Local vs. Online Backup

Our last newsletter looked at the history of backup, from punch cards onward. History continues to be made as DataPreserve Pro offers a full-featured local backup software integrated with online backup and storage.

Until recently, IT professionals needed one application to ensure local copies of backup were running smoothly, and another application for online backup and storage. Managing and coordinating the two systems quickly became a nightmare, particularly when remote offices and branch offices came into play.

Now DataPreserve Pro allows you to set up an integrated local, server-based backup and online 'cloud' backup with one single software interface. Even with multiple clients, networked servers and multiple offices, a single DataPreserve Pro solution can be used to manage backups and protect your data.

There are other solutions that boast of local and online backups. Some, however, can back up only a single local machine, not multiple, networked machines. Help make history yourself by using DataPreserve Pro to protect your customers.

Baseball and Backup

There’s one position in baseball that has a lot in common with online backup – the backup catcher. As Mel Antonen writes in USA TODAY, “Backup catchers deal with little playing time, big expectations.” They are expected to stay out of the way, sit on the bench. Yet they must continually remain prepared to be called into the game.

While pitchers rarely pitch a whole game, catchers typically play the time. That means that backup catchers may play once a week. When they are needed, backup catchers are required to go from passive waiting to active play at a moments' notice. They need a combination of infinite patience and quick, effect response. Further, backup catchers are a primarily defensive position. They are relied upon to keep opposing teams from scoring. Finally, “General managers say a dependable backup isn't easy to find. And deciding what kind of backup a team needs depends on how the roster shakes down.”

So too, online backup is required to restore data infrequently. Day after day other business processes are used and referenced while online backup patiently backs up the daily changes to data and stores them securely offsite. Many of our customers forget that they have online backup until they need it. Then the online backup solution, like the backup catcher, transitions into play. With fan fair or compliant the backup solution restores critical business data back to the user to defend the team from data loss.

Business managers also know that a dependable backup isn’t easy to find. The right solution requires and understanding of the type of data to be protected, the amount of data changed daily, bandwidth and other human and technology factors that require experienced professionals to determine.

The good news is that with DataPreserve business managers have access to experienced professionals through the DataPreserve reseller channel. DataPreserve has been reliably and patiently playing backup for over five years.

Links:
Backup catchers deal with little playing time, big expectations, USA Today

Website Backup? Yeah, it makes sense.

Websites are a critical piece of today’s business – many serve as the equivalent of the yellow page ad, storefront sign and front office receptionist, to say the least. While the actual size of the site in MB is typically small, the value of the data, graphics and layout is huge. Like other electronic data assets of your business, the cost of recreating a lost website far overweigh the very small additional cost of backing up that data. Typical sites may have only one to ten MB of data which cost only pennies a month to backup with DataPreserve Pro.

In addition to regularly scheduled website backups, there are other trigger points for a full website backup. They include whenever there will be major changes to the site, and when you are migrating the site to a different host or server. In either case having a full, current backup will give you peace of mind

How to backup websites
There are several ways to backup your website. Websites are stored on web servers which may be in-house but more likely on a hosted server with a web hosting company. Typically, hosting companies such as Go-Daddy and Network Solutions allow the files associated with a website to be uploaded through FTP access. In this case, the files can be accessed and backed up through the FTP backup feature in DataPreserve Pro. This flash video walks you through the setup.

Other companies may use the popular cPanel website management interface. Within cPanel there is a site backup feature. This feature creates a .zip file that is posted to the web server. From there you can backup the .zip file with DataPreserve Pro. The CPanel feature also backups up SQL databases associated with your website. Go to Tools/Backup as shown below.

Backing up databases
Your site may include a SQL or other database that records customer contacts, various levels of login/passwords, transactions, etc. Be sure this database is included in the backup

Related links
I’ve also added a few related links other ways to backup your website.
How to backup your Go-Daddy Website by Web Hosting Hero

Joomla Tutorial: How to Backup Your Website – YouTube video

How to backup your website in cPanel – Tutorial
Effective Classy Websites

Nothing Static About Backup

There's nothing static about backup. Among the talk of simplified backup, easy backup and set-it-and-forget-it backup, the reality is that our data changes often and in many ways. Even the best automated backup solutions require intelligent oversight to stay on top of the changes.

