data of the account holder? Or do they have a retention period of 30 or 60 days?

* Recovering Data- In times of an emergency, how fast can the account holder recover his data? Since it is called a backup support, account holders need to retrieve their files in as little time as possible. This is why they have chosen to store their files with the backup support in the first place.

Source: EzineArticles

Definition of Online Storage

Online data storage websites offer a place to keep documents, pictures and other information via a server connected to the Internet, giving people a convenient solution for computer backups, file sharing and data accessibility without the hassle of external drives. Online storage sites are available in free and paid versions, depending on the size of space desired and features.


1. Where Are the Data Stored?
Once your data are uploaded, it gets stored on a server owned by the online storage service. Sometimes these servers are stored at the same location as the company's office, or they can be located in a different city or state. It doesn't matter where the server is stored; as long as it is in a secure location and connected to the Internet, you can retrieve your information through the company's secure website connection.

2. Reasons to Use Online Storage
There are many reasons to use an online data storage site, from keeping a backup of your information offsite in case of fire, theft or natural disaster, to needing the ability to access your work files during travel and not wanting to pack an extra drive for storage. Some people use online storage to share files with friends, family or co-workers, an especially attractive option if you have large files such as family photos.

3. How Much Space Can You Have?
Depending on the company, the options for online storage are nearly endless. Choices range from 1 gigabyte up to 1,000 gigabytes, known as a terabyte. Some plans can include unlimited storage, allowing businesses or individuals all the space they need.

4. How Much Does It Cost?
Many online storage sites offer free accounts. These accounts usually have limited features and a small amount of space, such as 5 gigabytes and less. For more storage, a monthly fee is required. Security, the ability to automate backups, file-sharing privileges and customer support are important things to consider when purchasing online storage.

5. Is It Secure?
Security is often in the eye--or hands--of the beholder. While an online storage site can offer encryption, password protection and physical server security, none of that will matter if the customer shares usernames and passwords with several people. If a high level of security is important, ask the vendor about separate authentication for file sharing, and never access your online storage on an unencrypted public Internet network.

Source : Ehow

5 Best Online Backup Services for Small Businesses

You've heard it thousands of times -- backup your data. A good data backup strategy is to have two copies of your data – one local (it resides in your office or place of business) and one offsite (you pay an online data company to store it remotely on their secure servers).

Here are five of the best online data backup services for small businesses. They range from simple and inexpensive to more expensive with all the belts and suspenders you could ever want.
What Constitutes 'Best?'

All online backup services are not created equally when it comes to data security. The strongest security is "zero knowledge" strong encryption. This means that your data are encrypted using a unique encryption key that only you possess, and nobody can access your account without this key.

If you lose your encryption key then you are locked out of your backups, and all the vendor can do is open a new account for you. This might sound a little scary, but giving your vendor access to your data requires a level of trust that may not be warranted and also leaves it open to government searches.

Don't count on backup services to make heroic stands for your rights, because they won't. What's the best way to protect your unique encryption key? Write it down and lock it in a safe place. I don't know what keeps the persistent myth alive that writing down passwords is bad, because it is bad advice.

Some nice features to look for are cross-platform client software, support for multiple filesystem types, and sharing and file sync across multiple devices and users. Most backup services use deduplication to reduce the size of your backups; that is, they copy identical files only once. Another trick for reducing backup size is recording only the changes to that file rather than making multiple complete copies.

Backups should be automatic, and restoring data should be easy. Reliability, of course, is a must, because nobody should pay for unreliability. We already get that for free in everyday life.

Many services offer 2GB - 5GB accounts for free. You'll find personal, family and business plans with different features and pricing. You can ignore the labels -- if a personal or family plan meets your small business needs then use it.
Memopal

Memopal is based in Italy and supports customers in Europe, the USA and Asia -- in 15 languages. It supports more platforms than most online backup services: Mac OS X, Linux, Windows, Android, iPhone, Blackberry, a Web interface, and a Web-based, mobile-friendly interface.

Licensing is simple with Memopal Personal: a single license covers as many computers as you like, up to your total storage limit. An annual fee of €48.00, which is about $68 USD, buys 200GB of storage.

Memopal Business costs more and comes with a license that permits commercial use, central account administration, scheduled backups and support. If you buy 300GB or more you get a free external backup drive for a fast initial backup. Business licensing is a little more complex, so use the company's online calculator to quickly figure out pricing.

Memopal guarantees your confidentiality, and the anonymity of the data stored on its servers, though it does not implement true zero knowledge encryption. If you lose your login you can request a reset and get back into your account.
SpiderOak

SpiderOak is the online backup service with the funny name. SpiderOak gets my 1 recommendation for SMBs with fairly simple needs. You get good, reliable, secure online backups, and real zero-knowledge protection.

Every account gets a unique encryption key that encrypts customer data for the entire end-to-end process -- uploading, storage, and downloading -- and nobody can access your data without this key. If you lose it, you lose access to your account, and Spideroak cannot restore it or create a new one.

Source : smallbusinesscomputing