How does data change?
Sure, data on our computers changes daily with new and changed information added to our data sets: a new proposal, updated data bases, changed graphics or diagrams. Most of these changes are covered by an automated backup that backs up common folders. The concern arises is when other changes happen. Here are a few examples:

Software application updates - Many of our customers rely on industry specific applications such as MISys for manufacturing, DentiMax for dental offices, Amicus for attorneys, etc. Once the backup for these applications is set up, people assume that the data files remain in the same folder and are backed up on schedule. The challenge comes when users install updates to the software. We recently were called to help restore data for a medical office that had installed such an update. The new software changed the location of the data files for that software. The new location was not included in the original backup set. So when the computer crashed and we restored the data, none of the data since the update were available. Ugh!

Operating system updates - Depending your backup configuration, you may or may not backup operating system files. In either case the way the operating system works with your backup solution is important to understand. As we mentioned earlier this month, backup with Windows Vista and 7 can be much different that those with XP. So whenever you change or upgrade your operating system review the backup sets to be certain critical data is protected.

Changing computers or networks configurations - Of course changing computers or changing the network location for critical data should prompt a review of the backup set. And be sure the backup set includes that actual data files, not just a shortcut to the file.

We recommend a test of your backup, including restoring a test file, once a month. A full review of backup sets should be done quarterly and whenever one of the events listed above occurs. The best backup solution in the world doesn't replace common sense and familiarity with the working environment.

Change Happens - Be Ready with Updated Backup Solutions

Windows Vista and Windows 7 require a new backup solution

Change is the one constant in our lives, particularly with Windows. So while school is in session for the kids we, too, have been learning a lot about backing up Windows Vista and learning about Windows 7.

While there are many differences between the 'traditional' Windows XP operating system and the newer Vista and 7, there are two critical aspects to consider.

Windows Vista and Windows 7 feature a new directory folder called 'Users'. Within this folder are specific user files including MS Outlook and other personal preference files. With Windows XP these files were located in different folder, usually in the 'Documents and Settings\username and other folders. The result is that users that upgrade from XP to Vista may loose files if they don't move appropriate folders to the new directory locations.

A second concern is software compatibility. Windows Vista and Windows 7 are 64-bit operating systems vs. the XP 32-bit design. This means that some programs that functioned perfectly well on XP will not run properly on the new OS. This may become a big issue for online backup companies that are tied to software designed for the old system. Fortunately for us, DataPreserve uses DataPreserve Pro powered by the ROBOBAK enterprise grade online backup software. This online backup solution was designed from the ground up with the 64-bit OS in mind.

In short, nobody does backup and restore of your Vista data like DataPreserve. Using the DataPreserve Pro online backup and a storage solution we make block level backups that are fast to upload and simple to restore. Our Remote Backup 3.0 customers are amazed by the ease of use of the DataPreserve Pro interface and its ability to compress and deduplicate across multiple locations.

Online Backup Sleight of Hand

You wouldn't call it a conspiracy, but it is strange. Online data backup and storage benefits greatly from the efficiencies of deduplication, yet many of our competitors don't mention its benefits to their customers. The reason - deduplication can be a huge money maker for these companies.

Deduplication of data is in the news daily, particularly with the recent conquest of Data Domain by EMC over NetApp. The level of passion involved in the market is evidenced by the fun video, NetApp Battles the Competition, below.

When is a Gigabyte not a Gigabyte?
So why is deduplication so important for online backup companies? The short story is that most companies bill by data size - i.e. $0.50/GB up to $10/GB and more. However a GB of data on a laptop or server is not the same GB that is stored with backup. Through the process of deduplication, data that is redundant on multiple computers or devices needs only to be stored once at the backup location. As a simple example, MS Office 2007 Office program files take up 859 MB of disk space on a computer. If these files can be backed up for 100 computers using deduplication the disk space required on the backup server would be only 859 MB. If a company paid $0.50/GB to backup these files they would pay $42.95 to backup up less than one GB of stored data or about $50/GB. Now that's good business.

While this example is simplified, the point is clear. Deduplication makes a big difference in the amount of data stored and the cost of that storage. DataPreserve Pro passes this duplication benefit on to its MSP customers to allow them to share in the profits and witness the tremendous benefits that come with the backup of multiple similar devices. The published DataPreserve Pro pricing reflects the GB size actually stored on our servers, compressed and deduplicated. So for MSPs who want to share in the profits on online backup without having the investment or headaches, outsourcing with DataPreserve makes sense financially.

Of course there are many other advantages to a backup solution with good deduplication at the source - faster backups, cleaners restores, easier management of data, etc. See this interview with Bill Andrews of ExaGrid in Forbes.

Summer games and backup. Why use online backup vs. a local device?

As the kids while away the hours with the summer pass times of baseball and swimming, MSPs continue with the tug-of-war discussion about the best methods to backup and store critical business data.

It is clear to all but the staunchest supporters of tape backup that the end is in sight for tape. In spite of this, one recent report in SMB Storage claims some SMBs are doggedly hanging on to tape backup and another report in SearchStorage even makes guarded forecasts for bright new future of backup tapes. But with the increased reliability, encryption, security, speed and functionality of disk backup, it must be rare for any enlightened IT professional or MSP to implement a new tape backup system. I had the privilege of speaking with an executive of one of the world's biggest data storage companies this weekend who informed me that they have begun planning for the end of tape.

The real question – online or local backup?
So the question of what is the best solution for disk backup is now a relevant one - online backup or local? At DataPreserve, we believe the answer is BOTH. For speed and easy access, there is no substitute for having a local copy of your business data. Yet for business continuity and peace of mind, the best solution is automated online backup and storage in a private cloud. For a business with 5-50 computers, including one or several servers, MS Exchange and or SQL the most common causes for a data loss will be hardware failure or human error. Protection from these losses will typically be covered by local backup solutions. However natural disasters and theft are also ranked as major causes of data loss. So we recommend a combined solution that protects data from all these risks.

DataPreserve Pro
DataPreserve customers have the luxury of having a local backup on their own servers integrated with online backup and storage at the high availability DataPreserve data center. Using the DataPreserve Pro software, a responsible technology professional can manage both local and online backups through one management portal, offering ease of use and the fastest possible restores when data is needed. The integrated local and online backups both take advantage of the thin backup, de-duplication and encryption tools. No expensive local NAS device needs to be purchased or leased.

American Quality Foods Chooses DataPreserve

DataPreserve is honored to add American Quality Foods as a customer. We recently received this comment from Jason McKay, the Manager of Operations there:

"As the one responsible for the company's data, I became more and more frustrated with failing tape backups and the responsibility of taking them off-site. The decision was made to pursue an online solution. I did look at and demo'ed a few companies and made the choice to DataPreserve after just few days of running the demo. The interface used to manage backup profiles is great. Very easy to use and contains "wizards" for backing up SQL, Exchange and flat file servers. Talking to support during setup was a plus as well. Sal walked me through every screen on the interface and things were running in just a few minutes."

Backup Review Reflects Online Backup Market Explosion

Backup Review (www.BackupReview.info) has been reporting on the online backup and storage market since 2004, the same time as DataPreserve launched its services. Over the years, they have maintained a steady focus on one topic - online backup and storage. As the market continues to heat up and new providers flood the Internet, Backup Review is the one rock solid piece of web-real estate that has unbiased reviews and connections to the CEOs of all the major players in the online backup game.

Backup Review was founded by Mamush Heayie over in 2004 as a portal for updated information on the then nascent online backup business. Back then, names like Carbonite and Mozy did not exist, and the biggest competitors in the market were tape backup systems and overall lack of awareness of the capabilities and benefits of online backup. Backup Review featured a then unique top 25 list of online backup companies, a mix on backup software and online backup service providers that has since emerged as a standard indicator of top players in the market.

When I spoke to Mamush via phone last week, I could tell his passion for the online backup market was undiminished with time, in spite of keeping up with growth. Explains Mamush, “We started as a home for online backup and data storage information on the web. With small dedicated staff, we have managed to create and maintain a single location where market news, blogs and other social media, and press releases can be accessed quickly. Our website also features directory, reviews and exclusive CEO interviews with many of the major players and influencers.”

Backup Review has expert editorial oversight – still important in the age of social media. This gives BackupReview.info more credibility than many blogs that may be less professional. Mamush says, "We are in business to promote online backup and data storage companies. Period."

The result of this effort is a well trafficked portal, visited by a targeted audience that allows backup companies to advertise to their audience in a cost effective manner. Mamush explains, “We offer a location for banner ads for branding as an alternative to expensive Google key word advertising. Today’s consumers are educated and most will search for reviews of interest before they purchase any product or service. Those searching for “Online Backup Review " will find our site on page one, line one in all search engines."

Indeed, prime online backup keywords such as “online backup”, “remote backup”, and a host of similar terms have a Goggle cost-per-click (CPC) of over $10, making advertising a pricy proposition. Backup Review offers a sensible marketing alternative to Goggle advertising for online backup companies needing to brand themselves in this space.

The site retains its non-biased format, allowing people to see reviews and other content but not supporting any affiliate programs or Goggle ads. As such, it is referenced by other publications, such as USA Today, when they need the in-depth understanding of the market. The detailed reviews can reach ten pages with screen shots, giving solid data to the online backup purchasing decision maker.

According to Mamush, there are close to five hundred online backup companies. This growth necessitated the expansion in June 2009 of the Backup Review Top 25 List to the new Backup Review Top 75 List of online backup companies. The new list is segmented into three markets - Consumer - for the general consumers, Small Medium Business (SMB) - for small and medium businesses, and Enterprise - for large enterprise corporations. DataPreserve appears in the top SMB companies.

With the current buzz about cloud storage, we can expect that the staff at Backup Review will be busy keeping abreast of the new players as they continue to provide a forum for intelligent discussion on online backup and storage.

2nd Law Organization Saved by DataPreserve

DataPreserve online data storage has helped save another law firm from disaster recently. Last month a San Diego based law firm moved their office network to a new server. This fairly routine task was scheduled for 5:30 PM – 6:30 PM one evening by IT consultant Jeff David of IT TechPros. Once the data transfer to the new server was initiated, Jeff left the site. Soon afterward he was alerted on his mobile device that the synchronization had stopped. For some reason the transfer had failed and the Exchange server had locked up. The company was unable to send and receive emails.

After several attempts they were unable to mount the Exchange and a get the new server running. Fortunately, all of the data was backed up and stored online with DataPreserve. The 4 GB Exchange store, with four years worth of data, was quickly restored to the new server.

“The DataPreserve solution clearly saved the law firm from a disruptive data loss.” stated Jeff David. “This situation is one of the many unexpected events for which we recommend online data backup and storage for our clients. We like the DataPreserve solution in particular because of its simplicity of deployment.”

Online data backup and storage is becoming the accepted standard for data protection for many small and medium sized businesses. Leveraging faster and more reliable internet connections, online backup allows an organizations’ critical digital data to be automatically encrypted and stored off-site. This protects the organization from the risk of data loss due to myriad factors, including fire, theft and technology issues.

3 Tips and 3 Cautions for Spring Cleaning Your Computer

Use the spring cleaning spirit to dust off your computer. You can improve its performance and reduce the risks of trouble for your information technology. Sal D’Ascoli, Customer Service Manager at DataPreserve, has these three tips and three cautions for spring cleaning your computer.

Tip 1 – Archive old emails from Outlook – Use the File/Archive function on Microsoft Outlook to reduce the size of the .PST files where emails are stored. This can improve the operation of Outlook and reduce the size of your data backups.

Tip 2 – Uninstall applications that you haven’t used. Using the Add and Remove Programs feature in Control Panel, look for rarely used programs that may be taking up hard drive space or running in the background unnecessarily. This may also improve performance.

Tip 3 – Organize your unused desktop icons. They say that a clean desk is the sign of a sick mind. While the jury is still out about that, it does make sense to clean up the clutter on your desktop. Take the time to file or delete this mess to improve your personal performance. Use this link to get the details.

Before you get started, however, here are a few cautions:

Caution 1 – Before doing any changes to your system, make sure to set a System Restore point and a backup. This way you can protect yourself from unintended data loss.

Caution 2 – If you come across a splash screen or error warning that you don’t understand during your cleanup, get help. Those warnings are there for a reason.

Caution 3 – Make sure your antivirus programs are up to date. Run each and check for updates.

Sal D’Ascoli has over 25 years of experience as a technology professional. As Customer Service Manager at DataPreserve he hears of PC problems when people lose their computer data.

DataPreserve Restores Data after Maricopa County Bar Association Fire

Last month a fire ravaged the offices of the Maricopa County Bar Association (MCBA) in downtown Phoenix. Yet within a month the organization is almost fully operational in nearby offices. One reason for the smooth transition? They use an online data backup and storage service.

The twelve person staff of the MCBA is no stranger to fires. In 2006 an electrical fire destroyed much of their office space. Wiser from that experience, they incorporated several aspects of business continuity into their operational plans. They were better prepared for the recent devastation that included destruction of the building, servers, communications lines and more.

“We understand very well the importance of backing up our critical data online.” explains Executive Director Allen Kimbrough. “After the last fire it cost us close to $75,000 to get our data back. After this fire, the first question I got from board members and others was, “Did you lose any data?” Fortunately, our critical files were backed up online so the loss was minimal. If we had kept only local backups on CDs, tapes or a server in our office, we would have lost everything.”

The MCBA services its members, the legal profession, the judicial system, and the public. Since its founding in 1914, it has been the largest voluntary bar association in Arizona. Yet even an organization of its size doesn’t have an on-staff information technology professional.

In addition to her duties as the Lawyer Referral Service Director, Linda Pena is called upon to oversee the computer technology. “I know the value of backups, and of getting them off-site. My responsibilities don't permit me to correctly support the technology that is so important to our operations. So we outsource technology support to Scottsdale Technology Solutions. They in turn connect us with DataPreserve, an online backup company based in Scottsdale.”

A recent article in the National Law Journal titled,“Data Security -- A Must Have,” strongly endorsed online data backup for all sizes of law a firms. Through online backup and storage provided by DataPreserve, the MCBA has been able to resume operations in a relatively short period of time.

SEVRAR Tech Show is a hit

Over 300 hundred realtors from throughout the Phoenix Valley converged on the Mesa Convention Center last week to sharpen their skills and improve their sales through better use of technology. The latest technology for realtor websites and tablet laptops was on display. Several Phoenix area web marketing experts presented on ways to leverage the Internet to build traffic and customers. They included Chip Lambert of Network2Networth and Bill Austin of AZHTTP.com. DataPreserve Agents were there to assist by offering laptop checkups to many of the attendees.

The keynote speaker, Jack Peckham of www.RECyber.com was a strong proponent of data backup. He is a person who is meticulous about backing up his own computers daily. Some of the other attendees, however, were more casual about their backups. So the team from DataPreserve had the opportunity to educate them and recommend solutions for online backup as well as general laptop maintenance. Pictured here, from the top, are Bruce Thomas of Thomas and Sons, Tim Klein of TAK Technology, Patrick Hanley of DataPreserve and James Lawson of Everlasting PC. Also in attendance were Jordan Flake and Willy Korp.

Outsmart Murphy. Transition should trigger backup review.

As the U.S. prepares for inauguration of the 44th president, we can all learn a lesson from the transition process that seems to be going smoothly in Washington D.C. Transition of key personnel in any organization can provide an excellent opportunity to review the many vital areas of the organizations, re-set baselines and take inventory of the valuables.

Transition periods also provide Murphy (of Murphy's Law) with an excellent time to damage an organization. With regard to computer data, transitions of hardware can be as risky as transition of personnel. In either case, critical digital records that are required for the daily operations of a business can be lost, stolen or corrupted, leaving the business or organization in chaos.

DataPreserve recommends that that you perform a backup review for transitions of any sort. A backup review entails:

• a review of the type and location of data that critical to the organization
• a full backup and test of the backup (to validate that the data can actually be restored)
  
• a clear understanding of who knows the passwords for access and encryption
• confirmation that those passwords are stored safely

For any type of physical transition, replacing computers or moving office locations, there is no substitute for online backup and storage to provide to peace of mind that Murphy is being held at bay.